Chapter 1798
The face was completely unfamiliar, yet a strange sense of déjà vu washed over her.
It was as if she had seen him somewhere before, but couldn’t quite place it.
And whatever the feeling was, it unsettled her deeply.
Elysia frowned, a flicker of instinctual hostility darkening her gaze.
“Jae-hyun, come over here and say hi to Elysia,” Diane called out.
Dressed in a sharp, trendy coat with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, Jae- hyun strolled over with an effortless smile.
Diane linked her arm through his and made the introductions. “This is Elysia, the woman behind the Bradford Group p>
Jae-hyun looked at Elysia, seemingly oblivious to her guarded expression. He offered a gentlemanly hand and spoke in slightly accented English, “A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bradford p>
Elysia eyed him warily. After a moment’s hesitation, she gave his hand a brief, polite shake before quickly pulling back. “Hello p>
His expression remained warm and inviting. “Diane mentioned you’re a fan of the pastries at our shop. Please drop by First Love Bakery anytime-it’s always on the house for you p>
Elysia gave a noncommittal nod. “Right. Thanks p>
Inside the car, Elliot narrowed his eyes, watching the exchange through the tinted window.
Elijah stirred awake beside him. “What are you looking at?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Mom,” Elliot replied simply.
Elijah followed his brother’s gaze. “Who are those people talking to her p>
“One is Booker’s cousin, and the other is the owner of First Love Bakery,” Elliot said. “Look into him p>
“Huh? Look into who p>
“The bakery owner p>
Elijah looked confused. “Why p>
“Look at how tense Mom is,” Elliot pointed out. “Every muscle in her body is coiled tight. There’s definitely something off about that guy p>
Elijah studied the scene for a moment before nodding. “Leave it to me. I’ll dig up everything p>
“Good p>
Elliot rolled down the window and called out, “Mom p>
Elysia was desperately looking for an out, and Elliot provided the perfect excuse. She turned back to Jae-hyun and Diane. “The kids are awake, so I need to get going. We’ll catch up later p>
“No problem! Bye, Elysia,” Diane chimed in cheerfully.
Elysia offered a tight, polite smile and turned back toward the car.
Jae-hyun watched her walk away, his gaze lingering long after she had slipped inside the vehicle.
Diane had to tug his sleeve to break his trance. “Jae-hyun? Should we get going too p>
Only then did he snap out of it, flashing her a brilliant smile. “Of course p>
But just before he turned away, he cast one last, indecipherable glance in the direction of Elysia’s departing car.
Elliot watched him through the rearview mirror, his young eyes sharp and calculating.
“When did you two wake up?” Elysia asked as she buckled her seatbelt.
“Just a minute ago,” Elijah replied.
Elysia glanced at the back, where Evan, Emmett, and the baby were all still dead to the world.
Those three had played the hardest at the banquet today and were completely exhausted.
“Mom, do you have some kind of grudge against that guy?” Elliot asked suddenly. Elysia blinked, startled. “What p>
“You just seemed really tense when you were talking to him,” Elliot observed.
“Was I that obvious?” she asked, surprised.
“Not to everyone, but I could tell,” Elliot said. “You looked like you hated him.” Elysia let out a heavy sigh.
“I honestly don’t know what it is. I
Vel
have no history with him, I don’t even know him. But looking at kim gave me this weird sense of deja vu like I knew him, but didn’t p>
“Whatever it is, I really don’t like him. It felt like we were sworn enemies in
a past life. I’ll just keep my distance from now on
Elijah and Elliot exchanged a silent, knowing look.
Elysia signaled the driver to pull away. Pulling out her phone, she opened her group
chat and specifically tagged Winona.
[I just ran into Jae-hyun Kim. Totally freaked me out p>
Winona replied almost instantly. [What happened? Is everything okay p>
[It’s so weird,] Elysia typed. [He’s a complete stranger, but I swear I’ve seen him before. And my gut instinct wasjust screaming that he’s bad news p>