"Let me finish, alright? Getting close to him won't do you any good. First off, the guy's a player-you don't wanna mess around and end up with something nasty. Second, sure, he's loaded, but he doesn't lift a finger for our family's businesses. He's not gonna keep up with your high-maintenance lifestyle. So..."

Before he could go on, she cut him off with an eye-roll.

"Save your breath, okay? I'm not into Sterling men, whether it's you or him. Now let me go. I've already given you what you wanted-it's my time now."

She pushed him, trying to leave, but he stayed put, still talking.

"Oh right, I forgot. You're probably still hung up on that Forrest guy? Or maybe someone else?"

"This - this has nothing to do with you." She jabbed a finger at her chest, eyes blazing.

The air went still, heavy with silence.

Only their unyielding breaths tangled in the space between them - shallow, tense, unwilling to give in.

Ariella thought the conversation was finally over. But then, his voice cut through the quiet, cold and sharp as glass.

"You think you're so pure?" he said, his tone laced with disdain.

"Your first time... was already gone when you turned eighteen."

Her whole body stiffened. She looked up at him, stunned.

"That's not true!" she shot back, her voice trembling with fury.

"I never begged you to love me, so why look for excuses to doubt me? Don't you think I'd know my own body? We met when I was twenty. How the hell would you know what happened when I was eighteen?"

"I just..." Lucian clamped his words shut midway.

One day she'd figure it out-why rush that?

He didn't even glance at her before turning on his heel and walking off.

Ariella grabbed a full set of pajamas and underwear before heading to the shower. Water trickled down, warm and steady, but her mind was stuck on his words.

She'd been in a car crash at sixteen and spent two years in a coma. If he was talking about that time, he had to be lying. Still, the unease wouldn't leave her, especially remembering how familiar he'd felt when they first met.

If that was their first meeting, then why did it feel like déjà vu?

She stayed up all night thinking, but this wasn't something she could figure out alone. So in the morning, she made up her mind-she'd go home and ask Dominic.

*****

At breakfast with her parents, things were easy and cheerful. Ever since Lucian invested in FortuneRise Inc., they'd been visibly relieved, chatting and laughing like old times.

Lucian handled everything flawlessly. Her parents never once suspected anything, thinking it was just a sound business deal, not realizing what their daughter had sacrificed.

She'd been raised like a little princess-sheltered, carefree. Until the day she overheard them saying she wasn't their biological daughter... just someone they found and took in.

Even so, they'd loved her like their own. And that's why she felt so grateful-these two people, with no blood bond, gave her everything.

Seeing them happy made her feel like what had happened last night, no matter how rough it was, had been worth it.

"Is Dylan Rivers treating you well? If anything's bothering you, just tell Dad."

"Huh? Yeah, of course! You both know how I am. If anyone's getting the short end of the stick, it's him-not me!" Ariella chuckled.

Back when Dad's factory was in trouble, he hid away and mumbled to himself about how he couldn't go on without the business-but more importantly, he worried about her, his daughter, who hadn't even gotten married yet.

So Ariella agreed to Lucian's terms. To put her parents at ease and have an excuse to move out, she staged a fake wedding. The groom? Dylan, Lucian's assistant.

"Haven't seen him in a while. Tell him to come home for dinner sometime. It's been too quiet around here!" her mom said while busying herself.

"Sure! I'll set something up soon," Ariella replied sweetly.

"You really grown up over the past couple years. Getting married really changes a person," her mom said with a smile, gently patting Ariella's head.

They chatted for a bit longer before her parents left for work. Ariella then used the landline to call Dominic, asking him to come over so they could talk.

"Hey, thanks for what you did at the wedding."

"So? Did bringing a real pregnant woman crash the wedding like I planned?" he teased.

Ariella gave a small shake of her head, sighing.

"Fiona's brain must be wired wrong or something. She didn't suspect a thing."

"So what now? Want me to come up with a way to split them up?" Dominic asked, half-joking.

She shook her head again, this time more calmly. "No... I'm letting the agreement run its course. Once it's over in a few months, I'll leave quietly."

"But that's not really why I called. I wanted to ask you about the car accident."

The second she brought it up, something shifted in Dominic's expression. Slouching lazily before, he suddenly sat up straight.

