Chapter 129

“Livia Aphael?” Lucianne asked, clearly oblivious. When the Chief nodded, even the policeman at the

door was surprised to see Lucianne looking lost as she said, “I don’t know anyone by that name.”

The Chief was surprised at her answer so he unlocked his phone to look for a photograph before

showing i t to Lucianne and asked again, “Do you really not know her, your Highness?”

Lucianne’s eyes widened in recognition as she exclaimed, “Oh, her! I’m sorry, Chief. I didn’t know that

was her name.”

“But you seem to remember her quite well, my Queen.” His tone wasn’t accusatory. It just held genuine

confusion.

“I do. I’m not sure if you’re aware, Chief. But Sebastian Cummings was my previously-bonded mate, and

I severed our bond after finding him making love with this woman, who up until today, I didn’t know the

name to.”

“Ah, I see now. We were aware of the previous bond from the conversation between the two siblings but

w e were unaware of the full events leading up to the severance.”

“How is this relevant?” Xandar asked impatiently, not at all pleased that his mate’s past rejection was

being raised

“Well, my King. Livia Aphael’s name came up in their conversation during Mr Cummings’s visit. Seeing

that Ms Cummings is gone, we are tracking everyone who may possibly be offering her shelter. After

speaking to neighbors and bartenders, we discovered that Ms Cummings and Ms Aphael share a close

friendship. So, we were looking into her.”

Christian sat upright again as he questioned, “What do you mean you ‘were’ looking into her? She’s in

the clear now?”

“That’s the problem, your Grace.” The Chief’s exhausted eyes peered into the Duke’s irritated ones as he

said, “She’s missing. Her whole family is missing.”

Christian then muttered to himself, “You’ve got to be f*cking kidding me.”

Xandar then uttered, “So, it’s safe to say that this woman is our prime suspect in helping Ms Cummings

escape?”

“That’s the theory for now, yes. And what makes Ms Aphael’s position worse is that she was the woman

who was at the other Duke’s residence, the one who made sexual advances before being thrown out by

the Duke himself. Seeing as he is also missing, we thought she might have something to do with their

disappearances.”

“That’s possible.” Xandar muttered in agreement. “She could be the one who hired those men to help

break her friend out of prison.”

“Yes, my King, that is unless the results from the interrogation with Mr Cummings offer a different

conclusion.“ Dalloway then looked at Lucianne and asked, “My Queen, if I may ask, when did you last

see Ms Aphael? Was it when the bond was severed?”

Lucianne spoke calmly when she replied, “No, the last time I saw her, inadvertently, I must add, was

when we were at a restaurant…” she did a mental count before she continued, “…five days ago. What’s

the name o f the restaurant we went to the other day, Xandar? The one with the huge aquarium?”

“Le Paradis Luxueux.” Xandar said without hesitation, and he couldn’t help but smile at the memory of

their dinner date.

The policeman at the door jotted down the name of the restaurant in his notepad as the Chief asked,

“May we know the approximate time when you saw her, my Queen?”

“Around eight, I guess. She was in a one-shoulder red crepe dress with a high slit on the side. Uh… I

think she was with someone. The seat in front of her had a plate of unfinished food but she was alone at

her table when I noticed her presence. When she felt my stare on her, she started speaking on her

phone and made her way out.”

When the policeman’s furious scribbling came to a stop, the Chief asked, “And has there been anything

else from the missing Duke, your Highness?”

“No, Chief. Are you able to locate him yet?” Lucianne asked in curiosity.

“I’m afraid not, my Queen. But we are expanding our search now, so our chances of finding him and

Tanner are higher than before.”

Lucianne nodded in understanding. “I see. Is there anything else you need from me?”

“No, my Queen. Thank you for your time. And both of yours as well, my King and your Grace.” The Chief

shook their hands and bowed in gratitude before leaving the room with the other policeman.

When the three of them were left alone, Christian started complaining, “Who would need to recruit a

dumb blonde with a poor temperament and a high affinity to tilt towards insanity?”

“It couldn’t be Greg, could it?” Xandar asked, basically making wild guesses now.

Christian scoffed and said, “What would Greg do with her? Next to him, her skills are probably worse

than a beginner’s. I doubt it’s for sex, too. I’ve seen them both in the same room before. Zero chemistry

and almost zero overlap in social circles. He’d be around ministers’ daughters, and she…well, before she

was kicked out, she would be around…you, actually, cuz, even when you were just the Crown Prince.”

“And it was bloody irritating. It’s like she won’t take the hint that I’m not interested.” Xandar muttered as h

e held Lucianne’s hand on his lap.

That was when he realized his mate hadn’t said a word since the policemen left. The cousins looked her

way, and noticed that she was lost in thought as she stared at the beige walls in front of them. With a

gentle stroke on her hand, Xandar, in a soft voice, said, “Baby, a penny for your thoughts?”

Her black orbs which were far away were brought back to the room in an instant. Xandar ran his fingers

through her hair as he asked, “What’s on your mind, sweetheart? You seemed so far away.”

Her wolf purred under his touch, and Lucianne smiled meekly before she said, “I just didn’t know

Sebastian’s bed warmer had access to such resources. If she could find people to break her friend out of

prison, why didn’t she just hire someone to sleep with Cummings? Why did she do it herself?”

“Maybe she really liked him?” Xandar offered a suggestion.

“Hm. That’s a possible explanation, I suppose.” Lucianne analyzed aloud. “Something’s still bothering

you, Lucy. Tell me. What is it?” Xandar uttered.