Harrison left the hospital with a cold expression on his face.
He had done what Valentina wanted.
He had given her the freedom to search for her identity yet somehow, walking away from her felt wrong.
Meanwhile, Valentina remained in her hospital bed, staring at the card Harrison had left behind.
She had wanted him to leave.
So why did her heart feel so strangely empty now?
Whitmore Villa
The news had already reached the Whitmore Villa.
Carter Whitmore sat comfortably on a luxurious chair on the balcony overlooking the swimming pool, his phone in his hand.
His eyes remained fixed on the news article.
The picture of the mysterious young woman who had been found injured and later seen running out of the Whitmore property appeared on the screen.
Carter’s eyebrows furrowed.
“So she’s the girl…”
He leaned back.
According to the report, the young woman had memory loss and was still trying to discover her identity.
Carter’s confusion deepened.
What did she have to do with Harrison?,How had his son met her?
and why had Harrison been so involved with her?
Carter had never wanted Harrison associating with people he considered unsuitable.
He had spent years pushing his son toward influential families and high-status social circles because Harrison was the heir to Whitmore Group.
His relationships could affect the family’s reputation and business interests.
A woman with unknown identity was certainly not what Carter had envisioned for his son.
Before he could think further, soft footsteps approached.
Ashley appeared on the balcony.
She immediately noticed the phone in Carter’s hand.She knew exactly what he was looking at.
A small smile appeared on her lips as she walked over and kissed his cheek.
“My dear.”
Carter looked at her.
“You’ve seen the news?”
Ashley leaned against him.
“Yes.”
She glanced at the phone.
“That strange girl…”
She paused deliberately.
“I heard she’s from the countryside.”
Carter frowned.
“The countryside?”
Ashley nodded.
“I think she may have deliberately gotten close to Harrison.”
Carter’s expression darkened.
“You think she was trying to seduce him?”
Ashley gave a small, knowing smile.
“You know Harrison.
She leaned closer.
“He’s always been naive when it comes to women.”
Carter scoffed.
“My son isn’t naive.”
Ashley laughed softly.
“Perhaps not.
But he has never been interested in relationships either.”
She rested her hand on Carter’s shoulder.
“That’s why we need to help him.”
Carter became thoughtful but that pleased him.
He had always wanted to choose a suitable bride for Harrison himself,someone from an influential family.
Someone who could strengthen Whitmore Group’s position among the city’s elite.
“And I already know someone perfect for him.”
Carter’s interest immediately awakened.
“Who?”
Ashley smiled mysteriously.
“She’s from a very respectable family.”
Carter’s expression became serious.
“Is her family connected to the Ashford Group?”
The name immediately changed the atmosphere.
The Ashford Group was one of the most powerful corporations in the city.
And Carter had wanted to establish a stronger business relationship with them for years but the Ashford family had also been a long-standing rival of the Whitmores.
Still, Carter couldn’t ignore the advantages such an alliance could bring.
“If they have a strong relationship with Ashford,” he said thoughtfully, “then that’s worth considering.”
Ashley nodded.
“They do.”
Carter looked at her carefully.
“Who is she?”
“She is Harrison’s childhood friend…Emily”
Ashley paused.
“She recently returned from abroad after studying fashion.”
Carter’s eyes narrowed with interest.
“And her family?
“Very wealthy.
Very well connected.”
Ashley smiled.
“They’ll be attending the auction tomorrow.”
Carter immediately remembered.
“The ten-million-dollar necklace?”
“Yes.”
The auction was one of the biggest social events of the season.
The city’s wealthiest families, business leaders, and influential figures would be there.
Carter had already planned to attend.
Carter nodded in agreement to what she planned.
Ashley smiled,exactly what she wanted.
She didn’t care about finding Harrison true love.
She wanted control.
And if the wrong marriage could strengthen her position within the Whitmore family while pleasing Carter, then she had nothing to lose.
Later That Night….
The Whitmore Villa was silent but Harrison’s own villa was even quieter.He sat alone in the darkness.A glass of alcohol rested in his hand.
No lights,no music,no servants.
Nothing..Just the silence he had become accustomed to.This was how Harrison liked living.
Alone,untouched and undisturbed yet tonight, the silence felt different.
He took another drink as his thoughts returned to the hospital.
To Valentina.
He didn’t understand why leaving her had bothered him so much.She was a stranger,someone who had appeared in his life less than two days ago.
Yet he had found himself worrying about her safety, her health, and her future.He closed his eyes.
Then suddenly…
The necklace came to mind.
Harrison’s eyes opened.
The silver necklace.He had forgotten to ask Valentina about it.His heart tightened.He had seen that necklace before with his mother.
A memory slowly surfaced.
He was only a little boy.
He could remember running through the house.
Laughing with his mother chasing him.
“Harrison, come back!”
He had laughed and hidden behind the curtains.
They had been playing hide-and-seek.
It was one of the happiest memories he had and his mother had smiled at him.She had worn the necklace,that same necklace.
The memory shifted…His mother’s smile disappeared then came darkness,fear and people shouting.His mother’s hand clutching the necklace tightly.Harrison’s small hands reaching towards her.
“Mom!” He remembered trying to save her trying desperately to hold onto her but he was too young as he couldn’t save her.
And the necklace… He had never been able to retrieve it.
Harrison’s breathing became uneven.
He lowered his head.For years, he had tried to forget those memories but Valentina had brought them back.His mother’s face was becoming harder for him to remember with each passing year.
He could remember her voice,her warmth,the way she smiled,the way she held him but her face…He couldn’t clearly remember it anymore.Only photographs remained.Photographs were all he had.Harrison raised his hand and covered his face.
A tear slipped through his fingers.
Then another,he tried to stop them but he couldn’t.
His shoulders began to shake.
For the first time in years, Harrison allowed himself to cry.
He had lost his mother when he was still too young to understand death.And after that, he had slowly lost everyone else.His father became distant.
His stepmother never filled the emptiness his mother had left behind.
So Harrison learned to depend on himself.
He became cold,reserved,a loner and he stopped expecting love from anyone.
Because the only person who had ever made him feel completely loved was gone.
Harrison looked down at the glass in his hand.His vision blurred with tears.
“Mom…”
The word barely escaped his lips.He wiped his face quickly, almost ashamed of his own vulnerability but the pain remained.
And tomorrow…Harrison would be forced to face another part of his family’s plan.
A marriage alliance he had never wanted.