"What about the accident? You trying to hold me accountable?" he asked, quirking a brow. After all, he was behind the wheel that day.

"No, nothing like that. It's just... Some people feel oddly familiar to me. And some of my courses-I pick them up like I already knew them. Dominic, were those two years really just me lying in bed, totally unconscious?"

"Uh..." He hesitated, just enough to make her stomach twist.

"Of course you were, silly girl."

"No-you paused!"

"I'm serious, stop digging. I can't say more," he muttered awkwardly.

"Please," Ariella leaned in, practically begging. "I can't live not knowing. You've always looked out for me. Ever since we met after the accident, you've been like a real brother. Please, just tell me? I won't ask again, I promise."

She scooted closer, grabbing his arm and giving it a playful shake, eyes wide with a pleading look.

"Ugh... You always know how to twist my heart," he groaned. "Alright, I'll tell you. But you can't breathe a word of this to your parents. I promised them."

"I won't say a word. Cross my heart-this stays between us," Ariella swore with all seriousness, heart already racing with anticipation and dread.

"I don't remember everything... but I know it happened late at night."

"Wait, what? I thought it was during the day..." Ariella frowned.

"It was late at night, I remember it crystal clear. Around four years ago, I was driving past Southridge Villas and out of nowhere, you literally threw yourself in front of my car. I wanted to slam the brakes, but it was too late."

Ariella was about to cut in-hadn't her accident happened six years ago?

But Dominic was already lost in the memory, so she held back and just let him go on.

"I totally freaked out. Got out of the car and saw you all covered in blood. And there was this guy next to you, yelling your name like crazy-'Ellie,' I think?"

That nickname... it felt weirdly familiar and yet distant.

"The two of us rushed you to the hospital together. Your parents showed up soon after. You were out cold for days, and only after you woke up did I finally stop panicking. But then... you started saying you got into the accident when you were sixteen. Said it happened in broad daylight near the square, that the sun was in your eyes and you didn't see the car coming.

"The guy who was with you that night? He vanished. Didn't leave a name or anything. Later your mom told me they wouldn't blame me. But she did ask me to go along with their story-that you'd had the accident two years earlier, when you were sixteen, and had been in a coma since. She said it was better that way. That remembering the truth might mess you up mentally."

Ariella had hoped to finally get some answers. Instead, the more she learned, the more confused she felt.

"Dominic, then why do I still remember walking near the square, squinting from the sunlight, and your car speeding toward me?"

"I-I don't know. Maybe the crash scrambled some of your memory?"

That one sentence hit her like a ton of bricks.

No wonder she always felt like something was missing-her head full of broken fragments she couldn't quite piece together.

Turns out, she only remembered everything up to sixteen. Everything between sixteen and eighteen, right before that accident-it was just... gone.

What really happened during that time? What could've been so traumatic that people feared she'd break if she remembered? And that guy from back then-who was he?

Lucian had once told her she wasn't a virgin when she turned eighteen. What did that mean? Could the vanished man have been... him?

"You think... it could've been Lucian?" she kept her voice low.

"Could it?" Dominic shot the question right back.

"C'mon, I'm asking you!"

"How would I know? I've never even seen the guy before. Got a pic of him?"

"Nope. I'll describe him to you-he's super tall, like six foot one. Really handsome. His eyebrows are thick, super masculine. And his eyes, they kinda have this mixed-race look? Every time he stares at someone, it's like... he's seeing straight through you. His lips... Hey! Why are you laughing?" Ariella paused, realizing midway she sounded totally smitten despite always insisting she wasn't into him. Her face instantly flushed red.

"Is he really that good-looking?" Dominic said with a teasing grin.

"He's not bad, but you're actually pretty handsome too." Ariella gave him a once-over, suddenly realizing that despite knowing him for four years, she'd never seriously looked at his face.

"Hold still a sec, Dominic!" she blurted out dramatically, like she'd just found buried treasure.

"What's up?"

"Whoa, I just noticed-you look a lot like Lucian! No wonder you're good-looking!"

Dominic's expression stiffened a bit, and he turned his head away like he didn't want to be stared at.

"Come on, he's way out of my league. I could never look like him."

"I'm serious! You've got this sharp look, really charming. You totally have that leading-man vibe. Being a driver doesn't do you justice."

Just as she finished, her phone rang. Her first thought was that it might be Lucian, and she didn't know whether to be excited or dread it.

