Broken Memory: Complicated Love, Pure Desire

The rain came through the holes in the tattered roof and fell straight into Sylvia Qiao's mouth, wetting her parched throat.

By then, she was awake.

It was her sixth day locked up in that rickety old house. Without proper food and water, she had become weak and her body had shrunk considerably. She didn't know if she would be alive when the sun was up again.

She felt lost and smiled bitterly.

She didn't know who had kidnapped her, or if that person was also planning on killing her.

Her memories were hazy. Suddenly, she heard the door creaking open.

She finally mustered the strength to lift her head and look at the person standing at the door. "Is that really you?

This can't be happening. How could you do this to me, Selena?" Sylvia Qiao asked, completely mortified.

Selena Qiao cast an icy stare at her and said with a sneer, "Why wouldn't I? Did you really think it was someone else?"

It was a rare delight for Selena Qiao to see Sylvia Qiao in such a horrid state. Selena Qiao felt happy and satisfied every time she saw Sylvia Qiao being miserable.

The worse Sylvia Qiao's life was, the happier Selena Qiao would become. She felt superior.

"I'm sorry. You probably don't even remember me, since you hoarded all the attention ever since we were kids. After all, I'm not even worth mentioning," Selena Qiao said in a sarcastic voice.

"Sylvia, do you regret being nice to me all these years?"

Upon hearing that, Sylvia Qiao raised her head and looked at her. She was perplexed. It was almost as if Selena Qiao was a completely different person now.

"Selena, you may not related to me by blood, but we grew up together ever since we were kids. I think of you as my sister. I'll give you whatever you want. I won't regret it."

Selena Qiao laughed maniacally, glaring at her. "Even now you're behaving like a saint. You can give me anything I want, because everything belongs to you. What do I have? I have nothing, and I can only fight for it! But this time, I won't let you get in my way!"

Her eyes were burning with pure hatred.

Sylvia Qiao was taken aback. She had never thought that Selena Qiao would hate her so much. She didn't know why she had offended her.

Suddenly, Sylvia Qiao felt a thick oily liquid poured over her. It was gasoline! Selena Qiao had emptied a whole bottle of it, soaking her body. She then pulled out a lighter from her pocket and clicked it till a flame appeared. She threw the lighter at Sylvia Qiao's gas-soaked body.

Sylvia Qiao screamed and shrieked as the flames engulfed her body. Her burning skin felt like a thousand swords stabbing at her.

"Sylvia, I'm sure you would have never thought of this, would you? Aren't you at least a little bit surprised? Would you like to know why I hate you so much?

Don't worry, I'll tell you everything so that you can pass with closure.

Why were you forced to quit your job in the entertainment industry? It was because of all the rumors about you that I asked people to spread. Your mom died because I replaced her medicine with just vitamins. You were in jail for three months because I told Director Xu that it was you who refused to sleep with him and tried to kill him.

What else should I say? Do you remember your ex-fiance, Ethan? He found you to be too boring and stereotypical, so I lured him away from you." Selena Qiao stroked the slight bump on her belly and smiled with satisfaction.

"What's more, you don't know that I am Joey's biological daughter. You and your mother had dust thrown in your eyes!" she added, clapping her hands and laughing gleefully.

The truth had finally dawned on Sylvia Qiao. She raised her head and looked at Selena Qiao with blood trickling down her cheeks. Hatred poured out of her body, but soon, she felt relieved.

She turned her wrist and glared at Selena Qiao, feeling the flames kiss her body. Her clothes, her skin, and even the ropes that bound her were burnt to ashes. She was finally free.

She had never thought that Selena Qiao, to whom she had shown all the kindness in the world, would turn into an ungrateful bitch. She had gone so far as to kill her mother. How cruel!

'Since I'm dying, then...'

"Selena, do you really want me to die? If I die, you won't get any of my shares!"

Sylvia Qiao said in a hoarse voice. Upon hearing that, the evil grin on Selena Qiao's face disappeared instantly, and by then, she had also calmed down.

