Jeremy Crawford's London penthouse felt suffocating, the city lights below twinkling like diamonds that mocked his failed attempts to reach Harmony. He'd tried her number for the twentieth time that day, each call going straight to voicemail. His hand trembled slightly as he called Alex instead.
"Any word?" Jeremy asked the moment Alex answered, his voice low and urgent.
"Nothing." Alex's voice was heavy with concern. "She's not answering anyone, not even her father."
Jeremy sank into his leather chair, dread settling in his stomach like a cold, dark stone. "That's not like her. She always answers her father, at least."
"I know." A pause. "Look, something happened the other day.
Jeremy sat up straighter, his eyes narrowing. "What happened?"
"We were talking, and she..." Alex hesitated. "She asked about Sarah."
The name hung in the air like smoke, its presence making Jeremy's skin prickle. He gripped the phone tighter. "Sarah? Why would she ask about Sarah?"
"I don't know. yesterday, in the middle of a conversation, she disappeared.Now, she hasn't been to classes, won't answer calls or talk to anyone. Her family is going mad with worry."
Alex's voice softened. "Jeremy, what's really going on with Sarah?"
"It's complicated." Jeremy ran a hand through his disheveled hair. " our families..."
"Mate, whatever's happening, Harmony deserves to know the truth."
"I was going to tell her everything." Jeremy's voice cracked. "In person. I just needed—"
"Time?" Alex cut in. "Well, something's wrong now. And if Sarah's involved.....Jeremy was already grabbing his keys. "I'll call you back."
The drive to Sarah's Knightsbridge apartment was a blur of rain-slicked streets and mounting dread. The windshield wipers beat out a rhythmic warning, as if urging him to turn back. He didn't.
Sarah answered her door in silk pajamas, champagne glass in hand, looking utterly unsurprised to see him. "Jeremy, darling. Coming to reminisce about old times?" Her voice was husky, inviting.
He pushed past her into the apartment, his eyes scanning the lavish space. "What did you do?"
Sarah's laugh tinkled like breaking glass. "You'll have to be more specific."
"Harmony." His voice cracked on her name. "She won't answer my calls. Won't talk to Alex. Something happened, and you've got that look."
Sarah moved closer, her perfume cloying. "The same look I had when you called off our engagement?" Her smile turned sharp. "When you threw away years of family planning for some girl you met online?"
Jeremy's warning was low, dangerous. "Don't."
"Or what?" Sarah's eyes glittered. "You'll run to your precious Harmony? Tell her all about how our families arranged our marriage when we were children? About the merger that would've united two empires?" Her smile turned cruel. "Oh wait, you can't. Because you never told her any of it, did you?"
Jeremy felt the blood drain from his face. "What did you tell her?"
Sarah sipped her champagne. "The truth."
"Which truth?" Jeremy's voice was cold, detached.
Sarah's eyes locked onto his. "About your engagement. About your family's expectations. About the kind of person you need to marry."
Something in her tone made Jeremy's skin crawl. "What's that supposed to mean?" His face scrunched in confusion " And.... We are no longer engaged."
Sarah's pity was acid. "Did you really think you knew everything about your perfect angel? People keep secrets Jeremy."
"What did you do?" Jeremy asked, grabbing her arms
Sarah didn't flinch. "I saved you from making a terrible mistake. You should thank me."
Jeremy's laugh was hollow. "For destroying something real? Something genuine?"
Sarah wrenched away. "You destroyed everything everything, the plans—" Jeremy cut her off. "You never loved me, Sarah. You loved the idea of us. The perfect power couple."
Sarah's mask finally cracked. "You'll regret this, Jeremy. You'll regret walking away from me."
Jeremy turned to leave, his heart heavy with foreboding. "I doubt it."
The drive home was a typhoon of emotions. His phone sat silent on the passenger seat, Harmony's smiling photo mocking him from the screen.
Back at his penthouse, Jeremy found both his parents waiting. His mother perched on the edge of his sofa like a hawk ready to strike, while his father stood by the window, London's lights casting shadows across his stern face.
"The board meeting is tomorrow," his mother said without preamble. "You need to be there."
Jeremy moved to his bedroom, pulling out a suitcase. "Reschedule it."
"Reschedule?" His mother's laugh was sharp. "You want to reschedule a meeting with our top investors because some girl won't answer your calls?"
"Elizabeth," his father warned softly, but she continued.
"You ended things with Sarah, fine. The merger survived. Barely." She stood, her Louboutins clicking against the hardwood floor. "But this? Running off to America for a girl you met on the internet?"
"She's not just some girl." Jeremy's voice was quiet but firm.
"No?" His mother moved closer. "Then what is she? What do you really know about her, Jeremy? About her family? Her background?"
"I know enough." Jeremy zipped his suitcase closed with more force than necessary.
"To risk everything we've built?" His father finally spoke. "The company needs stability right now, son. Not another scandal."
Jeremy turned to face them. "There won't be a scandal. I'm going to fix this."
"Fix what?" His mother's voice softened dangerously. "Whatever fantasy you've built with this girl? Wake up, Jeremy. You're a Crawford."
"To what?" Jeremy's voice rose. "To marrying someone I don't love? To living a life you planned before I could walk?"
His mother's expression turned cold. "To understanding who you are. What your name means."
Jeremy looked between them – his mother's perfect posture, his father's carefully neutral expression. A lifetime of expectations wrapped in designer clothes and board meetings.
"My flight's at dawn," he said finally. "The company will survive without me for a few days."
Jeremy closed his door on their protests, his mind already in Boston. Whatever secrets lay between them, he would face them all.
The truth was coming. Ready or not.