I had a dream. In my dream, I returned to my childhood and met the boy that I missed so dearly, Carl Locklear.

I was Shayla, an orphan with unknown parents. I had grown up in an orphanage, and my days were filled with poverty and boredom.

There were too many orphans, and the Matron would usually ask the older kids to help take care of the younger kids.

The one who took care of me was Carl, a boy four years older than me. He was responsible for everything about me—from what I ate to what I wore.

Eventually, I became his shadow, following him everywhere. I also became very possessive of him and insisted he was only allowed to take care of me and no one else.

He taught me that this wasn't right and that we needed to be kind. I could only compromise by allowing him to take care of people, as long as they were boys and not girls.

Oh, right. I didn't have a surname then. "Locklear" was h

Charles' question made me lick my dry lips. 

He was too shrewd and paranoid. I had almost been burned to death, and he was still more rational than emotional.

But that was okay, and I answered him patiently, "Of course, I'm sincere. That was a blazing inferno, and the chances of making it out alive were slim. If it weren't for you being inside, I would've been crazy to go in."

I didn't forget to slip into my manipulative persona, and I made myself sound regretful as I said, "I didn't know you weren't in there, Charles. I acted without thinking. I'm just so stupid, going through all this pain for nothing…

"Charles, I'm so stupid. Are you going to like me less—"

Before I could finish, Charles suddenly leaned in and kissed me ever so softly.

"You're not stupid, Shay. You're not stupid at all." He sighed, refuting my words.

I had a look of innocence on my face, but inwardly, I was chu

I didn't catch the rest of Horace's words because I had already been engulfed by the fire.

A fire in the dead of winter was destined to be a catastrophe. I was basically betting with my life when I dove into the inferno. 

Truthfully, even though I hadn't caught the rest of Horace's words, I could still manage a guess. He was probably going to say that Charles wasn't inside the hotel.

That would only make sense, as Charles was someone of such importance and always had bodyguards follow him everywhere. 

If he had been trapped in the hotel during this sudden fire, the bodyguards would've rushed in to save him ages ago. Otherwise, if anything happened to him, the bodyguards would definitely be held accountable. 

The Bowman family would certainly not let things go, and it wouldn't be surprising if they demanded a life for a life, either. 

Yet, here was Horace instigating me and Lilith to go into the burning hotel to save Charles, all while the bodyguards stayed put.

This could only mean that this was all but a setup. 

I knew. I knew everything, but I still needed to do this. Because only by putting my life on the line could I prevent Charles and Lilith from rekindling their relationship. 

Also, Charles had always doubted me. He never believed in my sincerity. Thus, if his doubts could be erased, then it'd be killing two birds with one stone.

The inferno continued to grow, and the heat licked at my skin, causing an indescribable sharp pain.

I did my best to protect my face. I didn't want to disfigure myself, lest Charles become disgusted with me.

Before I knew it, several spots on my body had become scorched, and it was becoming very difficult to breathe from the heavy smoke.

Finally, I couldn't hold on anymore, and I collapsed at the bottom of a staircase.

Was I going to be burned alive?

Just before I fully lost consciousness, the image of a handsome man popped into my mind.

He was wearing a white shirt, and his expression was gentle. He extended a hand out to me and said affectionately, "Come on, Shay. Let's get up."

"Carl…"

I curled in on myself as I muttered unconsciously, "I miss you so much… I don't think I can hold on any longer…"

Right as I was on death's door, several bodyguards stormed in and pulled me out.

"Charles, you have a heart condition! You can't go in!"

The moment I was brought out of the inferno, I heard Lilith's voice frantically pleading, "The fire is out of control. The bodyguards have already gone in. Shay… Shay might have already…"

"Look! The bodyguards got to her!"

Lilith had probably meant to say that I might have already been burned to death before she was interrupted. 

In a matter of seconds, Charles came to snatch me into his arms, and he held me tightly without saying a word.

The surrounding crowd's whispers came one after the other.

"I guess Shayla's feelings toward Charles were more sincere in the end."

"I always thought it was shameless of her to steal her sister's fiancé, but my impression of her is changing now…"

"Was it really stealing, though? Lilith chose to leave the country when Charles was undergoing his surgery. Have a good think about why she would do that."

With much difficulty, I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was Charles' eyes, dark and endless, like an abyss ready to swallow me whole.

"Charles… As long as you're okay..."

There was barely any color in his face, likely because of the strain on his heart. I nuzzled against his chest and apologized weakly, "I didn't know you weren't inside. I'm sorry that I caused you trouble."

I probably looked like a nightmare right then. But that was also what made it perfectly clear that none of this was an act.

I purposely raised my hand and revealed the burns on it. "Charles, I got hurt… It really hurts…"

Since this was all a setup, then my performance should satisfy him, right? He should be able to shed his suspicions and finally believe that I was sincere, right?

"That's right! Feel the pain! That way, you'll learn your lesson!" Charles finally huffed.

His words were full of hostility, and yet, the way he held my hand was so gentle, as if I were a fragile piece of treasure.

"Charles, it really hurts… Can you blow on it and make it better?"

I felt the change in him and thus wanted to just test my luck a bit more.

In the next second, Charles Bowman, the proud scion of the Bowman family, lowered his head and blew on my burns right in full view of everyone. 

Everyone fell quiet, and their gazes all turned in the same direction—the direction where Lilith was standing. 

I caught sight of her out of the corner of my eye. She, in her wedding gown, should've been the most gorgeous person there. But right then, it was like she had lost all her pride and poise.

Her face was as white as a sheet. It was clear she had lost to me.

I didn't need to force myself to stay awake anymore. I allowed my tense nerves to relax and let myself fall into unconsciousness.

In the haze, I heard Charles calling out my name, his voice carrying a trace of subtle concern.

"Shay!"

I also heard Horace say gleefully, "Charles, oh, Charles. Looks like you've fallen for her."

He had fallen for me. That had been my goal from the start.

In order to achieve the ultimate goal, I had shamelessly thrown myself at Charles for the past four years. Finally, I succeeded. And finally, I could put the rest of my plans in motion.

I had a dream. In my dream, I returned to my childhood and met the boy that I missed so dearly, Carl Locklear.

I was Shayla, an orphan with unknown parents. I had grown up in an orphanage, and my days were filled with poverty and boredom.

There were too many orphans, and the Matron would usually ask the older kids to help take care of the younger kids.

The one who took care of me was Carl, a boy four years older than me. He was responsible for everything about me—from what I ate to what I wore.

Eventually, I became his shadow, following him everywhere. I also became very possessive of him and insisted he was only allowed to take care of me and no one else.

He taught me that this wasn't right and that we needed to be kind. I could only compromise by allowing him to take care of people, as long as they were boys and not girls.

Oh, right. I didn't have a surname then. "Locklear" was his surname.

Carl stayed by my side year after year as I grew older. He would always say, "Shay is t

Chapter 7