Brandon's POV
I didn't realize how loud silence could be until I stepped into it.
The hallway outside the rooftop had been buzzing minutes ago—voices overlapping, laughter spilling into corners, heels clicking against marble floors—but now it felt like everything had thinned out, stretched too far, like the building itself was exhaling after the chaos of the showcase.
And I was right in the middle of that exhale, hunting.
"Casey…" I muttered under my breath, my voice barely more than a thought.
I moved fast but not recklessly, my steps controlled, eyes scanning every turn, every reflection in the glass panels lining the corridor. People brushed past me in clusters—students, crew members, press assistants carrying equipment—but none of them were her.
My heart wasn't just racing. It was calculating.
Every second I lost felt like she was slipping further ahead, deeper into whatever mess she had dragged herself into.
Or whatever mess she had dragged Zoe into.
