Chapter 394

The shock crashed over Vincent, leaving him gasping as if the world had stopped. Was the woman standing before him really Hannah?

His eyes fixed on the familiar face, but underneath his shock,mixed emotions churned in raging waves. Why did this "Hannah"standing in front of him feel wrong? Off somehow, like a reflection in shattered glass?

"You... you're Hannah?" Vincent narrowed his gaze, his voice dropping,laced with hesitation and uncertainty.

Inside, Erica's pulse spiked. Panic screamed through her veins.This wasn't at all the reaction she had expected-no barrage of questions, no rush of emotion at her sudden return. Only that sharp, unsettling scrutiny. A pause heavy with doubt that sliced straight through her confidence.

Despite her rising panic, she reminded herself that she had made herself exactly like Hannah, right down to the voice she had painstakingly reconstructed, each note crafted to mirror Hannah's by at least eighty percent.

Her mask of composure couldn't be allowed to falter. She straightened her posture, lifted her chin with feigned indifference, and spoke with an air of practiced aloofness "What's the matter? It's barely been a year, and you don't recognize me anymore?"

Vincent offered nothing in return. His eyes locked on hers,unblinking, heavy with an intensity that made the silence stretch unbearably thin. At last, his voice emerged, low and unnervingly steady, carrying the kind of weight that pre ssed into the skin. "When did you come back?" A flicker of relief sparked in Erica's chest. She steadied her facade, answering with calculated indifference, "Just a few days ago."

She deliberately avoided any detail.

Vincent's eyes lingered, scanning her features with a sharp,unsettling intensity. His brows furrowed deeper, suspicion darkening his gaze. Had distance and time alone carved this strangeness into her? Why did her eyes-so familiar,yet not-feel like they belonged to someone else entirely?

The silence stretched strained, heavy as a rope pulled to breaking.

Beneath the weight of his scrutiny, Erica's calm veneer began to crack. She drew a careful breath, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.""It's been a long time... How about we catch up over dinner?"

His answer didn't come right away. The pause dragged long enough that Erica's damp palms clenched against her skirt, a cold edge of panic curling in her chest.

After a long pause, his chin dipped in the faintest nod,deliberate and slow. "Alright."

A while later, inside the Cloudtop Restaurant's private room,shadows clung to the corners while candlelight flickered faintly across the table.

The waiter set down the last dessert without a word, bowed politely, and slipped out, leaving only silence behind.

Vincent shattered the stillness at last, his tone quiet but edged with weight, his piercing gaze fixed on her as if he meant to peel away every mask she wore. "This past year... Where were you?"

Erica lifted her napkin with deliberate grace, touching it lightly

Erica lifted her napkin with deliberate grace, touching it lightly to her lips as if buying herself a breath of calm. "After I escaped, my state of mind collapsed. I broke down more than once. The doctor insisted I cut myself off from everything, from every reminder, so I went into seclusion at a sanatorium in Klyvia."

Vincent's fingers stilled on the glass for a beat. "If rest was all you needed..." He swirled the wine slowly, the liquid catching the light as he studied her through its crimson haze,his voice calm, deliberate. "Then what about Luminara Group? That company was your life's work. Why did you let it go so easily?"

Erica's heart tightened, but she smoothed it over with practiced ease. "Do you think I wanted to? I had no choice. Hadn't you been pressing Luminara Group down at every turn at that time?"

Her lashes lowered, a faint veil of sorrow slipping across her eyes, perfectly timed. "Back then, I was falling apart. I could barely keep myself together, much less drag that broken company forward. I was drained. Then, Victoria came to me with an offer. Theprice wasn't much, but she showed sincerity.She swore she'd protect the brand and look after the employees."

She let out a quiet breath, as though revisiting the moment."I thought maybe letting go could be a kind of rebirth. For me.For Luminara Group. Like cutting the chain that kept me bound.So I sold it."

Every word she spoke held up on the surface, her explanation seamless, beyond dispute.

Still, Vincent couldn't shake the unease curling in his chest. In the past, whenever Hannah had spoken of Luminara Group,her voice had carried a burning devotion. But now, that heat was gone, replaced by a distant calm, as though she were simply completing a task she'd planned long ago. It carried none of the raw ache of a heart being torn apart-it rang like a script recited. His gaze sharpened, shadowed by suspicion. Lowering the glass with deliberate calm, he leaned in slightly, his presence pressing down like a heavy weight. "What brings you back?" he asked,tone steady but edged. "I thought you'd walked out of my life forever."

Erica forced herself to hold his stare, carefully stitching together Hannah's proud aloofness with just a thread of wistful yearning. "I wanted to see this place again," she murmured,soft but controlled. "So many memories live here-sweet ones,bitter ones. This city... It's where I belong."

Vincent's eyes drew thin, drilling into every syllable, searching for the soul that was missing. Her replies held together flawlessly, yet an unfamiliar chil lingered in them, unsettling and out of place.

She faltered for a heartbeat before steering the conversation in a different direction. "Vincent, you've been the one questioning me nonstop..." Her voice softened, eyes lifting to study his unreadable face. "Shouldn't I get a turn? Tell me-how have you really been this past year?"

"Fine." The single word came out clipped, sharp, offering nothing more. His gaze stayed fixed on her, cold and unwavering.

That flat, unyielding answer struck Erica harder than she expected, forcing her to swallow down the emotional lines she'd carefully rehearsed. Still, she quickly slipped into character, softening her features with a fragile sorrow.11|Ssthat so? Alright then. That's good to hear."

She dipped her head just a little, weaving a subtle tremor into her voice. "I wasn't fine at all. Claude... He's too radiant, too beyond reach. Next to him, I always faded into the background.In the end, after everything unraveled, we parted ways. Since then, it's only been me-just me. The loneliness gnawed at me,Vincent. In the end, it drove me back here." She lifted her gaze, lashes trembling, her voice no more than a fragile whisper, shaded with quiet pleading. "In this entire city,you're the only person I still truly know. Let the past stay buried where it belongs. If it's possible, let's find our way back to being friends.Please."