Heyyo, beautiful people!

Please don't be mad at me for the terribly late updates. Things are getting harder for me as I just walked into the era of adulthood and man, this stage is pretty hectic.

Okay, okay. Let's not waste anymore time and move on to the story❤️

Happy Reading!

*****

Adrian Reed Smith

"You okay, baby?" I whispered, the last word yet again surpassing me unconsciously. My knuckles slowly caressing her rosy cheeks as my eyes are refusing to leave hers and I'm feeling all kind of superior malfunctioning on my heart right now.

This feelings, are only from her.

I thought so in my mind, while my fingers still hovering her smooth skin and just by a ticking second, she jumped away from me as if she had been electrocuted by something.

Her face became blank as she looked away and she muttered a small, "Thank you, Mr Smith.", before striding away from me.

I watched her leaving and my chest leaped in agony.

Why does this hurt so much?

"Honey, here you're! I have been finding you for minutes inside." I had an exact guess on who does this whiny arms would be and I had it right when she came around to face me. "Wait, why were you here though?" She asked dramatically while looking around the place.

I simply shake my head while saying, "Nothing. Let's go in.", and I led us inside. I heard the crowd cheering once again for us and they had us walked on the red carpet to get me to the VIP table.

I greeted every heads and I was stunned to see Mr Campbell, standing up from the same VIP table that they reserved for me.

What is he doing here?

"Surprise!" Sierra screeched from my left and I was a frown. The old man walk up to me and gave me handshake with a nod.

"I guess, you're indeed surprised." He joked and I regain my composure. I smiled a little, not letting our presence alliance to doubt us and I stretched out my hand to him for the handshake.

Even though his unforeseen entrance has been giving me a red flag tonight, I did my best to outright the good act of being a gentleman. We were seated around the same table, where I was sitting in between Sierra and her father.

The old man was plotting some stories with other alliances of ours as he thankfully let me go off topic and Sierra had been eyeing her handphone for minutes now, yet I took the opportunity to roam my eyes around. To find that one source, which would keep me going. Finally as everything swishes in place, my gaze landed on her, I felt like breathing normally again.

She is so beautiful in that white dress. Right when I saw her cornered by the paparazzi, I was hooked with the angelic vision she had on me. Urging every cells on my body to scoop her away from right there and all the way somewhere in between no one.

Somewhere that is only embarked for us.

"-ney? Hey." I was taken back when I sensed myself being pushed and I snapped my eyes back at Sierra.

"Y-Yes?" I stuttered, panicking. Had she caught me eyeing Kameela from afar? I shouldn't have let my self go, especially when her father is around. I battled to my mind once again about why I had to marry her.

"Are you okay? What happened to you? The host was giving us a big applause but you weren't reacting at all. Honey, please tell me...." She was saying but instantaneously, I lost my interest to listen to her when my vision fell on something over her shoulder.

I focused my eyes back again and images of the party where I had my unplanned engagement.

That....That old man. He was in the same suit with the side smirk on that night too. What is he doing here?

Slowly, one of the scene from that night played in my head.

"That's bullshit." I mumbled out the first thing that came out of my mind after processing his sentences. "I don't need love. Why do I need it? I am a famous billionaire, I....have everything around me."

My eyes were wide, I had this conversation with that man. I can remember this. As if he knew of what I'm thinking from here, he smirked at me once again and chinned up while somewhat disappearing behind the dark end of the hall.

I stood up and my feet rushed me towards the direction of him. I speed walk and at one point while running out of patience, I ran up to him.

I strike through the darkness and I was taken to an open veranda, with no living things around. And, right in middle, I saw the same old guy with that exact suit, his back on me while he was looking into the night sky.

"You? I know you." He turned around over my accusation and all he did was to chuckle.

"I know you too." He replied casually. For some unknown reason, I couldn't be angry any longer.

"What happened to me?" I asked him, slumping my shoulders in defeat as I gave in. "What have you done?" My volume getting slower and slower by every words I spoke.

He simply glanced at me with his eyebrows scrunched together. "Don't you dare lie that you don't know why it happened."

I was stunned and confused at the same time. What is the 'happened' that I supposed to know?

"I....I really don't know. What happened that night?" He looked at me as if it was hard for him to believe me but at the end, the old man laughed.

"I was just pulling your leg. Of course, you wouldn't remember anything. How would you when I didn't let you." He said coolly and I frowned. What does he meant by that?

"You....don't want me to remember? But, why?"

"Sometimes, somethings needs to be taken away for what I had given you. So in your case, it's your memory." He said and walked over to me. Staring me straight in the eyes as he quoted out softly, "The memory which you should always surfer to get back."

I let out a puff of my breath, reeling on my knees as the thought of giving up anything just to make me remember everything become prominent in my brain.

I don't beg. The Adrian Reed Smith do not beg for anything, so why am I doing it right now? What am I going to get by this untold memories anyway? Well, I lost my six months of life but I'm back here as the real me again. So, why do I need the memories back?

Questions dawned into me and I could hear the old man chuckling. "Her. It is because of her."

