Harrison stood frozen.
The entire room was waiting for his response.
His father stared at him intensely, clearly expecting him to accept the announcement without causing a scene.
Ashley stood beside Carter with a faint, satisfied smile while Emily’s eyes remained fixed on Harrison.Everyone was watching.
Harrison’s chest tightened.He wanted to reject the announcement.
He wanted to turn around and tell his father that nobody had the right to decide his future for him but he couldn’t.Not here.
Too many influential businessmen were watching.
Several of his company’s partners were present, including people involved in the contracts he was currently negotiating.
If he caused a family dispute in front of them, the story would spread before the night was over.
The Whitmore family’s reputation could be dragged into the scandal.
Harrison slowly clenched his fists.
Carter raised an eyebrow,his warning gaze was unmistakable.Don’t embarrass me.
Harrison took a deep breath.
He forced his anger down.
Then he stepped forward.
His expression remained cold, but he carefully forced a faint smile onto his face.
“Yes.”
The room became silent.
Harrison looked toward Matt Hayes.
“He’s going to be my future father-in-law.”
Emily’s eyes immediately brightened.
Harrison continued.
“Emily and I have been friends for a very long time.” His voice was calm and his words sounded convincing.
But anyone who knew him well would have noticed how forced they were.
Carter’s expression immediately relaxed.
Matt Hayes smiled proudly.
Ashley looked satisfied.
Emily’s cheeks turned red as several of her friends gathered around her, congratulating her.
“Congratulations!”
“You’re finally going to marry Harrison!”
Emily smiled shyly.
But Harrison’s expression remained cold.
Every word he had spoken felt like a chain tightening around him.
Across the room, Andrew stared at him with undisguised anger.His grip tightened around his glass.
He couldn’t understand what was happening.
More importantly, he couldn’t understand why his mother had arranged everything without telling him.
The room soon returned to its excitement.
People congratulated the Whitmore and Hayes families while the auction continued but Harrison had already lost interest.
The moment he could leave without attracting more attention, he turned and walked out.
His footsteps were firm.His face was expressionless but fury burned inside him.
Ashley watched him leave as a small scoff escaped her lips.
She knew exactly why he was angry.
Carter also noticed.
But neither man followed him.
At least the announcement had been accepted publicly.
That was all that mattered to them.
Emily eventually noticed Harrison was gone.
Her smile faded for a moment but she quickly composed herself.
At least he had accepted her publicly.
That was enough for tonight.
The auction eventually came to an end.
The powerful families gradually left the hall, disappearing into their luxury cars.
The Whitmore and Hayes families were particularly pleased with how the evening had turned out.
Across the parking area, Mr.
Ashford briefly glanced toward Carter Whitmore.Their eyes met.
Neither man spoke.
There was no handshake,no greeting,no business discussion.
Just a brief, unreadable glance before they turned away.
Something about that silent exchange suggested that the Ashfords had noticed more than they had said.
The Next Morning
Sunlight streamed through the hospital windows.
Valentina lay quietly on her bed when several police officers entered the room.
“Good morning.”
The officers greeted the doctor before approaching her.
“We need to confirm a few things.”
Valentina nodded uncertainly.
One of the officers placed several items on the table.
Photographs,an identification card,a wristband and a set of clothes.
Valentina stared at them.
Something inside her shifted.
Her eyes moved from one object to another.
The photograph,the wristband and the clothes.
They all felt strangely familiar.
She reached toward the photograph.
Her fingers trembled.
“That’s…”
She stopped.
A strange sensation passed through her mind.She knew the woman in the photograph.
She knew the face and the person was her.
But she couldn’t remember when the photograph had been taken ir where or why.
The harder she tried, the more painful her head became.
“Don’t force yourself,” the doctor warned.
Valentina released the photograph.
“I feel like I know these things.”
The officer nodded.
“That’s enough for now.”
They had already compared the items with the information provided by the woman from the countryside.
The identification and other belongings strongly supported her claim.
The police now had enough reason to believe that the woman really was connected to Valentina.
There was only one way to know for certain,they had to bring her face-to-face with Valentina.
A few minutes later, the door opened.Everyone in the room turned.
An woman slowly stepped inside.
Her eyes immediately landed on Valentina then she stopped.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Her lips trembled.Then tears filled her eyes.
“My…”
Her voice broke.She took another step.
“My Luna…”
Valentina froze.
Luna.
The name struck something deep inside her.
Her breathing suddenly became uneven.
Luna?
The woman rushed toward her.
“My Luna!”
She wrapped her arms tightly around Valentina.
Tears streamed down her face.
Valentina remained frozen in her embrace.
She didn’t know this woman, at least, not consciously.
Yet…
Something about the hug felt different.
Warm,familiar and safe.
A strange ache formed inside her chest.
It was as though her heart recognized something her mind couldn’t.
Her eyes slowly filled with tears.
The woman’s embrace felt like something she had been longing for without knowing why.
A mother.
Could this really be her mother?
Valentina closed her eyes and for the first time since she had awakened with no memories…
She felt as though someone was calling her by the name she had forgotten.
Luna.
A faint image suddenly flashed through her mind.
A house,awoman’s voice.
A younger version of herself.
Then…
Nothing.
The image disappeared.
Valentina opened her eyes.
She looked at the woman holding her.
“Are you…” Her voice trembled.
“…my mother?”
The woman’s tears flowed even harder.
“Yes, my child.”
Valentina stared at her but deep inside, something still felt wrong.
Her heart recognized the woman yet somewhere beneath the broken pieces of her memory…
A small voice was screaming.
Don’t trust her.