“You walked away from that life completely.”
“I never wanted it.”
That part had always been simple. My father spent decades building an empire he expected me to inherit. Boardrooms, contracts, corporate negotiations—the entire machine of it had been waiting patiently for me since childhood.
Eight years ago I stepped out of it. I chose academia. Research. Teaching. A life that belonged to me rather than the company.
“You still left the family scrambling when the engagement with Alessia ended,” Elias said carefully.
“That was never my future either.”
“I know.”
Another pause settled between us.
“I’ll visit soon,” I added.
“You say that every few months.”
“I mean it this time.”
“Sure you do.”
The sarcasm carried through the line clearly. Then his tone shifted again.
“Really, Hayden?”
“What.”
“That girl again?”
The question came out sharper this time.
“You’re still doing this?”
I stared down at the file again. Edwina Rhodes.
“You spent five years chasing her shadow,” Elias continued. “You walked away from an arranged engagement, pissed off your entire family, and now you’re calling me asking for a backgroundcheck the second she appears again.” His voice hardened slightly. “Why are you so obsessed with her?”
The word lingered in the silent office. Obsessed. Maybe that was the right word. Maybe it always had been.
“Because she’s the only thing in my life that ever felt real,” I said slowly.
Silence followed. Then Elias muttered something under his breath.
“You’re fucking hopeless.”
“Most likely.”
“And what exactly are you planning to do now that you’ve found her?”
I looked down at the file again.
“I’m going to find out what happened to her,” I said.
“And then?”
My fingers closed slowly over the edge of the folder.
