The Memory She Left Behind
846 Words
Linton City —
The night followed her home.
Isolde lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling of her small apartment in Linton City.
The faint glow from the streetlights slipped through the curtains, resting quietly against the walls.
Everything was still.
Except her thoughts.
“Someone once told me to find a reason to live…”
Her fingers curled slightly into the bedsheet.
“…Why does that sound like me"
The question stayed.
Unanswered.
Her eyes slowly closed.
And then—
Wind.
Cold.
A rooftop.
“…Hey—wait!”
Her voice.
Younger. Softer. Unsteady.
A boy stood near the edge.
Still. Silent.
“…Why are you stopping me?”
Young Isolde hesitated, her hands tightening slightly.
“I—I just… you can’t do that!”
“…Why not?”
“I don’t know—!” she blurted, panic slipping through.
“…I don’t have a reason to stay.”
Silence.
She froze.
Thinking. Struggling.
“…Then—then…!”
Her voice trembled.
“…Then live for me!”
The words came out clumsy.
Too sudden.
Her face flushed immediately.
“…I—I mean… just for now! Until you find something better… you can stop later if you want…”
The boy frowned slightly.
“…Why should I believe you?”
She panicked again.
“…E-Err… I don’t know…”
A pause.
Even she looked unsure of herself.
“…But I’m here, right?” she added quickly.
“So… maybe just try?”
A long silence followed.
Then slowly—
The boy turned.
And she saw his face clearly.
Lucian.
Isolde’s eyes opened abruptly.
Her breath came out uneven.
The room returned.
Dark. Quiet.
“…That was…”
Her voice dropped.
“…Gloomy Face…
The nickname slipped out before she could stop it.
Her chest tightened slightly.
“…Lucian…?”
Everything began to settle into place.
The way he looked at her.
The way he spoke.
The things he said.
It wasn’t random.
It wasn’t coincidence.
Isolde sat there for a long moment.
Not rushing.
Not reacting.
Just… thinking.
“…It could be him,” she murmured softly.
A pause.
“…Or maybe I’m just connecting things that aren’t there.”
She exhaled slowly, leaning back against the headboard.
“…But if it is…”
Her fingers tightened slightly against the blanket.
Then loosened again.
“…I’ll know eventually.”
The thought settled quietly.
Not forced.
Not rushed.
Just… decided.
---
Greyford City
The conference room carried a different kind of silence.
Not calm.
Controlled.
A long table stretched across the room, filled with executives from different branches of Virell Group.
Some reviewed documents.
Some avoided looking up.
At the head—
Lucian Virell.
“…The port deal in Raven Port is still pending,” a senior manager spoke, voice measured but careful.
“We recommend increasing the offer slightly to secure the contract before competitors step in.”
Lucian didn’t respond immediately.
He turned a page.
Calm. Unhurried.
Then—
“No.”
The word landed flat.
The manager stiffened.
“…Sir, if we don’t act now, we risk losing—”
“We don’t adjust under pressure,” Lucian cut in.
A quiet tension spread across the table.
Another executive spoke, more cautiously.
“With respect, the market is shifting. A small compromise now could guarantee long-term control.”
A few subtle nods followed.
Others remained still.
Watching.
Waiting.
Lucian lifted his gaze.
That was enough.
The room went completely silent.
“Then you’ve already lost control,” he said.
No raised voice.
No emotion.
But the meaning was clear.
Across the table, one man lowered his eyes quickly.
Another adjusted his tie, masking discomfort.
At the far end—
Elias Vance stood quietly, tablet in hand.
Observing.
This wasn’t unusual.
But something else was.
Three meetings delayed.
Two rescheduled trips.
And now—
Everything had been pulled back into place.
“Next,” Lucian said.
Elias stepped forward slightly.
“The expansion meeting in Northreach is ready. The board is expecting you in person.”
Lucian closed the file.
“Schedule the flight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
A brief pause
“…Understood.”
Elias noted it down, but his expression didn’t fully relax.
Later — In Transit
The city lights faded beneath the aircraft.
Inside, everything was quiet.
Ordered.
Documents lay neatly arranged before Lucian.
Every detail reviewed.
Every decision precise.
Elias sat across from him, posture straight but less rigid now.
“…You’ve resumed everything at once,” he said carefully.
No response.
“…You usually don’t delay work unless it’s necessary.”
Silence.
Then—
“…Should I be concerned?”
Lucian paused for a fraction of a second.
---
Then continued reading.
---
“No.”
---
Short.
Final.
Elias nodded slowly.
But his gaze lowered slightly.
Because he knew—
Lucian Virell didn’t disrupt his own patterns without reason.
And whatever that reason was—
It hadn’t disappeared.
---
One remembered everything.
The other had just begun to.
And somewhere between certainty and doubt—
Something had already started to shift.
---
- Writer
