Chapter 2 We'll Meet Again Soon

Before the guard could finish speaking, Vincent cut him off coldly. "Enough. She saved my life. Apologize." He swept his bodyguards with a hard look.

The shift in his tone made every bodyguard tense instantly. Cold sweat formed along their temples. Without another word, they lowered their heads at the same time. "Please forgive us," they said in unison. "We should not have said what we did."

None of them dared question Vincent. Whatever reason he had for concealing his identity, the fact remained that she had pulled him out of danger. That alone made her untouchable.

For a brief second, Brenna simply studied them in silence. "It's fine," she replied calmly. "I was compensated. That settles it. I'll be leaving now."

She had barely taken a step when someone blocked her path. Vincent stood in front of her, tall and unmoving, his presence impossible to ignore.

"You handled yourself well back there," Vincent said, and this time, there was no edge in his voice. "You were brave."

Vincent knew he was supposed to be engaged today to Brenna Fuller, the Walsh family's eldest daughter, who had spent years away from home. People claimed she had suffered a disfiguring injury, that she had only returned to her family last month, and that others often picked on her. Even after coming back, she still kept the last name of the couple who had raised her. The rumors painted her as timid and completely useless, as if she could not do anything right. Yet the woman standing in front of him now bore no resemblance to the incompetent person those stories had described.

"We'll meet again soon, Miss Fuller," Vincent added, his tone steady but layered with meaning.

Brenna wasn't surprised. She had already revealed her identity as Vincent's fiancée, so it made sense for this man to have heard of her and know her last name.

"Nice guess, but I don't want to meet you again," she said lightly, crossing her arms. "And a piece of warning. You should take a look at your watch."

With that, she turned and walked away. She had already been delayed and needed to attend her engagement party.

The guards exchanged confused looks. "That watch is a gift from your grandfather, Mr. Todd," one of them said carefully. "We examined it thoroughly before. There wasn't anything wrong with it."

A crease formed between Vincent's brows. The warning Brenna gave hadn't sounded like a joke. Without pausing to question it, he pulled out a dagger and forced the back of the watch open.

The casing split with a sharp snap. Fine white powder spilled into view from inside.

Vincent's eyes turned cold at once. "Send this to the hospital. I want a full analysis."

Shock rippled through the bodyguards. They had checked that watch carefully before and found nothing suspicious. "Mr. Todd, we truly have no idea what went wrong!" one of them blurted out. They were professionally trained, yet none of them had detected the hidden substance. How had that woman seen through it in seconds?

Vincent's face gave nothing away. "Go accept your punishment."

"Yes, Mr. Todd!" they answered in unison.

By the time Vincent lifted his head, Brenna was gone. The alley looked as if she had never stepped into it.

...

An hour later, Brenna stepped into the hotel hosting the engagement banquet.

Sarah Walsh, Brenna's mother, was already waiting in the lobby. She surprisingly reached out and took Brenna's hand. "You ran back to that rundown place a few days ago without saying a word. I thought you were acting out, so I might've spoken too harshly on the phone."

The engagement between the Walsh and Todd families had been arranged years earlier.

Among the elite, the Todd family's name stood at the very top when it came to influence and wealth.

Yet, rumors painted Vincent as unattractive and morally corrupt. Countless women had suffered at his hands, and very few people had ever seen his face.

Unwilling to sacrifice her cherished younger daughter Noreen, Sarah had brought back the long-lost eldest daughter Brenna to step in as the bride.

Tears clung to Noreen's lashes as she stepped forward, her voice soft and trembling. "Brenna, Mom really does have your best interest at heart. That's why she decided to give the engagement back to you."

A faint, humorless laugh slipped from Brenna's lips as she withdrew her hand from Sarah's grasp. If it hadn't been linked to Noreen's lifelong happiness and the Walsh family's advancement, they probably wouldn't have bothered looking for her at all.

Brenna had no patience left for their carefully staged concern. Turning toward the hotel staff, she spoke with a loud voice. "Please inform Vincent that I'd like him to come out earlier. I'm not feeling well."

Before the demise of the couple who had raised her for years, they had told her to retrieve the biological chip hidden somewhere in Todd Manor.

Unexpectedly, on the day she reunited with the Walsh family last month, they pushed her straight into an engagement with Vincent. If she had to step into this mess anyway, she might as well use it.

Sarah's composure nearly cracked at Brenna's bluntness. She thought Brenna lacked basic decorum. Before she could say a word, a servant had already hurried off toward Todd Manor.

"Mr. Todd, Miss Fuller is requesting that you come out ahead of schedule," the servant reported respectfully.

Vincent was seated inside the study, and his striking features stood out even more in the quiet light. His long lashes cast shadows over his charming eyes. "Let her know I'll join them shortly," he answered calmly.

The servant lowered her head. "Yes, Mr. Todd."

Silence settled back into the room once she left.

Across from Vincent, a man with red curls stretched lazily and yawned.

"So your ugly fiancée has quite the nerve," Felix Hewitt said, amusement flickering in his tone. "This morning, when you were pursued by a group of assassins, are you sure you didn't mistake someone else for your savior? Word is that Brenna is timid and easy to push around."

Vincent's expression stayed unreadable. "I am not certain," he replied evenly. "But that woman is the only person who's ever brought color into my world. I'll search high and low if I have to find her."

Felix clicked his tongue in disbelief. "You must have been hallucinating from blood loss this morning. After all, even the doctor said your eyes are still the same."

Honestly, Vincent had harbored the same doubt. Everything he saw still looked drained of color. Yet, the hospital results were undeniable. The substance hidden in his watch was a slow-acting toxin. That meant she had saved him twice already.

His gaze lifted slightly, resolve sharpening in his eyes. "Whether it's her or not, I'll know soon enough!"