"Why didn't you tell me before? Aren't we a little too late for that? The fire is burning all around you now!

You're so kind! If you had told me this sooner, I wouldn't have tried to kill you," Selena Qiao said apologetically and took a step towards her.

Sylvia Qiao owned twelve percent of the shares while Selena Qiao only had two percent.

Why did she deserve less?

They were all Joey Qiao's biological daughters, his own flesh and blood. Yet, how could Sylvia Qiao get more than her?

"You're right! It might be late for you, but not necessarily for me!

Selena, I'll take you with me because I care for you so much!" Sylvia Qiao yelled and sprang up from the floor. She pounced on Selena Qiao, wrapping her body with flames.

Selena Qiao let out a scream. She was dragged to the floor and the flames began devouring her.

"No!

Don't do this, Sylvia! Please, let go of me. It hurts. You're scaring me.

I'm so sorry for what I did to you. Please let me go.

You're going to hell all by yourself, you bitch! I am not just gonna die yet,"

Selena Qiao screamed and tried to wiggle out of her hands, but Sylvia Qiao had firmly gripped her throat, pressing on it like molten iron.

"Selena, don't be afraid, I'll take you to see my mother!

She must be lonely there. I'll take you there, so you can apologize to her yourself, okay?"

Sylvia Qiao hissed. She was becoming insidious. After learning all the truth, how could she possibly let Selena Qiao go?

Selena Qiao's plan was smart, but it was poorly executed. Gasoline was sprayed all across the room, which was already in shambles. With that kind of a fire, they would both be burned to a crisp before dawn.

Sylvia Qiao had regretted the mistakes that she had made in the past. There was no reason for her to stay behind, and she would rather die gracefully.

The flames were still burning, but she no longer had the energy to scream even though she felt the pain of her burning heart and bones. At the very end, she felt warmth, just pure warmth greeting her.

She was leaving the world.

Suddenly, she heard a loud noise, followed by the vague screams of a man. Or perhaps, it was just her mind playing tricks on her.

"Sylvia! Stay with me, please!"

Even through the fire, she could feel the anxiety and despair in his voice.

Sylvia Qiao was too exhausted to move.

She curled up in the flames, unable to even open her eyes.

It was the faint fragrance of pinewood, so familiar, yet so far away. She could remember the same fragrance on Ryan Zhan.

However, her consciousness was fading away. A lone tear drop fell from the corner of her eye, almost like a pearl, before it dried up from the flames.

"Ry... Ryan... is that you?"

"I won't let you die, Sylvia! Now, come on, get up!"

He was bossy as always.

'Thank you, Ryan, for accompanying me when I'm leaving the world, ' she thought.

Her death didn't seem real, yet every step Sylvia took, the image continuously popped in her mind. The harsh palpitations in her chest, the intense hatred, and the unbeatable pain washing across her entire system were still present, as if the scene had just happened a few seconds ago.

However, she didn't have the luxury of time to think about it.

She staggered backwards, feeling her vision blur and clear with every move she made. The sounds of engine cackling across the night made the scene all the more suspicious.

Her shirt clung to her skin as she wiped off the sweat with the back of her hand. If she didn't get of here, she'd be long dead.

'I'm going to quit the entertainment industry after this, ' she promised herself.

If it weren't for Selena, she wouldn't have entered this industry.

Yet, it seemed that her fate had other plans. Ever since her step-mother had entered the picture, her relationship with her father, Joey, had grown even more tumultuous. They wouldn't go a day without screaming each other's head off.

If he hadn't threatened her with her mother's medical expenses, then she wouldn't have gone with Selena to meet Director Xu.

Besides, who would even visit a director in a hotel room in the middle of the night?

That should've already raised a red flag.

Director Xu invited Selena to come to meet him in a hotel room. Anyone in their right mind would know there was something fishy.

Selena had been trying to persuade her all night to go with her. Sylvia's stepmother, Cathy Lin, had been accusing her of being selfish. Seeing all the commotion, even Joey joined in the round of insults. Soon enough, Sylvia had no other choice but to back down and comply on their terms.

