Cameron's brow furrowed in concern. "How could she disappear without a trace?" Fenna turned away with impatience. "Let's search again," she muttered irritably. "She's nothing but trouble for Nathan." Though Sudvilla wasn't vast, a dozen individuals combed through both the interior and exterior of the garden in search of Suzanne after her mysterious disappearance earlier that evening. Nathan was in a state of utter distress. …As night descended, two women found themselves seated side by side on a bench within a deserted park, enveloped in the chorus of cicadas. One of the women sobbed intermittently, her emotions oscillating between excitement and sorrow. Suzanne, growing impatient, interrupted her. "That's enough. Can you please stop crying? Who are you? How did you manage to infiltrate Sudvilla and abduct me so easily? "You claim to know me, to know my true identity. Is it real?" "I was just overwhelmed. I thought you were dead! A few days ago, I stumbled upon your v
A chill ran down Suzanne's spine, sending shivers through her body as beads of cold sweat formed upon her back. A voice crackled through the headphones, the artificial intelligence's first words breaking the silence. "Iris recognition successful. Welcome to the personal information system, Mila. How may I assist you today?" "Mila?" Suzanne pondered. Though Nathan had mentioned this name a few times, Suzanne couldn't conceive of it belonging to her. The subsequent revelation left her reeling with shock, her senses overwhelmed. Trembling, she uttered, "Who am I?" The AI answered, "You're Mila Winkler, also known as Wanda Hoffis or formerly Sally Hoffis. Aged 25, you were born in Norvania to a father of the same origin and a mother from Sunterland. "You acquired Sunterland nationality at the age of 14. Your academic journey culminated in dual doctoral degrees from the Sunterland National Defense University. "You hold the esteemed title of research scientist in chemistry, along
The lights were bright at Sudvilla. The clock in the living room showed 10:30 pm. Suzanne was sipping on a cup of warm milk on the sofa, beside her were Nathan and the Hudson siblings.Cole and Lucas stood guard at the side. Everyone's expression was heavy as they looked at her with anxious eyes—They were all waiting for her to calm down and tell them about her sudden disappearance. She finished the last of her milk and lifted her head to look at everyone. Finally, her gaze fell on Nathan.His face looked grim. His gaze was gentle yet laced with a hint of intensity. He picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth.She lightly evaded his hand and took the tissue from him. "I got it," she said. "Are you feeling better now?" Nathan asked patiently. "Tell me. How did you suddenly disappear? Where did you go? What happened?"She hesitated for a moment before turning to point toward the balcony. "There's a huge banyan tree in the back garden. I was sitting under the tree wh
As she headed upstairs, she overheard Nathan thanking the Hudson siblings. She could also vaguely make out Fenna's dissatisfied complaints about her earlier actions.Suzanne entered her room and locked the door behind her. Then, she sat on the edge of the bed and thought about every event that had taken place since she regained her memory.Since the time Nathan's grandmother recognized her as Wanda at first glance, she seemed to have had many close encounters with her actual background.What unsettled her the most was Oliver Hoffis. He was her uncle, yet he conspired with outsiders to steal her identity. He even posed as her ex-boyfriend.Being Wanda Hoffis was relatively easier to come to terms with. However, she was also Mila Winkler—The name carried a weight. It felt suffocating just thinking about it. Wanda Hoffis, also known as Mila Winkler, was a Sunteri. She was a chemical scientist and a first-grade ordnance engineer. There were tears in her eyes as she smiled resignedl
Mila waited for a long time but still didn't get the answer she wanted in the end. She forced a disappointed smile on her face and said, "Doesn't matter if you do, our marriage will still be invalid." "I do…" Nathan suddenly blurted out anxiously. Every word he spoke was incredibly sincere as he continued, "I like you so much. I love you so much."When she lifted her head to look at him again, she found that his eyes were bloodshot and his handsome face was bright red. Even parts of the neck behind his ears were red. She felt like she took it too far—Why force Nathan to say all these things when being romantic wasn't exactly his forté? It was probably easier for him to run 10 miles with 20-pound weights than to tell her his feelings.Mila gently bit her bottom lip and stared at him with eyes welled up with tears. Her heart was beating fast from her emotions.She was only going to ask just this once, she wouldn't ask him this ever again.She knew that Nathan loved her. He lo
I only liked you. The words felt like stimulants being injected into Nathan's anxious heart. He felt excited and happy, but also nervous and restless. His joy was laced with a hint of worry.In the heat of the moment, he couldn't resist the urge and pressed a hand against the back of her head. He then lowered his head and kissed her lips. He poured all the love in his heart into the kiss. Mila's hand instinctively flew to his chest to put some distance between them.Afraid she'd run away, Nathan's free arm wrapped around her waist and he pulled her into his embrace.Her entire body was pressed against his muscular chest. She let out a sound of surprise before she was kissed until her lips were swollen. She was lightheaded and felt like she was running low on oxygen. His breath was hot on her skin. This made her entire body limp. She leaned into his embrace and allowed him to kiss her into oblivion.His kisses were deep, but he still had some sort of restraint. Everytime bef
Nathan invited them into the living room and they sat on the sofa. After the maids served the refreshments, Loretta sipped on her tea absentmindedly and said coldly, "What business do you have, asking both of us to come over this time?"Mila felt unusually upset at the moment. She looked toward the elderly couple in front of her—They were clearly her grandparents, but she had no memory of them at all.They didn't recognize her either.She lifted her gaze and noticed that Zach's gaze was still glued to her face. She felt conflicted. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hoffis senior, Madam Hoffis.""You don't need to apologize to us," Loretta scoffed. "You should apologize to my granddaughter."She lowered her head and felt claustrophobic. She then pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay."The elderly woman cast her another look of disdain and scoffed in response."Are you both in good health?" Mila asked again."Whatever you want from us, just be straightforward about it. There's no room for small ta
Nathan saw the emotion in Zach's eyes and understood everything.Did the wise Zach spot something amiss at first glance?Zach promptly looked toward Nathan with a solemn expression and followed up with, "Look after her, Nate."Nathan nodded earnestly in response."Is there something wrong with you? He's supposed to marry Sally! Who are you asking him to look after?" Loretta said in displeasure.Zach ignored her completely. Afterward, he stood up and said, "We won't disturb you any longer, and head back for now. Let's catch up again in the future."Loretta was confused.Nathan and Mila stood up to see them off.Before getting into the car, Zach couldn't help but turn around to look at Mila once more.The pair looked at each other with an emotional gaze that was laced with resignation.After watching the car pull away, Nathan reached for Mila's hand and let out a light sigh. "You shouldn't have met them."Mila was regretting her decision too. She nodded sadly and said, "I didn