Chapter 2 Searching Through The Crowd

In the blink of an eye, fifteen years had passed since William's death, and Henry had accomplished incredible things. He firmly controlled the Scott Corporation, gained a foothold in The Wilson Empire, and created his own remarkable kingdom. His business and strategic acumen inspired awe in everyone around him.

Nobody thought Henry could take control of everything by himself back then. They were all waiting for his demise with bated breath. William bequeathed his entire fortune to Henry in the hope that it would provide him with the strength he needed to overcome any obstacles. He had faith in Henry's abilities and knew he would not let down the people he cared about.

While the business world lauded Henry's talent and stratagem, he was the only one who recognised his own folly.

It took him fifteen years to realise the depth of his feelings for the other man-a yearning to find him and atone for all the pain he had to endure.

He was now eleven years older than him, while the other remained perpetually twenty-seven.

On a cold winter morning, shocking news broke: Henry Scott, the man behind a slew of major corporations, had died in a car accident. A closer examination uncovered a startling coincidence: the dates and causes of death for both Henry and William were identical.

One might have expected a pitched battle over the vast estate, but everything went off without a hitch, just as it had done fifteen years before. Henry left the Scott Company to his brother, Daniel, in his will. Henry's empire was merged with The Wilson Empire, and all remaining assets were transferred to Charles Wilson, William's adoptive son and nephew.

Charles, who had been raised by Henry, was regarded by him as the rightful heir of both himself and William.

"William, wait for me," Henry said quietly as the truck approached.

So this was William's experience; perhaps he had clung to a more profound desperation back then.

He could hear the piercing screams, the sudden braking of cars, and the violent collision, painting a scene of chaos in that final moment. He was wracked by severe pain and his mind was beginning to cloud. A call from Charles was the only thing that remained in Henry's fading vision.

All senses seemed to vanish in an instant-no pain, no feeling. Henry imagined that his consciousness would vanish in an instant. His thoughts, however, did not vanish but instead spun out of control.

Memories flooded back in, occupying his frail awareness.

It was like watching a film reel rewind: the mundane life of fifteen years after William's death, then back to that afternoon when Liam stepped in to announce his death.

Each memory was so vivid that it felt like he was reliving the events. He could only watch helplessly this time, but the sensation of suffocating pain was unbelievably real.

Following the memory stream, he ran into William again, and this time he heard him say not to come to the funeral. Henry couldn't say anything to persuade him to stay. Similarly, a different "Henry" sitting on the bed was unable to make William turn around.

Then it flashed back to his confinement in the mansion and the days of escape and resistance. It went even further back to when William was pursuing him during his days of freedom.

Until his floating "consciousness" was suddenly yanked forward by a strong pull at a certain point in a party, Henry could not anticipate what would happen next.

Someone was calling his name by the time he regained consciousness. Henry felt his fingers move as he struggled to open his eyes due to the onset of a headache.

Henry was taken aback by the sudden surge of consciousness. Could this be a hospital? He was still alive, right?

The fuzzy voice beside his ear resounded again before he could ask any further questions. The voice calling him became clearer as the world around him became clearer.

"Mr. Henry, Mr. Henry, you've come around," says the narrator. The housekeeper at Grady's exclaimed in surprise. After a disagreement with Mr. Wilson, the Scott family's second son fainted and was rushed upstairs, where a doctor was summoned.

Outside, the guards strictly prohibited any entry or exit, while the head of the Grady family was too excited to sit still. Mr. Wilson would not let them off the hook if anything happened to Henry.

Everyone was aware that Mr. Wilson, the most powerful and wealthy man in the country, was pursuing Henry. Instead of saying the two had a disagreement, it was more accurate to say Henry lost his cool with William. Others couldn't hear the details of the conversation because it was in a secluded area.

The crowd, however, couldn't help but notice Henry attempting to hit William, only to be knocked out and carried away. No one dared cross Mr. Wilson, let alone go investigate the situation.

Henry's head throbbed like a hammer, but he tried to isolate the source of the noise. The first thing he saw was the staff's gaze. "You're awake; do you need me to notify Mr. Wilson?"

Was that Charles, Mr. Wilson? Henry pondered quietly. This address sounded familiar as well as strange. He looked around; this was neither a hospital nor the house he was living in. Despite his headache, his body was in perfect condition-not at all like he had just survived a car accident.

He was severely injured when that car crashed; even if he survived, he could not have recovered this quickly. Henry was suddenly reminded of the flashback memories from the accident as he reached to touch his forehead to relieve the headache.

