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."

became your mother-in-law someday?" The speaker's face was slowly becoming more

Almost there.

It was her!

when she was

Isabel?" Xander's voice, tinged with

verge of recalling everything, flames erupted in her mind, engulfing every image until

temple, a wave of searing pain

and her lips pressed so

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

the doctor! Call the doctor!" He

she looked up to see his worried, tense face, and her

there was a better time

I'm fine," she said

closely. "You were acting really

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

lying smoothly without

vivid and elusive. She couldn't

of: her headache was triggered by hearing the name

to ask Beowulf to dig into the Nelsons later. Any family with ties to the Bennetts

rich voice sounded

masculine tone was already intoxicating. Still, he stared down at her with that ridiculously handsome face, looking worried. Seriously, how could anyone

heart started pounding like a

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

at her for a

upstairs so you can nap. I'll call

that, he continued carrying her

little stunned. "Wait,

almost there." He had no intention of

this. Every time he held her like a princess, it made her feel delicate and spoiled, like he

got used to this

She feared that if she became too comfortable relying on Xander, it

to open her heart.

two brothers she once trusted

were one thing. A partner was even riskier. So, she had to be extra cautious about who she gave

on his phone, Samuel looked up when he heard the commotion by