Chapter 3: Myla

Chapter 3: Myla

Five Years Later

In a bustling restaurant, a woman sat alone in the corner, her presence commanding attention. Her eyes, sharp and calculating, swept the room, and her beauty was undeniable. Despite the soft elegance she exuded, there was something fiercely determined about her—something that made her seem unapproachable, untouchable.

This was Mila, though she went by Myla now.

Beside her sat a little girl, her legs swinging beneath the table, her eyes wide and bright as she gazed at her mother. The girl’s expression mirrored Mila’s own—sharp, observant, unyielding.

The television overhead buzzed with the latest news: “Carson Corp faces a financial crisis. Rumors suggest that Madison Carson, the now heir, may soon marry Lowe Sterling, potentially securing a partnership with Sterling Inc. No official confirmation has been made.”

Mila tightened her grip on the chopsticks, her eyes betraying the coldness she felt inside. Five years had passed, and though the mall around her was more prosperous, it was still Lowe's world.

Five years ago, her brother had used his influence to send Dr. Chris to prison for helping her deliver her baby. During that time, she was drugged, which temporarily stopped her heart. Believing her to be dead, she was sent to the morgue and swapped with a dead prisoner. Secretly, she was smuggled out of the country to live in hiding for five years.

Sadly, her son had died before he was born, suffocated by the lack of air. Dr. Chris only brought out the baby girl and claimed that she had only given birth to one child.

Now, five years later, Mila had learned that Lowe had remarried and had a son named Alden, the same year she was imprisoned. The irony stung—her son had died, but Lowe moved on to start a family of his own.

She had a new identity now—Myla, a name that kept the memory of what had happened alive. Her eyes narrowed with anger as she clenched her fists. Her stepmother, Sally. Her stepsister, Madison. They would pay.

She didn’t care how Lowe saw her anymore, but she couldn’t hide her true identity forever. Her father, still in a coma, needed her, and it was time to return home.

For years, she had reviewed every detail of the case that had tarnished her name, never giving up. Then, with help, she learned that Lowe's accident had happened at 8 p.m. That was the exact time she had been on a mountain road, getting medicine for her father and saving a man. He had given her a jade pendant as thanks, and it was then she noticed the time.

There was no surveillance on that road, but the jade pendant could lead her to the man who could clear her name. If he testified, it would prove she couldn’t have been in two places at once.

This was her chance to finally set things right.

"Mummy, do you think Alden could be my brother?" Juno tilted her head, her small hand gripping a spoon as she asked the question with a puzzled expression.

Myla, momentarily lost in her thoughts, snapped back to reality. She gently tapped Juno’s head with a pair of chopsticks and smiled softly. "Where do you get such funny ideas, sweetheart?"

Juno dug through her baby designer bag until she pulled out an old photo. Holding it up triumphantly, she said, "Look at this, Mummy! Alden and I look so much alike. He must be my brother, right?"

Myla took the photo from her and studied it carefully. It was a picture of Alden, Lowe's son, her former fiancé. 

“Where did you get this? ” She hid her surprise behind a chuckle. 

“From the newspaper” the girl replied coyly. 

Mila gazed at the photo and Indeed, the boy’s delicate features mirrored Juno’s—both children shared Lowe's unmistakable resemblance.

But that was where the similarity ended. Unlike Juno’s bright, lively eyes, Alden’s gaze was cold, distant, and void of the light that radiated from her daughter.

If not for Dr. Chris’s assurance that her other child had not survived after birth, she might have believed Alden was her son. She reached out to smooth Juno’s hair and explained, "I asked Dr. Chris about this once. He told me that your Daddy’s genes are incredibly strong. So strong that any child of his would look like him, no matter who their mother is."

Juno looked up with wide, curious eyes, prompting her to chuckle. "It’s not surprising that you two look alike. But Alden isn’t your brother. You’re my only child, my little sweetheart."

Still, as she studied her daughter’s face, a pang of sadness washed over her. Juno didn’t resemble her in the slightest; everything about her was pure Lowe. That’s why, when Juno was old enough to ask, she'd had told her the truth about her father. She didn’t want to rob the girl of her choices or burden her with lies.

Even now, she remembered what she had told Juno back then: “Your father didn’t abandon you; he simply never knew you existed.” And, as if she understood even at a young age, Juno had accepted it with surprising grace.

Myla smiled at the girl, tugging a hair behind her ears as her assistant, Cole, entered the room.

"Ma’am, the car is ready," he informed her.

Myla stood and gathered her things. "Juno, I have to go now. You’ll go home with Cole, okay?"

Juno nodded obediently. "Okay, Mummy. But..." She hesitated, then smiled mischievously. "I want to see Daddy. What do you think he’ll say when he meets me?"

Myla froze for a moment, her heart tightening. If Lowe ever discovered the truth, what would he do?