Chapter 001: A Dream of the Past

As evening approached, the sky turned a bruised purple, weeping with relentless rain and punctuated by sudden, jagged bolts of lightning. Inside a third-floor bedroom of a sprawling estate, the curtains hung half-drawn and the window stood slightly ajar. The balcony was wide enough that the rain, despite its intensity, couldn't quite reach the interior.

On a soft, rose-colored bed, a woman lay restless. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and her brows were knitted in a tight knot of agony, as if she were trapped in a harrowing nightmare. She possessed a face of exquisite, ethereal beauty, with skin as pale as porcelain and a cascade of long, dark hair spilled across the sheets. In her distress, she looked both breathtaking and hauntingly fragile.

"Sol!"

With a sudden, sharp gasp, she bolted upright, crying out that single name. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a gut-wrenching tone of despair. The emotions hadn't yet drained from her eyes—grief, longing, loneliness, and a profound sense of loss swirled within her gaze.

However, the vulnerability didn't last. Within thirty seconds, her expression hardened. The sorrow vanished, replaced by a chilling, razor-sharp intensity. Her angelic face, now set in a mask of cold authority, no longer looked harmless; instead, it commanded a silent, formidable power.

As her cold eyes swept over her surroundings, her breath hitched.

Where was she?

Outside, the rain continued to fall. The room was dim, lit only by the intermittent, silver flashes of lightning that revealed the decor. The desk, the sofa, the bed, even the curtains—everything was a soft, delicate pink.

In her memory, she hadn't lived in a room like this for a very long time. For the last twenty years of her life, her world had been stripped of color, replaced by a sterile palette of black and white.

Pink. Such a vibrant, living color.

Was this... her old room?

How long ago had it been? Likely before she turned twenty-two.

So, she had come back?

Her mind raced to her final moments. What had happened? Oh, right. She had passed away. After twenty years of wielding the Sterling family’s empire alone—the legacy Solas had left behind—her body had finally given out.

And now, she was back in her own home.

She switched on the bedside lamp, bathing the room in a warm glow, then stood up and turned on every light until the space was brilliantly illuminated. Walking to the desk, she picked up her phone.

When the date on the screen came into focus, her grip tightened until her knuckles turned white.

She really was back. Back to being twenty-two, when the Pierce family was still whole, when her loved ones were still alive, and most importantly... the year she first met Solas Sterling.

Wait, this date...

Seraphina stared at the screen, her heart skipping a beat. This was the exact day of their arranged blind date.

In truth, she hadn't remembered the date so clearly at first. It was only later in life, during the quiet moments she shared with Solas, that he had mentioned it in passing, and she had etched it into her heart.

Her father had told her he’d met a brilliant young talent and wanted her to meet him. She had agreed, only to realize upon arriving with her father that it wasn't just a simple introduction—it was a formal matchmaking dinner.

As the eldest daughter of the Pierces, the most prominent family in Seahaven, she had been raised in luxury. A world-renowned Konghou soloist from a young age, she possessed a fierce pride and an independent spirit; she had no intention of letting others arrange her marriage.

She had rejected the date.

And now, she had just woken up from a feverish sleep brought on by the stress of that rejection and the medicine she had taken afterward.

Solas was still here.

He was alive and well, not dead from trying to save her.

Her parents and family were still here, and the Pierce family was still thriving.

At the thought, Seraphina’s eyes grew hot and rimmed with red. With trembling fingers, she opened the dial pad and expertly typed in a string of numbers. She was about to hit call, but she froze.

After a long silence, she finally pressed the button.

After two rings, someone picked up.

"Hello?" a man’s voice answered—deep, clear, and hauntingly melodic.

It was the voice she knew so well.

Sol.

Her crimson lips parted slightly, but she couldn't bring herself to whisper his name. As someone who had commanded the mysterious Sterling family in the Capital for twenty years, she possessed a tempered, iron-clad logic.

In this timeline, she had only just met him. They hadn't even exchanged numbers; they were practically strangers. If she called him by such an intimate name now, his sharp mind would instantly sense something was wrong. There was no need for him to shoulder the weight of those heavy, tragic memories.

When she didn't speak for a long time, the voice on the other end asked again, "Who is this?" His tone was cool but laced with a hint of playful defiance, exactly as she remembered.

After a brief pause, Seraphina hung up.

Knowing he was safe was enough to settle her soul. During those twenty years without him, she had endured the same nightmare almost every night—a dream where he died at the hands of their enemies to protect her.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her emotions were hidden. She set down the phone, washed her face in the bathroom, and finally opened the door to walk out.

A high-end private club in Seahaven.

Inside a premier VIP lounge, several men and women were gathered. What should have been a boisterous environment was now eerily silent. The music had been cut, and no one dared to make a sound.

A phone had rung. With a single glance from one man, the music was silenced to maintain total stillness.

Nearly every man in the room had a woman or two by his side, with one exception. This man had a face of transcendent elegance, yet his eyes held a certain dangerous, wicked charm that made him look both noble and devilishly alluring.

He held his phone in his hand. When the ringer echoed, he saw the display—no contact name, just a string of digits.

An unknown caller.

And yet, the man froze. His usually languid posture vanished as he sat bolt upright. He gave a sharp look to the person next to him, who understood immediately, killed the music, and signaled the others to be quiet.

The transition took mere seconds. By the time the man answered, there was no ambient noise left in the room.

"Hello?" His tone was steady, but his expression was taut with tension.

The person on the other end said nothing.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Who is this?"

