"Good morning, Miss!" the guards bowed as Kaye opened the door of her room.
She quickly closed it again.
"Gosh, they scared me," she whispered, returning to her bed. "I have to think of plans to escape here, but there are lots of guards inside and outside of this mansion."
Since it was already dark when they arrived the previous day, she was forced to sleep there. However, she couldn't rest properly, feeling uneasy surrounded by intimidating men. Kaye stood up and looked outside the window, spotting Mikhail talking on his phone. Their eyes accidentally met, and she quickly hid.
After a few minutes, someone knocked on her room door.
"W-What is it?" she asked without opening it.
"It's me, Kira. Breakfast is ready," Kira said.
"I'm not hungry!" she refused, although she was genuinely hungry, having not eaten anything since yesterday.
"Our underboss is requesting you to join him for breakfast," Kira added.
She sighed. She couldn't afford to anger him, fearing potential consequences. "Fine!" she said and stepped out of her room, following Kira to the dining room.
Her jaw dropped when she saw the abundance of food on the table. Was there a special occasion?
"Good morning," Mikhail greeted her, but she ignored him, opting to sit at the farthest chair.
Mikhail gritted his teeth but tried to remain calm, understanding that Kaye didn't remember him.
"These foods were all specially made for you; please eat comfortably," he said.
Kaye stared at the food. How could she eat with him staring at her like that? She picked a few items and began to eat quietly, creating an awkward silence.
Mikhail contemplated how to approach her without causing anger or discomfort.
"I'm done. Thanks for the food," Kaye said, ready to leave.
"But you only ate a few," Mikhail pointed out.
"I'm already full. It's your fault for serving so much when it's only the two of us," she retorted.
Mikhail stood up. "Fine, I understand it was my fault. But why are you leaving immediately? Why not stay until I finish?"
"Why do I have to do that?" she asked.
"Because..." Mikhail looked away. "Because you used to do that before," he muttered.
Kaye raised an eyebrow. "Listen, I don't really remember who you are. Maybe you mistook me for someone else," she said, attempting to leave.
Mikhail grabbed her hand. "I'm not mistaken; I know my wife. You are the empress of Serolf Empire, transported there inside my cousin's body. I helped you when someone tried to kill you, rescued you from traitors, protected you, and we fell in love. We even had a son," he explained.
"You're crazy," she retorted.
"I'm not crazy; what I told you is all true," he insisted.
"I will not believe them! Just let me go!" she demanded.
"No!" he said, tightening his grip, unintentionally hurting her.
"I-It hurts..." she said.
Realizing this, he immediately let go.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, but Kaye glared at him.
"I hate you!" she declared, running out of the dining room.
Mikhail was stunned. She hated him?
"Kaye, wait!" he chased her.
Kaye ran out and reached the garden, finding solace behind a huge fountain. The desire to go home weighed heavily on her, but her phone had been taken away. Footsteps approached, and she saw Mikhail approaching.
"Go away!" she demanded.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you; I was just carried away by my emotions," he apologized.
She said nothing and ignored him.
Mikhail sighed, expressing his frustration at her constant refusal. "All I want is to help you remember me, but you always refuse and push me away. Don't you know how frustrated I am searching for you? I even killed myself just to follow you here."
Killed himself?
"What?" she questioned, confused.
"Please believe me, Kaye..." he pleaded.
However, she couldn't trust his words. If they truly knew each other from the past, she should have remembered him immediately. The idea of being married and having a son seemed like a ludicrous fabrication. She couldn't have a son; she was a virgin.
"No, those are all lies. This man is the underboss of a mafia family. He's dangerous. What if he's plotting something against me?" she thought.
Suddenly, she remembered witnessing his criminal activities. Perhaps, he kidnapped her to silence her as a witness.
I will never trust this man.
"I want to go home. Just send me home!" she demanded.
"No!" he yelled, and she gritted her teeth.
"Kaye..." he kneeled, attempting to console her. "I've been waiting for this moment to be with you again. I won't let you leave me again. I don't want to be separated from you."
SLAP!
Henchmen heard the slap, ready to intervene, but Mikhail signaled them to stop.
Mikhail touched his now red face from the slap.
"Don't come closer to me!" she declared, her voice filled with both anger and fear.
She ran again and retreated to her room. Locking the door, she lay down on her bed, attempting to find solace amidst the turmoil of emotions and confusion that surrounded her.
.
.
.
A loud crash echoed from Mikhail's office, and Kira sighed as he glanced at the broken vases and figurines – all of which were expensive.
"Fuck!" Mikhail cursed, taking a seat and lighting a cigarette.
"Will you send her home now?" Kira asked.
"No, never. She will stay with me for the rest of her life," Mikhail replied, clenching his fists.
"But she said she doesn't remember you. I already got her medical records from the hospital, and it's confirmed that she suffered from selective amnesia. It was caused by the accident during the earthquake; she was hit by a truck," Kira explained.
"Tsk. Find the truck driver and kill him," Mikhail demanded.
