"I’m looking for someone... the girl who saved my life."

He hadn’t meant to say it. But it spilled from his lips before reason could catch up. For a moment—just a fleeting moment—he forgot the weight of secrecy, of the carefully built image, of the double life he had lived since the day he signed his first contract.

His manager had been furious.

“Cassian, are you out of your mind?!” she hissed the moment he left the stage. “Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve opened a door you can’t close! They’ll start digging. Reporters, fans... the CEO won’t stay quiet about this.”

Cassian said nothing. She didn’t know the truth. None of them did.

The entertainment company thought he was just another talented idol who’d made it through sheer hard work and good luck—not the sole heir of Rhys International, not the boy who’d nearly drowned in the expectations of a chaebol empire.

If they ever found out... no, they wouldn’t. He wouldn’t allow it.

But the damage was done.

The days after the interview were chaos.

Social media exploded with theories. Women appeared at the agency, claiming to be “the girl” who had saved him. Every excuse, every lie, every fabricated story—they flooded the gates, trying to seize the attention of the man whose careless words set the city spinning.

And Cassian sat through all of it.

He interviewed them. One by one. Silent, observant.

But none had that look in their eyes. None carried that memory.

And so, frustrated beyond belief, he handed out a simple but cruel test—one only the real savior could answer.

"What color was the towel they wrapped around me?"

"What did I say the moment I opened my eyes?"

"What time of day was it?"

Their faces twisted in confusion. Some tried to lie. Some admitted defeat. Not one of them passed.

He knew then: the real girl was still out there.

And fate brought her to him again.

Elara Voss.

Quiet. Detached. Guarded.

And painfully honest.

When he stood outside her door not long ago—watching her hesitate, watching her put distance where he tried to build closeness—he’d felt that same frustration clawing at his chest.

She wasn’t like the fakes. She wasn’t like the desperate ones.

But she wasn’t making this easy.

Cassian ran a hand down his face, the weight of it all crushing him.

Why did it have to be this hard?

His family. Their obsession with control. His mother pushing for marriage with Vivienne Langley. The perfect chaebol match.

And Elara? Just caught in the storm. Dragged into his world by fate, and now battered by the consequences.

And she didn’t even know the half of it.

She didn’t know about the threats, the hidden deals, the reason his family had hunted her down—to make her “back off” politely after thanking her for saving their son.

Cassian cursed softly.

He should’ve told her sooner.

But now... she was slipping away.

Her messages had cooled. Her replies were slow, measured. Like she was building a wall.

“Why is she avoiding me again...?” he thought bitterly.

But when he put the pieces together—the sudden change, her growing distance—it hit him.

They visited her.

His family had gone behind his back.

And they’d probably told her everything they wanted her to hear... except the truth.

Cassian’s jaw tightened. His fingers curled into fists.

He’d let this go long enough.

If he didn’t face his family now—cut this disease at the root—they’d ruin this, like they’d ruined so many things before.

His time running was over.

For Elara.

For himself.

For the life he refused to surrender.

He grabbed his coat and headed for the door, his resolve finally burning hot.

It was time to go home.

And confront the devils waiting there.