Chapter 1 Fateful Night

In the luxurious presidential suite, Elena Reed lay beneath a strikingly handsome man whose hot, sculpted body radiated raw attraction. His forceful thrust left her gasping.

The drink she'd had earlier made her reactions sluggish, her thoughts hazy.

Elena struggled to focus on his face, but pleasure left her hopelessly lost.

Hours later, when he finally stopped his demands, Elena collapsed onto the bed, utterly spent, her breathing ragged and weak. In her semi-conscious state, she felt something cool touch her neck—a ruby pendant ring that the man carefully fastened around her neck before leaving.

She wanted to speak, to ask his name, but the lingering effects of the drug and complete exhaustion left her without strength to even move. Her blurred vision could only make out his retreating silhouette.

Elena slept until noon the next day. When she awoke, she found her stepsister Mandy Reed standing beside the bed, arms crossed, contempt filling her eyes.

Elena quickly pulled the sheet up to cover her body, ashamed of the hickeys. Mandy scornfully took a check from her purse and tossed it onto the bed next to Elena.

"Your task is complete. Here's eight hundred thousand dollars. Take this money and leave Pinewood City today," Mandy said arrogantly.

"As for last night, you'd better keep it secret. Pretend nothing happened," she threatened, raising her eyebrows. "Otherwise, I have ways to make you disappear and destroy everything your mother left you. Elena, you'd better behave."

Mandy gave Elena a contemptuous look before turning to leave, inadvertently glimpsing the red bloodstains on the sheet.

The red color stung her eyes as she clenched her teeth. If she hadn't lost her virginity, she wouldn't have spent eight hundred thousand dollars arranging for Elena to spend the night with that man.

Fortunately, she had drugged Elena, ensuring she would never recognize the man's identity in her haze. She had no idea the man she slept with was Harrison Frost, the business titan who struck fear into everyone in Pinewood City.

After Mandy left, Elena weakly picked up the thin check.

This was what she had exchanged her dignity and virginity for—eight hundred thousand dollars. Enough to go abroad and fulfill her dream of studying medicine.

She had vowed never to become a pawn for her father and stepmother, determined to escape this family, but achieving it this way filled her with bone-deep shame and self-loathing.

If her mother hadn't died early, if her father Robert Reed hadn't married Christine Hayes, how could she have ended up like this?

Elena gave a bitter smile. Perhaps this was for the best—at least she no longer owed the Reed family anything. From today, she would sever all ties with this family.

Two days later, Elena boarded a plane heading overseas.

One month later, abroad, Elena was shocked when she received the pregnancy test results from her doctor.

She never imagined that in one night, she would become a mother. And of that man, apart from the ruby pendant ring he had casually placed around her neck, her memory of him was almost blank—even his features remained blurry.

Nine months after her pregnancy, Elena gave birth to three identical babies on the operating table. However, when she awoke from anesthesia, eager to embrace her children, the doctor brought shocking news: one of the babies had mysteriously disappeared.

Elena couldn't accept this reality. The pain of losing a child eclipsed any physical trauma. She called the police and checked surveillance footage, but all efforts were in vain. The child had vanished without a trace.

Five years later, at Pinewood International Airport, Elena walked through the arrival gate holding the hands of two almost identical twins—one boy and one girl.

Five years abroad had made her stronger, calmer, and more determined. She was no longer an innocent girl, but an internationally renowned surgeon and a mother who would fight the whole world for her children.

During these years, she never gave up searching for her missing child, and despite the slim hope, she believed that someday they would reunite.

Back in Pinewood City, Elena was flooded with mixed emotions. This city carried her sweetest memories and her deepest pain.

Connor looked up at her, asking in his innocent voice, "Mom, is this where you grew up?"

Elena gently stroked her son's hair, answering softly, "Yes, Connor, this is my hometown."

"But Mom, can we really find our missing sister here?" Mia blinked her big eyes, curious and expectant.

Elena struggled to keep her voice steady. "Your godmother recently discovered some clues. If we're careful enough, there's hope of finding her."

Just then, Elena's phone rang, with "Dr. Nathan Parker" displayed on the screen.

She answered, and Nathan's apologetic voice came through. "Elena, I'm so sorry. I planned to pick you up at the airport, but there was an emergency surgery. I just finished, so I couldn't make it in time."

As the deputy director of Westland General Hospital, Elena completely understood Nathan's busy schedule.

"It's fine. The children and I can take a taxi. We'll meet at the hospital."

"Thank you for understanding." Nathan paused, his tone becoming serious. "Zander's father's surgery was extremely difficult. We're all waiting for you to take the lead."

After finishing her call with Nathan, Elena quickly left the airport with her two children by taxi.

Meanwhile, a fleet of luxury cars stopped at the airport entrance.

Mandy hurriedly stepped out of one car, followed by several assistants, walking briskly toward the exit.

Her face was filled with anxiety.

For five years, she shifted from the margins of Harrison's life to its center, though it still wasn't enough.

She directed her assistants to hold up welcome signs while anxiously scanning the crowd.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on a departing taxi. Through the window, she glimpsed Elena's profile.