el

re profound than ever after the cacophony of the charity dinner. Alexander offered a curt nod to the waiting Clara

. The pearls around my neck seemed to constrict my throat. The performance was ov

st you?" Clara's voice was

oice hoarse. "And yes, please. This dre

ith a silk robe that felt impossibly soft against my skin. While she tidied the discarded clothes, I walked to the window, gazing out at

Clara asked, her voice tinged with genuine concern. She had

Maxwell's cryptic words, and most of all, from the resurrected memory of a ch

w, "this might sound strange, but... how

d gown. "Many years, Evelyn. Since before the t

ter. "His family home? You m

ng around her eyes, a faint press of her lips. "

m? A friend from childhood?" I tried to keep my voice casual

od friends, Evelyn. He was a very private boy. His family was also quite private." She p

e wasn't confirming it either. She was guarding him, just as Eleanor

sinking. "Just... curious about his past, now

won't press. "Of course. If there's nothing else, Evelyn, I will leave you to rest. B

id quickly, anything to escape the s

with unanswered questions. Clara's reaction confirmed my suspicion. She knew s

chip on the pedal. The clumsy carving. This was real. And if it was real, then the boy who

ies from my childhood. The fall. The hospital. The blanks. What had happened? Why did I lose those memories? And why

ist, the one who sought truth and beauty. I would uncover the mystery of Alexander Sterling, of our past, and of why

polished table that could seat twenty, currently set for one. Alexander was already there, seated at the head of th

ling," he greeted, not l

osing a seat several paces away from him. A

food was exquisite, but my appetite was nonexistent. I picked at a strawberry, watching Alexander over the

to reveal his storm-grey eyes. They held no warmth, only a clinical assessment. "The media

Mr. Sterling," I said, unable t

ivility for familiarity, Mrs. Sterlin

g?" I pushed, my voice calm despite the tremor in my

something I couldn't quite decipher. Alarm? Annoyance? "Our past is irrelevant

his gaze. "Or is it simply a pa

ntion now on me. The air crackled with tension. "I suggest you focus on your present responsib

roject a confidence I didn't feel. "But sometimes, curio

his lips. It sent a shiver down my spine. "Indeed," he said, picking up his newspaper once more, ef

e. And in that moment, sitting across from him in t

xan

ndled the media circus better than expected. Poised. Composed. Alarmingly so. He

ing the layers of formality. The scotch helped calm the incessant throbbing

t me. Had the wooden box truly triggered something? Or was she merely overwhelmed

Expose me? The carefully constructed facade of Alexander Sterling, the man who had ri

promptly, her expression the usual blend

ct to the suite? Specifically, to the items placed on the b

"She seemed to appreciate the selection of books

d, my voice still

ittle pale. She said she was simply overwhelmed, but I detected a hint of distress." Clar

he make any further comments?

red about your childhood, generally. If you had ma

ion to that?" My pulse

sir. Though her expression

o questions. Questions led to truths. And the truth, i

y voice firm, allowing no room for argument. "And ensure no other pe

are display of surprise. "Removed,

curiosity. Ensure it is placed in secure storage. And ensure that no one, under any circ

ectly neutral once more, her face a mask. She was the best

but the fragility of memory itself. My memories, once so clear in their agony, had blurred with time

t afforded. Evelyn was already there, seated far down the table, a conscious distance between us. Her sapphire gown from l

keeping my eyes on my financial newspaper.

Sterling," she repl

my eyes. "Your performance last night was satisfactory. The media coverage is

er voice laced with an unmistakable sarcasm. It hit me like

liarity, Mrs. Sterling. We have a contract. Adhere t

. Sterling?" she pressed, her voice calm, u

mory, once merely a flicker, had begun to sprout. My jaw tightened. "Our past is irrelevant, Mrs. Sterl

g my gaze. "Or is it simply a p

t room. She was pushing. Deliberately. And she was right. I wanted

rs. Sterling. Curiosity can be... ill-advised." My words

ost of a smile on her lips. "But sometimes, curiosit

I stared at her, a profound anger simmering beneath my calm exterior. She didn't believe my facad

uld win. "Indeed," I said, picking up my newspaper once more, but my eyes remained on her over

ion. She was shaken, but not deterred. She possessed a stee

sharp. The wooden box. Evelyn's sudden memory. The past I wanted forgotten. There was only one

. My grandfather. He was old, frail, his mind often wandering, but he remembered. He had been the one who'd given me the tools to carv

? Had he seen her? He had a habit of wandering

s. And that meant the carefully constructed walls around my life, around my empire, were not just cracking. They were beginning to colla