21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Lily

E than left me a voice message earlier this morning. I have just woken up. It has been twelve hours of continuous sleeping and slight nightmares.

Ethan warned me not to leave his house, but I can't help and miss him. However, I should not let him totally control my life. I just have a lot of work to do in the building, and I don't want to delay things.

I try to call him, but my call goes directly to voicemail. He must be so busy with work. He did mention a lot of things about the FDA and his need to take matters into his own hands.

"Hey, Ethan. Good morning. I miss you. Just woke up, and it is half past one, so I don't think a good morning will do. Whatever, I will see you in the office," I scoff at myself and place my phone in my purse.

I have to get to my place and get some clothes to wear. The current outfit is not suitable for a Rothschild building. It will make me look different from the crowd who have their eyes on me now.

"You've got to be kidding me. You look like a zombie," I mutter to myself as I look at my reflection in the mirror the second, I get home. I change into work clothes and immediately drive to the building.

"Pick up," I mutter into the phone as I try to call Ethan again. It still takes me straight to voicemail.

"Hi, it is me again, Ethan. I am on my way to work. Can't really stop thinking about you. Hope I can find you inside the building," I say, my mind getting lusty thoughts about him.

But I can't find him anywhere in the building. I was really hoping he would come and meet me here or something like that. He knows I'm weak when it comes to him, and he has always been good about hiding things from me.

I spot Alfred walking towards me. He looks troubled like he's just seen something he shouldn't have. I can't help but look at him differently now that he is a vampire.

"Good morning, Alfred," I say, awkwardly waving at him, hoping he will stop and talk to me about anything that revolves around his boss.

"Miss Snow. Are you okay?" he stops and asks.

"I am fairly good actually, thank you. How about yourself?"

"Perfect. Perfect," he shrugs his shoulders. Something looks wrong, but I try not to insist.

"Is everything okay?" I ask politely and hope he doesn't get annoyed if I pry into his business. He does not seem like a bad person to me, and he has always treated me nicely.

"It is about Mr. Rothschild. He is nowhere to be found and I need your help," Alfred says urgently.

"Mr. Rothschild? You mean Ethan?" I ask. I don't want to confuse Nick and Ethan.

"Yes, Miss Snow. Ethan," he replies firmly, looking into my eyes with a serious face.

"Of course. What happened?"

"I assume you know everything about this company now, Miss Snow. About Ethan, too."

"Yes. "Yes, I do," I nod and clear my throat. I must stop myself from asking too many questions like I did yesterday with Ethan.

Alfred does not say a thing for a while. He simply looks around him and urges me to follow him to his office. His facial expression changes, and I can't help but feel worried about what is going on.

"Is everything okay, Alfred?"

"I am hoping so. I am positive about this," he mumbles under his breath.

Maybe he wants to show me something important. Maybe Ethan told him something. It seems like he's thinking hard about a lot of things.

"Any idea where Ethan could be?" I finally ask as I scan the place around me. Something feels off and I don't know what it is.

"I can only guess," Alfred says, then looks at the door, gesturing at Nick who stands there fuming.

"We have searched everywhere. His office, the labs, even the underground labs, and the basement. It's like he vanished into thin air," Nick says, and heads straight to the windows.

"Has he called you, Miss Snow?" Alfred asks, and the question makes Nick stare at me like his life depends on it.

"No. No, he hasn't all day. He left me a voice message this morning and it seemed like it came from his office."

"What did he say?" Alfred asks as his eyes widen.

"Nothing special. He said he misses me," I say, keeping my voice down, feeling embarrassed. The feeling is infused when Nick rolls his eyes at me.

"God, damn it," Nick snarls, and looks out the huge window again.

"What if something bad happened to him?" I ask as the realization suddenly hits me.

"No. He is a Rothschild. We can only hope for the best," Nick clears his throat and avoids looking at me.

"It has been a hectic night for both of us."

"Please, do tell," Alfred says as he tilts his head.

"Well, I-" I begin to speak but Nick interrupts me.

"Lily, I haven't seen Ethan since last night after the power shut down at El Diablo."

"That was Demetrius' doing. I assume you know about him."

"Of course, I do, Lily," Nick scoffs and walks towards us.

"Ethan met him last night."

"What?" Nick says, his face goes white.

"As we were leaving, Ethan and I, we spotted him behind the club and Ethan confronted him."

"Did he tell you why? What did you see, Lily?"

"I don't know. But he didn't sound happy when he spoke about Demetrius. He said it is all settled now, but I am sure that something is still wrong for how distant he seemed to be."

Nick sighs heavily and takes his jacket off. His shirt shows how tense he is. But there is something about the way he looks at me. He is looking at me like I owe him something.

"I know my brother. When he is silent and distant that only means that he is plotting something."

"What? What do you mean?"

"You heard me, Lily. Ethan could be up to something. Something bad."

"Oh, good gracious."

"Calm down, Miss Snow. Panic won't help us find him. Let's go through this step by step, shall we?" Alfred says, trying to reassure me.

"How can she be calm, Alfred? How can any one of us be calm? The FDA is breathing down our necks, and Ethan is nowhere to be found. What if something happened to him? The company needs Ethan to function. Without him, there is no Rothschild Pharmaceuticals."

"Mr. Rothschild is resourceful. He's faced worse threats than the FDA. We need to think logically," Alfred says.

"Ethan did mention something about the FDA," I say as I focus on my breathing. It is getting too much for me.

"What did he say, Miss Snow?"

"He said he had a plan to deal with them, and even when I offered to help, he objected to it."

"Is that it?" Nick asks. He seems agitated and eager to know more.

