4. "Breaking the Engagement"

It's been a whole month since Vic passed away. Martin just couldn't focus on his work and he was lacked of sleep. On top of that, he found out that his fiancée, Victoria Red, had woken up from her coma. This meant he had to go see her and have a conversation about their engagement.

"Are you really going to see her today?" Hunter, his secretary, asked.

"I have to, even if I don't really want to," Martin replied.

"Her family still blames you for the accident, Sir."

"Well, I can't really argue with that," Martin admitted.

If only Victoria hadn't been so infatuated with Martin, she wouldn't have driven all by herself just to see him.

"All I want is to end the engagement. I heard she had lost her memory. This is my only opportunity," Martin said, grabbing his suit.

When he stepped out of his room, he spotted his childhood friend, Zoe, wearing a bandage around her arm.

"Is it true? Are you really going to see your fiancée?" Zoe inquired with a concerned expression.

Martin averted his gaze. The sight of the bandage on Zoe's arm brought back memories of the late Vic.

"I will speak to Victoria and request to end the engagement," Martin replied.

Upon hearing this, Zoe let out a sigh of relief. "That's a relief. Victoria was fixated on you. Who knows what she might do now that she's awake. Just put an end to it. Alright?"

"You should get some rest, Zoe," Martin dismissed her with those words.

"Are you that worried about me?" Zoe questioned, nibbling on her lower lip.

"Of course," Martin replied. He knew he was the cause of Zoe's limited mobility.

"That warms my heart," Zoe chuckled. "Take care on your way. I'll be waiting for you so we can grab dinner together."

Martin greeted her with a faint smile.

As he walked by, Secretary Hunter also passed Zoe. But Hunter didn't even bother to greet her.

"What's wrong with Hunter?" Zoe complained, her eyes narrowing. "Hmp. I don't need to waste my time on that man. I should focus on celebrating. Finally, no woman will try to steal Martin from me."

Zoe was so confident that everything was going according to plan.

"As soon as Martin annuls the engagement, I will ask him out," she declared.

Martin had indeed planned to annul the engagement between him and Victoria Red.

But as soon as he arrived outside the restaurant where he and Victoria were supposed to meet, he was greeted with an unbelievable sight.

Martin couldn't believe his eyes as he witnessed the unexpected scene unfolding before him. There was Victoria, effortlessly overpowering a man much larger than her and pinning him to the ground.

"Wait, isn't that Miss Victoria?" Secretary Hunter whispered, equally astonished by the sight.

The Victoria, who Martin knew, was a spoiled woman who only cared about herself and despised any form of messiness. She had no regard for others and always pursued her own desires.

Yet today, Victoria had single-handedly defeated a thief and returned the stolen bag to its rightful owner, all while wearing a sweet smile on her face.

As Martin approached them, he couldn't help but pause when he heard Victoria utter words that completely caught him off guard.

"It's nothing. Just a tiny scratch. Won't even harm my lungs."

'It's nothing. Just a tiny scratch. Won't even harm my lungs.'

Who did Martin hear this phrase from again?

Exactly. This phrase happens to be his bodyguard's go-to saying.

Every time Vic got injured while shielding Martin, she would utter those exact words.

In that instant, as Martin glanced at Victoria, he could almost envision his deceased bodyguard's visage.

"No. Get a grip. Vic is already dead," Martin whispered to himself, closing his eyes in an attempt to regain composure.

Once he took a deep breath, Martin walked towards them and initiated a conversation.

"I don't think you're alright," he said.

Victoria slowly turned around and locked eyes with Martin. He could see the surprise written all over her face, but he couldn't decipher the true meaning behind that look.

"For you to say that it's okay even after getting injured, it doesn't sound like you at all," Martin remarked.

"Martin," Victoria's voice trembled gently as she spoke.

Martin carefully observed his fiancée. "I heard you lost your memories, but it seems like you still recognize me, your fiancé."

Victoria quickly averted her gaze, refusing to respond.

"Miss," another woman interjected, "the police have arrived."

Victoria and Martin turned their attention to the police officers who had apprehended the thief.

"Thank you for helping me. I won't forget it. But it looks like I have to go with the police now," the woman said.

Victoria nodded her head. "Yeah. Be careful, Miss."

"Thanks."

Victoria's guards approached her after the quick farewell. "Miss, are you okay? You have a cut on your elbow. We should go to the hospital and have it looked at."

"No, it's fine," Victoria replied, shifting her gaze to Martin. "I'll deal with it later. But first, we need to have a conversation, don't we?"

Martin straightened up, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Yes. If you're ready, shall we go inside?"

** **

In the VIP room of the restaurant, a hush fell upon the surroundings.

Vic found herself completely alone with Martin.

Her heart started racing, causing her to hesitate to look towards Martin.

She couldn't help but wonder if Martin had overheard her saying, "It nothing. Just a tiny scratch. Won't even harm my lungs."

Vic scolded herself, thinking, 'What am I even worried about? Martin won't recognize me with my face looking so different.'

And then, Martin finally spoke up.

"They told me you lost your memories. Honestly, I didn't believe it at first. But then I witnessed you going out of your way to help a complete stranger, and that's when I started to think it might be true," Martin explained.

Victoria finally met his gaze, sensing the coldness in his eyes. She understood why - Martin had never been particularly fond of her. Unfortunately, Vic had transformed into Victoria.

"Yeah, it's true. I've lost a big chunk of my memories," Vic replied. "I actually recognized you because I had seen your picture before. But I must say, you look even better in person."

Martin responded with a sarcastic tone, "So, even after losing your memories, you still managed to fall for me?"

But for Vic, that question held a different weight. She despised admitting it, but she was still in love with him despite promising herself that she would stop loving him if given another chance at life.

However, she was determined to avoid experiencing the same heartbreak again. Therefore, she made it a priority to prevent herself from getting involved.

"You're definitely good-looking. However, I didn't feel anything apart from small admiration. My family insisted that I meet you once. Now that I see you, I realize that without my memories, you're just an attractive guy to me."

Vic leaned in closer and flashed a smile at Martin.

"I heard that I was completely infatuated with you in the past. I even got down on one knee and proposed to you," she said. "But you don't have to worry about that anymore. I won't be chasing after you from now on. And I'm sure you came here with the intention of ending our engagement. So, go ahead. Let's call off this agreement today."

With that, Vic made up her mind to never see Martin again.

She will move on. She will forget him and erase him from his heart. Nevertheless...

"Did your family also tell you that among us, I am the only one who can break this engagement?" Martin inquired.

Vic nodded. "Yes. The past me signed a contract that allows only you can decide to end the engagement or not. I must be not in my right state that time."

Martin brought his hand to the table and tapped it with his index finger.

Vic watched his finger.

It is true that marrying Victoria will benefit Martin's business. But he hates Victoria so much.

'So, he will break the engagement. I am sure of that,' Vic reassured herself.

"Let's date for two months." But Martin suggested something outrageous.

"What?" the shocked Vic gasped.

"I need your family and your wealth for my business. The current you is better than the past you. So, let's spend two months getting to know each other and see if we are a good match. After that, I will decide whether or not to proceed with our engagement."

Things didn't go as planned all because the new Victoria Red had caught Mr. Martin Cadell's attention.