Back from Honeymoon, My Best Friend Vanished Chapter 1

My best friend Stella grew up devouring romance novels, convinced she was destined to marry into a life of unimaginable wealth.

I always thought she was just talking big.

I never expected her to actually hook the city’s wealthiest bachelor, Sebastian Shiloah.

They had a whirlwind romance and a flash wedding. For two weeks, the news was saturated with coverage of their lavish ceremony.

When she video-called me, she was on her honeymoon in Hawaii. Lounging in Sebastian’s arms, she grinned.

“Lily, darling, my husband and I have it all figured out. When we get back next month, you’re moving in with us!”

Sebastian chimed in from the side, his voice smooth as silk. “Any friend of my wife’s is a friend of mine. We’re all family now.”

A month later, I stood before the Shiloah family’s sprawling estate, suitcase in hand.

I smiled at the butler who answered the gate.

“Hi, I’m Stella’s best friend. I’m moving in with her!”

The butler just stared at me.

“Stella? Who is Stella? Mr. Shiloah has always been single.”

…

The smile froze on my face.

“Sir, you have a strange sense of humor.”

I forced a laugh.

“Stella! You know, Stella Shiloah! Sebastian Shiloah’s wife!”

“I saw you during the wedding procession! I even gave you a cigar! Please, stop joking with me.”

The butler’s expression remained flat. “I have no time for jokes. There is no Stella here. Only myself and Mr. Shiloah reside on this property. If you continue to cause a disturbance, I will call the police.”

With that, he began to close the heavy iron gate.

“Wait! Don’t close it!”

Panic seized me. I grabbed the bars with one hand, fumbling for my phone with the other.

“I have proof! How could you forget a wedding that big? Are you going senile?”

I frantically opened Instagram, scrolling through my saved posts for the livestream of the wedding. I had even sent screenshots to Stella, my eyes blurry with tears of envy.

But when I tapped the link, a pop-up appeared.

[This content has been deleted or is unavailable.]

My head spun.

How could that be possible?

Refusing to believe it, I clicked on several news articles I had bookmarked.

Billionaire Spends a Fortune to Marry His Cinderella.

Stella Quinn: The Girl Kissed by an Angel.

The moment I clicked them, every single link went dead.

“No… they were working just last night…”

The butler watched my frantic movements with cold, detached eyes. “Ma’am, forging images and spreading rumors is a crime. Are you that desperate to marry into money?”

“I’m not spreading rumors!” I screamed, my fingers trembling as I switched back to WhatsApp. “I have our chat history! Look! She messaged me just a minute ago!”

On the screen, the chat window with Stella’s smiling selfie as the profile picture was clearly visible.

[Babe, just putting on a face mask… the butler will let you in…]

“You just wait! I’ll call her right now!” My voice cracked with desperation. “When she comes down to get me, you can start looking for a new job tomorrow!”

The next second, a cold, robotic voice echoed from the phone’s speaker.

“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again…”

I stood frozen.

Not in service?

I glanced at the WhatsApp chat again. She was texting me a minute ago. How could this be? A cold dread crept up my spine. Instant messages but a dead phone line? What was going on?

The butler’s expression didn’t flicker. Not even a hint of surprise. He gave me one last look, as if I were a piece of trash.

“Be gone. If you don’t leave now, I’ll have security throw you down the mountain.”

Clang.

The gate slammed shut.

I was standing under the blazing sun, yet I felt like I’d been plunged into an icy cavern.

What was happening?

Stella was in there, I knew she was. Why would the butler deny it? Why had every trace of her and the wedding been scrubbed from the internet?

Unless… something happened to Stella.

The lives of the ultra-rich are notoriously dangerous. What if Sebastian was holding her captive? Announcing he was single and erasing her existence would be the perfect cover.

The thought made my scalp tingle. Fear and fury surged through me.

No, I couldn’t leave.

If I left, she would be completely alone.

Gritting my teeth, I dragged my suitcase to the center of the driveway and sat down on it.

I’d see if Sebastian Shiloah could avoid coming out.

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, a black Maybach purred up the drive. I recognized it. It was the same car Sebastian had used to pick Stella up on their wedding day.

A rush of adrenaline hit me. I leaped up and threw myself in front of the car, arms spread wide.

“Sebastian Shiloah! Get out here! What have you done with Stella?!”

The driver’s face went pale. He was about to get out and yell at me when the rear window smoothly descended.

It was him. My best friend’s new husband.

I stormed over to his window and roared, “Mr. Shiloah! Your butler says you’re single! He says there’s no such person as Stella! We video-chatted with you and Stella from Hawaii just two weeks ago! What the hell is going on?”

Sebastian’s brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. “Stella? Hawaii?”

It was clear he was going to play dumb. I was about to lose it when he gestured for the gates to be opened.

“Since you’re here, you might as well come in and explain yourself.”

A chilling smile touched his lips.

“As it happens, I’m also very curious…”

“About where this Mrs. Shiloah you speak of… truly is.”