"He also said that he has suspicions that someone might be destroying the company from within."

"We've thought of that possibility, too," Alfred says, shaking his head and rubbing his temple. He then looks at Nick, stealing glances at each other like they both know something I don't.

"No, you thought of that possibility, Alfred. It can't happen."

"Stay calm, Nick," Alfred says, seeming out of patience.

The situation looks desperate and worrying. Both look like they can go at each other any second now. And all I want is to see Ethan alive and well again.

"Nick, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" Alfred asks. His eyes are telling me no good.

"Is something going on here? Something I should know of?"

Alfred's eyes seem softer now as he glances at me then back at Nick. He even hesitates to speak. I take it as a good, obvious sign that he does not want me to hear what he's going to say next.

"Lily can stay. She has to. She is one of us now, aren't you, Lily?" Nick says and looks at me. There is something sinister about his look that I can't get over.

But I don't have time to dwell on that because Alfred starts talking to Nick again.

"Alright, if you insist. I can't help but have a guess."

"Which is?"

"I can't help but think of how Ethan has been on edge lately, more than usual. The FDA's pressure might have forced him to take extreme measures."

"Extreme measures? Like what?" the words escape my mouth.

"He could be hiding evidence or securing assets. He wouldn't leave us in the dark without a good reason. We need to find him and figure out his plan," Alfred says.

"I have a list of safe houses. We'll start with the closest one. But we need to be cautious."

"Since you said that you had been with him last night, Miss Snow, did Mr. Rothschild mention where he was going or who he was meeting the following day?"

"He was being secretive, but he did mention his attorney."

"Perry," Nick snarls under his breath.

"The attorney," Alfred echoes after Nick.

"Do you two know something I don't?"

"No, Miss Snow," Alfred raises an eyebrow at me.

"Let's move forward, shall we?" Nick says, glancing at me briefly and giving me a reassuring smile before looking back at Alfred.

"I agree. Let's check out the nearest location. Hopefully, we will find Ethan there."

I smile at both. I am trying so hard to focus on my breathing. My anxiety and worry are making my heart pound so hard I can feel it reverberating inside my chest. If I don't get some air soon, I will faint.

I take deep breaths and put my hands over my stomach as I try to settle my racing heartbeat. I concentrate on listening to my breathing until it calms down. Suddenly my phone rings.

"Wait," I stop them both and show them the caller's ID on my phone screen. It is Ethan calling. Finally.

Alfred stares at the number on the screen with growing concern. He seems unsure about taking the call. I hold my hand out and stop him from pressing the end button.

"Wait. Don't pick up. Let me answer it," Alfred urges me, leaving me confused. He then takes the phone from my hand.

"Put it on speaker, please," Nick says, but it does not sound like a request. It sounds like a command.

"Can I have my phone back, Alfred, please?" I say, but I am soon interrupted by Nick.

"Oh, please, for God's sake. Give me that," Nick says as he grabs my phone away. He is obviously impatient, but not as eager and impatient as I am.

I glance at Alfred. He looks so confused. What is the matter with Nick?

"Is everything okay?" I ask Alfred.

"I can only assume Nick is scared for his brother. Maybe he is suspecting something too. I understand why he would be afraid, especially since he has never been the type to seek the limelight."

"Nick, give me my phone back," I furiously walk towards him, but he pushes my hands away from my phone.

"Nick, please."

"Give me my phone! What the hell are you doing?"

I can see that Alfred is getting annoyed by Nick's troubling behavior. He sighs loudly, but something tells me that he is not saying anything about it on purpose.

"What do you want, Lily? You better have a good reason for interrupting me," Nick suddenly says, my phone still in his hand.

"Nick, you are acting strange right now. What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? It's called being in charge, something you clearly don't understand. And as for your phone, I need it for a moment. You'll get it back soon enough," Nick says, his tone dismissive and authoritative.

"Wow. Is it Ethan calling? Is he okay?"

"No, this isn't Ethan calling. And he's fine, as far as I know. Now, can you quit asking so many damn questions? You're beginning to give me a headache," Nick responds back impatiently.

"So, who is calling, then?"

"It is a fellow vampire colleague if you must know. Now, another request for you, Lily Snow: Can you please stop being so damn nosey? You don't need to know everything that is going on."

"What the heck are you saying? And why are you talking to me like that?"

"Miss Snow, please," Alfred says, slowly raising his hand. He must have felt the tension in the office between me and Nick.

"Nick. I am going to say this for one last time. Give me my damn phone back. I am getting the hell out of here for good."

"You're not going anywhere. Not until I say so. And no, I'm not giving you your phone back, not yet. So, why don't you quit the attitude and do as you're told?"

"Alfred?"

"He is thirsty. Please, stay away Miss Snow."

"Alfred? Alfred can't help you. No one can. Why are you suddenly so desperate, Lily?" Nick slowly walks towards me.

"I'm not desperate, Nick, but you are scaring me right now. Maybe it is because you're thirsty, but I'm not the most comfortable creature in this room at this moment, and I need to go looking for Ethan."

Nick's expression suddenly softens. Something is wrong with him. He is either extremely thirsty or on substances.

"Stay away from my brother. And stay away from this company," he finally speaks as he throws my phone on the couch, and heads towards the door.

"What a freak."

"What did you say?" Nick stops and looks back, his eyebrow raised.

"You heard me. A freak."

"Get the hell out of my company. I want all of your things gone right this second," he says, and finally turns around and disappears into the hallway.

"Miss Snow, you need to take this and leave before he comes back, please," Alfred says as he hands me an odd-looking key.

"What is this, Alfred?"

"You will see soon enough."