CHAPTER 2

Jessica turned around, and her expression froze for a brief second when she saw him.

 He was tall, well-dressed, and clearly rich.

His suit looked expensive. His steps were calm and sure. 

Behind him, six men in dark suits followed quietly, their stern presence making the area around them suddenly feel tense.

 It was obvious that they were body guards. 

“Sorry… what did you call me?” she asked, still frowning.

Eric smiled a little to ease her tension.  “I forgot your full name, but I’m the boy who gave you that,” he said, pointing at the pendant in her hand.

 “Seventeen years ago, you saved my life,” Eric said, his voice lower now,  the memory still  clear in his mind.

 "I told you I would come back for you on my thirtieth birthday. And today is that day.”

He stepped closer and stretched out his hand for a hand shake. 

His eyes were brightened up with joy. “I’m Eric Edison,” he said. 

“And I must say you ’ve grown into a very beautiful young woman.”

 Jessica’s heart skipped once as she looked at him again, her thoughts beginning to race rapidly.

 He looked rich and confident with the grace of a royal prince.

So this was the man Tessy had been waiting for all these years?

The one who promised to come back for her?

In her head, she quickly added one plus one. So this is him?

She forced a small smile.“Oh! I was just surprised,” she said. 

“I’m Jessy Stone,” she added softly, watching his face carefully for any sign of suspicion.

Eric nodded slowly, still looking at her.

Jessica kept smiling, but inside she felt relieved. 

 He does not remember the name, she thought. 

That was very good, that means he cannot tell who is who.

Eric’s gaze stayed on her for a second longer than normal.

Something about her smile made Eric pause slightly. A faint feeling of unfamiliarity crossed his mind, but the excitement of finally finding her quickly buried it.

Jessica’s fingers tightened around the pendant immediately, afraid he might suddenly notice something wrong. 

She knew one thing clearly now, this man had come back for Tessy Stone.

 And for now, she would make sure he did not find out she was not Tessy.

Jessica’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him again.

 She had seen his face on TV earlier that morning. It never  occurred to her that the much talked about man would be the one Tessy had been waiting for.

The more Jessica looked at him, the more her breathing slowly clenched. This man was far more powerful than she had imagined.

And if Tessy saw him now, she may realize  that he was the man she had been waiting for.

Jessica’s chest tensed at the thought of Tessy returning at any moment. She had to get him away quickly.

Jessica relaxed her face and gently took his hand.

 “Eric… thank you for coming  for me after all these years,” she said in a soft voice. 

“I’ve waited for you for so long.”

Eric looked at her and followed without hesitation as she lead him out of the mall.

 After searching for seventeen years, simply standing beside her already filled Eric with relief he could not explain.

His grip on her hand tightened slightly, like he was afraid she might disappear anytime. 

He looked happy and relieved.

Jessica led him quickly out of the shop and across the road to another shopping mall nearby. 

She walked faster than normal, checking around as they moved.

 She wanted to make sure Tessy didn’t see them. 

They had been raised together as sisters, they loved and looked out for each other’s welfare.

But right now, Jessica was bent on taking her sister’s long awaited man, to hell with sisterhood.  

The street was busy with people moving in different directions.

 A few people turned their heads when they saw Eric and his men, they looked different from people who normally walk in the street. 

Inside the new mall, Eric took her to a jewelry section with glass displays.

 The items there were very expensive.

“Pick anything you like,” he said simply.

Jessica’s eyes brightened immediately the moment she saw the prices inside the jewelry section

 Her eyes landed on a necklace in the display case. 

She pointed at it immediately. It was very expensive, worth more than two hundred and fifty million dollars.

“I want this one,” she said.

Eric nodded at once.

 He did not  blink an eyelid at the price, he just told the staff to pack it and he paid without asking any questions.

“Pick more if you want,” he added.

Jessica smiled and picked another item. 

She continued picking without holding back. 

Eric did not stop her. 

He only watched and allowed her to continue. 

 In his mind, this was the girl he had been waiting for.

 To Eric, none of the prices mattered. Compared to the seventeen years he spent searching for her, money felt insignificant

But not far behind them, Eric’s bodyguards exchanged uneasy looks among themselves.