Sébastien

He knew that staring at his phone wouldn't make her call him any faster, but he couldn't help himself. There had been no calls from her in two days and no reply to his texts. Considering the time of day he knew she'd be fast asleep right now, so calling her would do no good either.

It irked him that he hadn't heard a single thing. Nothing at all.

Knowing her she probably forgot to charge it again. Although two days is a long time for not charging your phone.

Maybe it had died, he thought. He'd have to send her a new one then but he wouldn't know for sure unless Ava told him anything. She could've used someone else's phone to call him but there had been no contact.

It was worrying him, to say the least, but he also knew nothing bad could've happened to her. He specifically instructed Olson to keep an eye out for her and to call him if anything happened. And Lauren would've called as well.

No, she was fine. She just wasn't replying to him.

"And what margin would Mr. Chastain like to see on this?"

Right, he thought. I came here for business.

"15%," he replied coolly. He knew it was more than last time but he was certain if management put their heads into it they could pull it off. His CFO's eyes widened, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw a few other board members shift in their seats.

"Of course, Mr. Chastain. I'll make note of that," the man replied while scribbling on his notepad. It's not like anyone was going to oppose him on anything. His name was on the company, he could call for whatever margin he liked.

As the men in front of him moved to their next topic Sébastien's mind shifted again to the beautiful brunette waiting for him at home. His hand itched from wanting to reach for the phone in front of him to text her again but he knew it'd be futile. None of them had been read yet and when she'd turn on the phone all of them would arrive at the same time.

Yet it didn't sit well with him. She always had things to share with him, even if it sometimes was something she'd already told him before.

Not that he was going to tell her.

After the meeting concluded he reached for the device and checked again. No new messages. Not from her, at least. The rest could wait he figured as he slid it into his pocket and walked toward the elevator.

He regretted not bringing her. At first, he was confident in his decision not to bring her. He'd done nothing but sit in meetings and travel to the next office. It was boring as hell and he couldn't imagine what it'd be like for her.

But having to miss her soft figure and blinding smile was even worse. Even more so now that he couldn't even hear her voice.

His phone buzzed and he immediately checked it again. Not Ava.

With a sigh, he scanned the list of messages again until his eyes landed on an earlier one from Olson. An update on the estate. Everything was well and the backyard patio had been replaced. But nothing on Ava.

He hadn't even noticed what he'd done until the call screen came on. At the same time, the elevator doors opened to the parking level and he started walking again. It was nighttime at the estate, yet he prayed Olson would pick up.

And he did as any loyal servant would. "Mr. Chastain?" the man answered, sleep evident in his voice.

"Olson," Sébastien replied by way of greeting. "I'm sorry about the time but I was wondering if you knew what's up with Ava? She isn't answering her phone."

"Ava," the man repeated tentatively. "I'm very sorry Mr. Chastain but I cannot help you with that. She left two days ago, you see."

"She left?" he repeated. His throat started to tighten with worry. "What—Where'd she go?"

"Well, I don't know, Sir. I thought that was something between the two of you as she told Lauren she was not planning on returning to the estate. I figured it was none of my business."

She actually left. Left him. It was hard to believe she'd do something like that. Two days ago there was nothing wrong yet here he was.

It felt like the ground threatened to escape from under his feet as he tried to comprehend what he'd just heard.

She's gone.

Not coming back.

But why?

As much as he tried to make sense of it he just couldn't.

"Mr. Chastain?"

Right, he was still on the phone.

"Alright. Thank you, Olson," he said before hanging up.

He wanted to go to her and ask her where they'd gone wrong. Figure out what happened and talk it out. There was so much he was willing to sacrifice to keep her in his life but he needed to speak to her for that.

It would've been easier if he knew where she was or where she'd go but he knew there was no place she called home. She could be anywhere in the country right now.

That also made him fear for her safety. Who knows where she'd end up?

He still remembers the day she bumped into him and dropped a glass. How fearful she'd been of him and what he might do. Sébastien knew that wouldn't come out of nowhere. Things had happened to her before and it terrified him to think she might find herself in that life again.

But staying in Europe would help no one. He had two more weeks of meetings but those were the farthest things on his mind right now.

There were so many emotions coursing through his body he simply wasn't sure what he had to do next. He hadn't even realized he'd reached his car already until his hand had reached for the handle.

Suddenly, his mind was set. He dialed his assistant who picked up after less than a second. "Mr. Chastain, how may I help you?"

"Clear my schedule and book me a direct flight back from Frankfurt."

"Mr. Chastain, I—"

"Do it," Sébastien cut him off before disconnecting. He tried to ignore the burning in his eyes while running his hands over his face.

He was going to fix this, he convinced himself. He was going to find her and she was going to tell him what had happened. He had to.

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What did you think? The first and perhaps only Séb chapter :)

Since this story is almost finished I'm trying to wrap it up as nicely as possible but that takes time! But as I said, it's almost finished so you can take your time to read the whole thing as a finished story :)

And hey, maybe I'll pick up love in death again after this one finishes?

Please vote if you liked this chapter!

xx May