Forgotten Romance: Take Me Back To You

"How about your findings? Did you find additional information about the child?"

Zenia asked Zion while they were at the car going to the art symposium.

Peter Black said that he will be attending the art symposium since some of the paintings of his friend's wife might be included in the bid. To give respect to the late great painter, Peter Black wanted to collect all her paintings so he could hand it over to her child as soon as they find her. 

"I'm still working to earn the trust of the staffs in the orphanage. I never thought it would be that hard though." Zion replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I told my friend to hack the orphanage system but he didn't find anything about the child." He sighed but he looked outside the window when he remembered a certain memory. 

Seeing him in deep thought, Zenia knew something was bothering the man. "But you found something interesting, am I right?"

Zion smirked. "So I guess you didn't study psychology for nothing huh."

"Psychology doesn't have anything to do with knowing your thoughts, tsk."

Zion chuckled playfully before his eyes looked up at the starry sky above them. Yes, Zenia was right, he found something even interesting. 

"Zenia… what if the reason why we can't find the child is because someone was trying to hide her? What if someone hid every information that could lead to her?"

"Someone powerful… Someone who can control the authorities…"

"Yeah, someone who knew her and her family…"

"Then if that's the case, then who could it be? According to uncle Peter, Mr. Vista has a lot of enemies during his time since he was a righteous lawyer. But then uncle already investigated them few years ago but he didn't get anything. He could have missed something…." Now Zenia was also in deep thought.

"What if the culprit is not considered as the family's enemy?"

"Then friends? A close friend?" Zenia looked at the man whose eyes were still at the sky. 

"What if?" He only mumbled. 

Zenia also thought about it and was planning to work on it the next day. "Did you track all the people involved in the incidence ten years ago?" 

"I'm still working on it. I became relatively busy the past few weeks." He exhaled his tiredness. 

"Looks like being a doctor is exhausting, huh." 

"Exactly!"

"Then why don't you entrust to me all the work? A human needs to eat and rest as well… You might get sick in no time."

"I'm okay. Don't worry about me, I know how to take good care of my health." He grinned playfully. "Besides, this case that we are on is getting interesting." 

The woman suddenly saw a glow in his eyes. He is up to something… something that is giving him the motivation to work on it even more. What could it be? She's thinking. 

"Don't be curious. I'll tell you all about it if I confirmed it myself." Zion tapped the woman on her back. They've been together for almost ten years that they already knew each other. And Zion already learnt how Zenia thinks especially when she gives her that kind of look. 

"Don't keep me in the dark. I'm already dead curious! At least give me a little knowledge about it." She pouted in disappointment. 

Just as he thought… The man sighed in defeat. 

"Well, this is just an ȧssumption…" He seriously looks at the woman's eyes. "What if she became a new person? New name, new identity?"

Zenia's expectations failed her on the spot. She thought of hearing a new information but hearing Zion's idea frustrates her. "Seriously? You only thought about that just now? We already discussed that possibility, remember?!" She hissed. 

"I know, I know…" Zion buŧŧed in. "But what if….."

"What if what? Do you know how many but's you have in an hour?" Now she's going crazy. 

"What if the child loses her memories and is now living as someone else without any knowledge about her past? Her family?" 

Now that was a totally impossible scenario. Zenia reasoned within her. "And that's the craziest idea I ever heard my entire life. How could that even possible?! Those scenes are only used in movies but in reality, I don't think that would even be possible." She chuckled mocking the man's idea. 

"I know it's one in a million but why can't we use that hypothesis to widen our search? You yourself have seen how father did his best to search for the child but he never succeeded. He used different kinds of methods but it didn't help. Now the only obvious answer to that is maybe because she lost her memories?"

"I don't know… I totally don't know. But I really don't think that special incident is applicable to this case. Don't expect me to accept that but if you want to stick on that then why not." 

Zion didn't say another word. He knew that his idea is quite absurd and totally impossible but he couldn't take that thought away in his head. 

