Elara's POV

FIVE YEARS LATER

I felt my internal body system change as soon as I stepped down from the plane. My heart rate increased, I could feel my palms getting sweating, and saliva filled my mouth which I gulped down.

I was back again, at this place... This country, I promised myself, I would never return to.

I had no good memories in this country... Maybe, one... Just one. But I thought after I left I would be able to put everything behind me. And for five years I did.

But now I was back again...

Thankfully, it would only be for a short time.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be enough for my past to catch up with me.

"Mummy..." A tiny voice called behind me. All my anxiousness vanished the instant I remember that I wasn't here alone. A smile graced my lips and I turned around.

Smiling back at me were two boys... Twins but not identical. I guess God wanted to be fair, so he gave me one who looked a little like me and the other who probably looked like that man from that night five years ago.

My memory of that night remained a blur... Especially that bartender's face. I could only remember what happened the morning after, how I left the room as soon as I could. How I left the country the week I found out I was pregnant.

That night... I could never regret my drunken mistake.

It got me my wish... Two. The reasons why I still pressed on in life, why I kept living despite how many times I thought of quitting.

My darling angels.

"Mummy... Look at what Leo did." One of the twins, the one who looked like me, said with a small pout, pushing his hand forward for me to take a look.

I chuckled, bending down to look at his arm... There wasn't even a scratch.

That was Jake... The overdramatic attention seeker. He enjoyed playing games and trying to put his brother in trouble.

He always had a cheeky smile on his cute face.

His brother... Leo, the one being accused didn't even bother to look in his brother's direction and just kept looking around.

Leo was two minutes older, but he acted a lot more more mature than Jake... He was smarter, calmer, and much more responsible than any child of his age should ever be.

He never gave me any trouble. Sometimes I felt like he was the parent and not me, especially when it came to his younger twin.

I was certain that he did nothing wrong to his brother, but I gave in to Jake's antics... Just for today... we all needed comforting after this sudden trip.

"Oh my baby..." I cooed in an overdramatic tone. "Does it hurt so much?"

Jake blinked, as though surprised that I believed him then nodded, protruding his small lips.

I smiled, then lifted his hand to my lips and kissed whatever invisible bruise that was there.

"Is that better?" I asked and nodded again, obviously happy with my action. Leo glanced at him and rolled his eyes, before returning to the scenery.

I was about to say something when I felt the phone in my hand vibrating. A frown appeared on my lips as I brought the phone to my eye level to check the caller ID.

Mr. Shan.

An exhausted sigh left my lips.

Just thinking about talking to my boss made me feel tired, but now I actually had to talk to him.

But I forced a smile on the twins. "I have to take this call," I said shaking the phone for them to see. "Remember guys... We're in America, New York... Don't speak Korean okay?" I instructed.

I left this country for Korea five years ago. The twins were born there and could speak the language so fluently. English was a second language to them.

I was only going to be in this country for a few weeks, and during that time, I didn't want to draw attention to myself or my children. It would be best if they could blend in.

Leo smiled, his pearly whites peeking out from his lips. "Don't worry, Mummy, our English is perfect." He assured me by nodding his head.

"Yeah, Mummy, don't worry." His brother seconded.

Yeah...

I shouldn't worry.

I walked a few steps away from them, but not before adding another instruction. "Also, don't run around."

I said stepping away to take my call.

Mr. Shan hadn't stopped calling... A part of me knew he wouldn't.

The man had taken a liking to me ever since I started work at the company three years ago. Despite telling him multiple times that I had children and I wasn't interested, the man didn't budge in his intentions.

I only took his business trip to get away from him... although he persisted I be the one to go, I could only wonder what was in it for him.

At least I was sure, leaving me in peace wasn't it.

"Good morning Mr. Shan," I answered the call with the sweetest voice I could muster to cover the disgust I felt for my old boss.

Before he could answer me, I began briefing him on the business trip.

I hadn't gotten to the hotel yet... Hell, I was still at the airport, but I needed something to say before he could speak.

"So, I would..."

Before I could finish my words, I heard a familiar voice... "Oh, if it isn't Elara Ashford... The wannabe Ashford heir."

It sounded as though the person was behind me.

My back straightened, and my face turned cold.

I didn't expect to run into her so quickly.

