Chapter 352 Gone Without a Trace
Oliver had reached his limit.
From where he stood, Trevor wasn’t just celebrating Ariel’s birthday anymore.
He was making a statement.
In front of hundreds of guests.
In front of the city’s business elite.
In front of the media waiting outside.
Every smile, every gesture, every glance between Trevor, Rose, and Ariel reinforced the same image—
A happy family.
By tomorrow morning, that would be the story everyone believed.
Oliver couldn’t think of a single way to undo it.
What baffled him even more...
Was Ryan.
How could he still look so calm?
If it were anyone else, their pride would have shattered long ago.
"Ryan?"
Oliver couldn’t help asking again.
Ryan’s eyes remained fixed across the ballroom.
Rose had finished cutting the cake.
She crouched beside Ariel, smiling as she wiped frosting from her daughter’s cheek.
The smile on her face...
It was relaxed.
Warm.
Genuine.
Ryan had never seen her smile like that.
Trevor pulled a folded napkin from the table and handed it to her.
She accepted it naturally.
No hesitation.
No awkwardness.
The ease between them came from years of knowing each other.
Nearby, a group of children suddenly surrounded Ariel.
Laughing, they dabbed frosting across her cheeks.
Within seconds, her face looked like a messy little kitten.
Instead of getting upset, Ariel burst into giggles.
Then, as though remembering something important, she quickly stopped laughing.
She turned to Rose.
"Mom..."
"My face feels sticky."
"Can you take me to wash it?"
As she spoke...
She quietly winked at Trevor.
Trevor’s lips curved almost imperceptibly.
Rose noticed none of it.
She simply brushed frosting from Ariel’s hair.
"You’ve got cream everywhere."
"Come on."
"The restroom’s this way."
She took Ariel’s hand.
As they walked away...
Ariel secretly glanced back one last time.
Trevor gave the slightest nod.
She smiled.
Mission understood.
******
The moment Rose disappeared around the corner...
Trevor turned to the hotel manager.
"Now."
The manager had been waiting.
He immediately spoke into his headset.
Within seconds...
More than thirty staff members appeared from concealed hallways carrying armfuls of roses.
Others wheeled out flower displays hidden behind decorative walls.
Everything had already been rehearsed.
The ballroom transformed almost instantly.
Where whimsical birthday decorations had stood moments earlier...
Thousands upon thousands of deep red roses now surrounded the room.
At the very center...
A breathtaking arrangement several feet high dominated the ballroom.
The transformation happened so quickly that many guests hadn’t even realized what was occurring until it was finished.
Gasps echoed throughout the room.
"My goodness..."
"Is this..."
"He’s proposing!"
The excitement spread like wildfire.
Across the ballroom...
Ryan quietly watched.
The crimson roses reflected faintly in his eyes.
Oliver inhaled sharply.
"What is Trevor doing?"
"This is huge."
He stared at Ryan.
"Ryan... there’s still time."
"They’re not married yet."
"If he’s proposing..."
"You could still talk to Rose."
"At least explain everything."
"And what about everything that happened at Kevin’s TV station?"
"The Hill family..."
"The TV station..."
Oliver lowered his voice.
"I’ve always felt something about all that never made sense."
"If none of it mattered..."
"Why would you have gone after Samantha’s family like that?"
Ryan offered no response.
*****
Click.
Every chandelier in the ballroom went dark.
Only carefully placed spotlights remained.
One brilliant beam illuminated the enormous bouquet of roses.
Everything else faded into soft darkness.
Trevor stepped into the light.
The room instantly fell silent.
Everyone knew what came next.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"How romantic..."
"I knew he was going to propose."
"They’re perfect together."
"Mr. Robinson is usually so private."
"If he’s doing something this grand..."
"He must really love her."
Another woman sighed dreamily.
"I bet tonight is going to be unforgettable for them."
The women laughed.
Some blushed.
Others applauded.
Every word drifted through the ballroom.
James heard every one of them.
His eyes slowly turned toward Ryan.
He couldn’t believe Ryan was standing there listening.
If Rose really turned out to be his sister...
Everything about tonight felt unbearably cruel.
*****
Ryan already knew what Trevor intended to do.
Without saying a word...
He turned around.
And walked away.
Oliver stared after him in disbelief.
"Ryan!"
"Are you giving up?"
"Or are you pretending not to care?"
Ryan didn’t stop walking.
"What else is there to do?"
His voice was calm.
Cold.
As if none of this involved him at all.
*****
Just then...
The ballroom doors opened.
Derick Taylor and Victoria entered together.
They had arrived late.
The instant Ryan saw Victoria...
His footsteps stopped.
His eyes settled on her.
Victoria immediately recognized him.
The memory of what had happened earlier flashed across her mind.
Ryan had stood beside Samantha.
He had even tried to help force her into court.
Grace had nearly disowned Victoria over it.
Victoria pursed her lips.
She turned to Derick.
"I left my phone in the car."
"You go ahead."
"I’ll be right back."
Derick nodded.
Without another word...
Victoria headed back outside.
As Derick entered the ballroom, he gave Ryan a courteous nod.
Ryan returned it.
Nothing more.
The two men passed each other.
At that exact moment—
The hotel manager hurried out from a side hallway.
His face had lost all color.
He rushed straight toward Trevor.
"Mr. Robinson..."
He deliberately lowered his voice.
"We can’t find Miss Bennett or Ariel."
"We checked the ladies’ restroom..."
"They’re not there."
Trevor’s expression changed instantly.
"When did you start looking?"
"Just now."
"You asked us to prepare everything."
"When we went to bring Miss Bennett back..."
"They were already gone."
Trevor immediately regained his composure.
"Don’t alarm the guests."
"Search quietly."
"Every floor."
The manager hurried away.
Ryan had stopped walking.
His instincts screamed that something was wrong.
He pulled out his phone.
"Report."
A security guard answered immediately.
"Everything’s normal, Mr. Knight."
"No unauthorized entries."
"Everyone entering the resort has presented a valid invitation."
Ryan’s pace suddenly quickened.
"Did Rose or Ariel leave the building?"
"No."
"We’ve been watching every exit."
"They never came outside."
Ryan was already heading toward the women’s restroom.
He shoved the door open.
The room was empty.
His sharp eyes swept across every corner.
Every stall.
Every sink.
Nothing.
Then—
He noticed it.
Near the doorway...
A faint streak of white.
Whipped cream.
Barely visible against the polished marble floor.
It looked as though someone had been dragged while frosting smeared across the tiles.
Footsteps approached behind him.
Trevor had arrived without attracting attention.
His expression was grim.
"What did you find?"
Ryan didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes followed the nearly invisible trail.
His jaw tightened.
Then he looked up.
"The abductor never left the resort."
His voice was ice cold.
"They’re still inside."
He looked toward the elevators.
"Search the upper floors."