36 In the maze

After waiting a while, she sent a few more maids to go find her but they all returned saying that they didn't see her. The last option was to tell Nicklaus that his mistress had gone missing.

Nicklaus was quiet for a few seconds after Ma Lee spoke; he turned to his clock and saw the time; it was fifteen minutes past seven and his brows creased;

''Are you sure of what you are saying? ''

He asked; there was no way she would get missing in the mansion, she could not have possibly run away.

''Yes boss, I've searched everywhere, she is nowhere to be found. ''

Ma Lee explained and Nicklaus grew quiet;

''Have you asked the guards if she left the estate? ''

''Yes, they said she did not leave the estate, but still we can't find her. None of the maids know where she had gone. ''

Nicklaus brows creased; where in hell did she go to?

He wondered, after a few seconds he spoke;

''Continue your search. Since she didn't leave the estate, she must be around somewhere. Make sure you find her. ''

He said and dropped the telephone. He walked back to his study to continue with his work, but he could not concentrate anymore.

His eyes remained on a particular line for over ten minutes, his thoughts disoriented.

Where is she?

Had something happened to her?

Nicklaus thought of a million places in the estate that could make her so occupied for hours, but he could pinpoint any;

A thought flickered into his mind and he sat upright immediately;

'Wait… Am I bothered about her right now?'

His eyes widened as he realized he was thinking about her; he immediately shook his head as though shaking away the thoughts of her from his head;

Rubbing his face with his hand, he narrowed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his work;

He read a few lines but after a few minutes, his mind swayed again;

'What if something had happened to her?

Or she fell into the swimming pool and can't swim?

Or she got lost and can't find her way back to the mansion?'

Nicklaus mind was filled with many terrible things that could have happened to her and he suddenly became troubled;

He didn't have an interest in working anymore; he was just so uneasy. As much as he didn't want to think about her, he couldn't keep her away from his mind; he struggled some more, and in the end, he lost;

'Fine!'

He exclaimed in his head; picking up his phone from the table, he dialed the leader of his guards;

''Gather your men, search the estate upside down and bring Tiana to me. ''

''Yes, Boss.''

The man replied curtly, and Nicklaus ended the call.

He felt a little relief after he had told his guards to find her, but that didn't last long;

Nicklaus stared at his phone for over thirty minutes, yet there was no call; it was already a few minutes past nine, and yet she had not been found; he became apprehensive.

Standing up, he walked towards the window and looked down; he saw his guards gathered in front of the mansion talking to one another and his brows creased angrily;

What were they standing there doing?

He ordered them to look for her and they had the time to stand idly when she was still missing?

He felt bile rising in his throat, and he angrily turned and walked towards the door;

In less than two minutes he was downstairs;

The maids were whispering amongst themselves but when they saw him approach; the whole place grew quiet;

Nicklaus expression was dark and icy as he walked towards them; when his guards saw him, they walked towards him;

''What are you guys doing here? ''

He asked, his voice grave;

''Boss, we've found her. '' The leader explained;

Nicklaus's eyes scanned the crowd, but he did not see her;

His eyes reverted to the guards and the maids, and he saw they looked shaken and gloomy, and instantly his heart skipped a beat;

Did something happen to her?

Was she dead?

The thought of her being dead made Nicklaus nervous, he was worried.

''Where is she?'' he asked, looking very concerned

The guards were surprised at his demeanor; that was the warmest they've ever seen him since they started working for him, did something happen to him earlier that afternoon?

''Boss, she… she is in the maze. ''

The leader explained modestly; his head a little bowed.

At his words; Nicklaus felt a bucket of relief wash through him; so they were looking so pale because she was in the maze?

And they had made him worry for nothing?

He closed his eyes briefly as he calmed himself;

When his eyes opened again, it had returned to its normal deathly glare;

''And what are you guys still doing here?''

He frowned, and the guards quickly scampered towards the location of the maze. They had not gone over five feet when Nicklaus called out;

''Wait! ''

On second thought he stopped them; even his guards did not know the way around the maze, sending them there would just complicate matters since some of them would even get lost.

Nicklaus thought for a moment and then he began walking towards them;

The guards watched their boss approach, shock written all over their faces;

'Did their boss intend to find the woman himself?'

They could not believe their eyes;

They watched him approach them and walked past them towards the maze, and they instantly followed behind, still shocked.