Sebastian's POV
The quarterly meeting was in full swing at our Tranquil Coast headquarters when Maya's call came through. Regional directors filled the conference room, charts and projections covering every surface, but the moment her name flashed on my screen, everything else became background noise.
Her voice carried an edge that made my gut clench. Howard had disappeared. Just vanished without explanation.
"We'll resume in twenty minutes," I announced, cutting off the finance director mid-sentence. The room fell silent, confusion written across their faces, but I was already moving toward the door.
My fingers flew across the phone, dialing Howard's number. Nothing. Voicemail picked up immediately.
I tried again with the same result.
In all the years Howard had worked for us, he'd never ignored a call from me. Never. The man was military-trained, disciplined to his core, and utterly reliable. If he wasn't answering, something was very wrong.
