HIS WIFE RETURNS.

"This is torture. There is absolutely no reason for me to be here," Harlan thought.

"I want to go home. There's literally nothing for me to do at this useless party when I could be working right now," Harlan grumbled.

"That’s exactly why I brought you here. You've been killing yourself with work, and it's time to take a break. Let loose for a while," his friend Kendrick said, giving him a friendly slap on the back. "You've been working nonstop ever since that inci..." Edward paused when he noticed Harlan's sharp glare.

Harlan took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and chugged it down in one go, feeling frustrated. He angrily returned to his seat and pulled out his phone to reply to some work emails. He couldn't afford to slack off.

The party hadn't even started, and he was already bored out of his mind. A little while later, Kendrick sat down beside him.

"I just got dumped," he said.

Harlan scoffed. "You always get dumped. Which woman would want to stay with a womanizer like you?"

Kendrick gasped in mock hurt. "You should at least feign sympathy for me. Must you always be so blunt and hurt my feelings?"

Harlan chose not to respond and continued focusing on his work. A few moments later, he heard Kendrick gasp loudly and felt him tap him hard on the shoulder.

Sighing, Harlan turned to his friend. "What?" he asked, his annoyance evident.

But Kendrick wasn't looking at him; he was staring intently at the entrance of the building. 

Did he see another girl he likes right after getting rejected? 

He was never serious. 

Harlan faced his phone once again.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Kendrick's voice was filled with absolute disbelief.

This time, Harlan turned to look at where Kendrick was looking at. 

Harlan's eyes widened and he froze. It was like time stopped as he stared at the figure that entered the building. Harlan blinked, convinced that grief had conjured her image once again, yet as she kept walking, the world around him faded to a hushed whisper.

Shock, surprise, happiness, confusion, and a whole lot of fucking emotions that he couldn't name.

How is she here? How is she alive? Wasn't she dead? The questions just kept popping up in his head. 

"Isn't that your dead wife?" He heard Kendrick ask but he wasn't paying attention to Kendrick to answer him. 

At least he wasn't the only one seeing this.

Her figure sent his heart racing and his breath catching in his throat.

Melody Fleur, his wife that was presumed dead walked into the party wearing a golden dress with golden heels that shimmered under the golden lights. She looked like an angel, Harlan blinked, but she did not disappear like other times. Her once brunette hair was now golden blonde; it caught the light in a way that felt both familiar and foreign. Her hair was slick and let down till it touched her waist.

Harlan's heart pounded like a war drum as he fought against disbelief. The memories of her laughter, the warmth of her touch, her smiles, and their life together came rushing back with an overwhelming force. 

He slowly stood up and stumbled toward her; the so-called business party faded into a blur of colors and sounds until he stood before her, breathless and trembling.

When he reached her, he drew her into his arms and hugged her tightly, breathing in her familiar, wonderful, flowery scent. "Mel..." He whispered, her name escaping his lips like a prayer. 

It was real. She was real. 

The hug lasted for a short while before Melody abruptly pushed him away from her, a frown creased her forehead as she stared at him in anger. "Do I know you?" 

Harlan paused then blinked with a frown. "What..." His ocean blue eyes searched her violet ones but it did not look like she was joking. 

She looked deadpan and serious. 

He stepped closer to her but she took a step back. "It's me, Mel. Your husb..." His sentence was cut short when someone stepped in front of his wife, blocking her from his view.

It was George Adams. His business rival and longtime enemy.

"Now now... The lady doesn't know you, why are you trying to invade her space." George said to him. His eyes had a mischievous look.

Harlan's gaze landed on George and it turned hard. "What the fuck are you doing?" He snarled as he glared down at George.

"I should be asking you that." The six-foot-one man looked up at him. 

"And what gave you the right? Step aside right now, or you won't like what will happen in the next few seconds." He warned icily. His head was getting cloudy with fury.

Why the fuck was George blocking him from Melody? 

"Stop it, you two." A soft voice commanded. 

Harlan and George both turned to Melody who was looking at the both of them. 

"Why do the both of you want to cause a scene?" She turned to Harlan. "I will ask you this once again, who are you?" Melody was looking at him once again. 

At this point, his mind was hazy with confusion. Why was Melody behaving this way? Was this all a way to hurt him?

George moved closer to Melody and whispered something in her ear. Melody's eyes widened and were suddenly filled with fear. She moved closer to George as if she was hiding from him. 

"Don't worry, Melody. I will protect you." George told Melody before he turned back to him. "Would you give me and my fiancée some space? We came to enjoy this party, and we didn't want to cause a scene. So if you would excuse us." He said. 

Shock reverberated through him. Did he hear well?

Fiancée? 

"What the hell do you mean, George?" Harlan asked. One look at her finger gave him the answer he needed.

Her wedding ring was now replaced with a huge diamond ring.

George had a smug and annoying look on his face and he desperately wanted to wipe it off. "We wanted to announce it to the whole room but I guess you will be the first to hear it. Me and my fiancée, Melody Fleur is getting married soon. There is no need to offer your congratulations. So if you would excuse us." George put his filthy hand on his wife's waist and was about to lead her away. 

Hot red rage filled Harlan's head as he stepped closer to George. He raised his hand, about to hit George, when someone held him back. 

Harlan's head snapped to look at who held him and it was Kendrick. 

Of course, it is only Kendrick who could hold him back as he is the only person who has matched his strength in their fighting training. 

"Let go." He growled. His eyes were red from anger.

"Don't do this, Harlan. Don't cause a scene." His friend warned. 

He wasn't thinking straight at the moment and all he wanted to do was beat the hell out of George for laying his hands on his wife. 

"I don't fucking care. Let go of me." He gritted out.

Kendrick stepped closer to him. "At least be sure before you do anything." He said with meaning. 

It took a moment before he understood what he said. He put down his hands and closed his eyes to calm himself before he straightened. 

Kendrick had a point. He did not know the reason why Melody was behaving this way nor did he know why she was with his sole enemy. 

One thing for sure was that he needed to find out what really happened and how she was alive before he could act. He needed to find out soon before he lost his senses and murdered someone. 

He turned to Melody and George. Melody was still hiding behind George and George has a stupid smirk on his annoying face. 

Without another word, he turned and left the party. He sent a quick text message to Kendrick. After the valet brought his car, he entered his car.

A few moments later, Kendrick came out and handed him a few strands of Melody's hair. He put the hair strands in his handkerchief so he wouldn't lose them.

"It wasn't easy to get this, you know. Especially with how you acted back there." Kendrick said.

Harlan did not answer him. He started his car and sped off in the direction of his sister's hospital. 

His heart was beating fast as he thought of what the result might be. 

However, his heart and body knew that it was Melody, his sweet wife, who died two years ago in a helicopter crash.