Kira cleared his throat. "Although she suffered from selective amnesia, it was just mild, so only the recent memories were lost. Her past memories are intact, which is why she seems fine. But my question is..."
"What?" Mikhail stared at him.
"If she only can't remember recent events, then when did you two meet? If she already knew you from the past, she would at least remember you. As far as I remember, you rarely leave our city due to work, and you hate socializing with others. I also don't remember seeing her at the events we attended before. So..."
"Shut up and mind your own business," Mikhail snapped.
"I'm just curious. If you only met recently, that's impossible because you stayed at the hospital after the earthquake and at the Boss' mansion after you were discharged," Kira added.
Indeed, it was impossible for him to meet any woman after being discharged from the hospital. They were in the middle of a transaction when the earthquake struck. Mikhail, along with his twin brother and the others, became trapped inside an old building. They were all badly injured and unconscious when they were rescued, and tragically, some of them did not survive. Mikhail remained in a coma for weeks until he eventually woke up. Regrettably, his twin brother remained in a coma.
Mikhail took out his gun, pointing it at Kira. "I said shut the fuck up. Who the hell gives you the right to question me?" he threatened with a death glare.
"I'm sorry. I won't do it again," Kira apologized and left the room.
"Tsk." Mikhail threw the gun.
Kira was becoming annoying lately, but his greater concern was Kaye – when would she remember?
"F***! It's frustrating!" he muttered, overwhelmed by the situation.
.
.
....
Tristan and Kurtis stared at the imposing building in front of them.
"So, this is the place?" Tristan asked.
"Yes," Kurtis replied.
"It looks dangerous. Just look at the guards; they look like gangsters," Tristan commented.
"C'mon, we used to encounter dangers before in our empire. Besides, they won't harm us unless we don't pay them according to the agreement," Kurtis explained.
"Fine. Then let's head inside," Tristan said.
The two entered the building, greeted by a sight of intimidating, gangster-looking men.
"What can I do for you?" said their chief.
"We are here to ask you to look for someone. But we only know her first name," Kurtis said.
"That will be hard. How about photos?" the chief asked.
"I managed to sketch an image of her," Tristan said, grateful for his drawing skills.
"Her name is Kaye," added Kurtis.
The men examined the sketch. The chief scratched his cheek, recognizing the woman. She was the one their underboss had been searching for. He could recognize her clearly since he was also there during their search for her after the incident at the club. The name matched too.
"I'm sorry, but we can't help you if you only have this sketch and her first name. This city is vast, and we need more information to find her," the chief explained.
"What? But they said you guys are the best at finding someone even if they've been missing for years!" Tristan protested.
"We can find them because clients provide additional information. If you can't give us the details we need, then get lost and don't waste our time," said the chief.
Tristan clenched his fists, but Kurtis tapped his shoulders, signaling him to calm down. Tristan sighed. They left the building, feeling disappointed.
"Phew!" the chief crumpled the sketch and tossed it in the trash bin.
If their underboss found out about this, it would cause trouble. Knowing his personality, though... Nahhhhh.
He was too lazy to deal with cleaning up another mess again.
.
.
"So, what's your plan now?" Tristan asked.
"I don't know. I thought they would be able to help us, but I was wrong. I have to make a new plan," Kurtis answered.
"Why don't we go back to the mall? People love going to the mall. Tomorrow is the weekend, a time for relaxation. Let's try our luck again there. What if she goes there again?" Tristan suggested.
Kurtis stared at him; Tristan was clearly frustrated.
"Alright, let's try our luck again there," he agreed.
.
.
....
Kaye woke up and nearly screamed when she saw Mikhail sitting beside her bed, watching her sleep.
"W-What the hell are you doing here?" she covered herself with a blanket.
"I really miss you, Kaye," Mikhail said, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Despite the darkness in her room, she could notice it due to the light from the table lamp.
"G-Get out of here! Pervert!" she shouted.
Mikhail sighed. He couldn't gain her trust with just words; maybe it was time to take action. He aggressively grabbed her hand.
"W-What do you think you're doing?" Kaye said, trying to break free.
"Kaye, I will make you remember everything!" he declared and kissed her.
Her eyes widened, and she attempted to push him away, but his strength prevailed. He pinned her to the bed, tightening his grip on both of her hands. Kaye resisted.
"Kaye, please..." Mikhail whispered into her ear. "Just this time, let me help you remember everything. Remember my touch, my lips, my body... and your feelings for me."
His kisses moved down to her neck. "The days we shared our love, please remember the first time our bodies became one." Mikhail let out a bitter chuckle. "Ah, right, you hated me too before because I forced you. But you fell in love with me after that."
His hands ventured inside her dress.
"N-No!" she cried.
Mikhail halted when he saw her tears. He couldn't bear seeing her like this. He released her and sat beside her.
Kaye continued to cry.
"All I want is for you to remember me!" he said, facepalming in frustration.
To avoid getting angry again, he decided to leave her room. Kaye was left crying on her bed, while Mikhail leaned against the door outside, closing his eyes.