Chapter 325

Author’s POV
The golden sunset painted the Bangkok skyline in hues of amber and crimson as Serena stood at her floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the view that had become so familiar yet somehow never felt like home. Three years had passed since she’d awakened in Thailand with no memory, three years of rebuilding a life from scratch while living with constant questions about her past.
“Mrs. Lancaster,” her assistant’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, “regarding the international project, we’ve narrowed it down to the top European partners. LUXE and ARt studio are both strong contenders.”
“Both companies have sent representatives hoping to score cooperation with Elegant Realm. What’s your gut feeling on direction?”
Serena nodded absently, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the glass. “Dig deep on both companies. I want complete backgrounds before making my decision.”
“Yes, Mrs. Lancaster.”
As her assistant departed, Serena’s gaze drifted to the framed photo on her desk—her two-year-old daughter smiling back at her with dimpled cheeks. These past three years had been a whirlwind of healing, childbirth, and establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with in the design world. Elegant Realm Studio had risen from the ashes to become Thailand’s design sensation, with Serena at its helm.
Yet something was always missing. Her relationship with Cedric Lancaster remained complicated—a tangled mess of gratitude, friendship, and unspoken tension. Despite his claims they were married before her accident, something deep inside her recoiled from the possibility of resuming that intimacy. Every time he touched her, her body went rigid.
Cedric had respected her boundaries, never pushing himself on her. He’d been patient, supportive even, as she built her own company alongside his expanding Lancaster empire in Thailand. But whenever she mentioned returning to Europe, his patience went out the window.
A nagging voice in her head kept insisting that the answers to her past lay across the ocean. Who was she before? What had really happened in that accident? Why did certain names or places sometimes trigger flashes of emotion she couldn’t place?
The door to her office exploded open without warning. Cedric stood in the doorway, his normally composed face twisted with barely contained rage.
“You’re seriously planning to go to Europe?” he demanded, storming toward her desk like a man possessed.
Serena steeled her spine. “It’s a potential international project. Why?”
Cedric’s eyes zeroed in on the documents scattered across her desk, his jaw tightening as he spotted LUXE’s proposal on top. His hand came down like a sledgehammer beside it, making her jump.
“Why are you so hell-bent on going back there?” he demanded, voice rising. “What’s wrong with Bangkok? With what we’ve built here?” His eyes burned with intensity. “I’ve given you everything—a home, support for your company, three years of my life waiting for you to remember us!”
Serena felt her temper hit the boiling point. “Given me everything except the truth!” she snapped back. “You expect me to just wipe my slate clean? The accident that nearly killed me?”
She snatched up LUXE’s proposal, waving it in his face. “Every time I mention going back, you lose your shit. What are you so terrified I’ll find out?”
“I’m trying to protect you!” Cedric shouted, his composure completely shot. “You nearly died there! Why can’t you get that through your head?”
“Protect me from what?” Serena demanded, her voice bouncing off the walls. “You keep throwing that line at me, but you never explain the danger! If someone tried to kill me, shouldn’t I know who my enemies are?”
She stepped around her desk, getting right in his face. “Or is it that you’re hiding something from me? Something about who I really was?”
Cedric went white as a sheet before his features hardened. “Your memories are gone for a reason, Serena. Some things are better left buried.”
“That’s not your call to make!” The words ripped from her throat. “I built this company from nothing so I could stand on my own two feet again—so I could have the resources to go back and uncover the truth about myself. And now I’m finally in a position to do exactly that.”
She gestured to the city beyond her window. “Elegant Realm is Thailand’s top dog in design now. We’re in demand internationally. This isn’t just about my past—this is a golden opportunity for our business.”
“Cedric,” she softened her voice slightly, trying a different angle. “I’m going to Europe for this project. It’s a done deal. Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
His expression turned absolutely lethal. “Then I’m coming with you.”
“Absolutely not,” Serena said firmly. “I’m taking Rancy and going alone.”
“You’re taking our daughter?” His eyes widened in disbelief. “She’s barely two years old! The travel alone could wreck her. How will you manage business meetings with a toddler?”
Serena threw up her hands in exasperation. “I’ve got it handled.”
Though Cedric claimed paternity, she’d never bought it completely. Something about it felt wrong, like so many other pieces of his story.
That’s why she’d refused to give the child his last name, settling instead on “Jane Doe” until she discovered her own true identity. That decision had sparked World War III between them, but even then, Serena hadn’t backed down.
“I’m done, Cedric,” she sighed, rubbing her throbbing temples. “Please just go.”
His face went stone-cold. “Is this really what you want? To tear open old wounds that have finally stopped bleeding?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “My mind is made up.”
When he still didn’t move, she deliberately turned away, focusing intently on her paperwork as though he’d ceased to exist. After several tense seconds, she heard his footsteps retreating, followed by the door slamming hard enough to rattle every piece of glass in her office.
Alone again, Serena let out a shaky breath. She knew she was pushing him away, but couldn’t shake the growing suspicion that Cedric’s possessiveness went beyond concern for her wellbeing. What was he so desperate to keep her from finding out?