Chapter 10 Camila waited all night at the restaurant. From dusk to dawn, Chase never came back. Just after dawn, with dark circles etched deep under her eyes, she finally got the call. "Come to the Whitmore estate. I need to talk to you." The moment Camila arrived, a vase came flying her way. She stumbled back in shock. "Chase! What the hell are you doing?!" He hurled a flash drive at her feet, his voice ice-cold. "See for yourself." Camila plugged it in. A woman's gut-wrenching sobs burst out of the speakers, startling her so badly she dropped the drive. "W-What... what is that sound..." She instinctively reached out to grab Chase's arm. Only to be shoved aside. "You're trembling from the sound alone? What about when you sent those men to touch her?!" Chase's glare was lethal. Camila froze, then quickly recovered. "I didn't! Weren't those men sent by you? What does that have to do with me?" "I only told them to scare her-grab her and shake her up a bit. I never told them to actually touch her!" Chase stared her down, suspicion clouding his expression. "Tell me now-was it you?" "No!" Camila didn't even flinch. "This has nothing to do with me! That video could be fake for all we know. Nora probably made it to frame me-so you'd pity her!" "You know what she's like! She's never liked me. She's always tried to ruin me. This is what she does-twist Chapter 10 25.00% things, manipulate people, stage a sob story." "If you believe her... you're playing right into her hands!" Chase's once-solid resolve began to waver. Camila's argument-it made a kind of sense. Nora had been acting out more lately. Hostile, irrational. Maybe this was just another act-a cut-and-stitched performance to reel him back in. And that part where she floated mid-air like someone was lifting her? How was that even real? The more he thought about it, the more his earlier panic and guilt faded. "I'm sorry, Camila. I lost my head, that's all. Forgive me." A flicker of spite passed through Camila's eyes, though her smile remained sweet. "It's okay. She'll come back when she calms down." "And you totally left me hanging at the restaurant last night. You ditched me all night-you owe me today. Big time." Her coy little smile made Chase's remaining doubts vanish. "Alright. What kind of apology do you want?" "I want you all to myself. The entire day." "You got it." Chase spent the whole day glued to Camila's side- But his phone didn't stop ringing once. Every thirty minutes, another report came in. "Sir, we've searched every inch of the estate-the stables, the barns, even the ravines. No sign of Mrs. Whitmore." "Sir, we dispatched helicopters and drones to the private island. Still no trace of her." "Sir, we've checked every street and hotel she frequently visited. Nothing." "Sir, we spoke to her closest friends. None of them know where she is." With every call, Chase's expression darkened further. Chapter 10 25.00% Sensing his mood, Camila dragged him toward the giant swing ride. "This one's a couples ride! They say if you kiss at the highest point, you'll be together forever-" Bang. Chase slammed his fist into the ride's metal post. His eyes bored into Camila. "It was you." "You set Nora up. You had yourself kidnapped, pinned it on her-and let those bastards touch her. Camila, you're monstrous." Camila's face went pale. "W-What are you talking about?! I told you that footage is fake-!" "It's all fake! She made it to trick you-she's obsessed with breaking us apart-" Chase suddenly let out a low, sinister laugh. Just now, after that last call, his bodyguard had sent over a second video-with audio this time. Everything was there. Clear as day. Camila's involvement. Her orders. Her cruelty. All this time... He'd been played for a fool. "Chase-what are you doing?! Don't come any closer-!" Her words were cut off by a strangled gasp. His hands were around her neck. Tight. Her face turned purple. She clawed at his arms. "It wasn't me... Chase... it was her... she framed me... she's jealous... of your love for me- Camila's body went slack, dropping like a puppet with cut strings. Chase tossed her into a corner of the amusement park. People stared. Whispered. He didn't look back. As he walked away, he was already on the phone- Mobilizing every contact, every last asset he had. Mobilizing every person under the Whitmore name to search for Nora. Camila lay crumpled on the ground, fingernails bent out of shape from how tightly she'd clutched her fists. Her nails dug into her palms. Her eyes burned-not with grief, but hate. Why?! She'd finally managed to push Nora out. So why was Chase still obsessed with that woman? What did Nora have that she didn't?! She refused to lose. Not to that woman. Not again. That evening, Chase finally got a lead. His secretary reported: "Sir, Sources say... Mrs. Whitmore's been sighted at the Faulkner Estate-with Dominic Faulkner himself." Chase's expression darkened. "Dominic Faulkner? What the hell is she doing with him?!" His assistant hesitated for a second. "Sir, it seems they're... rather close. They don't act like just friends. Do you think... Mrs. Whitmore might've moved on?" Bang! Chase slammed his fist into the column beside him. "No way! She's my wife! She wouldn't just run off with another man!" The assistant handed over a folder. "But sir... she filed for divorce days ago. The papers are all there-assets, custody, everything's spelled out.' Chase snatched the file and skimmed it-then flung it across the room in rage. "No!" He shouted like a man in denial. "She would never divorce me! Nora loves me! She can't live without me! She wouldn't leave me! Not Nora. Not ever." "S-Sir, the documents are-" Before the assistant could finish, Chase erupted again.. He tore the divorce papers into shreds. "If I don't sign-we're still married. She's still mine!" His eyes gleamed with desperate certainty. "Yeah. That's right. As long as I don't sign, we're still married. She can't go anywhere." "I don't care if she hides at the ends of the earth-Nora Langston belongs to me. Always has. Always will!" He broke into laughter-shaky, hollow, unhinged. Then came the sobs. That night, Chase collapsed onto the floor, drunk out of his mind. He downed glass after glass, until tears and whiskey tasted the same. Chapter 11 26.32% Crushing, gut-twisting regret. Why hadn't he stopped Camila from hurting Nora? Why had he treated her like she didn't matter? He used to think she'd never leave him-no matter what. Turns out, he hadn't just been wrong-he'd been blind. Half-dreaming, half-drunk, he saw flashes of their wedding. The day they got married, his company had been on the brink of collapse. Nora had brought a third of the Langston family's shares into the marriage-singlehandedly saving his empire from ruin. She never once boasted about it. Never used it to hold anything over him. To the world, she always said she'd married for love. But he knew better. What love had he ever given her in return? In all those years of marriage, he never once remembered their anniversary. Never remembered her birthday. Never cared about her cycle, her likes, her needs. Even the way she took her coffee. Nothing. She went to so much trouble planning little surprises... and he always bailed with the same excuse. "I'm busy." He was trash. And he knew it. Suddenly, through the haze of liquor and shame, a thought struck him- Nora was just angry. Title: Addicted to You Author: CrushReel Genre: Romance, Billionaire, CEO, Modern, Romantic, Hidden Feelings, Mansion, Office, Meet Again Status: ongoing In "Addicted to You," a captivating romance unfolds between Audrey and Floyd. Despite Floyd's arranged marriage and family struggles, he continually comes to Audrey's rescue after their one-night stand that has left her secretly pining for him for eight years. As their paths intertwine in unexpected ways within the backdrop of a luxurious mansion and high-stakes office dynamics, hidden feelings resurface, igniting a tale of love, loyalty, and second chances. This modern romantic narrative by CrushReel delves deep into themes of forbidden love, self-discovery, and the complexities of relationships in the world of billionaires and CEOs. What sets "Addicted to You" apart is its deft exploration of the characters' internal conflicts and the magnetic pull drawing them together despite external obstacles. Experience the emotional rollercoaster as Audrey and Floyd navigate their undeniable connection amidst societal expectations and personal dilemmas. Available to read online at CrushReel for those seeking a story that goes beyond conventional romance tropes with its rich character development and intricate plot twists.