Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

Time had left barely a trace on her face. Thaliana's posture was as poised as ever, and the brilliance in her eyes remained the same. The only noticeable difference was her hair-once tied in a crisp ponytail, it now fell freely over her shoulders.

She inclined her head slightly. "Aunt Thaliana, hello. I'm Tina," she introduced herself.

Thaliana looked at Tina, but her gaze seemed to pass through her, focusing on someone else. "I heard from Connie. Tina, they say you carry the shadow of your mother. How is she?"

Tina pressed her lips together before replying, "She's doing well. She's not in the capital at the moment; she went abroad with my dad for their honeymoon."

"If she knew you had returned, she would be thrilled."

Hearing this, Thaliana paused, visibly startled. "Your father is...?"

Tina answered directly, "His name is Ruud."

At the mention of the name, a flicker of surprise flashed in Thaliana's eyes. She shook her head in disbelief. "I never would've guessed. So, the person your mother held in her heart all these years was him. No wonder she kept his name a secret for so long... it makes sense now."

A strange feeling flashed through Tina's heart, but she quickly dismissed it. It couldn't be her. Other people might pretend, but Aunt Thaliana wouldn't.

Realizing her distraction, Thaliana suddenly clapped her hands. "Look at me! Seeing you brought back so many memories of your mother, I got carried away. Please, have a seat."

She made her way to pour water but stopped when she found the kettle empty. Turning to the two of them, she said, "You two chat. I'll go get some water."

Courtney nodded. Watching Thaliana pick up the kettle, she couldn't help but express her concern. "Mom, be careful not to scald yourself."

Thaliana smiled softly, asking her to keep Tina company and promising she'd be back shortly.

Now, only Tina and Courtney remained in the room.

Tina observed Courtney's expression and gestured toward her hand. "Let me see your injury."

Courtney hesitated, trying to pull back, but Tina's unwavering look made her reluctantly extend her hand. Tina's fingers lightly brushed over it, and after a moment, she seemed to understand the cause. She reached into her bottle and took out a healing pill, handing it to Courtney.

Though Courtney was aware of the pill's miraculous effects, she hesitated. "Tina, I'll recover in a few days. Don't waste it..."

"I need people these next few days. Do you plan to fight while injured?"

The reason Tina gave left Courtney no room to argue. She could endure pain, but she would never drag the team down. Watching Courtney finally swallow the pill, Tina opened her mouth again, her tone calm yet probing. "Why did you hide it from us?"

Courtney froze for a moment, assuming Tina was referring to her decision to act alone without notifying the team. Her expression turned serious. "I'm sorry, Tina. What I did violated protocol. I'll accept whatever punishment the team decides."

Tina placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, signaling that she hadn't meant it that way. "Relax," she said softly. "I just want to know how you got hurt."

Courtney had never hidden anything from Tina. Her gaze lowered slightly as she murmured, "My mom wouldn't acknowledge me. I didn't have any other choice."

Tina raised an eyebrow. She had guessed the reason earlier but hadn't expected Courtney's stubbornness to rival her own.

Feeling self-conscious under Tina's gaze, Courtney admitted, "Honestly, Tina, I couldn't believe my mom was back at first. I didn't tell anyone and decided to follow her alone."

Tina understood her feelings. When she had seen her own mother again for the first time, her initial reaction had also been disbelief, followed by overwhelming joy at the reunion. But no matter how much she doubted, she always tried to approach situations with a rational mind and consider the bigger picture.

"When did you first realize it was Aunt Thaliana?" Tina asked.

Courtney's eyes widened slightly at the question, a flicker of hesitation in her expression.

Tina soothed her. "Don't overthink. I'm only asking because I want to make sure nothing overlaps. Don't worry-no one doubts Aunt Thaliana's identity."

Courtney understood what Tina was implying. Tina was concerned someone might be impersonating Thaliana, deceiving them, or manipulating their emotions. But this was her mother-how could she mistake her?

Tina, seeing her internal conflict, decided not to press further. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

Courtney shook her head and thought for a moment. "It was about a week ago."

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"A week ago?" Tina frowned.

Courtney nodded. "I'm certain. It was Friday afternoon. I was leaving the lab and noticed someone following me on my way home. After realizing it, I decided to follow them instead."

"But you lost them shortly after," Tina guessed.

"Yes, and I thought I might have encountered a professional assassin. The next day, as I was preparing to report it to the team, I saw the same figure again."

"And that's when you realized it was Aunt Thaliana?"

Courtney bit her lip. "I wasn't sure at first. She looked so much like her, but I decided to investigate on my own."

Tina's doubts deepened. "If Aunt Thaliana has returned, why didn't she acknowledge you then?"

Courtney's expression darkened. "My mom didn't know Asher Vance was dead. She was afraid that appearing in front of me might put me in danger, so she held back."

Speaking of the past, a trace of pain flickered across her face. "She used a false death drug back then, but the overdose damaged her brain. For a long time, she didn't even know who she was. It's only recently that she started to remember fragments of her past."

Tina didn't question this explanation. It was a known fact that false death drugs carried such risks. If the antidote wasn't administered within a specific timeframe, the life- saving drug could turn into a lethal poison.

More importantly, the records of the destruction plan clearly stated that Thaliana's death had been labeled as "highly unusual."

Tina chose not to pursue the matter further. Just then, Thaliana returned with a kettle in one hand and fresh fruit in the other.

Courtney looked surprised. "Mom, you went out?"

Thaliana smiled as she set the items down and poured two glasses of water. "Yes, there wasn't much in the room. I brought you some fruit."

Her voice was as gentle as ever.

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Tina accepted the glass and thanked her. Perhaps it was the passage of time, but the Thaliana standing before her didn't match the legendary image her mother had described.

Thaliana sliced an apple, skewered a piece with a toothpick, and handed it to Tina. "Tina, have some fruit. Why are you staring at me like that?"

Tina calmly withdrew her gaze and smiled. "My mother used to tell me stories about you. I just feel like your personality now doesn't quite match those tales. Maybe I remembered them wrong."

Thaliana nodded in agreement. "You didn't remember wrong. I was very different back then."

"Back then, as vice-captain, I spent years with your mother on missions overseas. Side by side, we were unstoppable. Those were the most exhilarating years of my life. But later..."

She trailed off, her expression clouding with pain as if recalling something terrible. Courtney quickly stepped in to comfort her. "Mom, it's all in the past now. Let's not think about it."

Thaliana's pallor suggested she needed rest. Tina didn't linger much longer. She encouraged Courtney to recover well and reminded her to call if anything came up before leaving.

By the time Tina exited the hospital, an hour had passed. Jared was waiting for her at the entrance.

Seeing her emerge, seemingly unharmed, he put an arm around her and led her to the

car.

Seated in the front, Hayden stayed silent, afraid a single misstep might provoke the two stern figures behind him.

Tina remained quiet for a moment before speaking suddenly. "Uncle, Aunt Thaliana has returned."

Jared's surprise flickered across his face, but before he could respond, a shocked voice erupted from the front seat.

"What... who?"

"Wait, Serena? Did I hear that right?"

Hayden, sharp-eared, caught the name and thought he must have misheard.noveldrama

Jared shot him an unimpressed look. "Your ears are fine."