The penthouse was a fortress of glass and steel, but it felt like a cage as Byano paced its marble floors, the city's lights a distant blur beyond the windows. The call from the upstate therapy facility had hit like a thunderbolt: Marcus was missing, having slipped out during a late-night group session. No note, no trace, just a security camera showing him walking into the wooded grounds, his hoodie pulled tight against the September chill. Byano's heart pounded, memories of Marcus at Chelsea Piers—staring into the Hudson's depths—colliding with the fresh wound of the latest anonymous threat: You can't save them all, Byano. Choose. Now, with Victoria's media leaks, Kessler's betrayal, and Claire Montague's coded emails to Apex Corp's Victor Kane, the war on his empire had reached a breaking point.
Byano grabbed his keys, barking orders to Harlan over the phone. "Get security to the facility. Check every camera, every road. Marcus can't have gone far." His voice cracked, betraying the fear he'd kept buried. Marcus's depression, weaponized by Victoria's schemes, had pushed him to this edge. Byano couldn't lose him.
Elena and Sophia burst into the penthouse, their faces pale with panic. Elena, her usual composure fraying, clutched her phone. "Dad, the facility called me too. They're searching, but he's gone. What if—" She stopped, her eyes glistening.
Sophia's voice was fierce, her curls wild from racing across town. "This is Mom's fault. Her lies, those headlines—they're killing him. We need to find her, make her stop."
Byano's jaw tightened. Victoria was at her lawyer's, plotting her next move. The evidence—her payments to a shell company, Lydia Hale's wire transfer from Apex, Claire's emails—painted a web of betrayal, but it wasn't enough without Marcus safe. "We confront her," Byano said. "Together. She's at Langston's office."
The drive to midtown was tense, the city's neon glow a mocking contrast to their dread. Elena coordinated with Harlan, who'd traced Marcus's phone to a nearby gas station before it went offline. Sophia scrolled her social media, her viral post about the studio vandalism drawing support but also threats mirroring the anonymous texts. Byano gripped the wheel, his mind flashing to his startup days—sleepless nights coding, Victoria's belief in him a lifeline. That woman was gone, replaced by a stranger who'd sacrifice their son for a payout.
At Langston's firm, Victoria sat in a glass-walled conference room, her silk blouse pristine, her expression smug. Langston stood beside her, his shark's smile faltering as Byano, Elena, and Sophia stormed in. "Victoria," Byano said, his voice low and dangerous, "Marcus is missing. Your lies pushed him to this. Call off your dogs—now."
Victoria's eyes widened, but her composure held. "Don't blame me for your failures, Byano. Marcus's problems started with you—your absence, your empire over family."
Elena slammed her hand on the table. "Enough! We know about the shell company, the leaks, Lydia Hale. You're using Marcus to extort Dad, and it's breaking him."
Sophia leaned forward, her voice venomous. "You trashed my studio, didn't you? Or paid someone to. And now Marcus is gone because of your headlines."
Victoria's laugh was cold. "You're all so dramatic. I'm fighting for what I deserve. Marcus will turn up—he always does."
Byano stepped closer, towering over her. "If anything happens to him, Victoria, I'll bury you. Legally, financially, every way possible. Retract the stories, or I expose everything—your payments, Apex, all of it."
Langston interjected, his tone smooth. "Careful, Mr. Norwood. Threats won't help your case. We have evidence—your past deal, the one you buried."
Byano's blood ran cold. The shady startup deal—a bribe to secure funding, long rectified—was his one regret. Victoria knew, but had she fed it to Kane? To Claire? He met her gaze, seeing the predator she'd become. "You're playing a dangerous game," he said. "And you're losing."
The confrontation ended with no resolution, Victoria's defiance unshaken. Back at the penthouse, Byano rallied his resources—private investigators, police liaisons, Harlan's tech team. Elena and Sophia worked tirelessly, Elena analyzing Victoria's financials, Sophia combing Marcus's journal for clues. A faint hope emerged—a journal entry mentioning a nearby lake, a place Marcus called "quiet."
Byano drove to the lake, Elena and Sophia beside him, the darkness swallowing the road. They found Marcus there, sitting on a bench, staring at the water. His face was pale, but he was alive. "I just needed silence," he whispered as Byano hugged him.
The family returned, battered but intact. But as they settled Marcus, Byano's phone buzzed—a new anonymous email: You saved him this time. Next time, you won't.
Cliffhanger: Harlan uncovers a recording of Lydia Hale meeting Victor Kane, discussing a plan to "end Norwood's reign."