Chapter 215 – An Unbreakable Vow with the Heartless Tycoon

Leilani looks around the coffee shop. It’s on the bottom floor of a trendy but small hotel, and it’s decorated in a retro style. Each table sits beside a French window, and the noon sunlight streams in and reflects off the tabletops. Outside the window, some children splash in the pale blue hotel pool.

Sophie is sitting in the far corner, and she waves her hand when she sees Leilani. Leilani quickly crosses the room and slides into the booth, smiling shyly at Sophie. A small vase with a single daffodil sits in the middle of the table.

“What would you like to drink, miss?” a barista asks.

“Sparkling water, please,” Leilani says.

“Wow, it’s been so long,” Sophie says, suddenly misty-eyed. “The last time I saw you, you were this small little girl, and now you’re a beautiful, accomplished woman.”

“It’s so nice to meet a friend of my mother’s,” Leilani says. “You knew each other for so long—you must have been quite close.”

“We were friends for more than a decade,” Sophie says. “She was one of my closest friends, but then I left to study with a jewelry master in Europe, and your mother and I lost touch. After I finished my studies, I stayed there for a while, and she came abroad too.”

Sophie looks down at her espresso cup and sighs. When she looks up, Leilani can see a single tear on the older woman’s cheek. Leilani takes her hand over the table and pats it gently.

“I didn’t even know she was in the country,” Sophie says. “She didn’t tell me she was there, but I eventually found out from some mutual friends. When I saw her, she had changed. She wasn’t the woman I remembered at all. She was always so gentle, but suddenly she was stubborn.

“A lot of people found it difficult to be around her. I’m afraid I was one of them. She was suddenly so cold to me like she’d just forgotten about all the years of our friendship. I wondered what had caused such a dramatic change—if it was the failure of her marriage that had turned her bitter or something else, but I never found out.”

Leilani feels her breathing quicken. Her mother’s situation is scarily similar to her own: a sudden personality change, becoming stubborn, forgetting things from the past. It seems too similar to be a coincidence. Is it possible that the toxin in my blood is genetic? Leilani wonders. Or is someone trying to make me end up like my mother?

“Can you tell me anything else about her during that time?” Leilani asks.

“I’m afraid I don’t know much about her life,” Sophie says. “She was in a new relationship, but it didn’t end well. She found love and seemed to be incredibly happy, but the man’s family was strongly opposed to their marriage. Some people said they didn’t like her because she was divorced, and others said his family was trying to hide that he was a bastard.

The man proposed to her anyway, but I only saw her a few times after that. She seemed to be glowing with happiness, and she kept talking about plans for her future. She even designed and made a pair of wedding rings. She asked me to keep them in my workshop’s safe. They’re still there, actually. They’re beautiful.”

Leilani sips her water and tries to process everything Sophie has just told her. Though she’s sitting in the sun, she feels cold. She looks down at her arms, and they’re covered in goosebumps.

“By the way, I have some of your mother’s papers,” Sophie says. “I’ve kept them for her, but it’s time to pass them on to you.”

Sophie passes Leilani a thick, yellow envelope. Leilani opens it and pulls out a stack of papers. She immediately recognizes her mother’s delicate handwriting. Leilani slides the papers back into the envelope and looks at Sophie.

Sophie stirs a sprinkle of sugar into her espresso and puts the spoon on her saucer with a small clink. She sips her espresso and sighs.

“At my show, you called yourself Bryan’s sister,” she says. “Do you know him very well?”

“He’s like the brother I never had,” Leilani says. “After I lost my mom, I was raised by my nanny. He’s her son, so we grew up together.

“Can you get in touch with him?” Sophie asks. “I’d like to see him before I return to Europe.”

“It’s difficult to get in touch with him, even for me,” Leilani admits. “Why do you need to talk to him?

“There are just some things I need to confirm,” Sophie says. “He’s 21, right?”

“Yes, he’s younger than me,” Leilani says.

“If my son were still alive, he would be the same age as Bryan,” Sophie says. “When I was forced to put him into the orphanage, I gave him a special pendant. I saw Bryan wearing the same thing at the show. I want to know where he got it.”

“Sophie, Bryan is adopted,” Leilani says.

Sophie freezes. “Can I meet your nanny?” she finally asks.

“You can, but it won’t do much good,” Leilani says. “Nanny is in a coma.”

The bright sunshine warms Leilani’s skin, but she can’t shake the terrible gloomy feeling. Sophie’s words have left her afraid and confused. She wishes she could tell someone, but no one knows about the toxins in her blood.

Her ringing phone distracts her from her dark thoughts. She glances down at the screen and sees Waylen’s name. She tries to decide if she wants to answer the call or not. She doesn’t want to upset Waylen, but she’s worried she won’t be able to hide her bad mood. With a sigh, she accepts the call.

“Have you finished meeting with Sophie?” Waylen asks.

“Yes,” Leilani answers.

“You sound unhappy,” he says. “What happened?”

“It’s nothing, I’m just a little sad,” Leilani says.

Waylen sighs on the other end of the phone. Leilani wants to tell him everything, but she knows it’s too late for that.

“Well, there’s no need to hurry back home,” Waylen says. “Maybe you can stay out a little longer and enjoy this sunshine? Or I could come to meet you?”

Leilani hears Robert’s muffled voice in the background and then the sound of rustling papers. Ever since the helicopter rescue, Waylen has been even busier with work than normal. He often spends all day closed in his study, and he answers phone calls at all hours.

“I have the doc.u.ments you wanted me to collect,” Robert says in the background.

“Waylen, I know you’re busy,” Leilani says. “Don’t bother coming to meet me. I’m okay.”

“I’ll be free soon,” Waylen says. “Do you want to visit Nanny? It’s been a while since you’ve seen her.”

“Yes, I do,” Leilani says.

“Okay, wait for me outside the hospital,” Waylen says.

Waylen takes a tall stack of doc.u.ments from Robert.

“Mr. Bamford, this is your grandfather’s complete schedule for the last few years,” Robert says. “Below that, there’s a list of all the bribes he’s taken and paid.”

Waylen flips through the papers and smiles grimly to himself. His grandfather has been careless over the years. If the papers were leaked, it would cause a massive scandal for the entire Bamford family. Most people wouldn’t dare upset Francis Bamford like that, but Waylen is willing to do just about anything in this battle against his grandfather.

“What is my grandfather’s schedule for the next few days?” Waylen asks.

“He’s going to meet with the old Mr. Clifford,” Robert says. “If it goes well, he’ll return to Monaco in a few days.”

“Get ready,” Waylen says. “I’m going to Monaco in three days.”

He hates the thought of leaving Leilani, but he hopes he can make up for it when he comes back. Waylen stands and walks to the window. He laces his fingers and stretches his arms behind his back, watching a group of people gathers outside near the river.

“Mr. Bamford, our team is getting everything ready for the proposal,” Robert says. “I’ve been watching them closely to make sure they get every detail just right. It’ll be ready by the time you come back from Monaco.”

Waylen nods with satisfaction. “That’s good,” he says. “Make sure none of them leak any information to anyone.”

Waylen watches the people outside and thinks about the details of his plan. He needs his grandfather to accept Leilani into the family. If his grandfather refuses to allow him to remarry her, he’ll leak the doc.u.ments and ruin the entire family.

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