Elisa woke up to find a sticky note on the bedside table.
– Breakfast is in the kitchen. Remember to eat.
Elisa glanced at the note, a faint smile playing on her lips. She looked around, the surroundings silent. Louis had come back at some point, and left at another.
Getting out of bed, Elisa entered the washroom to freshen up. As she turned on the tap, she suddenly froze, staring at the ring on her ring finger. There lay a diamond ring, neither too big nor too small, just the right fit, so perfect that she had almost forgotten about its presence.
The design of the ring was rather simple, yet upon closer inspection, one could discern the fine craftsmanship.
The diamond ring had been prepared by Louis a long time ago, originally intended for a proposal. Instead, they got married without the proposal.
Running her fingers over the pink diamond, Elisa’s gaze softened, imagining Louis carefully placing the ring on her finger the night before.
Elisa was in good spirits, the previous gloom swept away. She tidied up the room, went downstairs to the kitchen, where Louis had prepared breakfast for her, keeping it warm. Upon opening the containers, she found her favorite Cantonese dim sum.
Elisa had a small appetite, so she ate a bit of everything and felt full. She covered the leftovers with cling film and put them in the fridge, they would be good for lunch, or for breakfast the next day without spoiling.
The living room TV was tuned to the local morning news. Elisa was busy in the kitchen, multitasking, washing dishes while listening. When she heard about the Burns Group being sealed by the court, and its top executives being taken in for questioning by the police, she paused for a moment, then continued washing. After placing the last dish in the sterilizer, shaking the water off her hands, Elisa left the kitchen and entered the living room, catching a glimpse of Hamish’s photo on the TV screen.
Overnight, the Burns Group had been sealed by the court, and all of its top executives were taken in for investigation by the police.
What’s more, there was involvement from Interpol, and rumors had it that it was related to smuggling prohibited goods, escalating it to an international case.
With everyone on edge, at this time, the CEO of Burns Group, Hamish, had disappeared. After the company was sealed, there was no news of him.
Elisa had no time to think about Hamish, as she had a pile of troubles of her own to deal with.
Regarding Hamish’s disappearance, Elisa didn’t dwell on it. Currently, Burns Group was just under investigation. If anything was found, Hamish might be treated like a rat in a corner.
When there are many cats, the mice will naturally be chased out.
…
At nine in the morning, Elisa was on her way to the office when she suddenly received a call from Mrs. White, expressing a desire to meet her.
Not knowing whether it was due to Hamish’s influence, at this time, receiving a call from a member of the White family made her feel extremely uneasy.
“Elisa, do you have time today? How about having a meal together, just you and me.”
It was impossible for it to be just a simple meal. Ostensibly, it was a meal, but in reality, there was something to be said. Elisa had no reason not to go, after all, a significant part of the reason the White Group was in crisis was because of her, and the responsibility weighing on her was unavoidable.
Moreover… now that she and Louis were officially married, legally she was Mrs. White’s daughter-in-law.
Elisa accepted, “Aunt Burns, where are you? I’ll come pick you up.”
“I’m still at the hospital, in Uncle White’s ward.”
Mrs. White had booked the restaurant, which was not far from the hospital. Elisa parked her car in the hospital’s parking lot and sent a text to Louis, informing him that she would be having lunch with Mrs. White at the hospital. After sending the message, she exited the message app and dialed Mrs. White’s number.
Before she could make the call, she saw Mrs. White walking out from the hospital. Elisa put down her phone, opened the car door, and went over.
“Aunt Burns,” she waved.
Mrs. White looked over in the direction of the voice, and her gaze paused when she noticed the ring on Elisa’s ring finger.
“You’ve already gotten married to Louis, so why are you still calling me aunt?”
Elisa had no mother, and had never experienced a mother’s love. Now, having to call someone else “mom,” she just couldn’t get used to it. She hesitated and then awkwardly uttered, “Mom.”
Mrs. White smiled, seeing Elisa’s discomfort she didn’t press the issue.
