Behind Lydia, Maxwell and Jason stood in stunned silence for a moment, watching their mate disappear around the corner.
After inhaling sharply, greedily drawing in her lingering scent, Jason found his voice.
"This is your fault! If you hadn't terrorized her with your threats of violence---" He snarled, rounding on Maxwell with barely contained fury. His golden eyes flashed dangerously in the fading daylight.
"My fault?" Maxwell asked, scoffing in disbelief.
"If you hadn't appeared like some lovesick puppy, interrupting us, she would have shown me the paper already. I was handling the situation perfectly well." He snarled back, his dark eyes narrowing.
"Oh, you were handling it when you were about to start a war in front of her!" Jason shot back and took a menacing step forward, his body vibrating aggression.
Maxwell didn't rise to the challenge, instead he straightened his jacket with calm precision, his expression shifting from anger to something more calculating, more dangerous.
"I don't even need the paper to start working on finding who hurt her." He said, his voice dropping to that deadly quiet tone that had made countless enemies flee in terror over his five centuries of existence.
"I have resources you couldn't begin to imagine, pup. By morning, I'll have a list of every person who has even looked at her the wrong way."
With that, he turned and slid back into his Maybach not sparing Jason another glance.
Jason's hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles cracked audibly. His wolf was howling inside him, demanding he tear into the arrogant vampire, but his human side knew Maxwell was right about one thing-Allison's safety came first.
"I'm getting the people who hurt her first. And when I do, that vampire will know exactly what I'm capable of." He growled under his breath, already pulling out his phone to call his pack contacts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The black sedan moved smoothly through New York's evening traffic, as the driver drove towards the Lowell's estate.
Lydia sat in the backseat, her mind still reeling from the confrontation between Maxwell and Jason.
"What is wrong with those two?" She wondered, biting the insides of her cheek absently.
"Lolo..." Rose's voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present. The woman was sat beside her, looking at her with concern.
"About the press conference today... I really think you should consider calling Mr. Mawson and apologizing."
Lydia turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised.
"Apologize for what exactly?" She demanded.
"For going off-script. Mr. Mawson is your manager, and he knows how to handle the media. If you let him spin this as just a simple accident, we can contain the damage to your image and move forward with your scheduled projects."
"The studios are already nervous about---" Rose was saying carefully but Lydia's firm voice cut her off.
"No."
"Lolo!" Rose protested, her eyes blinking in surprise.
"I'm not going to bury the truth about a murder attempt just to protect my career." Lydia said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"My enemies need to know I'm not scared of them. They need to be afraid of me." She added sharply and even she was a bit taken aback by the sharpness.
The lesson she had learnt in her past life was really shaping her into a new person--- a stronghearted and calculating person.
Rose stared at her boss, her mouth slightly open in shock. In five years of working with Allison Lowell, she had never—never—heard her speak with such raw authority. The Allison she knew was sweet, accommodating, always worried about what others thought. This woman sitting beside her was someone else entirely.
"Lolo... I don't know what happened to you in that accident, but you've really changed." Rose stated slowly.
"Maybe I just finally woke up." Lydia replied with a shrug, then heaved a sigh. The weight of living in another woman's body, of navigating a life she didn't fully understand, was beginning to press down on her.
Especially now that she knew the accident that claimed the life of that woman was actually orchestrated.
She knew if she didn't act fast, those people, whoever they were, would want to come back and finish the job.
"Rose, I need to regain Allison's--- I mean, my memories, fast. I need to know who I was, who my enemies were, where to even start looking for answers." She said.
Rose nodded in understanding.
"The damaged phone from the accident scene is being repaired. The technicians said they can recover most of the data. It should be ready soon." She informed her boss.
"Good. What else can help me remember?" Lydia's fingers drummed against her thigh, a nervous habit from her old life that had carried over.
Rose hesitated, then spoke carefully;
"The best way I believe would be for you to return to your own house. Not the family house-- your personal residence. You have so many things there, years of memories in every room. Being in that space, surrounded by your belongings... it might help jolt something loose."
Lydia considered this, then nodded decisively.
"Fine. Let's go there today then."
"That won't be easy." Rose said quietly, her face scrunching up in what seemed like trouble.
"Why not?" Lydia turned to look at her fully, confusion creasing her brow.
Rose reluctantly opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment, the sedan pulled through the flashy iron gates of the Lowell's estate and up a long, circular driveway.
Lydia's question hung in the air as they prepared to get down from the car.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The moment they entered the living room, Lydia got her answer.
Amanda wasn't alone. There were two other persons.
Standing near the fireplace was a young man Lydia was just meeting; tall, with the same dark hair as Allison, the same sharp cheekbones. Her twin brother, Axel.
He wore casual designer clothes with the ease of someone who had never questioned whether he could afford them, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of an expensive whiskey.
The third person in the room reacted immediately Lydia entered the room;
He stood from the sofa, his face lighting up with what looked like genuine relief and pulled Lydia into a tight embrace.
"Allison, thank God you're okay. I've been so worried since I heard about the accident, but I was stuck in Chicago for a business meeting. I came as soon as I could." He breathed against her hair, his arms wrapping around her with familiar ease.
Lydia stood frozen in his arms, her body rigid with confusion. He held her like they did this all the time, like he had every right to touch her this intimately. His cologne was expensive and cloying, making her nose wrinkle.
"Who the hell is this man?" She wondered inwardly.
When he finally released her, his hands lingering on her shoulders, Lydia's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him blankly, searching his features for any clue, any memory that might tell her who he was supposed to be.
Nothing. Just a handsome stranger acting like he knew her intimately. He was handsome in a classical way; sharp features, perfectly styled brown hair, expensive suit that had been tailored to his exact measurements.
"Who are you?" She blurted out.
The man's face went pale and he staggered backward as if she'd physically struck him.
"Allison! What do you mean by that question?" Amanda's voice was sharp with shock as she shifted on the sofa, her perfect composure slightly cracking.
"Sis, are you serious right now?" Axel pushed off from the fireplace, his glass lowering as he stared at his sister with wide eyes.
Lydia looked between all of them---Amanda's horrified expression, Axel's confusion, the strange man's wounded shock and felt exhaustion crash over her.
She was so tired of not knowing things, of everyone expecting her to remember things she had no memory of.
"Can someone just save me this stress and tell me who he is?" She snapped, her voice rising with exasperation.
Rose moved closer, swallowing hard then leaned in to whisper in Lydia's ear,
"WHAT?!" Lydia's voice echoed through the expensive living room, as she processed Rose's words.