Alysha’s vision blurred, her chest tightening as if she’d just been punched. Her name is Cyndra? She’d lost not only her daughter’s name but her very identity, twisted and manipulated into something unrecognizable. Neil’s calm, controlled words were like a series of slaps, each revelation colder than the last.“She… she’s mine,” Alysha managed to whisper, her voice barely audible. “I don’t care what documents you forged. She’s mine.”But Neil’s expression didn’t waver. He tightened his grip on Sisi’s small hand, his face unreadable as he responded. “I’ve raised her. I’ve provided for her. I’ve kept her safe. And as far as the law is concerned, she’s my daughter, not yours. You may have given birth to her, Alysha, but she belongs to me.”Alysha’s hands trembled, rage and despair swirling in her chest as she met Neil’s cold gaze. She wanted to scream, to tear away the facade he’d built and reveal the truth. But she knew she had to stay calm, had to think carefully. One wrong move, and h
As fatigue set in, she collapsed, her fingers loosing their grip on her head. There was rage bubbling beneath the surface when they did this to me. Neil, Seraphina—all of them—they had erased her past, cut her off from her own life, her own daughter. They’d stolen her memories, her identity, and in its place, left her tangled in their lies.But when Alysha sat there and breathed heavily, she felt a strong determination inside her that she hadn't felt before. She wouldn’t let Neil control her forever. She would find a way to break through this fog and uncover every piece of her past that they had taken from her. She would reclaim herself—and her daughter.Slowly, she pushed herself up, her hands steadying her on the edge of the sofa as she forced herself to stand, the weight of her determination fueling her. They might have taken her memories, but they hadn’t taken her will.Alysha’s gaze fell on the newspaper, her eyes catching the image of Ivan Anderson Suegra. The headline seemed t
“Hear me out, Charles,” Andrine continued, her voice steady, her gaze fixed on him with a seriousness that belied her age. “The Holland family is playing a massive game. They’re using my sister and niece as pawns to secure their position in it, and I don’t think you fully understand the scope of it yet.”Charles nodded, his expression focused, waiting for her to continue.“You’ve heard about the project, right? The Neuron Medicine Project?” she asked, watching him carefully.“Yes,” Charles replied, “I reviewed everything I could find. The research is groundbreaking. It could change the landscape of neural treatments. What they’ve developed—it’s incredible.”“Right,” Andrine said, a trace of a smirk lifting the corner of her mouth, her eyes gleaming with a hardened intelligence. “And this incredible project is worth billions. And not just to the medical world, but to the military. It’s not just a treatment, Charles. It’s a weapon. A medical weapon.”Charles’s mind raced, his eyes widen
“Call it what you want,” Andrine replied, her voice softening but turning serious. “The point is, Charles, if we’re going to stop the Hollands from reproducing this medicine, then they need to know they’ll have to pay for it. Alysha deserves every cent they’ve robbed from her, and if I have to be the one to negotiate it, then I’ll make sure they never get away with it.” She met his gaze, unwavering, and Charles felt a newfound respect settle in.“All right, Andrine,” he said, nodding firmly. “Let’s make it happen. For Alysha—and for that commission of yours.”Charles watched Andrine closely, his gaze sharp as he spoke. "Do you know the Suegra family?"The moment the words left his mouth, Andrine’s face went pale, the color draining from her cheeks as if he’d struck a nerve. Her bold, unshakeable demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by a flicker of something else—fear, perhaps, or a buried memory resurfacing too fast to hide.She quickly turned her head, avoiding his gaze, but Cha
Alysha sat at the desk in the villa, surrounded by a sea of project documents, files, and research notes. The weight of her work, the endless formulas and analyses, should have consumed her attention, but her mind was somewhere else entirely. She couldn’t focus, couldn’t even begin to make sense of the data before her. Her thoughts circled back to one thing: Sisi.She clenched her hands, her fingers digging into the edges of a file, her heart aching as she whispered, “My Sisi… my daughter.” The words hung in the empty room, a reminder of everything she’d lost, everything that had been stolen from her.Neil had taken Sisi, and with her, the one light Alysha had in this cold, tangled mess of memory and betrayal. She couldn’t shake the image of her daughter’s innocent face as she’d looked up at her, her small hands reaching out for her. Every instinct Alysha had screamed to protect her, to keep her close. And now Sisi was gone, taken from her by Neil’s smooth lies and cold control.Alysh
Alysha leaned back in the chair, her vision blurring as tears spilled down her cheeks. The memory of Sisi’s sweet voice, her bright giggle, her innocent face as she called out “Mommy,” played over and over in her mind like a haunting melody. The ache in her chest grew sharper, deeper, with each thought. How was it possible that her own daughter could feel so close yet be so far out of reach?Her gaze fell on the newspaper lying open in front of her, Ivan’s face staring back with that intense, piercing expression. Ivan Anderson Suegra. The name, the face—both pulled at her, stirred something inside her that she couldn’t place. But there was something there, a connection she couldn’t deny. It felt too strong to ignore, yet it remained just out of reach, slipping through her grasp like sand.Who is he to me? she thought, frustration mingling with the grief. She hated the gap in her memory, hated the fog that kept her from understanding who this man was, why he seemed so familiar. And Sis
Days passed, each one filled with Alysha’s silent, stubborn resolve. She worked on the project, scribbling notes and running through data, all the while waiting, preparing. Seraphina and Neil were undoubtedly watching her every move, monitoring her progress. But she knew that any slip in her façade would mean fewer opportunities to see Sisi, fewer moments to try and reach her daughter. And so Alysha forced herself to go through the motions, pretending compliance, each day letting the Hollands believe she was slowly breaking under their control.Then, finally, Seraphina appeared at the villa again, her face expressionless. She opened the door to reveal Sisi standing by her side, her small face lighting up at the sight of her mother.“Mommy!” Sisi called out, running to her. Alysha’s heart melted as she crouched down, opening her arms and gathering Sisi close, savoring the warmth, the familiarity.But Seraphina’s cold, watchful eyes reminded her that this moment was a transaction, a too
The next day, Neil entered the villa, his presence casting a shadow over the room. Alysha immediately pulled Sisi closer, wrapping her arms around her daughter as if she could shield her from whatever Neil might try to do. Her heart pounded, each beat filled with defiance and fear.Neil paused, observing her fierce grip on Sisi, before taking a slow, deep breath. He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing with a cool determination.Alysha’s voice was steady but filled with quiet fury. "Neil… if you're here to take my daughter from me, then listen closely. I’ll ruin everything about this project. Every file, every formula. I’ll destroy every bit of work we’ve done."Neil’s jaw clenched, his gaze hardening. For a moment, they stood in tense silence, locked in a battle of wills."Why don’t you understand?" Alysha continued, her voice breaking slightly but holding strong. "She’s my daughter. The only person I have left in this world."Neil’s expression shifted, an unreadable look crossing his