Although Sylvia was Joey's daughter and Selena was Cathy Lin's child of her previous marriage, it didn't look like it to outsiders.

Selena had always been the most favored one in the family, and Cathy Lin acted like she was Joey's first wife. When Cathy Lin gave birth to another young boy, Lucas Qiao, they were already a close-knit family of four.

And it was a family that Sylvia was never meant to be part of.

Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she stared at the unconscious body lying on the floor.

He was a famous director, a man who Selena had been anxious of pleasing.

They had planned to meet in the hotel room for a so-called "business meeting." Who in their right mind would even accept such a deal?

Director Xu hinted that as long as Selena slept with him, he would make her the female lead of his next movie.

Although Selena was determined to be the lead actress, she wasn't the type to fuck around. And that was why she had strung Sylvia along.

Sylvia had refused, and Selena had gotten so furious that she had grabbed a candlestick from one of the display tables and bashed her on the skull, rendering her unconscious.

Sylvia wasn't the only victim in this matter. It seemed that when she had pulled back, the candle had also inserted itself into the director's head, causing a gush of blood to flow out. His life had been placed in danger.

Scared to death, Selena decided to run for her life as she threw the candlestick onto the carpet. Without giving it another thought, she left the two of them in the room.

Unknown to her, Sylvia had been kidnapped when she was a child. Due to this, she made sure to train herself with escape skills just in case she ever found herself in the same position again.

Recovering quickly from the hit due to her previous training, she made sure to analyze her current situation. Her eyes swerved from left to right, knowing not to leave out a single detail.

Now, only she and the unconscious director were in the room. If she didn't leave, she'd be the prime suspect. Seeing as Selena had left, she might as well leave as soon as possible before the police came her way.

Taking a deep breath, she first observed the director only to see that he was still breathing. 'Not surprising, ' she thought, remembering that this man had also been alive in her previous life. Although he lasted around half a month in a coma, he'd be fine right after.

She turned her attention to her surroundings. Aware of what would happen next, Sylvia knew for a fact that Selena would be coming here any time soon to set the scene of the crime.

'I better start cleaning up.'

In around five minutes, she made sure that there weren't any strands of hair left misplaced around the carpet and that her traces on the bottom of the candlestick were nowhere to be seen. Just as she was admiring her handiwork, she could hear Selena's and Ethan's hurried footsteps approaching the room.

Her eyes darkened, and a bitter smile slipped into her lips.

Selena had always been a scheming wench. All this time, Sylvia had foolishly believed that she was the one who had hurt the director, only to realize that she was being someone else's scapegoat.

Now that she was given another chance, there was no way in hell she was going to find herself in the same position as her last life. It was payback time.

She must leave here as soon as possible.

Since she couldn't open the door, then the window' was her next option.

She was on the sixteenth floor, and it would be impossible for her to jump down unless she wanted to be a squashed pancake. Glancing at the side, her gaze narrowed at the balcony right beside her. 'The next room it is.'

Letting her feet dangle on the floor, she swung her body across the space and latched upon the railings. Her heartbeat raced in her chest, but she continued to tighten her grip around the grills. Once her body had steadied itself, she jumped onto the balcony. Just as she did, the door opened in the director's room.

Right now, she needed to think of her next move. If they knew she was gone, the balcony would be the first location they'd check.

Without thinking too much, she pushed the French window open and got inside the room as fast as she could.

Due to her anxiousness, she staggered onto the carpet with a plop. It didn't take her long to raise her head.

Facing her were a pair of white slippers.

'Shit! A man!' she thought, gritting her teeth. Of all the hotel rooms she just had to enter, it had to be with someone else inside the room.

His muscular shins were smooth. And there was something about them that made her assume that the man's body must've been incredibly distinguished and detailed.

Then, as she slowly looked up, she was met with a creamy white towel wrapped just around his abdomen, leaving very little to the imagination.

At the top of the towel, she saw a perfect V-line tracing down his abdomen, and she couldn't help but flush at the sight.

