The Memory Weaver and The Billionaire

Chapter Three

Aiden took a sharp turn at the next bend he saw, forgetting to check for any coming vehicles and barely avoiding the truck that had been coming at that time.

He parked his car at a corner, after making sure he wasn't going to obstruct any vehicle that was coming that way and also making sure he wasn't going to get hit.

He was trying to catch his breath and could feel his body shaking.

He didn't know if he was going to be able to continue his drive by himself, and calling his chauffeur was out of the option due to the fact that his parents were bound to find out what had almost happened and probably ban him from driving for a while, which he didn't want.

He sat in his car contemplating if he should call Natasha because that was the only person he felt he could trust a bit. He thought against it after a while; he didn't want to bother her, and he wasn't so sure she wouldn't talk about it with someone else.

He sat in the position he was in, his head rested back against the car headrest, his hand on his steering wheel, clenching it tightly, his legs folded not so tightly for an extra 30 minutes, and when he was certain he had regained his composure and he couldn't feel his body shake anymore, he continued on his drive.

He had decided to go to the beach, then probably book a room in any hotel close to the beach, then call his parents and let them know he wasn't coming home that night.

He was hoping to drive to a place where he wasn't known, because after he had come out of coma, he had realized he was very popular—something his mom said was normal but felt very new to him.

He had gotten calls, texts, and messages, some calling to withdraw business deals from their company; he had tried his best and somehow found a way to convince them that all the news that had been circulating was fake and he was still very much capable of handling any deal that needed his expertise; some had called to ask how he was; whether it was sincere care or just wanting to know how long it would take before his company collapsed, he couldn't tell.

He had also seen his face splashed on a lot of TV screens and newspapers, which had not only convinced him he was popular but increased the number of people that knew him.

He was grateful that despite having lost his memory, he hadn't become dumb and could still retain information fast.

So after many months of reading and going through office documents and files, he was able to step into the shoes of Aiden Riven, everybody knew, keep up the act of the news being spread as false, and still deliver as he was expected to.

He was certain they would be a place he escaped to whenever he didn't want to be known, bringing out his phone to check through his files.

Miraculously, his phone had been part of the things that had been rescued, and even more surprisingly, it hadn't gone through much damage. He had gone through all the files he had found on his phone, hoping that somehow it would trigger a memory, but it hadn't.

He had noticed some of the things he had tried to access had passwords that he could remember and wasn't ready to dig deep into it yet, so he had let it be.

He didn't also know why, but he felt those hidden documents and apps that had been protected by passwords held secrets he wasn't ready to see yet—secrets that could either make things easier for him or make things harder and more complicated.

After scrolling through his phone for hours, he finally found what he was looking for.

It was written in the tiniest font he could think of, and it had been placed in between other written notes so that if you weren't looking for what he was looking for and taking the time to read in between lines, you wouldn't see it.

He smiled happily, glad he hadn't written it as part of the hidden files. He turned up his car once more and continued on his drive.

The drive to Montuak Beach took longer than he had expected, but he could see why he had chosen that spot for his getaway.

It was in a secluded and remote location with limited access, and it was quite far from where he lived and worked, although his popularity expanded far beyond where he lived and worked.

"Welcome, Mr. Lancrofft." “We hadn't seen you for a while; we were starting to get worried we had done something to offend you." The receptionist greeted him as soon as he had stepped into the reception.

He looked behind him, making sure he was the one she was referring to, doing it in a subtle form so she wouldn't notice his confusion.

Mr. Lancrofft was probably the alias he used whenever he was here; why Lancroft though?

“Not at all, just been a lot busier than usual," he responded, giving her a reassuring smile. It seemed he was here on a frequent basis.

After he had checked in and made his room reservation in one of the beach houses, he made his way into the place, bringing out his phone and checking through it, hoping he had written somewhere how to act if he was there so he wouldn't act out of character, and if he hadn't, he hoped there was no particular way he needed to act when he was there.

He was shown to a spot where he could stay, and according to the person who had led him, it was his favourite spot.

He had gone for a swim after sitting for a while and enjoying the cool breeze on his skin. He thought swimming was something natural and what everybody knew had to do, so he hadn't checked twice to be sure he could swim. Luckily for him, he was a pro at him.

After swimming for hours and was starting to feel his limb ache, he decided it was time for him to retire to his room. Besides, it was starting to get dark; the drive had actually taken much longer than he had.

He went to where he had seating, gathering his clothes and making sure he wasn't forgetting anything when he heard his name.

“Mr Lancroft”, “Mr Lancrofft, Stacia kept shouting, wondering if he was avoiding her.

After shouting his name for a while and getting no indication that he was hearing her, she headed in his direction, calling his name as he did so.

He looked up, searching his brain for who the woman that was screaming his name was, but he couldn't. He looked in the direction he was going, wondering if he should make a run for it, but she was closer now, and she was waving.

He gave her a look over, trying to see if somehow that would help him remember, but he still couldn't place his mind on who she was.

She was in front of him now, smiling and before he could open his mouth to say anything, she kissed him, mouthing

"I have missed you in between the kisses.”.