I'm In Love With My Bestfriend's Billionaire Fiance!
Chapter 105: A Mission For Janet

Chapter 105: A Mission For Janet

(Casey’s POV)

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"I’ll do it." Janet’s voice rang shrilly through my head. "I’m getting on the bus right now."

Relief washed over me like cold rain after a scorching day. Finally, things were moving in the direction that I wanted, I was finally going to know what the hell happened to Kira. I was sure that once Janet got there, we would be one step closer to knowing the next step to take.

"Thank you," I murmured, exhaling deeply. I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding my breath until it came rushing out in a ragged whoosh.

"I’ll call you when I get there," she said, her tone steadier now, though still tinged with anxiety. "I’ll let you know what I find."

And then—click.

The line went dead in my ear. The subsequent silence was way too loud, and I could feel it deep in my bones. I couldn’t shake off the tension and acute suspense that was plaguing me.

I stood still for a moment, the phone still pressed to my cheek. It took a beat before I remembered to move, to breathe, to simply be. Slowly, I lowered the phone and set it on the desk, my fingers lingering on it for a heartbeat longer, as though some part of me was reluctant to let go of the last thread I had. Maybe I was just scared that if I left the phone for too long, then I wouldn’t be informed when Janet called back, and she really needed my help.

What if she got there and found Kira in a bad way? What if she went there and realized she had stumbled into something bigger than her? I reached out to take my phone once more, thinking about calling her back. But I stopped myself just in time. I had to trust Janet to handle herself.

She was already on her way, and now everything hinged on what she would find.

I turned and sat down slowly in my chair, the worn leather creaking beneath me. My office was quiet—oppressively so. The ticking of the wall clock suddenly felt thunderous, echoing with every passing second. I could hear the low drone of the powerful air conditioners pumping cold air into the office. It sent a chill running up my spine, making me feel a bit cold, but I ignored it. I focused instead on the wall clock, stared at it, and was hypnotized. It seemed to have a way of easing my tension and keeping me grounded despite all the crazy directions my thoughts were taking. Each tick was another step toward whatever truth waited behind Kira’s front door.

I tried to focus, to steel myself, but my mind betrayed me. It raced through endless possibilities, each darker than the last. What if something had happened to her? What if she was inside that house... unable to call for help?

Or worse—what if someone else was there, someone who didn’t want her to be found? Just as I feared.

I shook the thought from my head, trying to suppress the shiver crawling up my spine. This was Kira. She was strong. Resilient. Unshakable. And she would be returned to us in one piece!

And yet, as the silence in my office deepened, that familiar sense of dread returned—heavier than before.

I looked down at my phone, willing it to ring, to buzz, to do something. But the screen stayed dark, stubbornly blank.

All I could do now was wait.

Just then, a knock echoed through the office like a quiet warning. It was soft but urgent enough to jolt me out of my anxious spiral. The door creaked open a second later, and Liam poked his head through, as if he was scoping the office to know if it was safe to come in. When his internal radar didn’t go off, he slowly stepped in.

He didn’t smile. He didn’t flash one of his usual quirky one-liners. He simply stepped halfway into the room and said in a flat voice, "Your next meeting is here."

His eyes didn’t meet mine, and that subtle omission cut deeper than any insult. His hurt was quiet, restrained—but palpable. I didn’t need him to say anything. I already knew. My harsh tone earlier had landed like a slap, and Liam, who rarely ever took things personally, had taken that personally.

Still, I couldn’t let my guilt distract me.

Now wasn’t the time to apologize—not when everything around me felt like it was teetering on the edge of collapse. Not when I was still waiting to hear from Janet. Not when every second felt like a countdown I couldn’t quite see the end of. When all was said and done, I would make it up with him.

I had other things on my mind for now though, I had to switch gears and face a high-stakes meeting that had been on the books for months. There were just so many things that were going on at the moment, and I couldn’t afford to be distracted by one disgruntled employee. I still had to consider the event we were planning, the one that was going to be my biggest yet.

The next meeting I was about to get into was based on an upcoming event. This event... it was going to be massive—held well after Kira’s wedding, but nearly as monumental in scope. A glittering affair with too many powerful people involved, too many expectations, too many eyes. I couldn’t reschedule it, couldn’t postpone or shift it. Not that I even wanted to. My name was on every dotted line, my reputation sewn into every stitch of the preparations. Despite everything that was going on, I was going to do what I had to do and make sure that I was allowed to do my job.

Even as fear for Kira gnawed at me from the inside out, the cold truth was: I still had a job to do.

I closed my eyes briefly, grounding myself. My pulse was wild, my thoughts were still tangled, but I forced my breathing to slow, if only slightly. Then, I rose slowly from my chair, smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in my skirt. My hands were trembling. I clenched them into fists to hide the quake.

"You can send them in," I said, finally turning to Liam.

He hesitated for the briefest of moments. There was something behind his eyes—concern, disappointment, maybe both. But he gave me a small nod and turned to leave.

"I’m ready," I added after him, my voice firmer than I felt. "I’ll run the whole show."

He didn’t respond. He simply vanished down the hallway, his footsteps fading like a ghost.

I stood there alone for a beat, the office heavy with silence again. I could still feel the tension coiled in the room, as though the walls themselves were holding their breath. For a second, I wished I could split myself in two—send one version of me to Paragon Park to break into Kira’s house with Janet, while the other stayed here and put on the confident mask everyone expected.

But I was just one person.

A very scared, very conflicted person.

The door opened again, this time revealing a sharply dressed assistant leading two clients into the room. Their eyes were sparkling with expectation, smiles already forming on their lips, unaware they were walking into a meeting led by someone who was barely holding herself together.

I crossed the room, extended my hand, and greeted them with the kind of poise I had spent years perfecting.

"Welcome," I said, giving a gracious nod. "Thank you for coming. Let’s get started."

We exchanged pleasantries, and I gestured for them to sit across from me at the conference table. They took their seats, unaware of the storm brewing just beneath my calm exterior.

But as they began discussing venue ideas, guest lists, and signature cocktails, my mind wasn’t in the room. Not truly. I was nodding in the right places, scribbling notes in the margins of my planner, but internally, my thoughts were 27 minutes away—at Paragon Park.

I kept my phone beside me, screen facing up, waiting for Janet’s name to flash across it.

Nothing.

Someone murmured something about floral arrangements, and I instinctively flipped to a section in my binder filled with vision boards and inspiration palettes, presenting them with a polished smile. I kept the conversation moving, kept the mask firmly in place, all while my stomach twisted itself into knots.

Still no call.

Still no message.

I began to imagine what Janet would see the moment she stepped into Kira’s home. Would there be silence? A house frozen in time? Would everything be in perfect order—too perfect? Would she find signs of struggle? A broken glass? An overturned chair?

Would there be something missing?

The meeting droned on. I contributed when I needed to, and I managed to answer questions with authority and insight, but the moment the clients thanked me and rose from their chairs, I nearly collapsed into mine.

I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep pretending that everything was okay. I had no idea how much longer I could go without hearing from Janet!

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