I heard a snicker... She was with someone. "Oh, please, why did you still add Ashford as her surname? Didn't you hear that the family disowned her 5 years ago?"

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I turned around. "Mira what is this? You have the guts to show yourself to me after everything you did? Are you that shameless?"

Mira snorted taking a step towards me. "It's you that's shameless you bloody bitch. You became a slut just because Liam found me as a better woman than you can ever be."

My blood ran cold.

I gritted my teeth, anger fueling my bones. "How dare you..."

"How dare I what?" She rudely interrupted, staring down at me. "You think it's a secret that you have bastard sons? Tell me darling... Out of the many men you've slept with, do you even know the father?"

It was fine to insult me.... But my sons were innocent in the matter; I couldn't stand for anyone insulting them.

I glared at the bitch I had once considered my best friend."You..."

Her friend cocked her head to the side as though looking behind me then she crossed her hands over her chest, a small smile on her lips.

Just as I was about to give Mira a piece of my mind, she chuckled.  "...And the boys are gone."

"What?"

The words I wanted to say instantly got swallowed back. I turned around sharply, looking for my boys who were standing just here a few minutes ago.

Where are they?

"Pathetic." The friend scoffed rolling her eyes.

I didn't care about her words...

My heart slammed hard against my ribcage as I searched around the airport with my eyes for my boys.

Where could they have gone?

The airport was too big for me to start searching for them... Where...

Mira stepped forward, forcing me to look at her. "I don't know why you returned Elara, but we would be seeing each other very often. Brace yourself... Whore."

I bared my teeth hard, clenching my fists.

How much I wanted to hit that stupid smirk off her face... But that wasn't my priority at the moment.

All I cared about was... where the fuck were my boys?!

Jayden’s POV

I had grown a subconscious dislike for airports. I always felt like I was leaving something important behind.

It started over seven years ago when I lost the love of my life. I thought I had gotten over it, but five years ago, it started again, and I hadn't been able to shake the feeling off. It began that morning five years ago when I woke up and couldn't see the mysterious lady who had found a way into my bed.

I should have looked for her a bit more than I tried to... I knew that.

But I didn't.

She just crashed into my world, tampered with it...and my celibacy and then disappeared.

But then did I regret it?

No.

It had been seven years since I lost the only woman for me... five years another crashed into my life...

Love wasn't meant for me.

I cleared my throat and then shook my head. Anytime I got to an airport, all these memories always rushed in.

Letting out a sigh, I adjusted my cufflinks as I walked through the private terminal, my assistant trailing behind me with a tablet clutched to his chest. The jet was already prepared. I was leaving this country today.

  Nothing else did.

  “Your flight departs in twenty minutes, Mr. Bryes,” Dion said.

  I nodded without slowing.

  That was when something small slammed into my leg.

  Hard.

  I stopped abruptly.

  A sharp gasp followed, then a soft thud as something... no, rather, someone... hit the floor.

  "Mianhaeyo..." a small voice cried pitifully.

  Was that... Korean?

  I looked down, my brows furrowed.

  A boy sat on the polished floor, tears pooling in his eyes, his small hands pressed to his knee. He couldn’t have been more than five years old.

  He was acting as though I had hit him when he had clearly bumped into me.

  Before I could say anything, another child rushed forward, and he immediately went to hug the first, covering his face with his body.

  "Mummy said you should speak English." He scolded which only made the other kid cry even louder.

  “Don’t cry,” the second boy said urgently, crouching beside him. He patted his back, sounding a bit annoyed. “Mama said crying makes it worse.”

  I watched with amusement.

  They were twins.

  Fraternal... but unmistakably so. Same height. Same eyes. Same dark hair. One had dimples when he frowned.

  I never liked children. I had always considered them a distraction, an unnecessary disturbance.

  Even when I was with Jane, I never considered having children and she respected my decision.

  But watching these twins... I felt something tighten in my chest.

  I didn’t know why I reacted the way I did.

  I rarely did.

  But before my assistant could step in... I took a step forward, and then slowly I buckled my knees and knelt in front of the crying kid.

  The boy who had fallen froze when he saw me up close, his crying hitching into small, shaky breaths. His brother stared at me openly, unafraid.

