Felix Lin was the only one brave—or foolish—enough to knock on Isabella's door before noon.
He stood outside it now, holding two mugs of coffee and a box of freshly baked pastries.
She opened it after precisely three knocks.
"You're consistent," she said, eyeing the pastries.
"You're impossible," he countered, handing her the coffee. "But I come bearing sugar."
She stepped aside, allowing him in without another word.
Her room, though grand, felt stark compared to the rest of the estate. No posters. No flowers. Just the thick curtains half-drawn and a stack of journals on her desk. Even the air seemed still, disciplined.
"You don't decorate?" Felix asked, sitting on the chaise.
"I don't stay in one place long enough to grow sentimental."
Felix blinked. "You planning to leave already?"
She didn't answer.
He took a bite of the pastry and chewed thoughtfully. "You know, people say I'm the annoying one in the family."
"I believe them."
He grinned. "But I'm also the only one not afraid to ask you questions."
"Then you'll be the first to regret it."
"That's fair." He took another bite. "Were you always this intense?"
"I was always alone."
The words left her lips quietly, but with the force of a confession.
Felix sobered. "You're not alone anymore."
She stared out the window, toward the distant gates. "We'll see."
Meanwhile, across the city, Victor sat in his penthouse, pouring over messages from SkyeEcho.
[AshenWolf]: "Tell me something about you I don't know."
[SkyeEcho]: "That's a long list."
[AshenWolf]: "Start small."
[SkyeEcho]: "I was once the youngest person to beat a Grandmaster in military chess. Blindfolded."
Victor paused.
That detail.
He remembered reading a report, buried in military training archives—a prodigy no one could identify, who had wiped the floor with international champions at an anonymous invitational event.
He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his jaw.
Could it really be her?
Markus entered the room, tablet in hand. "We tracked the facial structure in the hospital frame to five possible matches. One of them just moved into the Lin estate."
Victor's body stilled. "The Lin estate?"
"Yes. The missing Lin daughter was found recently. No public record. But she's back with the family now. Her name is—"
Victor raised a hand. "Isabella."
Markus blinked. "You already knew?"
Victor didn't answer. He opened his phone, stared at SkyeEcho's last message.
Could it be?
Was the girl who saved his grandmother… the same girl behind the screen?
Was she SkyeEcho?
If she was…
Then she was also his fiancée.
Back at the estate, Isabella sat in the courtyard after Felix left, sipping her coffee in silence.
The wind rustled the hedges gently. Somewhere nearby, her brothers were arguing over a fencing match. She didn't need to see them to know who was winning.
Her phone buzzed again.
[AshenWolf]: "Are you afraid of being known?"
She hesitated.
[SkyeEcho]: "No. Just careful."
[AshenWolf]: "Is that why you never tell me your real name?"
Another pause.
Then—
[SkyeEcho]: "Would you like me less if you knew it?"
Victor stared at her message, his heart pounding harder than it should.
[AshenWolf]: "I think I'd like you more."
She didn't respond immediately.
But she was smiling.
And for once… it reached her eyes.
Next Chapter Teaser: Victor arranges a meeting with the Lin family—intent on canceling the engagement… until he comes face to face with the girl he's been searching for. And Isabella begins to suspect the impossible about her mysterious online friend…