Chapter 547

Chapter 547:

Leandro’s words caught Amelia completely off guard.

In any other setting, with any other person, Amelia would have assumed the man was trying to flirt. Other than the brief moment she had seen Leandro from the car, she was certain they had never crossed paths before.

“I’m afraid we’ve never met, Mr. Rodriguez,” Amelia said, a small smile curving her lips.

That smile only deepened the strange familiarity Leandro felt when he looked at her. As a member of the Rodriguez family, he lived surrounded by both privilege and peril. One memory from his childhood was etched so deeply in his mind that he could never forget it.

He had been only ten years old at the time. His caregiver, who had tended him since infancy, had been bribed to drug him and secretly take him out of the Rodriguez mansion. When he finally regained consciousness, he found himself swallowed by darkness and the sting of saltwater.

𝘞e 𝗎𝗉𝗱𝗮𝘵𝖾 𝗲𝗏𝘦𝗋𝘺 wее𝗄 о𝗻

By sheer luck the ocean currents had loosened the ropes on his wrists and ankles. Having learned to swim at an early age, he still had a fighting chance of survival, but the sea was merciless, and before long his strength began to fade. Just when he thought the ocean would claim him, a startled cry from a young girl reached his ears. Moments later, he was pulled aboard a ship, drifting on the edge of consciousness.

The final image seared into his mind was a silver bracelet. When he awoke in a hospital bed, the Rodriguez family’s bodyguards were already at his side. Blessed with a photographic memory, he later sketched the bracelet exactly as he had seen it and recognized the girl’s language. From that moment on, he dispatched countless people to search for her.

Using the scraps of information left behind on the cruise ship, Leandro traced a trail through countless cities until he finally located the bracelet’s designer. The designer confirmed it had been a custom piece but couldn’t identify the buyer—only that the order had come from someone in Kretol. Following that lead, Leandro arrived in Kretol and soon discovered that Brielle owned the bracelet.

Even so, something about her didn’t sit right. He still remembered that night long ago, the doctor carrying him away, and the final image seared into his mind: a silver bracelet. When he had regained consciousness in a hospital bed, the Rodriguez family’s bodyguards had been at his side. Blessed with a photographic memory, he had later sketched the bracelet exactly as he had seen it and recognized the girl’s language. From that moment on, he had sent people everywhere to search for her.

Now, seeing Amelia, the girl’s smile from his memory seemed to overlap with hers. The more he stared, the more certain he felt that the two were connected.

Kelsey, noticing Leandro’s unblinking gaze, narrowed her eyes and, without a word, slipped her phone out to send Wyatt a quick message. Amelia shifted under the intensity of Leandro’s look; to mask her unease she lifted the glass of water and took a small sip.

“Why does it feel as though I’ve known you before?” Leandro asked.

His question hit Amelia so unexpectedly that she choked and began coughing, her eyes reddening. When she finally caught her breath, she shot him a sharp look. “Mr. Rodriguez, that isn’t funny,” she said firmly. “The feud between Brielle and me is entirely her fault. Targeting the Stewart Group and the Davis Group on her behalf is unreasonable. But if that’s what you’ve chosen to do, my husband and I will stand our ground to the very end p>

The Stewart Group and the Davis Group might not rival Brightmore in power, but even the weakest lash out when forced into a corner. They were prepared to fight to the bitter end if necessary.