The day finally broke.
News of Valentina ,the mysterious young woman who had been found abandoned and severely injured spread rapidly across different platforms.
She was still being kept in the hospital under police protection while investigators desperately searched for her identity and her family.
The investigation had become more urgent.
The police retraced the events of the night she had been rescued, returning to the deserted street where Harrison had found her.
They searched nearby areas, reviewed available photographs and records, and followed every possible clue connected to the mysterious woman.
Yet, nothing led them to her family.
No one seemed to know who she was,minutes turned into hours.
Eventually, investigators discovered a possible lead.
Some information suggested that Valentina might have come from a remote countryside community.
If that was true, her family could still be living there.
The investigation immediately shifted toward the countryside.
Her photographs and limited information were circulated among the local authorities and communities in hopes that someone would recognize her but while the search for Valentina’s family continued, another story was beginning to unfold in the city.
A sleek black luxury car came to a smooth stop in front of Whitmore Group, followed closely by two security vehicles.The rear door opened.
Harrison Whitmore stepped out.
One of his bodyguards immediately moved aside as Harrison adjusted his suit and began walking toward the company’s entrance.His expression was as cold as ever.
His handsome features remained emotionless, his sharp eyes distant, and every step carried the authority of a man who was used to commanding an entire company.
His assistant followed closely behind, along with several security personnel and the employees who noticed him immediately lowered their voices.
Their CEO was back but there was something different about him.
Or rather…something familiar.
Harrison had returned to the cold, distant man they had always known.
The mysterious warmth that had appeared around him during the past few days seemed to have disappeared completely.
He walked briskly toward the elevator, clearly uninterested in stopping for anyone.
Until…
“Harrison!”
A woman’s excited voice suddenly rang through the lobby.
Harrison stopped as his brows furrowed slightly.
He slowly turned around.
A young woman stood several feet away from him.
She was in her mid-twenties, dressed in an elegant wine-colored dress that perfectly complemented her figure.
A fashionable hat covered part of her face, while her confident posture immediately attracted attention.
She smiled brightly.
“Harrison!”
She removed her hat.
Harrison’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He recognized her.
Emily.
His childhood friend.
For a moment, even Harrison seemed surprised.He hadn’t expected to see her here.
Emily had known Harrison since they were children.
She had entered his life shortly after the death of his mother, Camilla.
Through her family’s business relationship with Ashley Whitmore, Emily had gradually become close to the Whitmore family.
She had been beautiful even as a young girl, and as she grew older, her beauty only became more noticeable.She came from a wealthy, influential family and had always been surrounded by admirers.
But Emily had never cared much about them.
Her attention had always been fixed on one person.
Harrison.
She had developed feelings for him when they were young, and those feelings had never truly disappeared.
Although Harrison had never considered Emily a particularly close friend, he had allowed her to remain in his life.
Perhaps because she had been there for so many years.
Perhaps because, after losing his mother, she had been one of the few people who consistently tried to stay beside him.
But Harrison had never been the type of person who easily let others into his world even with Emily, there had always been a certain distance.
He acknowledged her,he occasionally showed her care but he had never given her the place in his heart she secretly wanted.
“Harrison.”
Emily walked toward him with a bright smile.
“It’s been so long.”
Harrison stared at her for a moment before giving a small nod.
“Emily.”
His voice remained calm and emotionless.
Emily didn’t seem bothered by his coldness.Instead, she suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
The entire lobby went silent as everyone stared.
Harrison’s assistant froze.
The female employees who had secretly admired their CEO looked at one another.
Who is she?
Why is she hugging the CEO like that?
Could she be his girlfriend?
Harrison’s expression remained unchanged.
He didn’t return the hug.
His arms remained at his sides as Emily held onto him as though they were the closest couple in the world.After several seconds, Harrison gently pulled back.
“You’re still the same,” Emily said with a playful smile.
“So are you.”
Harrison glanced at his watch.
“I have work.”
He turned to leave.
But Emily quickly followed.
“Wait.” She reached for his arm.
Her fingers curled around his sleeve.
Then…..
Her foot suddenly slipped.
“Ah!”
Emily stumbled forward.
Harrison reacted immediately.He caught her before she could fall.
The movement happened so quickly that everyone around them gasped.
Emily looked up at him, her arms still wrapped around his neck.
Harrison frowned.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
Emily smiled softly.
“But you caught me.”
Harrison didn’t answer.
Instead, he bent down and lifted her into his arms.
The entire lobby fell into stunned silence and the whispers began almost immediately.
“Did you see that?”
“He carried her!”
“Who is she?”
“Could she really be the CEO’s girlfriend?”
“Maybe she’s the future Mrs.
Whitmore…”
The female employees who had been smiling moments earlier suddenly looked disappointed.
Emily, however, rested comfortably in Harrison’s arms.
There was a faint smile on her lips.
No one could see the satisfaction hidden behind her eyes.
She had wanted everyone to see this and now they had.
Harrison carried her toward the elevator without paying attention to the whispers surrounding them.
His assistant followed behind but unlike the others, he wasn’t convinced by what he had just witnessed.
He had noticed something.
The way Emily had grabbed Harrison’s clothes.
The timing of her stumble and the way she had immediately wrapped her arms around him.
It almost seemed deliberate.His eyes narrowed slightly.
Did she really slip?
Then another thought crossed his mind.
Can this woman actually change our boss?
For the first time in years, someone had managed to affect Harrison in a way no one else could.
That mysterious woman who had appeared in his life only a few days ago.
Valentina.
And now Emily had suddenly returned.
His assistant looked toward Harrison’s office.
Something told him these two women were going to change his boss’s life in very different ways.
And he wasn’t sure Harrison was ready for either of them….