With broad shoulders and bronze skin, he looked like a Greek god.

And the face...

When she finally saw his face, she thought she had been struck by lightning.

His face was like God's very own carving. It was obvious that he was used to people throwing themselves at him whenever they were given a chance.

However, the man was one she had never expected to see. 'Ryan Zhan!' Her face had turned sheet white.

Although she had never been acquainted with him before, it didn't take a genius to know who he was.

He was the CEO of ZT Entertainment, the number one leader of the entertainment industry. Besides, his face was all over newspapers and videos that it would almost be impossible to not recognize him.

He was known to be one of the most attractive man in the country. Any woman and even man would pay millions just for one night with him. And yet, there were no gossips about his love life.

Why the hell was he here?

Would he help her?

This was the first time they had met in this life. 'What am I going to do now?' she wondered.

With a raised eyebrow, he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've never seen a woman taking the initiative to climb over the balcony to my room. You're honestly the first one to do so."

Ryan bent down slightly, just enough for her to see the tendrils of the bath towel. Not bothering to listen to him, she found herself staring far more deeper at what the towel was covering, wondering if there was a chance if it could fall down.

'What the hell are you even thinking, Sylvia?' she scolded herself inwardly.

Before she knew it, he lifted her chin with two of his slender fingers. "You're very strong for such a gangly figure. Do you like me so much that you actually scaled up sixteen floors?"

"What?" she sputtered, still in a daze.

"Interesting," he mused.

'It's not what you think!'

Just as she was about to refute, a noise came from next to his room.

"Where is she, Selena?" Ethan urged as they entered the empty hotel room. They had already searched every corner of the place, yet they still saw no sign of Sylvia.

"I don't know." Selena sniffled, glancing from side to side. Throwing her shaky hands up in the air, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Do you think she escaped?"

"How about let's go to the balcony and have a look?"

"If it wasn't for me, Sylvia wouldn't have..."

Selena took a shaky breath. "Now that the director is unconscious and she's gone, what am I going to do?"

Ethan clasped her shoulder, pulling her close to him. "We'll find her, okay? You won't be involved in this matter."

"What if she didn't mean to do it? You have to promise me that if we find her, we'll protect her okay? We'll keep her safe."

Ethan slowly nodded. "Okay."

Upon hearing their conversation, Selena became even more panicked. It was as if her entire body had been thrown into the ice cellar with the amount of chills running down her spine.

She wasn't the one who had done it. Selena was wholly responsible for the crime!

But now Selena placed the crime on her head.

Ethan was supposed to be Sylvia's fiance, but after her Cathy's intervention, he became Selena's.

Ethan loved Selena deeply, so there was no way he would believe Sylvia was innocent.

He and Selena came back to the room to erase her fingerprints.

The coldness in her heart settled, and Sylvia felt as if she had been enclosed under her very own coffin.

Everything in her life had once belonged to her, yet now, it was all taken by Selena.

Was she really meant to live as a scapegoat? To rot in the cell all her life?

Sylvia clenched her fists. It was Selena who had hurt the director, not her, so she wasn't going to take the blame. And she was going to make sure that they all paid for their mistakes.

No one would dare frame her because she wasn't going to let them. She wasn't going to be that scared girl who would let herself be threatened by the Qiao family any longer.

Joey, Selena, Cathy, and even Lucas had absolutely no right to interfere in her and her mother's life. There was no way she was going to take this all in.

Now that she was given a second shot, she would let them all taste the price of betrayal.

Shaking her head, the fire in her eyes had been extinguished as she turned to the man right in front of her.

If they couldn't find her in that room, then they would certain turn this hotel upside down just to search for her.

They would certainly leave nothing unchecked.

This hotel was wholly owned by the Li family. Ethan, being their youngest and most favored son, would certainly try his best to search every room here unless the room belonged to someone more powerful and influential.

There was no way she was returning without an actual alibi.

And the man beside her was her best choice.

The decision might have been insane, but she had nothing to lose. This man was her only chance out of this.

