In the Lawrence family villa.
Ryan Lawrence idly snapped a rose stem between his fingers.
Petals scattered across the floor.
His phone rang abruptly.
His eyes lit up when he saw the name flashing on the screen.
"Sophia."
His voice was bright with excitement.
"We really are in sync."
The young man stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, sunlight gilding his silhouette.
A well-practiced, obedient smile curved his lips.
But the joy didn’t last.
Sophia Sullivan’s voice came through the receiver, cool and detached.
"I need you to return to The Decagon."
The steady rhythm of her keyboard tapping never faltered.
"There’s a lead about my mother."
Ryan straightened.
"I’ll send you the files," Sophia continued.
"Focus on the human experimentation lab in Greenland, M-Country."
His pupils constricted.
The weight of her words hit him instantly.
A flash of ruthlessness darkened his gaze.
"The Decagon’s intelligence network in M-Country is complicated," he said, voice low.
"Digital channels aren’t secure right now."
Without hesitation, he made a decision.
"I’ll go myself."
He pulled up his phone to book a flight.
The earliest departure was in three hours.
"Don’t worry, Sophia."
Ryan’s promise was firm.
"I’ll bring back what you need."
"Good."
The call ended.
Silence swallowed the room.
The broken blood-jade earring was locked away in her safe.
Some truths, she wasn’t ready to face.
The night stretched endlessly.
Sophia tossed and turned in bed.
Fragmented images flickered behind her eyelids—
A sterile lab.
Twisted limbs.
Desperate screams.
How could flesh endure such torment?
By dawn, dark circles shadowed her eyes.
Tension hung thick in Breeze Perfumes.
The new fragrance development had reached a critical phase.
Sophia changed into a white lab coat.
She spent the entire morning in the research facility.
At lunch, she carried reports back to the office.
Colleagues huddled together, whispering.
"Did you hear? A beauty showed up today."
"Went straight into Mr. Sullivan’s office."
"Still hasn’t come out."
The murmurs rose and fell.
Someone deliberately raised their voice.
"That’s the heiress of Greenwood Group."
"Fresh back from studying abroad."
"Clearly here for Ethan."
Glances flickered toward Sophia.
"Ms. Sullivan," a colleague ventured.
"Do you know this future Mrs. Sullivan?"
Sophia’s expression remained neutral.
"No."
She remembered the way Ethan Sullivan’s gaze always fixed on her—
That night on the Royal Princess Cruise.
The hesitant, untamed brush of his touch.
He never approached other women.
She was the sole exception.
Yet now, a fine, needle-like pain spread through her chest.
Like ice slowly cracking.
She checked the time.
Gathering the reports, she headed for the CEO’s office.
A stranger’s voice answered her knock.
"Come in."
Ethan wasn’t at his desk.
A stunning woman lounged in his chair, exuding effortless charm.
"Looking for Ethan?"
Her smile held hidden meaning.
"He just stepped out."
She made no move to vacate the seat.
Fingertips tapped lightly against the desk.
"You can wait here."