  “Does it hurt?” I asked. My voice sounded unfamiliar to my own ears. It came out softer than I had intended... I didn't even know I was capable of speaking so calmly.

  The boy absentmindedly nodded, his eyes fixed on me.

  I stretched out my hand, and then hesitated midway... I didn't know how to do this, but I wanted to.

  Slowly I placed my hand on his head and parted it. gently

  He stopped crying.

  Just like that and just stared at me.

  Both boys stared at me now, wide-eyed, studying my face as if trying to figure out something important.

  'Jayden what are you doing?' I snapped back to my senses, then I straightened quickly.

  “Where are your parents?” I asked.

  Both turned to look at themselves for a few seconds before returning their gazes to me, and they shook their head.

  "She was on the phone..." The braver one said before pointing at his brother. "He ran, and then I had to chase him. Now I don't know where she is."

  There was something about his accent... It wasn't just a child speaking sloppily; he spoke as though English wasn't his first language.

  But they looked American.

  “Mr. Bryes,” Dion stepped forward and whispered to my ear. “We really should...”

  “I’m not leaving yet.” The words came out cold but final.

  Then I turned back to the boys, I crouched down to their level and asked. “What are your names?”

  “I’m..." The cute one with dimples who had fallen earlier was about to say, but then his brothers nudged him. Forcing him to keep quiet.

  "Mummy said we shouldn't give our names to strangers."

  My chest tightened again.

  I didn’t know why.

  The way the other one spoke, he seemed to be older, but I was certain that they were twins.

  They were... Cute.

  I didn’t have children. I didn’t want them. I was known for avoiding them entirely.

  And yet…

  They looked familiar.

  Uncomfortably so.

  I nodded at the kid, forcing down the urge to pat his head. "You're right. You shouldn't tell your name to strangers."

  He was a smart kid. Just watching them made me wish I had children of my own.

  Maybe if Jane were still alive, that wish would be possible. I would have changed my mind...

  But she wasn't.

  I forced a small smile to my lips. I was about to say something else when I heard someone yell from behind me.

  "Leo? Jake?!" The voice shook a little... As though fearful.

  The cheeky one's eyes lit up, and his lips pulled into a wide grin. "That's mummy!" He pointed behind me.

  Before I could turn around to look, a figure sped past me, walked to the twins, and crouched in front of them.

  "There you guys are!" It was a feminine voice... but somehow, just like the twins, it felt familiar. "You had me worried." She said pulling away from the guy.

  "Don't worry mummy," the other one... the smart one said with a small smile, "...we were with a kind uncle." Then he looked up at me.

  "Thank you so much for..." The mother stood up, turning around to face me.

  As soon as she did, I felt air leave my lungs in shock.

  Her hair was different, it used to be black but now with was light brown and she had bangs covering her forehead, but her eyes... How could I ever forget the look in those hazel eyes of hers?

  The last time it was with pain and lust, the light in her eyes was gone, as though she had given up on life but still wanted this one thing... But now, now there was life in them.

  It made her even more stunning.

  I needed no extra clarification. That was why she felt so familiar... It was... Her.

  The mysterious lady who ignited a fire inside him... She was back.

Elara's POV

As soon as I turned around, I was taken aback.

But it wasn't because of how handsome the stranger was... Though he truly was breathtaking, but it was because of something else... His familiarity.

I had seen him before, I knew him from somewhere... But I just couldn't remember where.

But I couldn't just keep staring at his face.

I shook my head and cleared my throat, before planting a small smile on my face. "Em... Sorry, thank you for watching my kids."

He didn't respond.

The handsome stranger just stared at my face... His eyes had a hint of disappointment in them as he stared.

My smile became wry. His silence just made it all awkward.

"Em..." I began awkwardly taking a step back, while reaching for my kid's hands. "I... I will be leaving now..."

That was when he spoke.

"So you don't recognize me?"

My feet froze, and then I stopped to stare at his face.

"Huh? Am I supposed to?"

Sure, his face seemed familiar, but, this was an airport. A high-end one that cost me so bloody much to book a ticket for.

I could have seen him on the news or in a magazine. He had the aura of a rich person... I wouldn't be surprised if he were exactly that.

So no, I didn't recognize him.

Or...

