Chapter 158

Angela POV

"Stop the act," I snapped, watching Sean's confused expression with growing irritation. "The school said their 'father' picked them up. Who else would they mean?"

Sean's expression shifted instantly, his casual demeanor replaced by sharp intensity. He gripped my shoulders firmly. "The children are missing?"

"Don't pretend you don't know," I tried pulling away from his grasp. "You obviously took them."

"Angela," his voice hardened, emerald eyes boring into mine, "are you saying Aria and Ethan have actually disappeared?"

Something in his reaction made me pause. The alarm in his eyes seemed genuine, not manufactured.

"They're not with you?" My certainty began to waver.

Without answering, Sean reached for his phone on the nightstand, frowning when he found it dead. "Give me your phone," he demanded, holding out his hand.

I hesitated before complying. He immediately called Thomas, his voice sharp with urgency.

"The children are missing. Check the school surveillance footage immediately. Find out who took them." He listened briefly. "No, they weren't with me. Someone claimed to be their father. Find them." He ended the call and returned my phone.

I sank onto the edge of his bed as reality hit me. "If you didn't take them, who did?"

"Do you see any signs of children here?" Sean countered, still wearing only the towel around his waist. "Why would I take them, then come home to shower?"

"But the school said their father-"

"Exactly," Sean interrupted. "It had to be someone they know and trust. Aria and Ethan wouldn't go with a stranger."

"I can't think of anyone else with a motive," I insisted, trying not to look at his bare chest.

"If I wanted to take them," Sean replied coldly, "I'd have my legal team handle everything officially."

"Then who-"

"We'll find out soon." Sean moved toward his closet. "You should know that Aria and Ethan are exceptionally intelligent. They're not easily fooled."

Despite everything, I felt a flicker of pride. "I know."

"So whoever took them must have been very convincing."

I wrapped my arms around myself. "You seem to have an idea who it might be."

A dark, humorless smirk tugged at his lips. "You'll see soon enough.Don't worry, the children should be safe right now."

Then, without warning, Sean ripped the towel from his waist, letting it drop to the floor. My breath caught as he stood there, utterly naked and unashamed.

His body was a masterpiece of raw power-broad shoulders tapering to a sculpted chest, abs carved like they'd been chiseled from stone, and those lean, muscular thighs that radiated strength.

A faint sheen of water still clung to his skin from the shower, glistening under the dim light, drawing my eyes to the sharp V of his hips and the undeniable, provocative heft below.

I spun away, heat flooding my cheeks.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I hissed, my voice pitching higher than I meant.

"What?" he teased, his tone dripping with mock innocence. "You're the one standing there staring. Haven't you had your fill yet?"

"You're disgusting," I spat, storming toward the door.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" he called after me, his voice a deliberate, velvet taunt.

I whirled back, fury igniting my courage. "Don't flatter yourself. I've seen plenty of gorgeous, ripped Italian men over the past five years-men who'd make you look average. Why would I waste my time on you?"

A dangerous glint sparked in his eyes.

In one fluid, predatory motion, he closed the distance between us, grabbed my arm, and yanked me hard against his bare chest.

My body collided with his, and I could feel the heat radiating off him, his skin scorching against mine. His breath brushed my ear as he leaned in close, voice low and dripping with challenge.

"Is that so?"

I shoved against him, desperate for space, but he held me tighter. His free hand seized mine, guiding it down with deliberate intent until my fingers brushed the thick, pulsing heat of his cock.

"Tell me," he murmured, his lips grazing my jaw, "were they this big? Did they make you feel like this?"

My pulse roared in my ears, my body betraying me as it trembled under his touch.

"If you're done with your little show," I managed, forcing my voice to steady, "can we focus on finding our children?"

Sean released me, stepping back with a smug glint in his eye.

He dressed in silence-black shirt, jeans-each movement accentuating the lethal grace of his frame. "Let's go."

I started toward the elevator, determined to find my children on my own.

"I don't need your help."

"Angela," Sean called after me. "You won't find them without me."

Outside, a black sedan pulled up. Sean opened the passenger door.

"Get in," he commanded. "I know where they are."

"I don't need your help," I insisted, though my heart leapt at his words.

"Get in the car, Angela," Sean repeated, his voice dropping lower. "I know where our children are."

The emphasis on "our" wasn't lost on me, but all that mattered now was finding Aria and Ethan. With reluctance, I slid into the passenger seat.