Chapter 5: Her Return

Alicia stood frozen, confusion knotting in her chest. A thousand strangers knelt before her, heads bowed, and the sight made her stomach twist. Fear prickled under her skin.

“You’ve got the wrong person,” she said, voice trembling. “I can’t be the legion leader.”

Sweat beaded across her forehead. When one of the kneeling men rose and started toward her, she instinctively stepped back. For every step he took, she took one more—until cold seawater lapped at her heels.

When he was only a few meters away, he said, “Whoever wears the ring is the legion leader. It’s time to return home and take the throne, my lord.”

Disbelief creased Alicia’s face. “I’m not the ow—”

Her words were swallowed by a thunderous shout that shook the island: “Return with us, legion leader!”

Alicia stared at the ring, Catherine’s words echoing in her mind. She brushed her thumb over the band and drew a steadying breath. “I’m going to fulfill the promises I made to you, Cathy.”

She glanced back at the sea, reluctant to leave. “What should I call you, sir?” she asked the man.

“Gem, my lord.”

Alicia met Gem’s eyes, hesitation tightening her throat. “Can you help me recover my sister’s body?”

“Of course,” Gem replied without delay. “But you must come with us. We can’t postpone your return any longer.”

Alicia stood silent for a moment, hands clenched, then nodded. “Let’s go."

At her word, Gem blew a whistle. A helicopter descended onto the shore. Alicia headed for it, climbed in, and it lifted off.

“Welcome home, Legion Leader!” a thunderous shout shook the sky.

TWO YEARS LATER

At JFK’s arrivals hall, a man in a wheelchair sat beneath the fluorescent lights, flanked by two men in black suits. He held up a placard: “Catherine.”

Alicia, dark shades covering half her face, spotted the sign as she rolled her luggage past the crowd. She stopped in front of him. “You’re the one my dad sent to pick me up?”

The man—Andy—lifted a brow, aware of the stares gathering around them. “Are you Catherine?”

Alicia, thinner than before and impossibly striking in a dress that hugged her hourglass figure, smiled. “Yes. It’s me.”

Andy’s frown deepened, but he jerked his chin toward the bags. “Take her luggage. Let’s go.”

He turned his chair, and the bodyguards fell into step, lifting Alicia’s suitcases with practiced ease. Alicia stepped closer and rested her hands on the wheelchair’s handles. “Let me help you.”

Andy went rigid, lips pressed into a thin line. He said nothing as she guided him through the sliding doors and out into the humid air of the parking structure.

At the curb, a driver jumped from a waiting car. Andy glanced back at Alicia. “I can handle the rest.”

She withdrew her hands and watched as the vehicle’s modified lift hummed to life, the platform sliding out to cradle the chair. Andy rolled aboard and disappeared inside. Alicia circled to the other side and climbed in.

The ride into the city passed in silence. Skyscrapers blurred, then thinned to leafy streets as they neared the Alexanders’ estate.

Only then did Andy speak. “You haven’t been home in years, Catherine. Your father, your sister—your mother too—they may not recognize you.”

Alicia’s lips curled, each word deliberate. “I can’t wait to see them.”

The car rolled through the mansion gates and sped down the drive, braking to a smooth stop in the parking lot. The moment the door opened, Alicia stepped out.

Alexander, who had not seen his daughter in years, froze. His face crumpled with emotion, his eyes glistening. He swallowed hard. “Catherine…”

His voice broke.

Alicia pulled off her sunglasses. Her gaze slid over Beatrice and then to her daughter, Winnie. The corner of Alicia’s mouth lifted. She recognized them at once—the mother and daughter who had made Catherine’s life a misery.

“Yes, Daddy,” she said, conjuring tears to her eyes before rushing forward and throwing her arms around him.

Alexander’s composure shattered. He held her tight. “My daughter… my daughter—Catherine.”

Across from them, Andy watched Alicia with a narrowed, assessing gaze. His lips curved into a faint smile before he lowered his eyes.

Beatrice cleared her throat, sharp and impatient. “We should go inside. She must be hungry, Alex. Don’t keep her standing out here.”

Alexander drew back, forcing himself to steady. He turned to Andy. “Thank you for bringing her home.”

Andy reclined casually on the wheelchair, smiling. “Cathy is my friend. Bringing her back was the least I could do.”

“Even so,” Alexander insisted, “I owe you my thanks.”

“We can continue this inside,” Beatrice cut in, already turning toward the house.

Andy’s smile sharpened. “Another time. I’ve got a client waiting.”

Alexander didn’t press him. Andy slid back into the car, the driver started the engine, and drove away.

As Alexander and his family stepped into the house, the servants followed, carrying Alicia's luggages inside.

They had barely settled when Beatrice, looping an arm around Alexander’s shoulder, smiled and said, “Honey, since Catherine is back, why don’t we set a date for her engagement to Andy? You know that’s the reason she agreed to return.”

From the side, Winnie chimed in, eyes rolling. “I don’t know what she sees in that cripple. The doctor already said he won’t be able to father a child—he’s impotent and a cripple. Nothing about him is useful anymore except that pretty face.”

“Winnie!” Beatrice snapped.

Winnie lifted her hands in mock surrender. “Fine. I’ll stop telling the truth.”

Alexander’s face darkened. He furrowed his brows and glanced at Alicia, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask the question on his mind. Instead, he said, “You’ve just come back from a long trip. Go to your room and rest first.”

Alicia had already seen through the mother and daughter’s intentions. With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she replied, “Thanks, Dad,” and rose to ascend the staircase.

She had barely reached the first landing when Winnie called out, “So, Catherine—how old were you when you got deflowered?”