Replacing Old Memories
2342 Words
Replacing Old Memories
The following afternoon, Natalie officially moved into Cassius Hastings' private estate.
Unlike the centuries-old Hastings family manor reserved for family gatherings, this residence belonged to Cassius alone.
Perched on a cliff overlooking the sea, the estate was secluded from the city behind towering cedar trees. Beyond the black wrought-iron gates stretched a private driveway leading to a sleek modern mansion built from dark stone and floor-to-ceiling glass. From the second-floor terrace, the ocean shimmered beyond the forest.
There were no ancestral portraits lining the hallways.
No elaborate decorations flaunting generations of history.
Everything was restrained.
Precise.
Minimal.
Just like its owner.
As the Rolls-Royce rolled through the gates, Natalie stared out the window at the mansion growing larger in the distance, unable to shake the surreal feeling settling over her.
Only yesterday morning, she had still been living in her bedroom at Vanderbilt Manor.
Now...
She was moving into Cassius' home as his fiancée.
Even if it was only part of their agreement.
Even if the wedding was still two months away.
The moment she stepped into this house, something between them had quietly changed.
The car stopped before the front entrance.
The butler and several household staff were already waiting.
Cassius stepped out first before turning back and extending a hand toward her.
Natalie glanced at it.
"...I can manage."
She climbed out on her own.
Cassius simply withdrew his hand without comment.
"Welcome home, Mr. Hastings," the servants greeted respectfully.
Then every pair of eyes shifted toward Natalie.
There was the briefest hesitation before the butler bowed politely.
"Welcome, Miss Vanderbilt."
The title had clearly been chosen with care.
Calling her Mrs. Hastings before the wedding would be inappropriate.
Treating her like an ordinary guest would be even worse.
Natalie offered a polite smile.
"Thank you."
She hadn't brought much.
Several suitcases.
A few boxes of books.
Some everyday necessities.
The rest would be delivered from Vanderbilt Manor later.
Cassius instructed the servants to take everything upstairs.
Natalie had barely followed them inside when her phone vibrated inside her handbag.
She assumed it was a message from her mother.
Instead—
Ethan Hastings
Her footsteps froze.
Cassius, already halfway up the staircase, noticed she had stopped.
He turned.
"What is it?"
Natalie quickly locked the screen.
"...Nothing."
She slipped the phone back into her bag.
Cassius watched her for another second.
Then silently continued upstairs.
Only after entering the bedroom did Natalie open the message.
There were three texts.
The first one read:
So you really have no pride left.
The second came immediately after.
Couldn't marry me, so now you've attached yourself to my uncle instead? Were you always this desperate to become part of the Hastings family?
The third was even crueler.
Don't tell me you actually think my uncle wants to marry you. He's only cleaning up the family's mess and helping both families save face. Once everything settles down, what makes you think he'll keep you around?
Natalie stared at the screen.
Her chest tightened.
But strangely...
It no longer hurt the way it used to.
Once upon a time, every cold word Ethan threw at her would leave her wondering whether she had done something wrong.
Whether she simply needed to try harder.
Today...
She only felt exhausted.
Even now—
Ethan still believed she had spent years chasing him because she wanted to become a Hastings.
He believed marrying Cassius was simply another way of achieving the same goal.
It never once crossed his mind...
...that she had loved him.
Perhaps...
He had never truly understood her.
He only chose the explanation that made himself feel innocent.
If Natalie had only wanted status...
Then everything he had done to her suddenly became justified.
Her finger hovered above the keyboard.
For a brief moment...
She considered replying.
Instead—
She exited the conversation.
Muted Ethan's number.
Turned the phone over.
And quietly placed it on the dresser.
No explanation.
No argument.
No desperate attempt to make him understand.
For the first time...
She simply chose silence.
"Miss Vanderbilt?"
One of the maids smiled politely.
"Would you like us to hang these clothes for you?"
"I'll do it myself."
Natalie slipped off her coat and wheeled her suitcase into the walk-in closet.
The closet was enormous.
Nearly the size of a studio apartment.
Half of the wardrobes had already been emptied for her.
Empty hangers.
Vacant shelves.
Unused jewelry drawers.
Someone had clearly prepared everything in advance.
The opposite side, however, was filled with Cassius' clothing.
Dark suits.
Black dress shirts.
Long wool coats.
Not a single bright color in sight.
Natalie studied them for a moment before turning back.
"...Which guest room is mine?"
The butler hesitated.
"This is Mr. Hastings' master suite."
Natalie blinked.
