Harper’s POV"Let's go.""Was that guy a delivery man just now? You're still sending letters to your family? What era are we living in?""Actually, compared to electronic communication, this old-fashioned way is safer. That's what my dad says.""Alright, I don't get your family, you guys are always so mysterious. But these flowers are really beautiful! Come on, take a picture of me!"Jasmine, being her usual lively self, immediately squatted down among the flowers."Get out of there first, let's eat and then we can take photos."After we had some lunch, I grabbed my camera from the bedroom and took pictures of her. Before we knew it, the whole afternoon had passed.At night, she brought her blanket and wanted to sleep with me. We turned on a small nightlight, and she lay there, her head on her pillow, then she turned to me and asked, "Harper, what do you think love is?""You've got someone you like?"Jasmine had never really talked about relationships before. To her, love never seemed
Harper’s POVAfter staying with me for a few days, Jasmine finally went back to work. My designs also received praise from my mentor. She had traveled to many countries, and after looking at my work, she said to me:"Harper, your designs are beautiful, but there's something missing—they don’t quite connect with your soul. Like this ruby here, it's cut beautifully, but paired with the diamond, it actually takes away from its shine. You need more experience and growth. I have an opportunity for you: you could work in Japan and take the chance to immerse yourself in a different culture."It just so happened that I didn’t have anything urgent to do, and I really liked the brand she offered me the opportunity with. So after discussing it with Joseph, I started packing for Japan."Oh, babe, don’t be like this. I’m not leaving forever," I said, slightly exasperated, as Joseph hugged me tight, trying to stop me from packing my things. I pushed away his head playfully."You have to promise me
Marco's POVHe tried to use that opportunity to kill me. Too bad for him, I’d never put myself in an unprotected situation—it’s basically suicide for a mafia boss.Elena fired immediately, the bullet going right through his head. After that, I found out who was backing him—it was none other than Ito Hiro, the son of Kenji Ito, the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi in Japan.He was a spoiled brat in high school, only knowing how to mess around with women and drink. It wasn’t until Kenji Ito threatened him—saying he’d give away leadership of the Yamaguchi-gumi if he didn’t make something of himself—that he tried to prove his worth. So, encouraged by others, he made the foolish decision to come all the way to the States to make a move against me. He was an i.diot.He tried to kill me, so why would I spare him?I wouldn’t.By the time Kenji Ito learned of his son’s death, there wasn’t even a body left for him to bury.After that, I faced waves of mercenaries from all over the world trying to a
Marco's POV“If you still remember my son, you better give me an explanation.” He gave me a terrifying smile, like one of those evil sorcerers from fairy tales that Harper used to love.“Of course, I’ll give you an explanation. What I want to know is, are you grieving because he was your only heir, or because he was your son?”Kenji Ito stared at me—despite my hands being tied behind my back, I showed no fear. Finally, he made his move. He walked up the steps, drawing the blade at his waist.“Do you really think I don’t dare kill you?” The cold steel pressed against my cheek, and I could see his bloodlust climbing.“How could I think that? I’ve heard about your ruthlessness. After all, the Ito family killed a fair number of civilians during World War II. Even though your grandfather ended up on trial, it ironically elevated your family's status among extremists. Your Yamaguchi-gumi even helps the government take care of political dissidents. I’m not wrong, am I?”He didn’t move, but I
Harper's POVI went to the kitchen to make some saltwater. He had been sweating a lot, so he needed some salt to help with recovery.After placing the cup on the coffee table, I checked his temperature again. It had gone down from 102.2°F to 98.6°F, but I still needed to keep an eye on him. He hadn’t woken up yet, and my gaze lingered on the flushed skin of his neck.There, I noticed a small tattoo of an "H." It felt like fate—maybe it wasn't a coincidence that I ended up saving him.“Harper…” he murmured in his delirium.Strange. Did he know me?“Who are you calling?” After waiting for a bit without hearing more, I remembered he was probably just talking nonsense from the fever. Still, I leaned in to listen seriously.But just as I closed the door, his once-closed eyes suddenly opened.Marco's POVI knew perfectly well how dangerous this was. If Harper ignored me or if someone else found me, it would lead to more trouble. But I didn’t care—this was the only reckless way I had left to
Harper's POVHe nodded and agreed. I told him that I had to work the next day and that he still needed to rest at the hospital for now. He obediently nodded along.His docile demeanor gave me an oddly satisfying feeling, as if I could really help someone in need.“Oh, by the way, what's your name?”It suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t even know his name.“What’s yours?” His counter-question made me pause. He was more cautious than I expected.“I’m Harper, from the U.S.”“I’m Marco, from Italy.”Italy, huh—that makes sense.“Well, let me save your contact info then. If you have any problems at the hospital or back at home, just let me know.”An overwhelming sense of sympathy made me treat this grown man like he was a helpless kid who needed care.“Sure.” He accepted it easily, and nothing about it felt off to me.Marco's POVShe trusted me, I could tell. This wasn’t some act—she really didn’t remember me at all.But why did she remember Joseph, remember my father, yet completely fo
Harper's POVMarco was wearing a discounted hoodie we’d picked up at the supermarket yesterday. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I wasn’t willing to spend more on him—it was him who refused.“Breakfast is ready, but it might be a bit tight on time,” he said, glancing at his watch. “Go wash up, I’ll pack it for you to eat on the way.”After leaving the house, he insisted on driving, so I sat in the backseat with the window open, nibbling on the sandwich he had made.“Is it good?” he asked, stopping at a red light and giving me a quick, handsome side profile.“It’s delicious,” I said with my mouth full, feeling like a chipmunk. I didn’t expect that dreaming could be so physically exhausting. But really, his sandwich was amazing.“Thank you,” I said, mimicking the actors in Japanese dramas, trying to speak in a not-so-fluent Japanese accent. He chuckled, clearly amused.“You’ve got great energy today, Harper. Give it your all at work too.”Ah, this guy! I had vented to him yesterday
Harper's POV“What the hell are you doing?!” A booming voice startled me awake, jolting me up so fast my eyelids, which were stuck from sleep, were suddenly exposed to bright light.The supervisor stood at the door, his face dark as thunder, and the poor door was left trembling from how hard he had slammed it open. Just the sight of his face made my stomach churn, but not wanting to mess up my job, I took a deep breath and stood up.“I was feeling a little tired. My assistant was helping me with work, so I took a short rest.”“Did I hire you to take naps here?” He slammed his hand down on the desk. Marco stood up, and I tugged on his sleeve to stop him.“Of course not, but I did request a sick day, which you didn’t approve. So, I came to work. When someone’s unwell, they need rest. If you expect me to work through illness, maybe you should replace me with an AI—at least it won’t need sick days.”I wasn’t going to take this kind of abuse anymore. I was done with this middle-aged man an