Mark came inside the room with the project file. Charles nod and took it.Charles felt a surge of shock ripple through him as Mark laid the project file on the table. He scanned the pages, and his gaze stopped on a phrase that made his blood run cold: “New Neuron Medicine Formula.” This was advanced work, beyond what most labs could handle. But then came the detail that threw everything into chaos.“She’s recognized only by a code name, sir,” Mark continued, his tone steady. “They call her Sisi.”Charles’s jaw tightened as he processed this. Sisi. It wasn’t just the little girl’s name; it was a code, the name of a scientist—the key to Neil Holland’s billion-dollar project. Neil had chosen the same name for Alysha’s daughter, weaving her into his scheme in a way that was disturbingly deliberate. It was as if Sisi the child, Sisi the project, and Alysha herself were all bound together by some twisted plan Neil had set in motion.Charles took a slow, steadying breath, then turned to Mark
Alysha’s heart stopped. She turned to Sisi, frozen in shock, the word ringing in her ears. It was only the second word Sisi had ever spoken to her, and it hit her with the force of a revelation she hadn’t been prepared for.Sisi’s finger was pointed at a photograph in the article—a man with striking blond hair, intense blue eyes, and an impossibly handsome face. The caption read: Ivan Anderson Suegra, The business tycoon and CEO of Suegra Empire.Sisi tugged at Alysha’s sleeve insistently, her blue eyes wide with recognition. “Daddy!” she repeated, her voice filled with a joy Alysha had never seen in her before. Her small hand tapped the newspaper, her gaze locked on the picture as if nothing else in the world mattered.Alysha’s breath came in short, shallow gasps as she took in the image of Ivan. This man… Sisi’s father? She looked down at her daughter, who was gazing at the photo with the pure, innocent certainty of a child who recognized someone she loved.She knelt down, eye-level
As Neil held Sisi, Alysha felt upset because she knew he was hiding something important.Alysha’s gaze remained on Sisi, watching as her daughter nestled comfortably in Neil’s arms, relaxed and trusting.Even though she had a lot of memories and missing pieces in her mind, she couldn't deny that Sisi seemed at ease with Neil. He must have cared for her and treated her well. But Neil's words left her with new questions, questions that left her feeling as though she were falling through an endless void.Neil’s voice softened, calculated. “You had an accident three years ago. We found you badly injured. And you were already pregnant with Sisi.” He glanced down at the child in his arms, then back at Alysha, his face painted with a careful look of empathy. “In that accident, you lost your memory. You never could tell us who Sisi’s father was. But honestly?” He gave a faint, reassuring smile. “It didn’t matter. You and Sisi have always been our priority.”Alysha took a shaky breath, her min
Seraphina stormed into the villa, her eyes blazing with a barely controlled fury. Sisi, sensing the tension, immediately darted toward Alysha, clutching her mother’s leg with a trembling grip, her wide blue eyes filled with fear. Alysha instinctively placed a protective arm around Sisi, her gaze hardening as she looked at Seraphina. Neil cast his daughter a warning look, but Seraphina ignored him, forcing herself into a stiff, composed stance.“Doctor Arisha Holland,” Seraphina sneered, using the name with a hint of mockery. “May I have a moment with you?”Alysha glanced down at Sisi, who held her even tighter, her little body rigid with fear. Alysha ran a gentle hand over Sisi’s back, whispering softly, “It’s alright, sweetheart.” She looked back at Seraphina, her face impassive. “Yes, of course. Please, go on.”Seraphina’s expression sharpened, her voice cold as she continued, “You’ve already caused substantial damage to our project with your… unfortunate setbacks. Because of you, w
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