Chapter 482

When Lucas heard the update, the gloom in his eyes deepened.

"Find her. If you can’t, pack your bags and go to Fortline tomorrow.”

Desmond nearly blacked out.

Before he could even protest, the call ended with a hard click.

He threw a few punches into the air in sheer frustration.

This was absolutely insane.

Aurora was out of her mind, and Lucas? A full-blown maniac.

What the hell were these two trying to do in the middle of the night?

With a long breath, Desmond finally calmed himself, channeling his rage into a small act of rebellion.

He changed Lucas‘ contact name in his phone from “Boss” to “Madman.”

Still, when it came to orders, he knew better than to ignore them.

He got paid, and he lived by a simple rule – take the money, do the job.

As crazy as Lucas could be, the man paid well.

He never once shorted his wages. That alone was enough reason to stick around.

But now he had a problem – he had absolutely no idea where to start looking for Aurora.

Her assistant came to mind, but it was late, and Desmond had no clue where the guy lived.

Meanwhile, Lucas had already arrived at the Walton estate.

He stood at the gates of the manor, uncertain how to even begin explaining himself to Grace.

But after a long moment of hesitation, he walked in.

Aurora’s safety mattered more than his pride.

He strode straight to the door and rang the bell.

At this hour, only the house steward answered. When he saw who it was, his surprise was evident.

“Sir, what brings you here at this hour?”

Lucas‘ jaw was tight, his expression unreadable.

Still, he forced his voice into something calmer. “I’m here to see Aurora. Is she home?”

The steward blinked, puzzled. “Miss Aurora? She hasn’t come back. Madam Grace is still recuperating, and Miss Aurora hasn’t returned either. She’s been working late at the office.”

As soon as the steward said that, Lucas turned and started walking away.

“Alright. Got it.”

His pulse quickened, thudding like a drumbeat.

Now that he had confirmation, there was no reason to linger, not until he found Aurora.

Rest wasn’t even an option until then.

The steward called after him, unable to hold back. “Sir, Miss Aurora is not with you?”

His voice carried a hint of worry.

After all, he’d watched Aurora grow up.

Lucas caught the concern in his tone and, not wanting to raise any more alarms, offered a smooth lie.

“No, she asked me earlier to pick her up here at the house. I thought she’d already arrived. I’ve been away on a business trip these past couple of days, and haven’t even been home. She’s probably just waiting for me there.”

It was only because the steward had known Aurora since she was little that Lucas bothered to explain at all. “Alright then. Please take care on your way home,” the steward said with a kindly smile, not pressing further.

Lucas gave a brief nod and left the Walton estate.

But behind him, the steward remained rooted in place, watching his retreating figure, a frown tugging at his brow.

The explanation might have sounded reasonable, but something didn’t sit right.

After thinking it over, he decided to inform Grace.

She had just gone to bed when the noise downstairs stirred her awake.

Hearing movement, she got up too.

“What’s going on, Mr. Lee? Who was at the door just now?”

The steward paused, then told her everything that had just happened.

After all, he served the Walton family, not the Carters.

Chapter 483