Bound by Fate

Chapter 2: Amnesia

“Boss, we can’t trace her true identity, but someone tampered with that car!”

Ethan Blackwood fiddled with the ID card in his hand, glancing at the woman on the hospital bed. His eyes showed a hint of surprise—they couldn’t find out who she was!

“Understood.” He hung up the phone and leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes as he waited for the woman in the bed to wake up.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, its brightness slightly harsh. The woman’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with confusion.

“You’re awake?”

The cold, emotionless voice startled her, and she turned her head to see the man sitting on the nearby sofa.

His skin was pale, and his androgynous, stunningly beautiful face looked as if it had been meticulously crafted. Slanted eyebrows, a straight nose, and tightly pressed thin lips—there wasn’t a flaw to be found. Despite his features being soft rather than harsh, there was an aloofness about him that kept others at a distance. His shoulder-length silver-blue hair fluttered slightly in the breeze, making him seem almost like an illusion. Yet his eyes, deep and ocean-blue, were a clear reminder that this was no dream. They were so intense that looking into them filled one with an inexplicable fear, as if those eyes belonged to a demon that could capture your soul with a single glance.

The woman in the bed felt uneasy, not because she was afraid of him, but because her mind was a complete blank. She timidly asked, “Who are you?”

Ethan Blackwood was used to people being scared of him—he was, after all, a demon in their eyes. He stood up and walked over to the bed without answering her question, instead asking his own, “Who are you?”

The woman shrank back under the weight of his gaze, her expression filled with anxiety and confusion. “Who am I?” she murmured, almost to herself.

Ethan frowned, scrutinizing her, then expressionlessly pressed the call button next to the bed.

“Boss?” James Collins rushed in, only to see his boss standing by the bed, staring intently at the woman, who was clutching the blanket with tears in her eyes.

“Check her!”

Snapping out of his daze, James quickly conducted an examination of the woman, then asked, “Do you know who you are?”

The woman sneaked a glance at Ethan and shook her head.

James frowned and said, “Boss, she’s lost her memory! Right now, she’s like a newborn baby, with a mind completely blank. The only difference is, she might still have instinctive reactions to deeply ingrained memories, and she’s a bit smarter than a baby!” He explained everything thoroughly without needing Ethan to ask.

Ethan frowned—there was no way to get the information he wanted out of her. Then, as quickly as the frown had appeared, it vanished. Since it didn’t matter that much, he decided to let it go. It wasn’t that important, after all.

As Ethan silently turned to leave, James quickly called after him, “Boss, you’re not going to just leave her here, are you?”

The woman in the bed looked at him too, her eyes brimming with tears, looking as pitiful as a puppy abandoned by its owner.

Ethan frowned in disgust at her expression, and seeing his reaction, the woman’s heart sank. He must hate her!

Sniffling, she climbed out of bed and stood before him, speaking carefully, “Can... can I come with you?” She didn’t know who she was, and she didn’t know anyone else. Other than following him, she had no idea what to do.

Follow the boss? James scrutinized her—her skin was as white and smooth as a peeled egg, her large, obsidian-like eyes sparkled under a fringe of long, thick lashes that fluttered gently. Her nose was straight and petite, her small pink lips looked soft and inviting, as if they could be devoured in one bite. Her soft hair cascaded down her shoulders, making her appear even more delicate, especially now, with her head wrapped in bandages and her face still slightly pale. He had to admit, she was beautiful, but the boss didn’t like decorative vases, especially fragile little rabbits like this one. As the boss would say, keeping someone useless was a waste of resources!

“Keep up,” Ethan said coldly, tossing the ID card in his hand to her before striding out of the room.

The woman looked curiously at the card in her hand. Lily Thompson? She looked up at the mirror and then back at the ID. Was her name really Lily Thompson?

“The boss is getting away!” James kindly reminded the dazed little rabbit, feeling somewhat surprised that the boss had allowed her to follow him.

Lily quickly looked up, seeing the handsome man walking away. She flashed a sweet smile at James. “Thank you!” she said before running after Ethan. James froze for a moment, and his normally cold expression softened slightly. Shaking his head, he left too—he had a lot of work to do!

“Mr. Blackwood...” A coquettish voice called out. A seductive woman approached, her eyes lighting up with joy at the unexpected encounter.

“Bang!” Lily hadn’t expected Ethan to stop so abruptly and ran right into him.

Ethan frowned, turning to look at the woman behind him, who was now rubbing her reddened nose, her eyes brimming with tears, and looking at him with a pitiful expression.

“I... I didn’t mean to...” Lily said, rubbing her nose in grievance. How was she supposed to know he would stop so suddenly?

The seductive woman glanced at Lily, who was dressed in hospital clothes, and a trace of disdain flickered in her eyes. To her, Lily was just a little girl, hardly a threat. She turned her attention back to Ethan, smiling seductively. “Mr. Blackwood, what a coincidence!”

Yesterday, after being dismissed by him, she had been racking her brain for a reason to see him again. She couldn’t believe her luck, running into him so conveniently at the hospital entrance.

A long, black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of them. The driver hurried out to open the back door for Ethan, still nervous about yesterday’s car accident. Seeing that Ethan didn’t seem to be planning to fire him, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mr. Blackwood...” Seeing that Ethan was ignoring her, Victoria Reid grew anxious. The Reid family was being pushed to the brink by the Yates Corporation, and their only hope was a partnership with Blackwood Industries. If she couldn’t win over Ethan Blackwood, it would be the end for them.

Moreover, she had genuinely fallen for this man. Seeing Lily trailing behind Ethan, looking like she was about to get into the car, Victoria finally sensed a threat—but then dismissed it as impossible!

As Ethan was about to get into the car, Victoria rushed forward, intending to grab him, but collided with Lily, who was right behind him. Lily instinctively tried to dodge, but a sudden dizziness hit her, and everything went black as she collapsed to the side.

Seeing Lily collapse to the ground, unconscious, Victoria panicked. “Mr. Blackwood, I didn’t mean to!” she stammered. When Ethan made no move to help the woman, Victoria’s heart settled. It seemed Ethan had no interest in her! But since this woman was somehow associated with Ethan, if anything happened to her, Victoria couldn’t afford to take the blame. She prayed silently that the woman would be okay.

Ethan coldly observed the scene, then expressionlessly climbed into the car. “Put her in the car,” he instructed the driver.

As the car drove away, Victoria Reid stomped her foot in frustration. She refused to believe she couldn’t win over this man!