Chapter 177- Janet...? Janice...?
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Charles murmured, his voice low but sincere.
Though he hadn’t realized it back then, the moment he met her at eighteen—that elfin girl who appeared out of nowhere and lit up his world—that had been the beginning of everything. The beginning of love. The beginning of his heart’s awakening.
"Wait... you had feelings for me then? But I was totally drunk that night!" Janice blinked at him in disbelief, her mouth slightly agape. If he had fallen for her after she was forced to marry Philip and stayed by Charles’ side—that she could accept. But a drunken mistake? She barely even remembered it.
Charles chuckled and tapped the tip of her nose. "Silly girl. I’m talking about twelve years ago—the first time we met."
"Twelve years ago?" Janice echoed, her brows furrowed in confusion.
She’d still been just a little girl then. The carefree princess living happily by Cornelia’s side. How could they possibly have known each other back then?
"You don’t remember? It was at the River Villa. I accidentally hit you with my car." Charles’ eyes softened at the memory. "That was the first time I saw eyes that clear... like they’d never been touched by the world."
He had seen her then—like a fallen angel with eyes that mirrored the skies.
That day, little Janice had accompanied Cornelia to the Louis residence to see Harold, only to be driven away by Anila. On their way down the hill, she was nearly hit by a car—his car. A young, handsome boy stepped out and handed her a handkerchief.
Back then, Janice had been too stunned by his cold demeanor to even respond properly.
That same day, the coastal resort was engulfed in flames. Cornelia had died protecting her. Janice’s head was struck—almost causing irreversible damage. It had all started with Anila... and her daughter.
It turned out their encounter had already been written in fate. That blurry figure in her childhood memories—that cold, proud teenager—was the very man she had married today.