Eloise’s brow furrowed in confusion. “How could she just disappear?”

Picking up on Eloise’s unease, Kieran pressed, “Do you know where she might be?”

Eloise was about to mention she had just been with Freya. However, the thought of having met with Preston earlier that day stopped her short. Their previous altercation at the auction with Kieran was anything but pleasant. If Kieran found out she had gone to see Preston, he might suspect she was trying to win Preston over.

With this thought, Eloise’s smile stiffened slightly. “I—I don’t know. Ms. Dawson is an adult. It’s unlikely she’d vanish without a trace.”

Realizing Eloise had no idea where Freya was, Kieran said, “It’s getting late. I’ll have the company’s driver take you home.”

“Kieran!” Eloise hesitated before asking, “Are you… worried about Ms. Dawson?”

“She’s my fiancée, after all. She represents the image of the Sutton family. Besides, if something happened to her, I’d have to explain it to Grandma.” With that, Kieran got into his car without another word.

Eloise’s expression turned complex. Was it because of that? Or did he have feelings for Freya? She kept her thoughts to herself. Regardless, she needed to find a way to prevent Kieran from falling for Freya.

Recalling Freya had been with Preston, Eloise impulsively pulled out her phone and dialed Preston’s number.

The call was quickly answered, not by Preston, but by his secretary, Hans. “Ms. Harwood, how can I assist you?”

Eloise felt annoyed knowing that Preston had given her his secretary’s contact instead of his own. Suppressing her irritation, she asked, “Is Mr. Tyler with Ms. Dawson?”

Hans answered, “Ms. Dawson has left.”

“I see…” Eloise replied, “I thought Ms. Dawson was missing, thinking she might be with you. But it seems there’s no need to worry. I’ll hang up now.”

After ending the call, Preston and Hans returned to the Echo City Hotel.

After being hung up on, Hans approached Preston, “Mr. Tyler, Ms. Harwood called. She mentioned Ms. Dawson is missing.”

“Missing?” Preston’s eyebrows knitted together.

“Should we have someone look for her?” asked Hans.

Preston instructed, “Check the restaurant’s security footage and see where Freya went after leaving.”

“Understood.”

Preston and Hans promptly set off.

Meanwhile, Leland had driven his sports car, bringing Freya to the secluded part of Echo City University’s back hill. This place was usually deserted, even more so at night.

When Freya opened her eyes, she felt herself roughly dropped to the ground.

Leland looked down at her disdainfully and slapped her across the face. The slap was crisp, drawing the attention of Leland’s cronies, who gawked at Freya’s bound figure. Freya looked stunning in a white blouse and a black pencil skirt.

They all knew Leland’s “sister” was attractive but hadn’t realized how much so! To think Kieran had once disregarded such a beauty was beyond them.