THE STRANGER SHE CHOSE

The Missing Stranger

When I opened my eyes, I was still lying on the couch.

The private lounge was eerily quiet. He was gone.

The alcohol had completely worn off, leaving me painfully aware of everything that had happened the night before.

A wave of embarrassment crashed over me.

God… I had practically thrown myself at a complete stranger.

The memory made my cheeks burn. I had to find him. At the very least, I owed him an apology.

I hurried out of the lounge and searched every corner of the suite, but there wasn't a trace of him.

Not in the hallway. Not in the restaurant. Not anywhere. Finally, I made my way downstairs to the reception desk.

"Excuse me," I said. "I'm looking for someone."

The receptionist greeted me with a professional smile.

"Certainly, ma'am. Who are you looking for?"

I opened my mouth. Then froze.

For several awkward seconds, I simply stood there blinking at her.

The receptionist tilted her head, waiting patiently.

Only then did it hit me. I couldn't even remember what he looked like.

How ridiculous was that?

I'd spent the night with the man… Yet his face had slipped completely from my memory.

I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to recall something, anything.

Then it came to me. Not his smile. Not his voice. Not even the shape of his face.

Only his eyes. Those striking blue eyes.

"Ma'am?" The receptionist waved a hand gently in front of me, pulling me back to reality.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." I forced a faint smile and shook my head. "I'm looking for one of your waiters. He's tall... and he has blue eyes."

She frowned thoughtfully, tapping a manicured finger against the reception desk as she searched her memory.

"You mean Richard?" she asked after a moment. "I think he left a few minutes ago."

He left?

My heart sank.

I glanced toward the revolving doors, as if he might suddenly walk back in.

No such luck.

"I see..." I managed a small smile. "Thank you."

I turned and walked away. The truth was, I knew absolutely nothing about him.

No phone number. No address. Not even a full memory of his face.

Ironically, the one man I'd shared the most intimate night of my life with had become a blur in my mind.

All I could remember were those unforgettable blue eyes...

...and the silver bracelet tucked safely inside my purse.

I lowered my gaze to the purse hanging from my shoulder, my fingers brushing against it instinctively.

The corner of my lips lifted. I'd find him again. And next time… I wouldn't let him disappear

I finally made it home. The moment I stepped inside, exhaustion settled over me like a heavy blanket. All I wanted was to lock myself in my room and piece together the chaos my life had become.

As for James? I didn't give a f**k about him.

Not anymore. Not after what he'd tried to do.

I had barely taken a few steps into the foyer when my mother appeared at the top of the staircase. She hurried down, gripping the handrail so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"What did you do, Serah?" Concern clouded her face.

I frowned.

"What is it, Mom?" My voice came out tired as I started climbing the stairs. "Can we do this later? I really need to rest."

"James called."

I stopped for the briefest moment.

"He said—"

"Mom..." I interrupted, rubbing my temples. "Please. Not now."

Without waiting for her response, I continued upstairs.

For once, I wasn't running away from the conversation.

I simply didn't have the strength to survive another one.

The next morning brought no peace. No matter how hard I tried to distract myself, the mysterious waiter refused to leave my thoughts.

His calm voice. His piercing blue eyes.

Everything about him replayed in my head like a song trapped on an endless loop.

I reached into my bedside drawer and pulled out the silver bracelet.

It gleamed beneath the morning light. Running my thumb over its smooth surface, I couldn't help smiling to myself.

"I'll find you," I whispered. "No matter how long it takes."

At that moment, I knew exactly what I had to do. I'd go back to the lounge. I'd find him.

"This time, I wouldn't let him walk away without knowing his name... or telling him mine."

Suddenly, raised voices drifted up from downstairs. My smile disappeared.

"What's going on?" I murmured.

Without wasting another second, I slipped the bracelet back into my drawer and hurried downstairs.

Halfway down the staircase, I saw him.

James.

He stood in the middle of the living room with his chin lifted so high he looked like a peacock showing off its feathers. My mother stood opposite him, looking caught between frustration and worry.

Judging by the expression on his face, he was obviously here to complain about what had happened the previous night.

"Oh..." His lips curled into a sneer the moment he spotted me. "There she is."

He gave me a slow once-over before folding his arms across his chest.

"My disrespectful fiancée."

"James, please," my mother said, stepping between us as though she could stop the storm from coming. "Whatever happened, the two of you can settle it like mature adults."

"There's nothing to settle, Mom." My voice was calm but firm.

James let out a mocking laugh and clapped once, the sound echoing through the living room.

"Did you hear that, Mrs. Margaret?" he said with exaggerated amusement. "Your daughter doesn't have a single ounce of remorse."

I looked him straight in the eye.

"Shut the f**k up, James."

The smile vanished from his face.

"If anyone should be feeling remorse..." I took one deliberate step toward him. "...it's you."

"Oh, really?" James tilted his head, a humorless smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"So I'm the one who's supposed to feel remorse after you humiliated me in front of that f*****g nobody?"

A quiet scoff escaped me.

Unbelievable.

He was seriously standing in my mother's presence acting like the victim.

The man who had tried to force himself on me. And now he wanted sympathy?

What a perfect husband-to-be.

"If you expect this marriage to go ahead," James continued, straightening the cuff of his sleeve as though he were negotiating a business deal instead of destroying someone's life, "you're going to apologize to me."

His gaze hardened. "Right now, Serah."

"I can't."

The answer left my mouth without a second's hesitation.

"And I won't."

My fingers curled into a fist at my side. "I've done nothing that deserves an apology."

"I see you've grown wings overnight." James's words came through clenched teeth as he stared me down.

"But I'm a reasonable man."

He dusted an invisible speck from the sleeve of his expensive suit before looking up again.

"So I'll give you one last chance."

"Apologize."

A laugh slipped from my lips. Slow. Mocking.

I looked him up and down, from his polished shoes to the smug expression on his face, before letting out another quiet chuckle.

"You're so full of yourself, James." I folded my arms across my chest.

"So arrogant."

"And men like you..."

I paused just long enough to watch the confidence in his eyes flicker. "...can never become my husband."

"Serah!"

My mother's voice cracked through the room.

She looked as though she wanted to pull us apart before the argument exploded into something worse.

"Stay out of this, Mom."

I spared her a brief glance before returning my attention to James. This was between him and me.

James closed the distance between us until only a step separated us.

A sly smirk spread across his face.

"News flash, Serah."His voice dropped to almost a whisper.

"If you don't marry me..." He leaned in just enough for the words to hit harder.

"...your father's company won't survive." The smirk on his face widened. "And neither will your precious inheritance."

My heart skipped. That was the first time James had ever made a threat like that.

Not an insult. Not another arrogant demand.

A threat.

I searched his face, looking for some sign that he was bluffing. I found none.

Beside me, my mother's eyes widened. She turned to James with visible confusion.

"What do you mean by that?" A flicker of unease crept into my voice.

James didn't answer.

Instead, the corners of his lips lifted into a knowing smile. As though he had been waiting for this exact moment.

Then—

The front door swung open. Every head turned.

"James is right, Serah."

The calm, authoritative voice sliced through the room.

A well-dressed couple walked inside with the quiet confidence of people accustomed to power. Their tailored designer outfits and effortless composure announced their status long before anyone spoke another word.

James's parents.

One of the wealthiest and most influential families in the city.

James's smirk deepened.