Sylvia had a pair of round cat-like eyes. Whenever she gazed at someone, it would make him feel as if he was the only one in her eyes. It was perfect for capturing anyone's attention, and it was even more perfect for seducing the man in front of her.

Clutching her upper arms, she gazed up at him innocently. "It hurts."

Hearing her coquettish groan, his smile widened even further.

There was something about this woman that interested him.

Just now, he had heard everything from the room next door. If he had heard it right, then the woman in front of him was the Sylvia they were talking about. Moreover, she was even suspected to have hurt the director. He wasn't dense. It was obvious that the woman was using him as some sort of alibi.

'She's bold, ' he thought, impressed by her confidence.

Loosening his hold on her chin, he took two steps back and sat on the wide bed. With his hands pressed on the edges, he leaned back and waited for her to make the next step.

Being stared by this man felt surreal. Even her heart seemed to think so as it raced in her chest. Her heartbeat was so loud that she could swear the entire hotel could hear it.

What the hell was she going to do? One look at this man, and it felt as if she had reverted to her schoolgirl self.

Shaking herself from her reverie, she held herself together. The first thing she should do was get out of their suspect list.

After a long while, she finally stood up and walked briskly towards him. As he stared up at her, she let her fingers trace the outline of his forehead while her thumb grazed across his plump lips.

"Mr. Zhan, will you do me a favor?" Her soft and charming voice echoed across the room, and she leaned in closer. They were so close that their lips were almost millimeters apart.

She flashed a seductive smile, which made his heart skip a beat.

She turned from a frightened rabbit to a siren.

He liked it.

"Oh? How can I help you?" He smirked.

"Well..." Stunned by his sudden forwardness, she found herself at a loss for words. The pine fragrance entered her nose, and her entire mind had gone haywire.

He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her even closer. Her warm skin rubbed against his cold body, sending ripples of pleasure through both of them.

'Oh my God!

Is he putting some kind of spell on me?' she thought, swooning at the sight of his dark eyes.

'How could one man be so fucking seductive?'

If she hadn't been worried about getting caught, then she might have been more appreciative of the hunk right in front of her.

"What are you thinking about?" Ryan asked in a soft voice.

He lowered his head, looking like a lazy leopard who had just woken from his slumber.

In a daze, Sylvia murmured, "If it weren't for the wrong place and time, I would..."

"What would you do?" he asked.

Sylvia didn't seem to be in her right mind as she answered, "I would make you mine." Ryan flashed a wide grin as he pulled her into his arms.

The close contact made her shiver as her gaze fell on his soft pale lips.

She closed her eyes and approached him, her lips pressed against his.

Sylvia stiffened.

'Am I actually kissing him?'

she thought, feeling as if the entire thing had been a dream.

The soft touch of her lips left him stunned. He could only stare at her to see what she would do next.

However, after waiting for a long time, she still had her lips pressed against his.

'Doesn't she know what to do next?'

Although he was confused, he didn't say another word.

'My first kiss!'

Now, being with the man of her dreams, she found that she couldn't really describe her mood. This was amazing, yet, it had also left her hungry for more. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she deepened the kiss.

At this point, she might as well wing it.

Her reaction was definitely within his expectations as he pushed her deeper against his lower waist.

After sharing a deep kiss, their breathing had lost its stability. Even Sylvia had to rely on his hold to avoid falling back on the floor. Her first kiss was definitely one for the books.

When she finally pulled away, she could only stare at him with glazed eyes. Her lips were parted and her cheeks were flushed. It would take a fool to take his eyes off her.

Seeing such a beautiful woman in front of him, his eyes darkened almost completely. Without another word, he hurried his head into her neck, breathing in the sweet scent. His lips brushed against her collarbone, and she shivered under this hold.

"Aren't you seductive?" he murmured, gnashing his teeth.

Ryan looked like a predator snatching up his prey.

Sylvia groaned and wriggled under his touch.

It seemed that the romantic air between them had finally reached its breaking point as both of them waited for their next move.