"...His bedroom?"
"Yes."
"...Then where am I staying?"
Before the butler could answer—
Cassius stepped into the room.
He had already removed his suit jacket.
His black shirt remained impeccably buttoned, sleeves casually rolled just above his wrists.
Natalie looked at him.
"You had my luggage brought into your room."
"Yes."
He admitted it without the slightest hesitation.
"...Why?"
"Because this is where you're staying."
"I know I'm staying here."
She lowered her voice, mindful of the servants nearby.
"What I mean is..."
"Why are we sharing the same bedroom?"
Cassius glanced toward the butler.
Understanding immediately, the staff quietly withdrew and closed the bedroom door behind them.
Only then did Natalie continue.
"Our agreement never said we'd share a room."
"It says we must maintain the appearance of a real engagement."
"Engaged couples can sleep separately."
"They can."
Cassius nodded calmly.
"But this house has butlers, maids, drivers, security personnel..."
"The more people there are..."
"The more gossip there is."
Natalie stared at him in disbelief.
"...You're telling me..."
"You're worried your own staff will gossip?"
Cassius raised one eyebrow.
"Is that so surprising?"
"Of course it is."
She couldn't help protesting.
"If you told them to stay silent, who in this estate would dare spread a single rumor?"
She refused to believe it.
This was Cassius Hastings.
The man who controlled billions.
The man whose private affairs almost never leaked to the outside world.
If he wanted silence...
Silence was exactly what he'd get.
And now...
He expected her to believe this ridiculous excuse.
Cassius leaned casually against the doorway, arms folded across his chest, quietly watching her growing frustration.
"So..."
"You'd rather sleep in a guest room?"
"...Yes."
"Which one?"
"Any of them."
"The east wing is under renovation."
"...Then the west wing."
"Too close to the staff quarters."
"The third floor."
"My office."
Natalie narrowed her eyes.
"This mansion is enormous."
"Don't tell me there isn't a single room available."
"There is."
Cassius answered evenly.
"...They're simply not as suitable as this one."
She stared at him.
Then—
Finally—
It dawned on her.
He wasn't out of guest rooms.
He had never intended to let her sleep anywhere else.
"...Cassius."
It was one of the rare times she called him by his first name.
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
For the briefest instant...
The corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"You're free..."
"...to keep believing that."
(Part 2)
Natalie looked at him in disbelief.
Then, without another word, she turned away.
"If you're determined to be unreasonable..."
"I'll ignore you."
She crouched beside her suitcase, pulling out neatly folded dresses one by one before hanging them inside the wardrobe.
Her movements weren't rough.
But they carried unmistakable frustration.
Cassius remained leaning against the doorway.
He didn't interrupt.
He simply watched.
Piece by piece...
Soft-colored dresses, cashmere sweaters, silk blouses, and coats gradually filled the empty side of the wardrobe.
Her clothes now hung beside his dark suits.
Cream beside black.
Warm beside cold.
Two completely different worlds...
Quietly sharing the same space.
Soon...
Her perfume appeared on the vanity.
Her favorite novels rested on the bookshelf.
A cardigan she had casually draped over the sofa introduced a touch of warmth to an otherwise monochrome room.
The house...
No longer felt like his alone.
Cassius lowered his eyes.
An absurd thought surfaced in his mind without warning.
My wife...
He rarely allowed himself thoughts like this.
After all...
She wasn't really his wife yet.
Not even close.
Their engagement was built upon an agreement.
Their marriage already carried an expiration date.
Two years.
That was all.
Yet...
Watching Natalie quietly settle into his home...
Something that had only ever existed in dreams suddenly became real.
---
Natalie bent down to retrieve a wooden hanger that had rolled onto the floor.
A few loose strands of hair slipped over her shoulder.
The simple scene unexpectedly pulled Cassius back into a memory buried years ago.
The same estate.
The same bedroom.
But back then...
Everything had smelled of blood.
---
Eight years earlier.
Natalie was sixteen.
Cassius was twenty-four.
That year marked his official entry into the Hastings family's inner circle.
It was also the year many people decided...
He shouldn't survive long enough to inherit it.
The assassination happened on the way back from the harbor.
Their convoy had been ambushed just outside a tunnel.
The driver died instantly.
Cassius was shot twice.
Exploding glass from the windshield shattered across his face, destroying the vision in his left eye.
By the time he was brought back to the estate...
His white shirt had turned completely crimson.
Doctors and surgeons rushed over.
Emergency surgery lasted nearly six hours.
His life was saved.
His eye wasn't.
