Unexpected Second Chance at Love

The wind grew colder as Lu Tian stood in the driveway of the Ji mansion. He had just watched his wife get into one of Grandfather Ji's cars and drive away. He didn't go back inside but remained frozen in place, dazed.

The look on her face replayed in his mind.

Hurt. Betrayal.

A look she had never given him before.

The moment their eyes met, he knew—nothing he said would reach her. All he could do was agree to give her the space she asked for.

But that didn't mean he was going to let her go alone.

He went back inside, grabbed Inu, and left. He had to follow her, even if it meant staying at a distance, to make sure she was safe.

His car caught up with hers in time. He wasn't sure if she noticed, but relief washed over him when he saw she was driving normally.

He kept a close eye on the back of her car, reading the license plate over and over like a mantra. The thought of losing her again was unbearable. Then, a chilling realization struck him.

It was rush hour.

More cars flooded the road, and panic began to rise in his chest.

He tried to stay directly behind her—or at worst, one car back—but traffic had other plans.

He weaved through lanes, maneuvering carefully to keep her in sight. Then, suddenly, she was gone.

Her car vanished from view, and his heart sank.

Did she turn? Was she still ahead? How did he lose her?

"Shit."

He cursed under his breath and kept driving, eyes scanning every direction for any sign of her.

But there was nothing.

He parked the car at the side of the road and punched the steering wheel. The sudden movement startled the little guy in the backseat, prompting a soft whimper.

"Sorry, little guy," he muttered.

He gently reached back to soothe the fluff ball, then ran a hand down his face in frustration.

His thoughts were all over the place. The fear of what could happen to his wife gnawed at him, especially knowing she wasn't in the best condition to be driving. But even that, he could only blame himself. He let her go.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and held it to his ear.

The call connected quickly, and he spoke before the other person had a chance.

"Liu Shan, it's me."

There was a pause. Silence filled the line, and Lu Tian could tell—even without seeing him—that the assistant was surprised and confused by the unexpected call.

["Mr. Lu, what can I do for you?"]

Lu Tian pressed his lips into a thin line before his deep voice rumbled through the receiver.

"I need you to track your boss's location. Keep a close eye on her."

He would have done it himself—used her phone to trace her—but he knew it was impossible. She wasn't just anyone. She was the leader of Fate, an influential figure protected by layers of security. No one could hack her phone. Not even him.

It had been the same when they first met. The information available about her was minimal, nearly non-existent. That hadn't changed.

The only person he trusted who might have a way to locate her—the only person close enough to do so—was Liu Shan.

On the other end of the line, Liu Shan was visibly confused. He had assumed his boss was still at home with Lu Tian—so why was he being asked to track her?

But the confusion didn't last long. The moment the thought sank in, panic surged through him.

["Did something happen? Is she okay?"]

Lu Tian's grip on the phone tightened at the question. He took another steadying breath before responding.

"Meet me at the house. I'll explain everything then. For now, make sure you have her location at all times."

He ended the call without waiting for a reply. After sending a quick message to his assistant, he turned the car around and headed back toward the Ji mansion.

Though he drove with purpose, he made a few deliberate turns along the way, hoping—desperately—that he might catch sight of his wife's car. But it was no use. Each turn led nowhere. Eventually, with a heavy heart, he pulled into the driveway.

Liu Shan and Xu Long were already there, waiting in front of the house.

Lu Tian stepped out of the car and opened the back door for Inu. The little guy jumped out, tail wagging, glad to be home. He didn't need a leash—he was always well-behaved.

Inu darted excitedly around the yard, but then stopped abruptly. His ears drooped as he looked around, confused. His favorite human wasn't there.

Lu Tian crouched down and gave him a gentle pat on the head.

"She'll be home soon," he said softly.

But even as the words left his mouth, a shadow of doubt lingered behind his eyes.

As if understanding the words spoken to him, Inu glanced at the two men standing outside. Then, without hesitation, he turned his head toward the front steps and waited to be let in.

Liu Shan and Xu Long watched the aloof man and the little white fluff ball disappear into the house. They exchanged a look, equally puzzled.

"Did he say anything to you?"