My brows wrinkled in confusion, my brain still trying to remember where we could have met before. "I'm sorry, but have we met before?" I asked, leaning a bit towards him, before blinking my eyes.

Even if I've met him, which I doubted that I did, I didn't want to remember.

No... I didn't wish to remember.

That was my plan for the next few weeks, I would be staying in this country.

I didn't wish to bump into anyone from my past. I wanted no one to know that I had returned. I only had bad memories of this place.

I just wanted to do my job and leave this bloody country.

So... Maybe it was best I didn't recognize him.

We stared at each other for almost a minute. It was mostly the handsome stranger doing the staring, I was just surprised as to why he was staring at me with such intensity.

I was beginning to get uncomfortable, and was about to say something about it when the man by his side, whom I had only just noticed, leaned towards him and whispered.

"Boss, our flight is about to leave. We need to get going."

Flight?

It was just a whisper but I heard him. I had quite sensitive ears.

It meant that the stranger was leaving.

Good.

That was good.

At least I wouldn't see him again.

Hopefully, the rest of the time I have here will go smoothly.

"Thank you again," I spoke, appreciating him with a curt bow. Since he refused to say anything, there was no need for me to keep thinking. I turned towards my kids... Who for the first time in a long time, stayed quiet for more than five minutes.

And when I said kids, I meant the second one, Jake.

"Leo, Jake... Let's go..." I said and was about leaving, when a deep cool voice flowed into my eyes.

"What's your name?" He asked, his tone sounding rough towards the end.

That voice...

It sounded so damn familiar.

It did something strange to my body that I didn't have time to think about when he spoke again.

"I asked for your name. "

He repeated.

I raised a brow at him.

"My name?"

I thought he said he knew me.

Well... How could he know me and not know my name?

This was getting, weird.

I just wanted to leave with my kids at the apartment I had rented, an almost an hour drive from her.

Plus, he had a flight to catch too, so...

"Er... Elara." I answered him. I let go of the hand holding Leo and stretched it towards him. "Elara Reyes."

The handsome stranger's eyes dropped down to my hand, the skin around his forehead a bit wrinkled, but then he looked up at me and smiled.

He raised his hand and held mine in a firm shake.

I felt a shiver run down through my body from my hands the moment our hands touched.

A corner of his lips rose in a smirk. "I'm glad we met again Elara Reyes... This time, I won't let you go that easily."

Let me...go?

We locked eyes... There was something there. Something other than familiarity, or... Or maybe amusement.

It was this strange emotion I couldn't name.

It gave me shivers.

Actually, everything about this handsome stranger gave me shivers.

From his face, down to his voice.

I subconsciously got the feeling to avoid him.

I forced a small smile on my lips and tried to retract my hand...

My heart drummed twice as fast when he held it tighter, still staring at me.

I turned to the man beside him, silently begging him for help with my eyes.

I didn't want to be rude. The man seemed like a big shot. My company wouldn't be able to survive it if I offended another big shot.

But the man didn't even bother to look into my eyes. His eyes were fixed on our joined hands; they were slightly dilated, and there was an expression of shock on his face.

'Come on... Your boss hadn't shaken someone so tightly before?'

I was just about to speak, giving up on the peace version of myself I had decided to be tjis morning before the flight, when suddenly... The speakers sounded an announcement.

"Last flight to California for the day..."

Cali... That's where he was headed, right?

It was just a guess... But I turned out to be correct.

The man only just smirked, released my hand, and walked away.

"Weirdo." I snorted, shaking my hand as though trying to get off the feeling of touch off them.

After shaking the feeling off, I turned to the kids.

"Let's go kids."

Jake had no problem, he grabbed my hand and nodded. While Leo... Leo just stared in the direction the strange man had left, as though he was in a trance.

"Mummy... Aren't we leaving?" Jake complained after a minute.

But, Leo's eyes were still following the handsome... No, weird stranger.

It wasn't until I snapped my fingers in front of him that he looked away.

"Let's go," I repeated a lot more firmly this time.

Leo nodded and grabbed my hand.

This time, I was the one who turned around.

Those strange men were out of sight.

I could finally let out a sigh of relief.

'Hopefully... My kids and I would never meet him again.' I inwardly thought, a weird feeling in my chest.

I turned around again, holding both my children, and left the airport.