Flashback - Years Ago
The courtroom was cold.
Elessar Jamiel stood straight, even as the verdict was read. His eyes didn't flinch. Not when the words "guilty of embezzlement" echoed through the chamber. Not even when his wife wept softly in the back row.
He didn't look back. He didn't speak.
But Charles Larmoth, seated among the observers, clenched his fists.
He knew the truth. Everyone close to the case did. Elessar had been set up a scapegoat because he refused to cover up corruption. And yet, no one said a word. Not Charles. Not the others. Their silence sealed his fate.
After that, Elessar vanished. His name became a curse. A ghost.
---
Present Day
Lian sat in the corner of the sleek boardroom, flipping through thick research files Charles had handed her. The nerves were still there, stitched into every breath, but beneath them was something stronger: conviction.
Senior staff took notes as she offered quiet, confident input. She didn't speak too much. She didn't need to. Her words landed, and people listened.
Charles, sitting at the end of the table, watched her with an unreadable expression.
He saw it now. The same spark, the same mind, the same fierce spirit. Elessar Jamiel's daughter no doubt. But he said nothing.
Nothing could be said. Not with the way the world still whispered about her father.
---
Salim stood outside the glass wall, watching her.
She'd climbed back up. Not because of him.
Because of herself.
He clenched his jaw. He hadn't reinstated her Charles had. And now everyone could see her worth. Just like he did.
But that didn't stop the guilt from curling inside him.
---
It was the second to the last day of the trip. The executives and supervisors were preparing to return to their regular schedules, so a presentation ceremony was held.
The ballroom was grand, filled with anticipation.
Charles took the stage.
"Today, we recognize the interns who went above and beyond. Who proved themselves not only through projects but through perseverance."
He called the first name:
"Lian Jamiel."
There was a pause. Shock. Whispers. Then applause.
Lian blinked, stunned. Slowly, she stepped forward.
Charles handed her the award. "For your contribution, assistance, and for the initiative shown in your latest submission. I can't wait to see what you become."
Lian bowed her head slightly. "Thank you, sir."
From the crowd, Chloe's expression cracked. Her fists tightened at her sides.
Another name was called a high-performing intern from Paris. Then another:
"Ariel West."
The applause rose again.
Still, Chloe waited.
Waited.
But her name was never called.
She stormed out.
---
Charles bid Lian farewell personally. "You're extraordinary. Keep working hard."
And then he left.
Pierre tried again that evening, chasing her down the corridor. "Lian, let's talk just five minutes."
But she shook her head. "Not now."
She didn't need charm or games.
She needed clarity.
---
Preparations for the final celebration were underway.
A beachside event.
Red, Selene, and Salim helped with arrangements. Lights were strung. Music tested. Drinks chilled.
Lian arrived in a light sundress, barefoot, her hair pinned back.
She spotted Salim at the far end of the shore.
He was talking to her again.
The elegant girl with the silken laugh. The one who always made him smile.
Lian looked away.
She wasn't sure why it twisted something in her chest. She wasn't sure why she wanted to apologize. She just knew she didn't want him to hate her.
"You look like your mind's running a marathon," Pierre said beside her.
She blinked, startled. "Oh... just watching the tide."
"Want to walk down the beach?"
She nodded. Anything to clear her head.
They walked close to the water, the soft tide brushing their ankles.
Pierre laughed at something lighthearted, then offered, "Be right back. I'll grab us drinks."
Lian stood alone, watching the moonlit waves.
Then Chloe appeared.
"Hey," she said, surprisingly soft.
Lian tensed, but Chloe smiled.
She spoke a little about the good moments they've spent together, then Chloe suddenly said
"Let's go in. You took swimming lessons, right?"
Lian hesitated. "Yeah... I did."
"Then come on. Let's just have fun, for once."
And for a moment, it felt like good times.
So Lian followed.
They dived into the waves, laughing.
Until something shifted.
The water turned colder. Stronger.
Lian felt herself pulled. Downward.
She panicked. "Chloe! Chloe!"
But Chloe was already swimming farther out, pretending not to hear.
