In the Logan Mansion
"It's been two days already, and I still haven't seen Miss Perfect anywhere. I checked her office—she's not there. I even bothered to go to her villa, and it was sealed. The guards wouldn't let me in," Ananya said in an annoyed tone as she walked straight to the couch facing the mansion's main door.
Mr. Logan had been reading his newspaper, but upon hearing her, he lowered it and looked at her carefully. "Are you sure you didn't miss a place?"
"Where would I miss, Dad? She hardly goes anywhere apart from the three places I just mentioned… unless…" Ananya trailed off, looking at her father, prompting him to finish her thought.
"She went on a business trip without telling anyone," Mr. Logan concluded.
"Well… that does add up," he added, settling into a seat across from her while she distracted herself with her manicure and pedicure kit.
"If that's the case, wait a moment," Mr. Logan said, pulling out his phone. He dialed a number, and it was answered after the second ring.
"Chief Logan," a voice greeted.
"Yes, Denis. Could you do me a favor and find out where Tara is right now?" Mr. Logan asked.
"Give me a moment, Chief," Denis replied. The line went quiet for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Chief, the CEO hasn't been seen in the office for two days now."
"Tell me something new," Mr. Logan snapped, clearly annoyed.
"My apologies, Chief. That's all the information I have."
"What do you mean you don't? Didn't she go on a business trip?" Mr. Logan asked, barely containing his frustration.
"There was a trip scheduled for the day before yesterday, but it never happened. So far, nobody knows where the CEO is—not even Miss Kelly."
"You're telling me that nobody in that entire company knows where a grown woman is?" Mr. Logan said, his voice tightening.
"We're sorry, Chief. I really tried to trace her whereabouts, but the last record shows she was at the Booth Bar two days ago."
Without another word, Mr. Logan ended the call.
"Where could that girl be?" he muttered before turning sharply to Ananya. "And why were you looking for her in the first place?"
"Dad, you know we need her to finalize the engagement with the Wanskins," Ananya said, frustration clear in her voice. "Don't even start on the embarrassment we went through…"
Mr. Logan sighed, the memory resurfacing.
A Day Ago
In Mr. Logan's study (7 AM)
"So, Dad, what did Tara say about coming home today for the engagement?" Mr. Logan asked, his tone filled with anticipation.
The patriarch looked at him intently before replying, "The girl said she has a trip to City A for a collaboration with ANOX. She won't be coming today."
"What?" Mr. Logan exclaimed, barely restraining himself. "You have to call her! She must come today. Tell her she can go on her trip another time, but today she has to be here for the engagement, or things will go badly."
The patriarch slammed his walking stick against the ground, silencing him instantly.
"Hank, you'd better rein in your ambitious thoughts when it comes to this family's interests," he said coldly. "You will deal with whatever happens today—and properly—just as you should. Even if it means engaging that precious daughter of yours to the Wanskins, since the engagement was originally hers."
With that, he stood and walked out.
End of Flashback
"Dad, I don't care what happens—we have to find Tara. She has to complete the engagement. It was bad enough that we had to postpone it again yesterday because she wasn't here," Ananya said, her irritation growing.
Hank glared at her before staring into space. "We do have to find her. The problem is—we don't know where she is. The last place she was seen is that Booth Bar she visits occasionally. Even if we go there, we won't get anything. That place is strict about privacy, especially for VIP clients."
"But Dad, aren't we VIPs too? Can't we ask for her information?" Ananya asked casually.
Hank let out a humorless laugh. "Do you know why nobody has ever interfered in Tara's life?"
"It can't be that serious. Maybe nobody is interested in the life of that low-life," Ananya said dismissively.
Hank's expression turned cold. "You really don't know this family… the dealings… or the sister you claim you've been close to for three years."
"What do you mean?" Ananya asked, now confused.
"That girl you underestimate gave us a hell of a hard time before she came here," he muttered, looking away.
"Can you just be direct, Dad? Stop leaving me in suspense," Ananya said impatiently.
Hank let out a quiet scoff before continuing. "Three years ago, Tara refused to come here. She wanted to stay with your grandparents—your mother's parents—since they raised her from when she was one month old. We had to threaten her using them."
Ananya frowned slightly.
"She eventually agreed—but with conditions. One of them was that we would never interfere in her life."
"That's it? I thought it was something serious," Ananya said, unimpressed.
"It is serious," Hank snapped. "Those conditions were signed on legal papers. That means none of us can go against them."
"What does that even mean?" she asked, though she already sensed the answer.
"It means we are not allowed to track her, investigate her, or control her in any way. And your grandfather—the patriarch—is protecting her because of that ANOX project. So be careful not to bring up the engagement involving Tara in front of him."
With that, Hank stood up and walked away.
Ananya clenched her fists, her irritation boiling over.
"No… I have to find that trash," she muttered through gritted teeth.
Mrs. Logan, who had been silently observing, finally stood. "Ananya, as your father said, it's best to wait for now. Let Tara show herself. Don't act impulsively."
Then she walked away.
"Why is everyone protecting her?" Ananya snapped, her voice rising. "Even after she lost her chastity, am still the one being forced into that engagement with that jerk—not her!"
Her voice echoed through the room as she screamed in frustration.
"Hell… where are you, Tara?!"