Chapter 917

It was work hours; Skylar wouldn't be drinking. Half an hour passed before Caleb noticed her absence. He messaged her on WhatsApp: "Stuck in traffic?"

Over ten minutes elapsed without a reply. Caleb stared at his mounting workload, his eyelids twitching. Unease gnawed at him. Still no response, he felt something was amiss. He called her. Her phone was off. That was unlike her. He quickly called Joe.

Joe answered, clearly preoccupied with work. His tone was curt. "What is it?"

Caleb stated his concern. "Is Skylar home today? She hasn't come to work, and I can't reach her. Something feels wrong."

"What did you say?" Joe's voice dropped, cold and sharp.

Caleb repeated himself. "Skylar hasn't shown up—"

"She was supposed to be here forty minutes ago." Joe's voice was icy. He hung up.

The abrupt call stunned Caleb. If Skylar was an hour late, something was seriously wrong. His eyes widened. "Damn it!"

Worry consumed him. He asked the company group chat if anyone had seen Skylar that morning. No one had. Then, someone mentioned seeing a man carrying a woman across the street from Gardner Group earlier; the woman resembled Skylar.

Caleb's mind raced. Had she fallen ill? He immediately checked the building's surveillance footage. Though not near the main entrance, Skylar's outfit and appearance were unmistakable. A man approached her, speaking at length. Moments later, Skylar collapsed, and the man carried her to a car.

Caleb immediately sent the footage to Joe and filed a police report.

Skylar regained consciousness in an apartment. Her body felt weak—likely from Christopher's spray. She decided to feign sleep.

"...used a spray to knock her out and bring her here… I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't stand it anymore. She only thinks about Joe now and ignores me. You have to help me.

Besides, taking Skylar benefits you, doesn't it? I'll stop now. I'm going to have sex with her. The longer I wait, the worse it gets. By the time Joe arrives, it will be too late. Skylar and I will have already… I'll make sure he sees what I've done to her."