Gently taking Elisa’s hand, she said, “After this period passes, we should still hold a wedding. Even if the White family is currently in a difficult situation… perhaps the wedding won’t be as grand…”
Elisa felt a pang of guilt. Her eyes reddened as she shook her head and grasped Mrs. White’s slightly cold hand, saying, “It’s okay not to have a wedding. A simple meal will suffice.”
“That won’t do. A woman’s wedding is a major event. Even if our family is in dire straits, we can’t skimp on your wedding,” Mrs. White insisted.
Elisa nodded. The restaurant was nearby, so they walked instead of driving, arriving in five minutes.
Mrs. White informed the front desk of their reservation and a waiter led them to their table. As they waited for their food, Mrs. White occasionally stole glances at Elisa, hesitating to say something several times.
“Aunt Burns, is there something you want to talk to me about?” Elisa asked.
Mrs. White hesitated, then nodded. “I wanted to ask you about something…”
“What is it? Just tell me,” Elisa encouraged.
“It’s about you and Hamish…” Mrs. White began.
Elisa’s face stiffened. Her fists clenched involuntarily on the table. She had anticipated that Mrs. White would ask her such a question before coming here.
Suddenly, Hamish had moved against the White family. Mrs. White couldn’t help but suspect the reasons behind it. Additionally, Hamish had deliberately tried to sow discord between her and the White family. He might have already said something to Mrs. White.
Elisa’s expression changed briefly but quickly regained composure. She looked at Mrs. White, waiting for her to continue.
Mrs. White carefully chose her words, “A couple of days ago, I called Hamish. He told me some unbelievable things. I wanted to ask you directly, but I couldn’t find the right opportunity, and I was worried you might misunderstand. Now that you and Louis are married, I also want to ask as a family member about your past. If you want to talk about it, you can. If not, we can move past it.”
Hamish had always said that those with the blood of the Burns family were inherently evil. Elisa, however, didn’t think Mrs. White resembled the people Hamish had described from the Burns family. Mrs. White, like Louis, always had her best interests at heart.
“Aunt Burns, I have a rather unbelievable past with Hamish. I was his ex-wife,” Elisa confessed.
Though mentally prepared, when Elisa heard herself utter that “answer” again, she still felt stunned. Initially, when Mrs. White heard Hamish say this over the phone, she dismissed it as Hamish’s insanity or an intentional attempt to sow discord.
“But wasn’t his ex-wife supposed to be dead? She died in a big fire,” Mrs. White stated.
“Yes, I’ve died once. It’s a very difficult thing to explain. But have you heard of the term ‘returning from the dead’? I don’t know why, but even after I died, I was able to come back using this body,” Elisa admitted.
It was rather amusing. Anyone hearing about such an unbelievable thing would likely think she was being delusional. However, Mrs. White wouldn’t. Mrs. White had harbored suspicions about Elisa’s identity since a long time ago. Although Elisa’s original identity as “Aoife” had been concealed by Finn, it couldn’t be hidden from the White family. If investigated, one could always follow the breadcrumbs. Mrs. White’s first suspicion of Elisa’s identity arose when Elisa asked about Louis and Autumn. At that time, no matter how Mrs. White thought about it, she couldn’t figure out the connection. Now, after Elisa mentioned returning from the dead, all those inexplicable things suddenly became clear to her.
“So, you knew Louis from your past life? You knew him even before you knew Hamish?” Mrs. White inquired.
“Yes, even before I knew Hamish,” Elisa replied. “It’s all coming together now… Before, I couldn’t understand why there was such a huge discrepancy between your online presence and your real self. It turns out you were a different person. That person in the video that caused a stir online, that was you, right?”
“At that time, Hamish took me to exchange me for someone else, and I ended up in Finn’s hands. It was around that time that Louis was shot, and I thought he had died…” Elisa didn’t want to dwell on the video, but just mentioning it made her eyes well up. Her calm voice shook with suppressed emotion, and Mrs. White, sensing it, didn’t say anything, just looked at Elisa with a hint of pity.