"What am I doing? Who led me here?" The servants looked surprised but respectfully responded, "This is the Grady family's charity auction party." Mr. Wilson brought you here after you fainted."

"Do you mean, William?" He jolted and spun around, looking for his phone to confirm. Henry was in a panic and couldn't find it, so he grabbed the housekeeper and asked for the date. He sat on the bed, stunned, after receiving the response. Fearing for their safety, the people in the room summoned a doctor.

Henry ignored whoever came in, desperately trying to recall the events of this party. Originally, William joined him today. Liam somehow found out about it and came as well. Liam had suggested a way to get him out of William's clutches before the incident.

Liam would propose to him at the end of the auction, which was the solution. As long as he agreed, their phoney engagement could put an end to any plans William had. Henry initially disagreed, believing the proposal was ridiculous.

However, when William later presented him with a painting his mother had drawn and which was auctioned off that day at the party, he threw it away. Henry would not have reacted so quickly under normal circumstances, but by chance, he discovered he had been drugged. It wasn't an aphrodisiac, but rather a substance that confused the mind and weakened the body without robbing consciousness.

At that moment, Henry was filled with rage because he suspected it was William's fault. William had knocked Henry out and carried him to a room after being surprised by his condition. The party was still going on when Henry awoke, and in a fit of rage, he agreed to Liam's plan, accepting another man's proposal in front of William.

He wanted to punish himself a hundred times over every time he remembered William's mad, lonely face amidst the crowd at that moment. Finally, William dragged him away in front of everyone for the first time. During the altercation, he collapsed at the Grady Mansion, and journalists were summoned, exposing William's condition to the public.

Some claimed he was mentally ill and a threat to society. Others thought of him as repulsive and a criminal. Despite the fact that the news was later controlled, The Wilson Empire's stock inevitably fell. William's grandfather objected to their relationship as well.

Following several disagreements, William turned against his grandfather, determined to keep Henry by his side. The couple's relationship began to deteriorate, and the chairman's health deteriorated. They never had the opportunity to reconcile until William's death.

"Yes, it was Mr. Wilson who carried you in here." Henry's attention was drawn back by the butler's voice. He ran outside, ignoring the doctor and servants who were still surrounding him.

The on-duty guards, taken aback by his sudden appearance, attempted to restrain him from reporting to Mr. Wilson.

"Mr. Henry, please refrain from going outside." The speaker was William's bodyguard, Robert Palmer. This proved Henry had been given a second chance at life.

But Henry's actions were too quick and decisive, injuring and dodging several guards as he rushed downstairs.

"Follow him quickly; if anything happens, we won't be held accountable." The people there were thrown into chaos as they chased after him, fearing for their jobs.

"Where is William Wilson?" Henry demanded as he descended the stairs, instinctively grabbing a nearby server.

The noise was quite loud, and it drew the attention of those nearby. Liam was giving a speech at the time, and his eyes lit up at the sight of Henry.

Liam's goal was to embarrass William and change his indifferent, contemptuous attitude towards others. He intended to provoke Henry into another disruption at the party before summoning the press.

Liam weighed his options once more. Given Henry's hot temper, proposing now had a high chance of success because Henry wanted to annoy and infuriate William. Witnessing such a scene would undoubtedly drive William insane. Many people would be interested in the news the next day.

The server on this side, who had been dragged back by Henry, had not yet grasped the gravity of the situation. He was new and didn't know who this "William" the guest was referring to was, so all he could do was bow and apologise.

A man in a suit approached Henry just as he was about to turn to look elsewhere. This was Liam Miller's right-hand man, his assistant. When Henry noticed the man giving the speech on stage, a feeling of unease settled in his heart.

Indeed, the assistant approached him politely and invited him to the stage. Ignoring him, Henry continued to search the crowd for the figure he desired. But the hall was huge, and everyone's attention was drawn to the stage to hear the speech, so he couldn't find William.

Liam approached with unwavering determination, coming close to him and then kneeling down, just as he was in a standoff with the assistant.

"Henry, are you willing to marry me?"

Anyone paying attention could see Henry's displeased expression, and the answer seemed obvious without him saying anything.

But before he could say anything, he noticed a tall figure approaching them.

Henry's blood seemed to freeze in an instant; his breathing came to a halt, and all that remained was the figure of William approaching. A real person, not a creation of his imagination.

Henry wanted to be with him forever.

But as he took the first step, Liam grabbed his hand and pulled the ring onto his finger for William to see, regardless of whether Henry agreed or not.