Lian screamed again. Water filled her lungs. Her vision blurred.
Chloe was driven by jealousy
And suddenly, her expression changed. The gravity of what was happening hit her like ice.
She began screaming for help.
"Help! Someone, please!"
Pierre arrived first but froze. "I can't swim!"
Salim, red and selene heard the commotion. The rushed towards Chloe
Without asking much questions
And without thinking, he ran.
Despite every memory of water, of drowning in a hospital bed, of machines and helplessness—he dove in.
The ocean was ice.
But he reached her.
Pulled her back.
Her body was limp.
She wasn't breathing.
"Lian? Lian!" he shouted, dropping to his knees. "Come on!"
He pressed her chest.
Once. Twice. Nothing.
He didn't hesitate.
His lips met hers in a desperate breath of life.
Then again.
Then
A cough.
A gasp.
She sputtered and wheezed, eyes flying open.
Salim exhaled, shaking.
Without a word, he gathered her in his arms and carried her away from the crowd.
Away from the questions.
Straight to the hotel.
Salim didn't take her back to the general hotel suite.
He carried her soaked, cold, trembling straight to his private VIP lounge.
Red tried to follow. He didn't let him.
"I've got this."
Inside, the space was warm and silent, luxury stitched into every detail. A private doctor arrived within minutes. Salim sat silently as they checked her vitals, administered fluids, confirmed her lungs were clear.
"She'll be fine," the doctor assured him. "Just rest and warmth."
He nodded, eyes never leaving her.
When the room finally emptied, and Lian laid there wrapped in warmth and silence he stood at the door for a long second.
Then quietly left.
But Lian couldn't rest.
She stared at the ceiling, heart racing.
His mouth had been on hers.
Not a kiss.
Not intentional.
But it had changed something.
How am I ever supposed to face him again?
Tears burned the corners of her eyes not from embarrassment, but from the sting of truth.
She'd been foolish. Trusting Chloe. Jumping into waves to prove… what, exactly?
---
Downstairs, Red paced. The others buzzed with concern.
"She okay?" Selene asked.
"She will be," Salim replied, calm but cold.
Then he turned to Chloe.
"Walk with me."
Outside, under the orange glow of the hallway lamps, his voice dropped.
"What happened?"
Chloe's eyes flickered. "We were just playing around. She followed me in. I didn't force her. She said she could swim."
"She nearly died."
"I didn't think she'd....Salim, I didn't...." she stammered.
But he'd already turned away.
---
That night, Salim returned.
He stepped inside quietly. She was awake, but the moment she saw him, her eyes fluttered shut again.
"Lian," he said, sitting beside her.
Silence.
"Don't fake sleep. You've got questions to answer."
She winced internally.
"I'll ask just once more," he continued, voice low. "Why did you stay with me that night in the hospital? No more excuses. No more vague lines. Tell me the truth."
She opened her eyes, slowly.
"I… I stayed," she whispered, "because you looked… peaceful."
His brows twitched. She kept going.
"I was surrounded by noise my aunt, the shouting, the chaos. But sitting there, by your bed, it was like… everything finally stopped. You didn't move. You didn't speak. But you looked like you were at peace. And I " she swallowed. "That's what I'd been searching for."
Her voice cracked. "I didn't stay because I knew you, or because I expected something from you. Honestly, a part of me… wanted you to stay that way."
Silence.
"But then your family came. I saw how much they cared, how much they loved you. … you didn't deserve to stay in that silence. You deserved to wake up, be happy.
Her words faded into the hush of the room.
Salim leaned back slowly, eyes unreadable.
Not what he was expecting to hear
Then, softly
"Thank you."
Not a single word, but it felt like the room shifted.
He stood.
But before he could leave
She asked, voice small, "You're not… angry anymore?"
He glanced back.
"Only if you try swimming again."
He said stern.
But when he left the room, something stopped him in the hallway.
Standing by the door was Pierre.
His hands in his pockets.
A dark look in his eyes.
And behind him?
Chloe.
Smiling.
Too sweet.
Too fake.
"I think," Pierre said coolly, "it's time we all stopped pretending."