"Just call her and ask her what the hell is wrong with her," he growled. "Tell her to come back, or I'll marry someone else.”
Nolan exchanged a helpless glance with Griffin before releasing a resigned sigh. Judging by the murderous look on Vincent's face, he decided it was wiser not to argue. Unlocking his phone, he found Juliet's number and pressed call.
The two men fell silent as the ringing echoed through the room.
The call continued to ring for what felt like an eternity. Nolan glanced down at the time displayed on the screen before lowering the phone slightly and looking over at Vincent.
"It's really late," he said quietly. "It's one in the morning, for God's sake. She's probably asleep by now."
Vincent didn't respond.
He remained sitting on the couch, shoulders stiff and tense, his gaze locked on the phone in Nolan's hand. One hand remained clenched around his whiskey glass while the other rested on his knee, his fingers tapping impatiently. His leg bounced restlessly, every inch of him radiating irritation and impatience.
Just as Nolan was about to end the call, the line suddenly connected.
The moment it did, Vincent immediately straightened. His entire body went rigid as he took several quick strides toward Nolan, leaning forward as though afraid he might miss even a single word.
However, the voice that came from the other end wasn't Juliet's.
It was a man's voice.
Deep, rough, and slightly hoarse with sleep.
"Hello?"
Chapter 27 Ex-boyfriend
For a second, Vincent simply stared at the phone, as though he hadn't heard correctly. Then his expression changed completely.
His brows drew together sharply, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.
Before Nolan could react, Vincent snatched the phone out of his hand.
"Who the fuck are you?" Vincent barked, his voice echoing through the room.
His face darkened instantly, veins standing out along his neck as fury surged through him.
"What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend's phone?"
Nolan and Griffin exchanged alarmed looks as Vincent began pacing back and forth in front of the couch, gripping the phone so tightly that it looked as though he might crush it in his hand.
"Where's Juliet?" Vincent demanded again, his voice rising with every word. "Put her on the phone right now."
Silence.
No answer came from the other end.
The silence only fueled Vincent's anger.
"Did you hear me?" he shouted, his chest rising and falling violently. "I said put Juliet on the phone!"
Before he could say anything else, the call abruptly disconnected.
Vincent froze.
For a brief moment, he simply stared at the screen in disbelief.
Then, without hesitation, he redialed.