But it wasn't him. It was Fiona.

Her heart clenched immediately, like she'd just been caught doing something wrong. Her face flushed with heat.

"Answer it," Dominic said gently.

She tapped to pick up, and Fiona's cheerful voice came through.

"Ariella, where are you? I really want to chat. Can we meet?"

"I... yeah, I'm free." She had to see Fiona, at least to check if she was really okay... maybe even find a subtle way to open her eyes about Lucian.

"I'll send Alex Bloom to grab you. Where are you now?"

Ariella told her she was at home - Alex had been there enough times to know the way.

"Go glam up a bit. Be hotter than her," Dominic said with a smirk.

Ariella smiled bitterly.

"It's not about looks, Dominic. I honestly wish none of this happened. I want her to be happy, truly. But... you have no idea how torn I am. If I tell her the truth, Lucian will come for me. If I don't, am I really okay with her living in a lie forever?"

"Don't worry. We'll figure this out. I've got your back," he said, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat.

"Alright, next time I'll show you a picture of Lucian. You'll see I wasn't lying-you two really do look alike."

"If that's true, should I start planning my breakout role? Maybe Lucian needs a stand-in. I mean, I've got some serious acting chops."

Ariella laughed. Dominic always knew how to make her smile-but Lucian, the man who looked just like him, always managed to drag her deep into a mess she couldn't escape.

Not long after, Alex's car pulled up. Ariella said goodbye and got in.

"Miss Rios, Miss Ross is waiting in the VIP lounge upstairs," Alex said politely as he opened the door.

"Alex, you don't have to be so formal with me or Fiona, really. Relax a little." Ariella could tell he had feelings for Fiona. Could it be that his position made it hard for him to confess?

Honestly, she'd rather Fiona ended up with someone like Alex-at least then she'd truly be the queen of someone's world.

"It's part of my job, Miss Rios. This way, please."

VIP lounge, top floor.

Two waiters greeted her politely before pushing open the heavy glass doors and bowing slightly. "Please come in."

Ariella walked in with poise, heels clicking against the floor, and almost instantly, Fiona's sweet, melodic voice rang out across the room.

"Ariella! Over here!"

Fiona was wearing a white layered dress today-simple yet stunning, like a flower fresh out of water. Breathtaking didn't even begin to cover it.

"You're here too, babe?" Fiona's eyes lit up as she glanced past Ariella. She stood up in surprise and walked forward.

Ariella turned around instinctively-and there he was. Lucian. The picture-perfect face, the slight smirk playing at the corners of his lips, watching her casually.

He looked so damn composed, like he didn't have a care in the world. Like betrayal had never even crossed his mind.

But Ariella wasn't built like him. The moment she laid eyes on him, all she could think of was getting the hell out of there.

"Fiona, I didn't realize your husband was coming too. I didn't mean to intrude. Maybe we can catch up another time," she said quickly and turned to leave.

"Wait, don't go! I have something important to talk to you about!" Fiona grew anxious and grabbed her arm.

"Let's talk one-on-one later, okay?"

"Since you're here, sit down. Do I look that dangerous to you?" Lucian interjected casually, that familiar indifferent tone in his voice.

"You're impossible! Always with that poker face-no wonder you scared Ariella half to death. Put on a friendlier smile in front of my friends, will you?" Fiona playfully scolded Lucian before tugging Ariella toward the table.

Reluctantly, Ariella sat across from him, her eyes darting everywhere but his face.

"Ariella, you look exhausted. Haven't been sleeping well?"

A simple question, but to Ariella's panicked heart it felt loaded-like Fiona somehow knew her secret.

Her heart skipped a beat. Under the table, her hands twisted around themselves, nerves eating her alive.

Her cheeks flushed red. She looked at Fiona, completely flustered, wanting to say something, anything-but afraid she'd mess up.

"Waiter." Lucian spoke up, breaking the tension like he always did.

"Yes, sir. How can I help you?"

"One pot of lily and honey tea for the lady here. Thank you."

Lily and honey-calming, soothing. He never paid this kind of attention to her before. Now he did it here, in front of Fiona?

Was he out of his mind? What was he playing at?

Ariella sat there, feeling like she was sitting on needles. Her heart was a tangled mess, and none of this felt right.