He broke her heart when she was falling for him.

He pushed himself on her when she had finally moved on.

Now that she remembered everything, he was just starting to realize he loved her.

But she wasn't interested anymore.

You crave the fiery passion of a red rose, willing to do anything to have it.

But the rose turns its back on you.

If you'd never had the rose, you might regret missing out.

Or fume at its indifference.

But what if that rose was yours all along?

Regret and remorse – they're not the same thing.

After being discharged from the hospital, Celine Evans was back at work with Archer Reynolds.

But maybe because she’d remembered things about Dante Williams, which also brought up a lot about Archer Reynolds.

She’d never met Archer, but she knew of him.

He’d once had a crush on Isabella Lopez.

This made her start to question Archer.

As if sensing her inner turmoil, her classmate from the US replied to her email. She opened it. The body was just a few sparse words.

“Involves too many people, not safe for email. Two days from now, 4 PM, The Lido Cafe. We’ll talk then.”

Celine’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Archer Reynolds, separated from her by just a glass door.

As if feeling her stare, Archer looked up and met her eyes.

On the surface, Celine gave him a calm smile and went back to work. But her mind was racing. What did “involves too many people” even mean?

Did it mean he was personally connected to too many folks, or had he done something that roped in too many others?

If email wasn’t safe, did that mean there was stuff that couldn’t leave a digital footprint?

What could possibly make a top intelligence officer fly back from overseas just to drop some intel on her?

It was in that moment Celine finally got what Dante had meant when he said Archer Reynolds was “not simple.”

Archer Reynolds was way more than he seemed.

Two days later.

Celine kept the appointment.

Arriving at The Lido Cafe, she spotted Mason Morgan sitting by the window, flipping through some papers.

A few years after graduation, he hadn’t changed much, still rocking that vibe of cool, detached indifference.

“Mason, long time no see. Sorry I’m late.”

Celine walked over and sat down opposite him, greeting him with a smile.

“No worries, I was early. What do you want to drink?” Mason slid the menu toward her.

After ordering a latte, Celine looked up at him, wordless.

Mason sighed, catching her drift, but decided to set the stage first.

“Celine, before we dive in, I have to tell you, everything we say from here on out is being recorded. There’s a security camera over there. I checked with the barista before you got here to make sure it’s working.”

The mood instantly shifted. Celine seemed taken aback, replying stiffly, “Okay.”

“Celine? I’m telling you this because what I’m about to say might blow your mind. The recording and footage will be kept safe afterward. This is for our protection, you get me?”

Celine nodded, but inside, she started to feel a chill. Things were going sideways.

“Good. Then check this out first.”

Mason handed her a file, gesturing for her to read it.

It was a profile, super basic. Aside from a name, gender, and age, there was next to nothing.

The photo was sealed, and all the bio details were marked as blank.

Celine looked at him, confused. What was the point?

“Just remember this person’s name.” Seeing her confusion, Mason handed her another file.

This one was totally different.

It was Archer Reynolds’s profile, charting every major and minor event from his birth to now.

Celine slowly scanned each entry. At first, she read casually, but soon her brow furrowed, her face a mask of shock.

“Mason, what’s written here…” Reading on, she gasped, her heart pounding.

“Yep. I can vouch for it.”

“He and Isabella Lopez…”

Celine started hesitantly, only to see Mason nod.

“Yeah. Archer Reynolds and Isabella Lopez have been in touch. Three years ago, when Isabella went abroad, she went to find Archer. She stayed with him after that.”

“…Then why did Isabella suddenly come back?”

Celine didn’t get it. If Isabella went overseas three years ago because of Archer, why ditch him and return now?

“Because something happened with the Lopez family. And this whole thing… probably made Isabella realize something from the past…”