Paradise Found

39

ALISTAIR

“Hey, Ali, baby,” Miranda says as she leans against the wall. Her eyes widen, and her face flushes pink as she sees my father step out of the mudroom behind me. I watch as she swallows harshly, her carefully curated façade beginning to fall.

My father’s eyes narrow on Miranda—I know he heard her. “Sweetheart, do you happen to know where Eloise is? She seems to have gone missing,” my father asks her softly.

Miranda shakes her head as she bites her lower lips.

Yeah, that was always her tell when she lied to my face.

“Yes, you do.”

“It’s very important, Miranda,” my father says sternly.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” she answers, trying to sound innocent.

“Don’t fucking believe her,” my father mumbles under his breath.

“Neither do I,” I add.

“If you think George is scary, then you haven’t seen me angry. I need to knowright this moment, Miranda.Do. You. Know… what happened to Eloise?” my father asks, raising his voice.

Miranda swallows hard again. “All I know is George found out something about your girlfriend. That she wasn’t who she said she was. That’s all I know.”

If she thinks I don’t know Elle used to work at The Paradise Club, and it’s some big secret, then they are sorely mistaken.

“There’s a file in his room on Eloise,” she adds quietly.

Why the hell does he have a file on my girlfriend in his room?This is insane.

My father looks over at me, and the next thing I know, he’s striding down the corridor, looking angry. He walks into the kitchen and finds Paul, our butler, who jumps up and stands to attention when he sees us enter. “Evening, gentlemen,” he says, greeting us.

“Paul, have you seen Eloise come through here?” I ask.

“No, sir.”

Shit.Then she must be here. There’s nowhere for her to have gone.

“Come on, let’s see if we can find out what George seems to be blackmailing Eloise with,” my father says as we head back up the stairs to George’s room. We pull back the door, turn on the lights, and search his room high and low, but we can’t find this stupid file. Even his safe is empty.

“Slippery little fucker,” my father curses. “I’m sorry, son, for everything that’s happened this past year,” my dad says, clapping me on the shoulder, and I see the sincerity and pain written on his face.

“I understand.”

“But you shouldn’t have had to. What George and Miranda did to you was deplorable. He’s been a shit his entire life, and your mother and I have indulged him. He’s never had to be accountable for anything. We should have been more sympathetic to you, Ali. I’m sorry.”

I give him a nod just as the door to George’s room swings open, and Paul is standing there out of breath.

“She was picked up about an hour ago via private car. The front gate found the footage. I texted it to you,” he states.

I pull out my phone and see the images of Eloise being hugged by her best friend, Lauren. It looks like she’s crying.

What the hell has happened?

What has George done?

“I promise whatever George has done to push Eloise away, Iwillfind out, and Iwillfix it, I promise,” my father tells me seriously. “Now go get some rest, and in the morning, we’ll deal with that little asswipe.”