Chapter 12
Five Years Later
A plane streaked across the bright blue sky, leaving a thin white trail behind. Bruno walked ahead with his usual icy, commanding presence, moving so quickly his assistant had to hustle just to keep up, dragging their luggage with effort. The assistant wasn’t the only one struggling there were plenty of people who found it hard to keep pace with Bruno.
“Bruno, wait up!” Kylie’s anxious voice bounced around the airport terminal, but Bruno didn’t slow down–in fact, he picked up the pace, putting even more distance between them.
Kylie could see how distant Bruno was, but she just couldn’t bring herself to give up on something she’d worked so hard to get. Five years ago, they’d almost made it to the altar. She was supposed to be his wife by now, her future set. But instead, she was still just his fiancée, trailing after him, always hoping he’d finally stop and wait for her. Most of the time, she was the one chasing after him, never the other way around
Over the years, Morris Corporation’s power in Golden Bay had only grown, while the Hudson family was slowly fading out of the picture.
wer in Golden Bo The engagement between their two families was the Hudsons‘ last hope. If Morris Corporation backed them, the Hudsons could nse again. That’s why, no matter how cold Bruno was to them, the Hudson family never even considered calling off the wedding B
The airport was packed with people coming and going, and Kylie’s voice didn’t draw much attention. But on the other side of the arrivals hall, a woman who’d just gotten off her flight heard her loud and clear. She paused, instinctively glancing toward the sound. All she could see was a mostly–hidden figure moving away.
That woman was Lina
She rolled her suitcase past the glass windows, staring at the sky that felt both strange and familiar all at once. For a moment, everything felt unreal.
it had been five years. Lina was no longer the broke, lonely girl she used to be–she’d become confident, successful, and proud of who she was. Ironically, she had the Morris family and Bruno to thank for that.
Without the fifteen million dollars they’d given her, she had no idea what kind of life she would’ve faced alone in a foreign country. But with that money she’d finished the studies she’d once given up on, and landed a great job.
Thinking of all this, Lina remembered the name she’d just overheard. Her steps slowed and she fell quiet. After she loft all those years ago, she never thought she’d ever come back here. And when she finally made up her mind to return, she wondered if she’d run into anyone from her past
For the past five years, she’d had the same dream over and over–always the sa
same scene: the night she found Bruno.
It was late. She’d just wrapped up a day of part–time jobs and was heading home when she found a man collapsed in a pool of blood. For a split second, Lina thought she’d wandered into the middle of some crime drama, like the ones she read to take her mind off things. She almost turned around and kept walking, wanting nothing to do with any trouble.
But just
it as she was about to leave, the man suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of her jeans, using the last of his strength to whisper. “Help me. I pay you back
Before she could respond, he passed out again.
Back then, Lina was so busy just trying to get by that she had no idea who Bruno really was–heir to Morris Corporation, the most powerful family in Golden Bay. Later, she’d wonder if things would’ve been different if she’d watched the news more often, if she’d realized who he was. But life doesn’t give do–overs.
All she knew was that he was dressed well, seemed trustworthy, and promised to repay her, so she took a chance–she brought him to the hospital and even paid his medical bills. Worried he might just disappear once he woke up, Lina took a whole day off work to keep an eye on him.
She never imagined that after everything, the first news she’d hear was that he’d lost all his memories.
