Chapter 318: A Mysterious Black Van!

Twenty Minutes Earlier

Amelia’s Apartment

“Amelia, could you take out the trash? It’s almost full.”

Tracy’s voice carried from the bathroom into the rest of the apartment. At twenty, she was only a year younger than her roommate, Amelia Grant. She had dark, radiant skin and a figure that easily attracted attention, but she was currently more concerned with getting ready for the day than anything else.

“Ugh, didn’t I take it out last time? I’m heading out in a few minutes, so why don’t you do it?”

Amelia stood before the mirror in her bedroom, carefully inspecting her appearance. She had chosen one of her finest dresses and paired it with a delicate gold necklace featuring a cute little ladybug pendant. Her makeup was already finished, and she looked more than pleased with the result.

Her gaze briefly drifted toward her stomach. A small smile appeared on her face as she rested a hand against it.

From the bathroom, Tracy immediately called out, “That’s a lie! I remember taking it out myself because you pretended to feel nauseous again.”

She appeared at the bedroom door, toothbrush still in her mouth, and gave Amelia a suspicious look.

“And speaking of going out, you haven’t been to work in weeks. I was starting to think you’d quit your job.”

Amelia’s smile lingered as she admired herself in the mirror. Then she turned toward her roommate with an amused expression.

“With a billionaire boyfriend like Luca Hale, why haven’t you moved out of here yet?” Tracy’s eyebrows were raised as she asked.

“Hehe. Because I know you’d miss me.”

Tracy stared at her for a moment before letting out a dismissive snort.

“Hmph!”

She returned to brushing her teeth, only for another thought to occur to her.

“Come to think of it, when is your billionaire boyfriend coming back to San Fierro?”

The moment the question left her mouth, she froze.

Then she slowly turned back toward Amelia.

“Wait a minute. You little scoundrel! That’s who you’re going to meet, isn’t it?”

She folded her arms, the toothbrush still sticking out of her mouth.

Amelia couldn’t help giggling. She covered her lips with one hand, but the bright smile on her face gave her away completely.

Honestly, this girl was a handful.

Tracy was supposed to be the younger one, yet she often felt as though she were babysitting Amelia instead of sharing an apartment with a responsible adult.

Amelia grabbed her purse and hurried toward the front door.

“I’ll be back by nine. Luca’s number is on the nightstand beside my bed, just in case I’m not back by midnight and you’re worried that your precious best friend isn’t answering her phone.”

“Hey! Take the trash out with you!”

Tracy’s protest came too late.

Amelia glanced back with a mischievous smile, opened the door, and slipped out before her roommate could say anything else.

Tracy stood there for a moment, staring at the now-closed door.

‘This damn girl.’

Shaking her head, she returned to the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth. Once she was done, she marched into the kitchen, grabbed the nearly full trash bag, and headed outside.

The moment she reached the yard, she noticed a black van pulling away from the curb.

Something about it caught her attention. The vehicle had no visible license plate, which struck her as rather unusual, but she didn’t think much of it at first.

Perhaps someone nearby was moving house or making a delivery.

She carried the trash toward the bin, dropped it inside, and glanced around the yard.

Amelia was nowhere to be seen.

Tracy frowned.

‘Did she get a cab that quickly?’

It was possible. Amelia had been eager to leave, and a car might have arrived just as she stepped outside.

With that explanation in mind, Tracy returned to the building.

Still, something about the black van bothered her. She couldn’t quite explain why, but she decided to call Amelia anyway.

‘Just to be safe.’

She picked up her phone, found Amelia’s number, and tapped the call button.

The phone rang for a few seconds before the call ended.

No answer.

Tracy frowned and tried again.

The same thing happened.

She called a third time, then a fourth, growing increasingly impatient with each failed attempt.

Finally, the automated voice informed her that Amelia’s phone was switched off.

“The number you’ve dailed is currently switched off.”

Tracy stared at her screen.

That was strange.

Amelia was practically attached to her phone. Even when she was busy, she usually answered almost immediately or sent a quick message explaining why she couldn’t talk.

And now, less than fifteen minutes after leaving the apartment, her phone was suddenly switched off?

A chill crept down Tracy’s spine.

Her stomach twisted unpleasantly as a terrible possibility entered her mind.

‘No…’

Panic began to take hold.

Something might have happened to Amelia.

Then she remembered something.

‘Luca!’

Amelia had left his number on her nightstand in case of an emergency. At the time, Tracy had thought it was just another excuse for her friend to brag about her billionaire boyfriend.

Now, she wasn’t laughing.

She hurried back into Amelia’s bedroom and rushed toward the nightstand.

The window beside it was open. A faint breeze drifted into the room, and the small piece of paper Amelia had left there was nowhere to be seen.

Tracy’s heart sank.

She searched the nightstand, checked the floor, and looked around the nearby furniture, growing more frantic with every passing second.

Where had that stupid piece of paper gone?

After several anxious minutes, she finally spotted it tucked beneath Amelia’s neatly arranged pillow.

Tracy snatched it up and immediately dialed the number.

She could only hope that Luca would answer.

…

San Fierro Grand Hotel

The family had settled comfortably around the dining table, and conversation had resumed as everyone enjoyed their meal.

Then Luca’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen. The number was unfamiliar.

“Hello?”

Several people looked up at the sound of his voice.

Trish immediately seized the opportunity to tease him.

“Bro, who’s that? Could it be one of your other girlfriends?”

Rachel shot her an unhappy look, clearly unimpressed by the joke. Naomi and the others, however, found it amusing.

Mrs. Hale was less entertained.

“Luca, you should know better than to answer your phone at the dinner table.”

“I’ll be right back.”

He rose from his seat and stepped outside the private dining room, closing the door behind him before returning his attention to the call.

“Hello?”

“Is this Luca Hale?”

The voice on the other end belonged to a young woman. She sounded anxious, and there was an unmistakable tension in her tone.

“Yes. Who’s speaking?”

“I’m Amelia’s roommate, but that’s not important right now. Is Amelia with you?”

Luca paused.

‘Come to think of it, Amelia is running a little late.’

He had expected her to arrive at the hotel, but she hadn’t shown up yet.

“Not yet. Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no…”

The woman’s voice wavered, and Luca’s expression changed.

“I think Amelia’s been abducted.”

For a brief moment, Luca said nothing.

The words hit him like a sudden blow, but he quickly forced himself to remain calm.

“What? Why do you think that?”

He kept his voice steady, giving the woman a chance to explain rather than jumping to conclusions.

“Amelia left our apartment, and a few minutes later, I saw a black van with no license plate pulling away from the curb. When I looked around, she was nowhere to be found.”

Tracy took a shaky breath before continuing.

“I’ve called her phone over and over, but she didn’t answer. Now it’s switched off. I don’t know what happened, but I’m afraid someone took her.”

Luca listened without interrupting.

A black van without a license plate. Amelia disappearing shortly after leaving her apartment. Her phone becoming unreachable.

None of it sounded good.

Still, he didn’t allow his concern to show in his voice.

“All right. Thank you for letting me know.”

He ended the call after exchanging a few more words with Tracy, then lowered his phone and stared at the screen for a moment.

His expression had grown noticeably colder.

The situation was still unclear, and he wasn’t about to assume the worst without evidence. But if someone had really taken Amelia, every second mattered.

Just then, the dining room door opened behind him.

Vivienne stepped out and found him standing in the corridor, his phone still in his hand and his expression far more serious than it had been moments earlier.

She approached him, studying his face with concern.

“Luca? What happened?”

Whatever the call had been about, it had clearly put him on edge.

And judging by the look in his eyes, it was something serious.