The shareholders’ meeting finally ended just past noon. Samuel had just closed his laptop in the meeting room on the thirtieth floor when his phone vibrated—a short message from Bani: Closing market pre-session stable. No further sell-off. The major shareholders were calm again; last night’s clarification and the forensic presentation had worked.
“Good,” Samuel muttered. He stood up. “Bani, let’s go straight back to the suite. I want to check on Rebecca and Reno.”“Understood, Sir,” Bani replied. “The car is ready downstairs.”Zayden Family Suite – A Few Minutes LaterAs soon as the suite door opened with the key card, Samuel immediately felt something was off.“Rebecca?” Samuel called out. No answer.Reno appeared from behind the sofa with red, puffy eyes. He clutched his dinosaur doll tightly. “Daddy!” he cried, running to hug Samuel’s leg. “Mommy hasn’t come back! Mommy said she was just buying food for me… but Mommy never came bacThe VIP room was silent. Only the soft sound of the monitor echoed, marking Reno’s heartbeat. Ellya stood at the doorway, her breath caught. When their eyes met, a trembling voice full of longing slipped from the boy’s lips.“Mommy….”The tears Ellya had been holding back broke loose. Her shoulders shook, her voice hoarse. “R-Reno…” she murmured, stepping forward slowly, as if afraid this was only a dream that could vanish at any moment.Reno, sitting against the bed with his small body, looked straight at her. There was certainty in his gaze, no longer doubt. He lifted his tiny hand, waving gently.“Mommy, don’t cry. Reno is a genius,” he said with a faint yet meaningful smile. “I’ve already searched. I’ve already proven it. You must be my Mommy.”Ellya’s sobs grew louder. She hurried forward, almost tripping over the wheelchair, then fell to her knees beside Reno’s bed. Her fingers grasped the little hand, warm but slightly cold.“My dear Reno, Mommy… Mommy missed you so much,” she
12:30 P.M.Samuel walked with steady steps, his suit neatly pressed, his tie perfectly knotted. His face still carried traces of exhaustion, yet his gaze was firm—he had to carry on with the day.Before reaching the elevator, his steps halted in front of a VIP ward door. It was Ellya’s room. Samuel glanced at it briefly, as if his heart urged him strongly to go inside.He knocked softly, then turned the doorknob. As the door opened, his gaze immediately caught sight of Ellya sitting at the edge of the bed, her hair cascading down, her face pale yet glowing with happiness. Aric was not there. She was alone.Rebecca’s eyes—inside Ellya’s body—sparkled the moment she saw Samuel. “Samuel…” she whispered softly, her voice full of relief.Samuel closed the door gently, then stepped closer. A faint smile curved on his lips. He sat beside the bed, his fingers tenderly brushing that face. Then, without many words, Samuel leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on Ellya’s forehead.“I’m going to
Chapter 249The atmosphere in the VIP ward was still tense. Aric was still holding Ellya’s hand tightly, his gaze filled with both hurt and anger. Samuel stood rigidly, his chest rising and falling as he tried to contain the boiling storm within.Samuel knew that if he forced things now, the situation would only get worse. He had to hold back, even though his heart was burning.With a heavy voice, he finally spoke. “Aric.”Aric turned quickly, his eyes filled with suspicion. “What?”Samuel took a deep breath, then spoke in a calmer tone even though his face was still tense. “What you saw earlier, it was only a reflex. Ellya was scared, so she instinctively hugged me. There was nothing more than that.”Aric froze, his brows furrowed. “A reflex?”“Yes,” Samuel nodded firmly. “And about what happened in the garden earlier, I apologize. I was too emotional. I misunderstood. I thought…” His voice caught, then he rub
The VIP ward felt so silent after their long kiss broke. Samuel’s breath was still heavy, his face flushed, while Ellya—or rather Rebecca in Ellya’s body—looked at him with teary eyes.“Samuel,” Ellya’s voice trembled, almost a whisper. “Do you believe now?”Samuel stared intently, unblinking. His heart, once clouded with doubt, now felt full of certainty. His hand lifted, gently touching Ellya’s cheek. “I believe,” he answered firmly, his deep voice trembling in the air.Rebecca’s tears fell. Those words were like a key unlocking the chains in her chest. For years she had longed for that acknowledgment. Now, even in someone else’s body, her husband finally believed.“But how, Samuel?” Ellya sobbed, her voice breaking. “I… I’m in Ellya’s body now. I have to return to her hometown. I have a life to live. I can’t keep clinging to you like this. What about everything else?”Samuel grasped her hand, holding it tightly as if afraid of los
The air in the hospital garden suddenly grew heavy. Ellya could even hear the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears. Her gaze shifted quickly between Aric, who was still holding his cheek that had just been punched, and Samuel, who stood tall with ragged breath, his eyes red and burning with fire.Aric wiped the corner of his lips, his face grim, his jaw tightening. “What did you just say?” his voice was low, yet filled with emotion. “Wife? Mr. Samuel, don’t speak carelessly. Ellya is not your wife. She is my fiancée!”Those words struck Samuel’s chest. His jaw tightened, his eyes gleamed. “Fiancée? She is not your fiancée, Aric! She—” Samuel stopped. His words stuck in his throat. He looked at the shocked Ellya, then rubbed his face harshly, as if trying to restrain the anger already at its peak.“Ellya…” Samuel whispered faintly but full of tension, and without giving anyone time to react, he bent down, grabbing the body of the girl sitting in the
The atmosphere in Ellya’s VIP room was still tense even though the doctor had already left. The faint smell of antihistamine injections lingered in the air, mixing with the cold hospital scent. Ellya lay weakly on the bed, her face pale, the traces of reddish rashes on her skin slowly fading.Catrine sat at the edge of the bed, holding her daughter’s hand with a worried face. Louis stood not far away, still visibly shaken, though trying to calm his wife. Samuel and Reno stood stiffly near the door, both lowering their heads like children caught doing something wrong.Samuel stepped forward slowly. His voice was low but firm. “Mr. Louis, Mrs. Catrine… I want to apologize. What just happened—that was my fault. I should have been more careful. I truly didn’t expect Ellya could be allergic to peanuts.”Louis turned, his gaze still sharp but not as harsh as before. “This was indeed unexpected. But fortunately the reaction was treated quickly. Ellya is fine