Divorced and Chased by My Alpha Billionaire Ex-Husband - Chapter 98: Manipulative Father
Minutes dragged on, each one longer than the last. ššššš¬ššš·ššæšš”.ššøš
The officer who had promised a lead on the van returned, his face grim.
Auroraās heart sank even before he spoke. "We checked the van at the gas station. Itās not the right one. Itās just a delivery service for packages."
For a moment, everything seemed to stop. Her chest tightened painfully, and her breath caught in her throat.
The fleeting hope she had clung to shattered, leaving her feeling more helpless than before.
"No..." Aurora whispered, barely able to speak.
The officer muttered something else, but she could no longer hear him.
Beside her, Lucasās hand tightened slightly on her arm, trying to offer silent comfort.
But it wasnāt enough.
Nothing would be enough until Leo was back with her, safe.
She pressed a hand to her mouth, trying to steady herself, but it was no use.
A strange buzzing sound broke the silenceāthe sudden ring of her phone.
Aurora quickly pulled it out, eyes scanning the unfamiliar number flashing on the screen.
Her heart leapt, irrational hope flaring again.
Maybe someone had found Leo, someone who had seen the Amber Alert.
Without thinking, she answered. "Hello?"
"Aurora," came the smooth, cold voice on the other end. "Did you find Leo yet?"
Aurora froze, her blood running cold.
She recognized that voice instantly.
It was Alpha Greyāher manipulative father.
The man who had brought her nothing but pain, and now, more than ever, she knew he was behind this.
Her hand clenched into a fist, and she felt Lucasās gaze shift to her, sensing the sudden change in her.
"Aurora?" Lucas asked, his voice filled with quiet concern.
He had never looked this worried about anyone before, much less a woman he barely knew.
But there was something about her, something in the way she held herself, even in the midst of this nightmare, that struck a chord in him.
Aurora ignored him for the moment, her focus razor-sharp on the voice in her ear.
"You," she hissed, barely containing the fury building inside her. "Youāre behind this, arenāt you? You took my son!"
Alpha Greyās dark chuckle filled the silence. "Now, now, Aurora, no need for accusations. But letās just say... I know where he is."
Lucas stiffened beside her, the realization dawning on him.
Leo was her son.
All this time, he hadnāt connected the dots.
The missing boy was hers. And Ava... Ava wasnāt their mother. Ava had lied about their relationship.
He glanced at the woman standing next to Aurora, Ava, feeling the weight of that deceit, though now wasnāt the time to address it.
Auroraās pulse quickened, every second wasted on this conversation felt like another step further away from finding Leo.
"What do you want, Grey?" Her voice trembled despite her best efforts to remain composed.
Alpha Greyās voice was cool and calculated. "Itās simple. Tell Lucas to withdraw all those legal challenges. The land he gave meāit was never meant to be returned. That land is mine."
Lucasās eyes widened, and he exchanged a look with Gabriel, whose brow furrowed.
This was about the land? He kidnapped Leo over land?
Auroraās stomach churned.
She knew her father was capable of terrible things, but this... this was worse than anything sheād imagined.
"Youāre holding a childās life over a piece of land?" she spat into the phone. "Youāre disgusting."
Greyās voice hardened. "This isnāt a negotiation, Aurora. Lucas gives up the land, and you and Aria meet me at the airport. Iāve arranged everything for you both to leave the country. Thatās the deal. Nothing more, nothing less."
And just like that, the call ended.
Aurora stood there, her hand still gripping the phone, her entire body trembling.
Panic began to rise like a tidal wave, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps.
Her father had her son. And now he wanted her to leave the country.
Lucas moved closer, his hand resting on her shoulder, trying to ground her. "Aurora, listen to me. You need to calm down."
"I canāt!" she cried, the desperation breaking through. "He has Leo! Heās going to hurt him. I need toā"
"Aurora," Lucas said firmly, cutting through her panic.
His eyes were steady, and his voice had an authority she couldnāt ignore. "Weāre going to figure this out, but weāre not giving him that land. Not after everything."
Aurora shook her head, wild fear in her eyes. "You donāt understand! Heās dangerous. He tried to kill Leo once, right after he was born. He wanted to drown him just to keep his title as Alpha King. If we donāt do what he says, heāllā"
She couldnāt finish the thought. The idea of what her father might do to Leo twisted her insides.
Lucasās jaw clenched as the gravity of her words hit him. He hadnāt realized just how ruthless Alpha Grey was.
"Weāll get him back," he said quietly, his voice firm but calm. "But Iām not giving that land up, Aurora."
Auroraās breath hitched, panic flashing across her face.
She grabbed his arm, her nails digging into his skin as if holding onto him would stop her world from crumbling.
"You have to, Lucas. Please. If you donāt, Leoā" Her voice cracked, the desperation cutting through.
She met his eyes, pleading. "Please. Do what he says."
It took a moment for her to realize she had called him by his first name.
Not Mr. Lucas like she had previously addressed him.
Just Lucas.
In her panic, she had forgotten the formalities. But the slip didnāt seem to faze him.
Instead, his gaze softened slightly.
Gabriel, standing nearby, had already pulled out his phone, discreetly informing the police about the call and what Alpha Grey had demanded.
"The cops are on it," he murmured, stepping closer. "We canāt let Alpha Grey get away with this."
Lucas gave Gabriel a brief nod before turning back to Aurora. "Weāre not going to let anything happen to Leo. But I canāt let your father manipulate us like this. Thereās more at stake here than just land."
"I donāt care about the land!" Aurora cried. "I care about my son!"
"And I care about keeping you both safe," Lucas said softly. "Iāll figure something out. Weāll get Leo back."
Auroraās panic surged again, and she pulled away from him, shaking her head. "You donāt understand. You donāt know what heās capable of."
She could still see the cold look in her fatherās eyes when he had tried to drown Leo as a baby, as if her sonās life meant nothing to him.
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