I snapped my head upwards to look at him with dilated eyes and he was intensely staring right back at me.

For a second, I felt my eyes going blank. But my body is still and I don't feel like floating either.

Suddenly, a flashback came in my view and I can see it all now.

*****

Adrian Reed Smith [Flashback to that night]

Four pegs, nah? It was not enough for today's fiasco.

What happened today was extremely out of my control. For the first time, I had lose all my control over my fucking life and just in a blink of seconds, I'm engaged.

I glanced at the illuminating white stone on my finger and I nearly spit on it, which would lead to an unavoidable drama.

"I'm so happy, honey." She whispered over my ear, her arms coming around from each side of my waist and I wanted to push her away.

I dreaded to do the exact thing since she wanted to make a performance of the kiss to seal the engagement. But how could I push her away like that, when her father is always keeping an eye on us?

I steered around and stared up at the man in suit, giving me the quiet smirk and I know what is he thinking on his mind. In order to stop him from thinking anything vicious, I gazed back at his daughter and kissed those injected lips. With no passion or even a little bit of lust.

I let her go only when I caught her breathless and I faked a smile as I knew that I had accomplished of what does that man needed me to do.

I let her go and walked away, or more like marched away from there with flaring eyes.

How can I not have the upper hand in my own life?

This wouldn't have happened if I didn't stopped concentrating on my business. This wouldn't have happened if I was in control with my sexual lives. This wouldn't have happened if I begun finding for emotions instead of lust.

No wonder the local news papers named me as the 'panty-ripper' or 'heart breaker' or 'casanova', or even some with vulgar names such as the 'manwhore' or the 'womanizer'.

I knew that I was loosing my lead when I let these women to share my bed every night. I did dated few, though some were famous celebrities while the others were some local chips, but none of it last longer. None of them wanted more than just sex or the glorifying luxuries life.

Yet I tried to engage with every potential women I knew but I only ended up bedding them for pleasures, which never last much longer

Once a friend of mine asked me, whether I'm doing this for fun or it's because....I'm alone. I couldn't answer him, I just looked at him and laughed, not knowing what to answer. How could I when I don't have one.

The result of my over-growing sexual relationships, I remanded myself from the one and only thing which started my faith. My well-known business empire that comes from my late uncle.

I lost the commercial shares, unsigned some contracts and never really fulfilled their requirements. My trusted partners and alliances backed away as they studied the poverty on my performances yet I lost my cables.

I did some modelling in extra to support the company and beneficially it does on one point when I learned that I had a fan base. I used that to climb up once again but it wasn't enough. Rural gossips went around everyone's ears and they judge me, even though I had ceased looking out for women. My old habits seemed to haunt me down every time.

Just like a sudden bliss in the air, I had a call from The Campbells, one of the intimidating business empire where everyone would die to be a part of. I was invited for an official meeting and they offered me the best prize in market to improvise my business. I agreed gradually, expecting that their returnable might consist of several percentages from the profit I would get, but everything crumbles when the old man asked my life in return for his beloved daughter.

I was shocked on first but agreed unwillingly for the sake of my company.

"It's just an agreement of conveniences so what can this stupid proposal can do after all?" My fool mind pledged with a smirk that day when I signed those contracts for shares but what I didn't realized the same day was how my life not going to be same afterwards.

Everything that happened around seemed unplanned and I was only forced to do two things. To always say yes and to always nod my head, even for something that do not interest me. Today, will the better example for that.

I got betrothed to someone who I barely know and she probably chose to marry me because of my standing in the business world. This I'm close to drowning with my business but I have always got that name as the 'All in One' throughout the successful achievements I had.

Lord, why is my life so fucked up? I always wanted to be loved and deep down I know that I wanted to fall in love too, but I just signed up my life in public to someone who's not ever going to show me love. And, once again I will be a left out for that particular emotion.

"Steady, young man." I never knew I was stumbling while in my walk until someone caught me up. "Steady." The person repeats and he held me up.

My eyes were foggy as I hardly made out the person's feature. I knew I'm near to pass out with the pain that will never heal and the missing part in my life that will never be filled. Thus, why am I the only one facing all this? All of these headaches, hustles

Right this moment, all I want in life is to disappear away from everyone and everything. To get some peace for my mind.

"Don't worry about that." He quoted as if he just read my mind.

I swore that I saw a halo around him or was this just the alcohol?

"It wasn't the alcohol, trust me." He chuckles.

How can he easily get it all out of my mind? Fuck it! My life is already trashing me up and the last thing I need right now is for someone to mock me. With this thought in head, I regain my will and prepare to walk past this intriguing old man.

I was briefly been caught in my steps when he held onto my arm. "You don't want peace?" He asked merely.

"Peace? For me?" I laughed with no humour. "Peace hates me, old man. I had lost the meaning behind that word. What to say, I'm an unlucky bastard. Now let me go." I scowled and pushed myself away from his grip.

He let me go and I was free to move away but his next words made me to froze.

"You don't want love?" I had my head turned to look at him and he have this small smile.

The story is so close to end now and I can't wait to finally reunite my babies together again....✨( ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ)