New Rome

21. Sweet Ellie

Wylo staggered through the front door of her and Ellie's complex, laden down with shopping bags. She'd brought alcohol, lots and lots of alcohol. She let the door slam shut behind her. One of the investors had pulled out. She'd endured nearly an hour of her boss yelling at her, going on and on about the loss – as if it were her fault! It was her grandmother who selfishly hijacked their projects, ruining everything for her own scheming, but the bosses couldn't yell at the Imperator's wife. They could, however, yell at Wylo.

She exhaled, her fists clenching tightly. It was unfair. She'd put so much of her time and energy into her work, she'd put everything she had into it. But now it was like no one had ever seen that, they all chose to forget the years of toil. She banged the cans against the table top with more force than necessary. The time on the oven told her that it was past one in the morning. Wylo growled angrily. She gave all her time to the lab, she didn't even have a life outside of work anymore.

Wylo fixed herself a drink and gulped it down greedily. Drunk, that was the state she needed to be in now. So drunk that she couldn't even be angry. Drunk enough that nothing mattered. She kicked off her shoes and padded barefoot through the apartment, searching for Ellie. She should apologise, all the noise she was making had probably woken him.

Wylo was startled to realise that she was home alone. She searched the place twice, calling out Ellie's name, but it was certain. Ellie wasn't home. She went back into the kitchen and retrieved her handheld device from her satchel. He hadn't messaged her to say that he'd be out. She bit her lip. Where could he be at this time of night? Wylo paced the room uneasily, still drinking.

She racked her brain. When was the last time she'd seen him? She'd slept the last two nights at the lab and before that... she'd done a lot of late shifts and their paths hadn't quite crossed. Had it been a week? An anxious thought jolted through her. What if he'd been missing for a week?! Her eyes widened in alarm. What if he'd got hurt or kidnapped, there were a lot of crazy people out there and Ellie was such a sweet looking guy – he'd be an easy target.

She quickly tried calling him, her anxiety mounting. He didn't answer. Wylo drained the last of her drink and helped herself to another. What should she do? Should she phone her grandmother? Maybe his tutors? Wylo ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't know the numbers of his tutors. Actually, she didn't even know their names. Where did Ellie go for his lessons? Guilt settled in her belly. They'd been married for some time now, how could she not be able to contact any of his friends. Her shoulders slumped. She'd been neglecting him. She really hadn't asked him many questions about his life.

Against all her instincts, she phoned the Castle of Red – her head hanging in defeat. Livia was going to kill her. The phone was answered by her grandmother's personal assistant, Alexand.

"Hello Alexand, it's me – Wylo."

"Greetings Wylo, what troubles you to call us at such... interesting an hour?"

"Errr... Ellie hasn't been to the Castle of Red lately, has he?"

"Half moon past, he paid respects to his grandmother and was greatly praised for his attentiveness."

"Great, thanks." Wylo hung up the call, feeling even more anxious than before. What if something really bad had happened to him?