Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Elise's POV. The entire inspection and negotiations went smoothly. Kieran immediately decided to provide the orphanage with one million dollars annually, starting the month after that, ensuring all the orphans could afford college. The contract was signed without a hitch. Margaret, along with the teachers who had accompanied them, warmly invited the group to dine in the orphanage's newly built cafeteria. Throughout the tour, Kieran seemed to want to say something but held back. Margaret finally broached the topic herself. "Mr. Wolfe, you want to ask me about Elise, don't you?" Kieran's eyes immediately lit up, but before he could speak, Margaret said, "Elise has mentioned you to me, and I know where she is, but she won't see you." Kieran's fingers curled until his nails dug into his palms, sharp pain biting into his skin. Even so, it still could not drown out the deeper agony gnawing at his chest. It was the same answer Lucian had once given him: she did not want to see him. Why would she not want to see him when she had loved him so much? Margaret seemed to sense his turmoil. She gazed toward the misty mountain peaks as she reminisced about the past. "Elise was a special human child. She had lost both her parents at a young age, so I brought her here and raised her myself. I was always buried in work at the orphanage, but Elise never complained. She was well-behaved and even helped me whenever she could." Margaret's voice seemed to drift from somewhere far away, and Kieran's vision gradually filled with the image of a small figure obediently following behind Margaret, doing whatever tasks were within her ability. "It was in this environment that Elise developed her resilient character. Nothing could break her; nothing could drive her away unless she became extremely disappointed in something and chose to leave on her own. You must have done something to cause that kind of disappointment." I had never shared details of my story with Margaret, but she had pieced together enough. She turned to Kieran, her eyes weathered yet steady, locking onto him as if she could see through to his soul, Kieran could clearly see his current state reflected in Margaret's eyes. The painful, remorseful version of himself who could not utter a single word. His throat felt blocked, and despite using all his strength, he could only manage one syllable. "I..." "So that's why she won't go back, Mr. Wolfe. Love can't be forced, or both people will end up hurt." 1/3 Chapter 16 +25 Bonus With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Kieran rooted to the spot like a silent statue. Late at night, the other teachers and I finally returned to the orphanage. I had assumed that no matter how long the inspection lasted, the Wolfe family's people would leave the same day. However, when I stepped out of the van, I immediately spotted Kieran's Maybach. I was far too familiar with that car because Kieran had used it to drive me through every street and alley in the northern territory. He had prepared all sorts of surprises for me in it, and we had even made passionate love in it countless times. Yet, later, in that very same car, he had given another woman all the things he had once given me. I looked away and was about to continue walking toward the orphanage when the Maybach's driver's door opened and someone stepped out. The door opened without warning, and the two people who thought they would never see each other again suddenly came face- to-face. Time froze at that moment. The earthy smell of rain-soaked soil vanished, and the distant sounds of children playing in the woods disappeared, leaving only the wild beating of Kieran's heart and his rapid breathing. "Elise." Kieran had not expected to actually see me here either. Due to the dark and dangerous mountain roads, Kieran and his men had planned to stay overnight at the orphanage and leave first thing in the morning. Since he had a pile of company business waiting for him, Kieran had gone straight back to his car to handle it. He had just been about to step out for a cigarette for a quick break when he spotted me, the woman he had been desperately thinking about for so long. Kieran could not believe that after just three months apart, I had changed so dramatically. My once waist-length hair had been cut into a neat shoulder-length style, and my white dresses had been replaced by a faded shirt and jeans. The smooth skin that Kieran had worked so hard to nurture back had become rough again. Kieran almost thought he had mistaken someone else for me. I looked at Kieran as well, never having imagined I would encounter him here. The moment I saw him, the grief buried deep in my heart surged back up my throat, and memories rewound like a tape being played backward, with those painful scenes replaying one by one in my mind. At last, the wind carried my voice to his ears. "Kieran, why do you still keep coming for me?" There was no sadness, no excitement, just an even tone that must have cut into Kieran's chest like the sharpest blade. bd 2/3