Well, he won't lose anything if he holds that idea to be true. Despites looking for the child for almost ten years, it is totally unreasonable to finds nothing about her. Even if she died then there should be a record proving it. However, they found none. They found some women with the same name but almost every one of them are proven to be their father's daughters. 

What if it is not a coincidence that he met that woman? What if it was destiny trying to correct all the mishaps of the past? His many 'what if's' drew a lot of hypothesis in his mind and connected it to the experiences of the person whom he personally knew.

It can… It can definitely be possible. He concluded. 

MEANWHILE, the meeting of the executives is talking some time and Marcus seemed restless when he didn't receive a response from Jade for almost ten minutes. Did she possibly find someone whom she could talk to? Marcus was about to keep his phone back inside his pocket when he suddenly received an image. 

"Kill him if you need to." Marcus uttered after a few talk with Hayden. "I know that man very well so make sure he won't be able to touch Jade."

"Oh, what an unlucky fellow." Hayden voiced in a taunting manner. "Okay, not a problem. I'll sacrifice my happiness to protect yours then." He chuckled in jest.

Marcus was about to correct him but he immediately drops the call. 

"So rude." He hissed annoyingly but returned to the meeting table after. The photo that was sent to him disturbed him greatly but knowing that Hayden would be watching Jade gave him the ȧssurance that the woman will be safe. 

But who sent that photo to him? Now he's curious. However, the uncanny feeling within him vanished as soon as he returned to the table. Looks like something bad happened during his absence. 

The executive's discussions were heated up that it would be impossible for them to finish it early. Dang it. He cursed within him.

"Uhm… Thank you for helping me out." She shyly voiced. "And I'm sorry that you used your fist against him. Would you be okay after tonight?" Jade was sincerely worried about the young celebrity's career.

"Well, to tell you the truth, your husband is a lot scarier than losing my career." He chuckled jokingly. 

"Did he really… uhm, told you that?" 

"The what?" He seriously looked at the woman who shies away.

"Uhm… eh… Nothing. Just forget about what I said." She faked a chuckle. She wanted to know if it what he did was totally Marcus' idea. 

It was when Hayden saw her reddened cheeks that he truly understood what the woman was trying to ask. 

"Marcus and I had known each other for quite some time. We were not actually good buddies that's why it's too weird to hear him asking me for a favor."

"Eh?" The woman was confused. If they are not friends then are they considered enemy then? The man must have read her thoughts because he answered what was on her mind that moment. 

"Where not enemies either." He smiled. 

"Then what are you exactly?"

"Hmm… Well, you can simply say we know each other since we were in middle schools."

"Oh…" Jade understood since she knew that such connection is possible. 

"I could have ignored the favor that he was asking but when I saw you, I suddenly understood why he suddenly set aside his pride just for you."

"Set aside his pride? What do you mean?" Now she's totally in a muddle. Looks like this man beside him and Marcus has an ill-gotten relationship for who knows why.

"You're his wife therefore you should know that Marcus is somehow arrogant. He never asked anyone for a favor… not until this day." 

Now she understood his point and that made her heart skip a beat but she tried to act sane in front of the young man. 

"I think you misunderstood him. I am working under him and I came here as his secretary, not as his wife. I'm sure he's worried that I might do something clumsy that would embarrass him." She chuckled aloud. Hayden was about to say something to counter her words when they suddenly saw an old man who accidentally tripped while looking at the paintings. 

Jade instinctively run to help him. "Mister, are you alright?" Jade helped him stood up and led him in an empty pew. 

"Thank you." The old man muttered as he met her eyes. 

"Oh wait, I think I saw you before…" She held her jaw while rummaging her memory. "ah right! Zion's father, am I right?"

The old man chuckled. "You have a good memory, sweetheart. By the way, my name is Peter Black." He extended his hand for a handshake. 

"Jade…" She paused for a few seconds thinking if it is right to use Marcus surname or not. "Jade Arria. Nice meeting Mr. Black." 

Her sweet smile came into view as soon as she accepted the old man's hand. Peter smiled back but his smile turned grim as soon as she thought of someone.

The woman in front of him seemingly resembles his late friend's wife!