Chapter 2 Chapter 2: The Past That Won't Let Go

In a small, remote town far from city of Brightspire, Grace Sullivan was on the verge of losing her mind.

As an illustrator, she had been working on her sketches at home when she received a call from her children's kindergarten teacher saying the kids were missing. Frantic, she rushed over, searching every corner of the kindergarten, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Miss Grace, please don't panic. The surveillance shows the kids left on their own. We've already reported it to the police, and I'm sure they'll be found soon."

The teacher tried to console her, though her eyes betrayed a hint of sympathy.

The woman before her was tall and graceful, her skin smooth and flawless like jade. Her deep, dark eyes were so captivating that anyone passing by couldn't help but stare-man, woman, young, or old.

But despite her beauty, this stunning woman had lost her husband and was raising two kids alone under difficult circumstances.

And now her children had vanished!

Grace barely heard the teacher's attempts at reassurance. She was too focused on her phone, desperately refreshing the GPS tracker-special rings she had custom-made to prevent the kids from getting lost. But the screen kept flashing "Target Not Found."

Suddenly, the app glitched, and two overlapping red tracking signals appeared.

"I found them!"

Grace exclaimed, relief flooding her voice. But when she looked up, she saw that the teacher, and even everyone else at the kindergarten, was staring up at the sky.

"Why are you all looking.?"

Her words faltered as she followed their gaze.

A sleek black helicopter was approaching from the distance, and two little hands-ones she recognized all too well-were waving excitedly from the helicopter.

Her kids were in the helicopter?

Grace was momentarily stunned by the realization.

It wasn't until the helicopter landed that she snapped out of it and dashed toward it.

The door of the helicopter opened, but instead of her kids, the first one to step out was-

It was a man in the pilot's seat. He yanked off his helmet, revealing sharp, wolf-like gray-green eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips pressed into a firm line. His whole demeanor exuded a chilling aura.

He swung his long legs over the side and jumped out of the helicopter, his gaze sweeping the area before locking onto Grace as she ran toward her children.

In an instant, the harshness in his eyes softened, like a calm sea with dangerous undercurrents hidden beneath the surface.

Just as Grace was about to reach her children, her vision suddenly went black. Amidst the gasps of onlookers, she crashed into a hard, muscular embrace.

The pleasant, cool scent of cedar enveloped her as strong arms tightened around her waist, pulling her so close it felt like he wanted to merge their bodies together.

The next moment, the man rested his head against the crook of her neck, his voice low and raspy, filled with emotion. Then, the man's head nestled into her neck, his deep voice resonating with a hint of huskiness. "I finally found you, my Bella."

With those words, Grace felt something warm and wet land on her neck, one drop after another, sending shivers down her spine.

She blinked in confusion, a strange sense of sorrow washing over her for reasons she couldn't understand.

But she quickly snapped back to her senses, wriggling free.

"Who are you?! I'm not Bella! Let me go!"

The more she fought, the tighter the man's grip became.

"No, I'll never let you go again," he whispered.

Grace, too frustrated to be angry, glanced at her two children, who had run over with their little legs, panting as they neared.

"Kids! Help Mommy get this strange man off me!"

But instead of coming to her rescue, the little girl held onto her brother's hand and stopped a few steps away, speaking seriously. "Mommy, Daddy has been looking for you for many years. Just forgive him."

"What?!"

Grace was dumbfounded.

Daddy? Whose daddy?

A brief silence fell over the scene.

The first to react was the children's teacher, who glanced at Grace with an odd expression.

"Miss Grace, your husband is so handsome. He's rich, and he loves you. Don't stay mad at him. Surely, you can't bear to keep the kids separated from their father forever?"

"My husband is dead! I don't even know this man!"

Her husband had died protecting her in a car accident. No one knew that better than she did.

Anger surged through her, and she shoved the man hard. To her surprise, this time, she actually managed to break free.

She looked up in shock, only to meet his reddened eyes.

For some reason, she felt a fleeting sense of guilt, as if she had truly wronged him.

Vincent was studying her face intently.

His piercing gaze roamed over Grace's face.

Her expression was unfamiliar, as though she had never seen him before.

The excitement in his chest dulled, and an unsettling suspicion crept into his mind: the woman in front of him might not be Bella.

But in the next moment, his resolve firmed. "I think we need to confirm this."

Before Grace could even process his words, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her toward the helicopter.

"Marcus, take care of the kids."

Vincent ordered his assistant, throwing the words over his shoulder as he slammed the helicopter door shut.

Moments later, despite her resistance, Grace found herself taken to a hotel by Vincent.

"Let me go!"

Grace struggled to escape, but Vincent shoved her into a room and caught her dress by the collar, ripping it with a single pull.

In the next moment, her fair skin chest was exposed to the cool air.