Chapter 31. Time Is up

The tension in the air is palpable as Michael paces back and forth in the opulent living room of his family's mansion. His mind is consumed by the thoughts of Lara. It has been days since the charity ball, and after that event, his heartthrob disappeared. He has not seen or heard from her again. The anxiety that follows uncertainty gnaws at him, rendering him like an impatient child.

Something is amiss. He feels it in his bones. Lara's sudden withdrawal from their relationship is more than just a passing whim, because despite his best efforts to reach out to the soft feminine part of her, she remains stubbornly out of grasp, shutting him out entirely. Not once. Not twice. Now her absence leaves a gaping wound in his heart.

With each passing second, his frustration grows even more, a simmering anger following, bubbling beneath the surface. In truth, he can't continue to live in this limbo and wait for Lara to come to her senses. He has tried. He has