Chapter 10 Replacing the Heroine of His Dreams

Henry shut his laptop, finally done with the last video call of the day.

He glanced at the message in the chat box, but nah, he decided not to send it and just deleted it.

He could totally tell Alice was into him today, but given the age gap, he wasn't about to get all tangled up with her.

After making things right with Alice, he figured he should keep his distance.

Henry took off his silver-framed anti-radiation glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and got up, phone in hand, heading out of the study.

Back in the bedroom, he hopped in the shower, careful not to get his back wound wet.

He came out in silver-gray silk pajamas, his freshly dried hair falling over his deep-set eyes, looking way less cold and distant than he did during the day.

Feeling some weird pull, Henry opened Facebook again. He clicked on Alice's pretty profile pic and started scrolling.

Alice's delicate face and the striking scene flashed in his mind again.

'Do I really need a woman?' he wondered.

After a deep breath, he turned off his phone and hit the sack.

The night was a blur.

A glass door separated the round balcony from the noisy ballroom, creating two different worlds.

In front of the balcony railing, Henry sat in a wheelchair. His features were chiseled, his skin sickly pale. He stared at the night, his gaze cold and deep.

After a bit, he pulled out a lighter and lit a cigarette, the red glow flickering in the dark.

Just then, the glass door opened, and the sound of high heels echoed behind him.

Henry snapped, "Get out!"

But the woman didn't leave. Instead, she walked up to him and plopped right down on his lap.

Her red deep-V evening dress showed off her beautiful skin and seductive figure, making her look like a midnight elf.

She picked up the cigarette from Henry's lips, took a drag, and blew a smoke ring at him.

Veins bulged on Henry's forehead as he grabbed her neck. "You wanna die?"

She pinched out the cigarette with a smile and tossed it on the ground.

She pried his fingers off and leaned close to his ear. "It's me."

Hearing her voice, Henry instantly relaxed. He stared at her face, not blinking. "Didn't expect you to be this beautiful."

He'd been hooked by those eyes from the start.

The woman cupped Henry's face and kissed his perfect lips deeply. "Thanks for saving me. It's your birthday tonight, and I got a gift for you."

Henry's voice was hoarse. "What gift?"

She looked into his eyes. "It's me."

Outside, snow covered the ground, but inside, the vibe was all warm and intimate.

Henry knew she was in pain, and after their lovemaking, he kissed her for a long time. His sexy Adam's apple bobbed. "Can you stay?"

"I can't." She got out of bed and saw her torn dress on the floor, no longer wearable.

She put on Henry's shirt with his suit over her shoulders and walked to the bedside. She caressed Henry's face. "Dark, you'll nail tomorrow's surgery."

Henry was silent for a moment. "The brain surgery might make me lose my memory."

"If you forget me, I'll come find you." She took off the bullet pendant necklace from his neck and put it around her own.

Henry held her hand. "Promise?"

"Promise!" Her smile was the last thing Henry saw.

Henry suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, his face blank.

It was that dream again.

But this time, he saw the woman's face clearly—it was Alice.

He chuckled softly. Alice's grip on him was way too strong.

After just a brief encounter, Alice had managed to replace the woman in his dreams.

Since the surgery to yank the shrapnel out of his brain, he felt through his dreams that he might've forgotten a woman or some memory about a woman.

In the past two years, he'd had this dream over a hundred times, where he and the woman got all hot and heavy.

He couldn't see her face clearly, just remembered her insanely beautiful eyes.

He didn't recall ever having such a woman in his life, but the sense of reality was hard to shake off.

The reason he rushed into the fire to save Alice this time was 'cause her eyes were so similar to the woman's in his dream, and he felt a pang of compassion.

Henry glanced at his phone; it was three in the morning, same as always.

For the past two years, no matter how late he crashed, he'd wake up at this time every day.

He raised his hand to cover his eyes, lost in thought. Was it three in the morning when that woman left?

And why did he forget only that woman?

Did that woman really exist?

If she did, who was she?

If she didn't, where did his necklace go?

The next morning.

After freshening up, Alice went downstairs with her bag.

In the living room, Lester and Zoey were sipping coffee.

Hearing the noise, Lester looked up. "Heading out?"

Alice nodded.

"Hold up." Lester stood up and pulled a bank card from his wallet. "Go buy some pretty dresses. Don't be stingy; it's cool if they're pricey. A girl should dress nicely. Your old outfits..." He frowned deeply, "They were pretty ugly."

Alice raised an eyebrow and smirked, "You want me to buy dresses for a blind date tomorrow night?"

Lester said, "I'm doing this for your own good. The Johnson Family now has businesses all over Stellaria—dining, bathing, entertainment, jewelry, you name it. If you marry into that family, you'll be swimming in wealth and prosperity."

Alice played with the card in her hand and sneered, "Dad, do you really want me to marry into that family?"

Lester said earnestly, "I'm doing this for your own good. Alice, it was my bad sending you to the countryside back then. I've lived in regret all these years. Now that you're back, I wanna make it up to you."

Zoey chimed in, "Even though you didn't get to marry into the Howard Family, we'll take care of your future and find you a good match."

Hearing this, Alice felt no emotional stir.

Lester's favoritism, Elodie's malice, Clara's shamelessness, and Zoey's cold-bloodedness made her super grateful she'd only stayed in this family for three months. If she'd lived here for fifteen years, she would've lost her mind ages ago.

In her heart, she couldn't help but laugh. The Johnson Family's heir, Grant Johnson, had a nasty habit of abusing women. Recently, he caused his girlfriend's uterus to rupture and bleed out from his abuse. By the time she got to the hospital, it was too late, and Grant's girlfriend had to have her uterus removed, losing the ability to become a mom forever.

The Johnson Family threw some money at Grant's girlfriend, hushed up the scandal, and sent Grant abroad to lay low. Now that the storm had passed, they brought Grant back.

The Savoy Family had really found her a vicious match.

Alice shook the bank card and asked, "How much is in it?"