While the guards were searching every single corner of the building, the party was still going on downstairs. The guests were having a wonderful time. They did not know the scary truth yet. The big hall was brightly lit by thousands of tiny lights. It looked like a palace from a fairy tale. The women wore sparkling dresses that looked like they were made of real diamonds. The men wore suits that cost more than most people's cars. There were delicious smells everywhere—sweet cakes, fresh flowers, and expensive meats.
But even with all the food and music, everyone was waiting for one person. They were all waiting for Romeo.
For many long years, Victor Kane had kept his son hidden away. He didn't let Romeo go to normal schools or play in public parks. He wanted Romeo to be a mystery to the world. He wanted people to wonder about him and talk about him in whispers. No one in the big city of New York really knew what Romeo looked like as a grown man. This party was supposed to be the "Grand Opening" of Romeo's life. This was the night Victor was finally going to show off the "Prince of Victor Tower" to the whole world.
But the Prince had escaped his cage.
High above the party, far away from the music and the fake laughter, Victor was now in his private office. It was a cold, quiet room with a giant desk made of dark, heavy wood. Victor was shaking. He was not shaking because he was cold; he was shaking with a terrible anger. His face was bright red. His hands were clenched into tight, hard fists. He looked at his line of guards, who were standing perfectly straight like toy soldiers.
"Where is he?" Victor growled. His voice did not sound like a normal man's voice anymore. It sounded like a hungry, angry animal trapped in a cage. "The guests are waiting downstairs! They are looking for him! Important people—people with lots of money—are asking, 'Where is the boy?' They will start asking even more questions soon, and I do not have any answers to give them!"
Victor hit the wooden table with his fist. BANG! The sound was as loud as a drum in the quiet room. He did not ask if Romeo was okay. He did not ask if his son was sad, or lonely, or scared out in the dark city. He only cared about his own power. He only cared about his image and what people thought of him.
Earlier that morning, Victor had destroyed the Arthur family's music shop. He had crushed their dreams and taken their home just to show the city how strong and mean he could be. He loved to win more than anything else. But now, his own son was missing. It made Victor look weak. It made him look like a failure in front of the whole world, and Victor hated feeling like a failure.
"I told him to be ready!" Victor shouted at the walls. "I gave him everything! I gave him guitars, money, and a beautiful home! And this is how he pays me back? By running away like a thief in the night?"
The people standing near Victor stayed very silent. The staff members kept their heads down, looking at their shoes. They were trying to be invisible, like shadows on the wall. The security guards stood stiff like statues. They were afraid to move even an inch. No one wanted to speak because they knew Victor's anger was very dangerous. When Victor lost his temper, he could ruin a person's life with just one angry phone call.
The large clock on the office wall ticked loudly. Tick. Tick. Tick. Each second seemed to make Victor even angrier. He stopped walking back and forth suddenly. He turned toward a tall man in a dark suit standing near the door.
This man was Tyler. Tyler was the head of security. He was a very tough man who had handled many "problems" for Victor over the years. He was usually never afraid of anything, but tonight, even Tyler looked a bit worried.
Victor pointed a shaking finger at him. "Tyler!" he barked. "Find him! Bring him back to this tower right now!"
Tyler cleared his throat. "Sir, we checked his phone," Tyler said in a low voice. "It is turned off. We cannot track the GPS signal. We saw his car on a camera near Midtown, but after that, the trail went cold. He is moving fast, and he knows how to stay away from the main roads. He disappeared into the city."
Victor's face twisted with rage. He looked like he wanted to scream until the windows broke. "No trail?" he repeated. His voice got louder and louder. "This is New York City! I own half of these streets! There are cameras on every corner! There are eyes on every building! Money opens every door in this town, Tyler! And you are telling me my son disappeared like a ghost? My son is NOT a ghost!"
Tyler kept his voice calm. He tried to be a professional. "We are still searching, sir. We have every man on the street. We are checking every garage. We are checking the bridges and the tunnels."
Victor slammed his hand against a marble table nearby. The sound was so sharp and loud it made everyone in the room jump with fear.
"This is not a game!" Victor screamed. "Tonight is the most important night of the year! The investors are downstairs with their checkbooks ready! The media is watching us with their cameras! And Romeo decides to go into hiding? He thinks he can play hide-and-seek with me?"
Victor took a deep breath. He tried to stop his hands from shaking, but he could not. He was too upset. He walked over to the giant window and looked out at the millions of lights in the city.
"Romeo doesn't get to disappear," Victor said. His voice dropped to a deadly, slow crawl. It was a whisper that felt colder than the winter wind. "Not without a price. He needs to learn a lesson. He needs to learn that the world isn't big enough for him to run away from me. There is no place on this earth where he can hide from his father."
Victor walked closer to Tyler until they were face to face. Victor was not as tall as Tyler, but he felt much scarier.
"Find him," Victor said, saying each word slowly so Tyler would understand. "Search the entire city. Use every friend we have. Call the police, call the spies, call everyone. Check every camera in Manhattan. Look on every street, every alley, and every park. I want Romeo back in this house within the next few hours. Do you understand me?"
Tyler nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. I understand perfectly. We will find him."
"And listen to me," Victor added, his voice rising again. "If anyone helped him hide... if anyone thought they could keep my son away from me... I will ruin them. I will take everything they have until they have nothing left but the clothes on their backs. I will make sure they never work in this city again! Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," Tyler replied. He turned and started talking into his radio immediately, giving orders to the teams outside.
Victor turned away, breathing hard. His giant mansion felt too quiet now, even with the music from downstairs. He liked the sound of people saying, "Yes, sir." He liked the sound of people obeying him. He hated the silence of an empty room. He felt like Romeo had stolen something very important from him—his control.
Then, a woman in a neat black dress stepped forward carefully. This was Clara. She was Victor's media advisor. Her job was to talk to the newspapers and the TV stations. She was holding her tablet so tightly that her knuckles were white. She was shaking a little bit.
"Mr. Kane," she said softly. She chose her words very, very carefully. "The press... the reporters downstairs... They are asking questions. They noticed that Romeo was not at the party. They expected him an hour ago. They are starting to whisper. They are asking if he is sick, or if there is a fight in the family. If we don't give them an answer soon, the news will be all over the world by morning. The internet will be full of rumors."
Victor looked at Clara. His mind started working fast. He had to think of a lie. He had to make it look like he was still in charge.
"Tell them..." Victor started, pausing to think. "Tell them Romeo had a small accident. Nothing big. Just a little trip. Tell them he will be down soon. Keep them busy with more food and more music. Do whatever you have to do to keep them quiet!"
Clara nodded and hurried out of the room. Victor was left alone with his anger. He looked out the window again. Somewhere out there, his son was driving through the dark.
What answer will Victor give to the media if Romeo doesn't show up soon? Will Tyler find Romeo before the sun comes up and the world finds out the truth? Can Romeo really hide in a city that belongs to his father?
The city is big, but Victor's eyes are everywhere. Romeo is free for now, but the hunt is just beginning. To know what happens ahead, keep listening to the next episode of THIS STORY! The night is far from over