Sana was stunned. She stared at the familiar face in front of her, so dazed by the recognition that she didn't even notice his small movements.
"Are you... Samuel Bonovel?" she asked hesitantly.
Samuel smiled, pulled a chair over to the bed, and sat down. "Hard for Princess Vellore to forget me, huh?"
"Princess Vellore..."
Her expression turned pale. She lowered her head and pressed her lips together tightly, a trace of bitterness surfacing.
The one who used to call her that was no longer in this world. And she was no longer anyone's little princess.
Samuel lowered his eyes slightly, then looked at her again, sincere and apologetic. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to send Uncle Vellore off. Even though he's gone, Sana, you weren't only Uncle Vellore's little princess."
His voice, smooth and elegant, carried a touch of sorrow and a weight that could not be ignored.
Sana's heart trembled. Suddenly, Enrique's cold, commanding face flashed through her mind. That man would never say something like this.
No—he didn't even care to speak to her, let alone treat her like a princess.
If he had shown even the slightest bit of affection, just a sliver, she wouldn't have ended up abandoned by everyone and left with nothing.
…
With nowhere to go, and after Samuel's repeated urging, Sana finally agreed to stay and recover.
For several days, she did nothing but sleep or lie in bed in a daze. Aside from occasionally going out, Samuel spent most of his time by her side. He would talk for a long time, and only then would she occasionally respond.
It wasn't until a week later, when Samuel received a call and left in a hurry, that Sana suddenly snapped out of her daze. What had she been doing these past few days?
How could she forget the humiliation Enrique had thrown in her face, or the despair of being hated by her own mother?
She searched through her bag for a long time, but couldn't find her phone. She assumed she must have lost it when she fainted that day and didn't think much of it. Grabbing her bag, she headed out.
In the taxi, the ruthless mockery from Enrique and the heartless condemnation from her mother echoed in her mind, giving her a pounding headache. She pressed her hands to her head in agony.
The sound must have caught the driver's attention. Looking at her through the rearview mirror, he said kindly, "Miss, do you have a headache? I'll turn on some music. It might help."
With that, he turned on the car radio.
Sana was about to decline when a voice from the radio made her freeze. Her body went rigid, and even her hands stopped mid-motion.
[The Vellore family will go bankrupt!]
No. That was impossible.
The Vellore family? Bankrupt?
No, there's no way!
Before she could listen any further, the driver had already switched the channel and music began to play.
"Sir! Please switch it back. Go back to the previous channel!" Sana leaned forward urgently, shouting.
The driver looked confused but did as she asked.
"...According to reliable sources, the Vellore Group, one of the top three enterprises in the city, is about to declare bankruptcy. Analysts point out that the collapse was triggered by the Kim Group, the city's largest corporation. The Kim Group acquired the Vellore Group's main supplier five days ago, effectively cutting off their supply chain..."
The leading enterprise in the city... the Kim Group...
Those words echoed in her ears.
Her whole body felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar. A chill surged up from the bottom of her heart, freezing her entire being.
She trembled uncontrollably.
The Kim family?
Enrique Kim?
No, how could he do this?
How could he destroy her family after forcing her father to his death?