Still silence. Then, the line went dead.

The man lowered his phone and stared at the dark screen for a long while. He lowered his eyelids, shielding his thoughts from the room.

When he remained silent for too long, the tension in the lounge became palpable. Finally, the man sitting next to him—the one who had silenced the room—spoke up. "Solas, everything okay?"

He didn't ask who it was, despite his burning curiosity.

"I’m fine," the man replied, tucking his phone away as he stood up. "I’m leaving."

The other man blinked in surprise. "I put this whole thing together for you. It’s only been going for a few minutes. Why are you leaving already?" He stood up quickly to follow.

Someone called out, "Mr. Zale... is Mr. Sterling alright?"

It wasn't out of genuine concern—they weren't important enough to care for him personally—but rather a fear that they had accidentally said something to offend him.

"He should be fine. I'll go check on him. You guys keep at it; tonight's tab is on me."

The speaker was Harvey Zale, the young heir to the Zale family in Seahaven. He managed a cosmetics company he had inherited from his mother. While the Zales didn't quite match the Pierces in status, they were still a powerful family. Harvey and Solas had been high school classmates; for years, he had been the person closest to Solas in this city.

Harvey caught up to Solas at the club's entrance.

Outside, the rain was tapering off, but the few pedestrians on the street were mostly huddled under umbrellas. Solas was one of the few exceptions. He walked out of the club and began to wander aimlessly down the sidewalk.

Harvey, trailing behind, was utterly baffled. Seeing the stray raindrops still falling, Harvey hesitated, then used his hand to shield his head as he ran to catch up. "Solas, seriously, what’s wrong?" From age seventeen to twenty-five, in the eight years he had known him, he had never seen Solas look so... lost.

Solas didn't answer.

His pace wasn't fast, yet Harvey found himself having to jog to keep pace. "Look, I know today’s blind date didn't go well and you’re feeling down. That’s why I set this up, to help you relax. But you... forget it. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why obsess over that one flower?"

"Actually, 'obsess' isn't even the right word. Before today, you didn't even know the eldest Pierce daughter, right? Since you didn't know her, it's not like you're actually in love."

Solas paused for a split second. Then, he continued walking. It was impossible to tell if he was even listening.

"Speaking of the Pierce girl, I have to admit, I admire her. Good family, beautiful, great vibe, and incredibly talented."

And she was talented. At just twenty-two, she was a national-level Konghou artist, a member of the International Konghou Association, and a lead performer in the famous Starry Sky Orchestra. She had performed in over fifty international concerts. At thirteen, she won a national televised competition; by eighteen, she had finished her degree at the Capital Conservatory of Music. She was the final protégé of the legendary grandmaster, Feng Yazhi.

With so many titles at such a young age, she was the textbook definition of a perfect socialite.

"I just didn't expect you, Solas, to actually agree to her father’s suggestion for a blind date. That is so not your style."

"But I have to hand it to the head of the Pierce family—he has an eye for talent. He knows that even though you don't have a massive family fortune behind you, you’re a rare gem. He was actually willing to marry off his prized daughter to you."

"That girl... she’s the perfect lady, but she doesn't strike me as the type to just accept an arranged marriage. So the date failed—big deal. Don't let it get to you. You started from nothing at seventeen and built a legend in the entertainment industry. How many people in this world can do what you've done?"

"Besides, so many women adore you. Don't doubt your charm. One rejection from a Pierce daughter doesn't mean—"

"Who said I was rejected?" Solas interrupted. His voice was low and carried a strange, haunting quality as he stopped in his tracks.

Harvey was stunned. "Weren't you? You've been moping since you got back at noon. I just assumed you were crushed by the rejection... I mean, not that you aren't amazing, but that girl really isn't the type to follow her family's orders."

Harvey wasn't lying. Solas was exceptional.

He had arrived in Seahaven at seventeen and attended the city's top high school. That same year, he founded Jinghong Entertainment. Eight years later, at twenty-five, his company dominated half of the entertainment industry. In terms of looks, Solas could put any top-tier idol to shame.

In Harvey’s mind, the only woman who had ever truly seemed like a match for Solas was Seraphina Pierce. Unfortunately, she was an independent woman with massive achievements of her own; she didn't seem like the type for a political union.

"Solas, if you’re serious about marrying into the Pierce family, I suggest you stop trying the 'arranged marriage' route and just chase her directly. That might actually work."

"While she’s still single."

Solas’s dark, wicked eyes shifted slightly. His face remained expressionless. He said nothing.

Seeing no reaction, Harvey slapped his own forehead. "What am I thinking? As if you’d ever actively chase someone. Especially since you just met her today. It's not like you're actually in love with her to the point of changing your entire personality."

Solas still didn't speak. He simply gave Harvey a sideways glance.

Harvey, assuming the mention of the failed date had touched a sore spot, quickly added, "Don't be discouraged. If the date failed, it failed. We don't need the Pierce family’s resources anyway."

To Harvey, the only reason Solas would agree to such a date was for the Pierces' status in Seahaven. Even though Solas was successful, he couldn't yet compare to an old-money titan like the Pierce family. A marriage would have elevated his standing instantly. Harvey didn't think there was anything wrong with using a marriage to solidify power—mostly because the bride was actually worth it.

Solas gave Harvey a look—the kind one gives a complete idiot—and then walked to the parking lot, got into his car, and drove away.

Harvey, finally catching the meaning in that look: "..."

He’s mad! Fine, I'm done trying to comfort him! Everyone go home!