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."

wouldn't it be nice if Mrs. Bennett became your mother-in-law someday?" The speaker's face

Almost there.

It was her!

Ivana when she

with worry, called

to remember. Just when she was on the verge of recalling everything, flames erupted in her

to her temple, a wave of searing

turned pale from the ache, and her lips pressed so tightly

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

doctor! Call the

to see his

course, there was a

me down; I'm

and examined her closely. "You were

I didn't sleep well last

tried to sound casual, lying smoothly without

those memories were both vivid and elusive. She couldn't make heads or tails of

sure of: her

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,

deep, rich voice sounded in her

down at her

thump, thump. Her heart started

mess around with my own health. I'm... yawn." Isabel

stared at her for a good ten seconds before finally

so you can nap. I'll call you when the food's

carrying her toward the

"Wait,

He had no intention of

her like a princess, it made her feel

to this treatment and couldn't return to

on others. Her most incredible sense of security came from herself. She feared that if she became too comfortable relying on Xander, it would hurt all the more if he ever betrayed

to open her heart. Growing up alone, she'd learned

brothers she once trusted

riskier. So, she had to be extra cautious about who

looked up when he