Victor Blackwood had made up his mind.
He would cancel the engagement.
Standing in front of the massive gates of the Lin estate, flanked by his assistant Markus and a driver who didn't dare speak, Victor looked every bit the ruthless billionaire the world feared—suit sharp, eyes sharper, and his expression unreadable.
He hadn't expected to feel this conflicted.
The Lins were old friends of the Blackwood family, yes. The engagement had been arranged years ago—an alliance of legacy and bloodline. But Victor had never seen himself bound by tradition.
Then came the hospital. The girl. The name she gave.
And the message he couldn't stop replaying in his head.
"Would you like me less if you knew it?"
He was starting to wonder if walking away was still an option.
Still, he had to be sure.
Inside the Lin mansion, Clarissa was fussing over a tray of refreshments while Edward adjusted his cufflinks with the nervousness of a father about to lose something—someone—he'd just gotten back.
"She's in the study," Edward told Victor once the formal greetings ended. "Isabella. Would you… like to meet her first?"
Victor nodded once. "Yes."
The study door was slightly ajar when he reached it.
He paused outside, one hand on the knob.
Then he heard a voice—low, cold, and effortlessly calm.
"I don't believe arranged marriages are relevant in the modern world."
Victor's lips twitched faintly.
So she had opinions.
He pushed open the door.
And saw her.
The same girl from the hospital. The same girl from his memory. The same girl who walked into his grandmother's life and flipped his world without even realizing it.
She turned slowly when she heard the door.
And froze.
For the first time in years, Isabella Lin felt her heart skip a beat—not from fear, not from tension—but from recognition.
Him.
The man she had pulled back from death's doorstep.
The man she'd spoken to for years online, never suspecting…
She covered the flash of realization with a single blink.
Victor, however, couldn't cover anything. He stared at her—not the way a man stares at a stranger. But like someone who'd just found the missing piece of a puzzle he didn't know he'd been solving.
"You," he said under his breath.
Isabella raised a brow, voice cool. "Do I know you?"
He stepped into the room, slower now.
"You're Isabella Lin?"
"Yes."
Silence stretched between them, thick and sparking.
Edward and Clarissa exchanged glances at the door, unsure whether to interrupt.
Victor looked at her for a long moment, then turned to them.
"I've changed my mind," he said clearly. "The engagement will continue."
Clarissa gasped softly in relief. Edward blinked.
Isabella blinked too—because just moments ago, she was sure he was here to end things.
Now…
She couldn't read him at all.
Victor's eyes returned to her. "We'll get to know each other properly, Miss Lin. Starting today."
Isabella didn't speak.
But her gaze held steady.
Inside, her thoughts were racing.
Why does he feel so familiar? Why does his voice sound like—
She glanced at her phone still resting on the desk.
It buzzed.
[AshenWolf]: "I think I saw someone today who reminded me of you."
Her heart nearly stopped.
Could it be...?
Next Chapter Teaser: Isabella begins to suspect Victor might be more than just her fiancé. And Victor sets out on a quiet mission: to uncover every layer of the girl who refuses to be known…