---
When Cassius finally regained consciousness, it was well past midnight.
The room was dimly lit.
The lingering scent of antiseptic mixed with dried blood.
His entire body throbbed with pain.
At first...
He assumed the figure beside his bed was a nurse.
Then the person stirred.
Lifted her head.
Startled awake.
"...Cassius?"
It was Natalie.
She looked exhausted.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
She still wore the pale dress she'd arrived in.
Dark stains of dried blood marked the hem of her skirt.
When she realized he was awake, relief instantly flooded her face.
"You're awake."
Cassius' voice was hoarse.
"...Why are you here?"
"I'm taking care of you."
She answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
He glanced toward the door.
"The doctors?"
"They just stepped out."
"The nurses?"
"They're outside too."
"Then why are you still here?"
Natalie blinked.
"...Because they're busy."
"You don't need to do this."
"I'm not making things harder."
She hurriedly defended herself.
"The doctor asked me to wipe your hands."
"I've been watching your IV."
"And when your medication ran low..."
"I was the one who called the nurse."
Cassius fell silent.
Only then did he notice the dried blood staining her fingers.
His blood.
Not hers.
She had stubbornly stayed beside him from the moment he was carried into the estate.
No one had managed to persuade her to leave.
His gaze settled on the crimson stains decorating the edge of her dress.
"...Aren't you afraid?"
Natalie tilted her head.
"...Afraid of what?"
"The blood."
His voice remained weak.
"...Or me."
She looked genuinely confused.
"Why would I be afraid of you, Lord Cassius?"
Cassius gave a faint, tired smile.
"You've started calling me Lord Hastings recently."
"So?"
"Most people are afraid of Lord Hastings."
Natalie frowned, completely unable to understand.
"But..."
"You've never hurt me."
She answered with complete sincerity.
"So why would I be afraid of you?"
Silence filled the room.
The answer was so simple...
So innocent...
That Cassius didn't know how to respond.
Outside these walls...
People feared him.
They whispered about his ruthlessness.
About the blood on his hands.
About the men who disappeared after standing in his way.
Yet this seemingly delicate sixteen-year-old girl...
Looked at him exactly as she always had.
Not as a monster.
Not as the terrifying head of the Hastings family.
Simply...
Cassius.
She carefully wrung out the towel before gently wiping away the dried blood between his fingers.
Then she looked up at him.
"...Besides."
"You're the one who's hurt."
Her voice softened.
"Hurt people aren't scary."
"They're just..."
"...in pain."
Cassius watched her quietly.
That was the first time he realized...
The seemingly fragile girl everyone thought needed protection...
Was far braver than anyone imagined.
She was afraid of thunderstorms.
Afraid of darkness.
Afraid of horror movies.
Yet...
She wasn't afraid to stay beside a man covered in blood.
Because somewhere deep inside...
She believed—
He would never hurt her.
That unquestioning trust...
Was more dangerous than any bullet.
---
"Lord Cassius?"
Natalie's voice pulled him back to the present.
He blinked.
The memory disappeared.
She had already finished arranging her clothes.
"...You've been staring at me this whole time."
"Have I?"
"You have."
Cassius merely looked away.
"It was nothing."
Natalie clearly didn't believe him.
Still...
She let it go.
Closing the wardrobe doors, she dusted off her hands.
"I'm finished."
Cassius glanced at his watch.
"Go change."
She frowned.
"...Why?"
"We're going out."
"Where?"
He answered as calmly as if discussing tomorrow's board meeting.
"We're going to try on wedding dresses."
Natalie had only just stood up.
Her foot caught against the edge of the suitcase.
She stumbled forward.
Cassius reached out immediately, catching her by the arm before she could fall.
"Careful."
She steadied herself.
Then looked up at him blankly.
"...Try on what?"
"Wedding dresses."
"...Today?"
"The wedding is in two months."
"There isn't much time."
Natalie stared at him.
"...Aren't you embarrassed?"
"About what?"
"Talking about... wedding dresses."
"We're contract fiancés."
Cassius corrected her calmly.
"Our engagement is real."
"The reason isn't."
"That doesn't change the fact that you'll need a wedding dress."
She couldn't argue with that.
"...I just..."
"I'm not used to this."
Cassius studied her quietly.
Then spoke in his usual composed voice.
"You'll get used to it."
He turned toward the door.
"You have thirty minutes."
Natalie watched his retreating figure.
For some reason...
She suddenly felt that, in this strange engagement...
The only person who hadn't adjusted...
Was herself.
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