Chapter 3

"Gone?"

I stared at my father, disbelief warring with certainty. "No way. He can't be dead."

My father frowned. "Ms. Davies confirmed the news. There was an accident during the Eagle Peak climbing competition last week. Search and rescue found his gear, but the person..."

"I'm going to Eagle Peak."

I cut him off directly.

"Don't be ridiculous!"

My father slammed his hand on the desk, standing up. "What's there to see in a dead man? It's been raining constantly on Eagle Peak lately; the mountain paths are treacherous. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is..."

"He's not dead."

With that, I turned and left.

By four in the afternoon, I was at Eagle Peak.

A light rain was still falling. I stood at the base of the mountain, gazing up at the cloud-shrouded peaks, worried.

The rain had turned the mountain path into a slippery, muddy mess. My new Louboutin heels sank into the mud the moment I stepped on it.

"Miss Sterling, let's go back."

The driver, holding an umbrella, tried to persuade me. "It's too dangerous to go up the mountain in this weather."

"No, I have to go up."

I shook off his hand and bent down to take off my heels.

The icy mud instantly covered my feet, and tiny sharp stones dug painfully into my soles.

"You all wait at the bottom."

"But..."

"That's an order."

I started walking up the mountain barefoot.

Rainwater streamed down my hair. The rough surface of the rocks chafed and burned the soles of my feet.

Every step was like walking on knife-blades, but compared to the pain of betrayal and humiliation in my past life, this was nothing.

I didn't know how long I'd been walking. The fog on the mountainside seemed to grow heavier.

I leaned against the slippery rock face and suddenly saw a faint glow emanating from a crevice ahead.

It was a hidden cave.

I scrambled forward, using my hands and feet, pulling away the vines that concealed the entrance.

The cave wasn't deep. A camping lamp glowed in the corner, and beneath its light, a person sat.

A dark outdoor jacket, neat short hair. He suddenly looked up at the sound.

It was Jaxson Thorne.

A living, breathing Jaxson Thorne.

"Jaxson Thorne!"

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. "Oh, thank goodness! You're not dead..."

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"

Jaxson Thorne froze when he saw me.

I rushed over and hugged him tightly.

His skin was warm. Though he was covered in dirt and rain, it was unmistakably the warmth of a living person.

"You're okay... I'm so glad..."

I was so choked up I couldn't form a complete sentence.

Jaxson Thorne quickly held me, looking utterly bewildered. "How did you get like this?"

He then looked down at my bloody feet, his expression instantly changing. Without a word, he carried me to a dry rock and pulled out a first-aid kit from his backpack.

"Why did you come up the mountain without shoes?"

He knelt on one knee, gently wiping the wounds on my soles with a disinfectant swab.

My tears fell like rain. I choked out, "They all said you were dead... but I didn't believe it, so I came to find you."

Jaxson Thorne paused, looking up at me. "And you came all the way up here barefoot to confirm it?"

I nodded.

He sighed softly. "You idiot. I'm investigating an internal mole in the company, and my current identity is inconvenient. That's why I deliberately faked an accident. This whole thing is too dangerous; you shouldn't have come."

"But you can't just fake your death! Don't you know I was terrified!"

He looked at me, utterly confused.

I continued, "Jaxson Thorne, I don't care what you're doing, but you have to be back in the city in a month. You absolutely must return before the wedding."

Jaxson Thorne froze.

He slowly lowered my foot, a faint smile on his lips. "Don't worry, I'll be there for your wedding, right on time."

He misunderstood.

I was about to explain when a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air from outside the cave.

Jaxson Thorne's face changed. "They found us! You need to get down the mountain, now!"

"Wait!"

I grabbed his jacket sleeve. "You still don't understand, I'm going to..."

"Boss!"

Before I could finish, a head poked into the cave entrance. "Those guys are searching this way!"

Jaxson Thorne pushed me deep into the cave. "Hide, don't make a sound."

He turned to leave, then looked back and added, "Take the small path down the back of the mountain, and don't look back."

"Jaxson Thorne!"

I called to him. "You absolutely have to be back on time!"

He was already rushing towards the entrance. At my words, he paused but didn't turn back, merely raising a hand to wave. "Got it."