After the Secret Wedding Rise of My Queen

Chapter 173 Echoes of a Forgotten Past

Isabel gritted her teeth subtly. She'd guessed he would throw her question back at her, so she had a plan ready.

"I'm not that hung up on the emerald guardian angel pendant," she said casually. "I'm just curious, who was the girl who gave it to you? It's rare to see you care so much about something. Besides, Rachel lost her cool over it just now, making me wonder if there's some hidden story behind this." Xander could tell she was fishing for information, but he let it slide.

"Oh? And why do you think a girl gave it to me?"

"Because, traditionally, guys wear emerald guardian saint pendants, and girls wear emerald guardian angel pendants. Plus, if a boy gave it to you, then, well, that'd be interesting," Isabel teased, trying to distract him.

Xander chuckled and shook his head. Her playful side always made him feel helplessly captivated.

"You're right; it was from a girl," he admitted, looking her in the eyes. "Does that make you jealous?"

Isabel raised an eyebrow. Jealous? That hadn't even crossed her mind.

She'd seen a girl in her dreams who gave Xander an emerald pendant. She couldn't make out her face, but the girl felt familiar and warm, almost like she was a part of herself.

"So, who is she to you?" Isabel wasn't about to follow his lead and get sidetracked.

Hearing her question, Xander's face softened with a hint of indulgent amusement. His little troublemaker sure was a handful.

He held his hand out to her, and after a moment's pause, Isabel understood and placed the emerald guardian angel pendant into his large palm.

Xander looked down at it, his normally stoic face showing a rare trace of sentiment.

"Her name was Leslie. She was the daughter of my parents' close friends. Our families were tight-knit, always visiting each other. At one point, our parents joked about having us marry someday. She gave me this emerald guardian angel pendant when we were kids, saying she'd marry me when we grew up."

When Xander finished speaking, he noticed Isabel had gone entirely silent behind him.

Curious, he turned to look.

Isabel was lost in thought. Her memories, once hazy, were now coming back into sharp focus because of what he said.

Images flashed through her mind like a slideshow.

Leslie.

"Leslie." A gentle voice called out to her.

"Leslie!"

"Come to Mommy, Leslie."

be nice if Mrs. Bennett became your

Almost there.

It was her!

was Ivana when she

Xander's voice, tinged with worry, called

Just when she was on the verge of recalling everything, flames erupted in her mind, engulfing every image until

to her temple, a

turned pale from the ache, and her lips pressed so tightly that they turned blue, even drawing

her body lift off the ground, snapping her back to reality. Xander was

doctor! Call the doctor!"

her senses returned, she looked up to see his worried, tense face, and her heart felt a sudden

a better time to be

me down; I'm fine," she

and examined her closely. "You

didn't sleep well last night, so I got a

to sound casual, lying smoothly without a hint of

both vivid and elusive. She couldn't make heads

she was sure of: her headache was triggered by hearing the

strong connection between them. She'd need to ask Beowulf to dig into the Nelsons later. Any family with ties to the Bennetts would be no ordinary one. Even if the Nelsons had vanished without a trace, she didn't believe

His deep, rich voice

already intoxicating. Still, he stared down at her with that ridiculously handsome face, looking worried. Seriously, how

heart started

really fine. I know medicine; I wouldn't mess around with my own

at her for a

upstairs so you can nap. I'll call you

continued carrying her toward

blinked, a little stunned. "Wait, put me

almost there." He had no

like this. Every time he held her like a princess, it made her

to this

She feared that if she

heart. Growing up alone, she'd learned

she once trusted betrayed

one thing. A partner was even riskier. So, she had to be

Samuel looked up