Page 108 of Xander

Welcome to Paris!

Chapter

Thirty-Five

XANDER

Henry refused to leave the property—spouting something about his missing car. It was probably another one of his antics to drag things out. I didn’t have time for it and let my cousins escort him out. By the time they dragged him away, the house was a little too quiet. Jasper turned in for the night, but I struggled with facing Jordan.

I should’ve gone after her as soon as she learned about the conservatorship. Perhaps part of the hesitation was my conscience nagging at me for forcing her into the same situation I helped her escape.

I told myself that I was nothing like Henry. I’d never hit her or cheat on her. I even turned off all the cameras in our bedroom the moment I returned home. I didn’t want to spy on her or lock her in there.

It was the world that wanted to take her away from me, and I was simply securing our future. That was how I justified it, as I stayed up most of the night researching options that allowed us to get married despite taking over her guardianship. The limitations mostly stemmed from financial control. As long as I gave her free rein on her finances, I could still marry her and become her conservator.

I figured Jordan would calm down by the time I was finished, and she would have a chance to wrap her head around the idea. I was doing this because she refused to share her heart with me. Surely, she knew this would happen if she kept holding back.

Our bedroom was jarringly empty when I cracked open the door. The dawn rays pouring through the window showcased the vacantness of it. Jordan wasn’t here.

Fuck, why did I turn the cameras off in the bedroom?

I automatically checked the guest bedroom she had slept in once, only to find it equally empty. The rest of the house was also a ghost town as I searched room after room.

A sudden panic had me pulling out my cell to track her phone. According to the Google location, it was still inside the house, so I refreshed it numerous times, regretting not placing a physical tracker in her body. I called the phone, only to hear it ring in our bedroom. But when I barged inside again, Jordan wasn’t there.

Jordan never, ever went anywhere without her phone.

Manically, I started searching the house again, my panic only rising when each room turned up empty. After exhausting my search, I ended up in Jasper’s bedroom. It was the only one I hadn’t checked, and I pounded his door with a closed fist.

“What the fuck?” Jasper snapped, holding the door wide open. “What’s going on?”

I could barely find the words. “Have you seen Jordan?”

He frowned, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Not since last night. Why?”

“I can’t find her,” I snarled. “I’ve looked everywhere. The location on her phone says she’s in the house, but⁠—”

“You’re tracking her phone now?” he asked wildly. “What the hell, Xander? You’re turning into Henry.”

“That’s not the problem right now,” I snapped, feeling impatient.

He crossed his arms across his chest. “No, I think that is the problem. You can’t control her⁠—”

“Fuck off, Jasper,” I shouted before I could think better of it.

His head reeled back, having never been yelled at by me before. If I weren’t in full panic mode, I would’ve checked my tone.

“If anything happens to her, I swear to God, I’ll burn this fucking world down,” I growled.

“Jesus, man, calm down.” He held up two hands as if warding off my mania. “We’ll find her, okay? I’ll help you look.”

“I’ve already searched the entire house.”

Jasper softened at my frenzied voice. “Maybe she just left her phone in the house and went for a walk. Have you looked outside?”

I shook my head, barely snuffing out my anger now that he was trying to help. It was possible that she went on a walk. Since this estate was gated, I told my staff Jordan was allowed to walk around the premises whenever I was home.

“All right. Let’s check outside,” Jasper said calmly.