Xu Long asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. He had been informed that Liu Shan was tracking his boss lady but that was all.

Liu Shan shook his head.

"No. He said he'd explain once I got here. I think it has something to do with my boss."

It was the only conclusion that made sense. Why else would Lu Tian ask him to track her location?

With that thought lingering, Liu Shan took a step toward the house.

"I think this is serious. Let's hear him out."

Inside, Lu Tian removed his shoes and coat in silence. He paused to refill Inu's water bowl, giving the dog a gentle pat before turning to the two men.

"Upstairs."

They followed him to his study. Once inside, Lu Tian gestured for them to sit while he powered on his laptop. After a few quick keystrokes, he turned the screen toward them, locking eyes with Xu Long first.

"I found him."

Xu Long's eyes widened in disbelief. Beside him, Liu Shan remained still, confused and quiet, clearly out of the loop.

"No way…"

He leaned forward and pulled the laptop closer, scanning the information rapidly. It was more than what they had uncovered in weeks of searching.

Surveillance footage, timestamps, location markers—it was all there.

Then his gaze caught an image. His heart skipped a beat. A grainy but unmistakable face stared back at him.

"Is it really him? How?"

Xu Long asked, eyes darting to his boss.

Lu Tian nodded, leaning back in his seat. He pinched the space between his brows and let out a long breath.

"I confirmed it."

Liu Shan remained quiet as the exchange played out in front of him. None of it made sense yet—at least not to him. He was still stuck on the fact that Lu Tian had called her his wife. How he said it, with calm conviction and affection, caught him off guard. He'd always seen Lu Tian as a cold-blooded man, never prone to emotion. But this-this was different.

Shaking off the shock, he reached into his pocket, retrieved his phone, and placed it on the desk without unlocking it.

"I have her location. But why are you tracking her?"

Lu Tian paused.

It was time.

None of this would have happened if he'd been honest with her from the start. She wouldn't have looked at him with betrayal in her eyes.

He leaned forward, elbows resting on the desk, and met both men's gazes.

"Everything said in this room stays here."

Neither man spoke. They only nodded.

Lu Tian exhaled, then began to speak.

He told them everything—what he had learned from Grandfather Ji about Choi Li Sun, the real reason the old man had summoned Yue Ling, and most importantly, the truth about his deteriorating health.

The weight of his words filled the room.

And for a moment, the silence that followed said everything. He filled them in on the information he gathered from Grandfather Ji about Choi Li Sun and the truth about what happened to Yue Ling's parents and paternal grandfather.

Liu Shan listened, and until the end, he rubbed a hand over his head. He stared at the laptop, finally piecing the pieces together.

His eyes remained fixed on two images on the laptop screen—one of Grandfather Ji entering a restaurant and the other of Choi Li Sun walking into a surgical building.

He recognized Choi Li Sun from a photo Qin Jun and the others had shown him when they asked for his help. However, he couldn't find anything about the man or the other person, so he was also looking for Choi Li Sun.

He wasn't even aware that Qin Jun, Song Jing Li, and Kira were working with Lu Tian.

Yet, even with the breakthrough, his heart ached for his boss.

If she ever found out the whole truth about her parents' and paternal grandfather's deaths… how would she react?

Would she build walls around herself again?

The thought made his chest tighten. He glanced down at his phone, compelled by a sudden urge to check in on her. She had asked for space, but he couldn't help it. He needed to be sure she was okay.

But the moment his eyes landed on the screen, something shifted.

His entire body went rigid.

He snatched the phone from the desk, eyes wide in disbelief. Then he shot up so fast, his chair clattered to the ground behind him.

"No... No, no, no."

He muttered, panic rising like a wave crashing over him.

Without hesitation, he rushed to her desk and powered on her computer. His fingers flew across the keyboard, lines of code rapidly flooding the screen, one after another.

But whatever he was searching for didn't appear.

The system wasn't giving him what he needed.

Frustration boiled over. With a loud crack, he slammed his fist down on the desk and turned to face Lu Tian, eyes filled with dread.

"I lost her," he said, voice low and raw.

Silence fell over the room like a thundercloud.