The island didn't get visitors. That was the rule. No helicopters. No boats without clearance. No outsiders—especially not men from the capital. Which was why the alarm rang.
Low. Sharp. Immediate.
Liang Xi felt it before she understood it, a shift in the air, like the calm before a storm. The nanny froze mid-step. Her elder brother's expression hardened instantly. Even the doctor, Great Mr Chen, had a livid expression on his face.
"What is it?" Liang Xi asked.
No one answered her at first.
Then Great Mr.Chen spoke after his eyes had glowed a strange light, voice tight. "A private aircraft just entered the island's airspace."
Liang Ji turned sharply. "That's impossible. No one was informed."
The nanny's hands began to tremble.
"There is only one person," she whispered, "who would dare—"
The words hadn't fully left her mouth when the distant roar of engines thundered overhead. The sound cut through the sky like a blade. Liang Xi's heart jolted.
The windows trembled faintly as shadows passed over the white floors. A presence pressed down on the villa, heavy and absolute, as if something vast had just arrived—and the island itself had no choice but to accept it.
Her brother swore under his breath.
"He's here. It seems he had planted spies from within the island"
Liang Xi swallowed, unsure of what was going on. "Who?"
Liang Ji turned to her slowly.
"Your fiancé."
Her fingers tightened into the sheets. The one known as the dark emperor, Jiang Shanghai. An untouchable and dangerous person. The man every family wanted—and every enemy feared.
Before she could ask another question, hurried footsteps echoed outside the room. Servants moved with sudden urgency, voices hushed, panicked, reverent. The nanny rushed to Liang Xi's side.
"Princess," she said softly but urgently, "no matter what you hear… no matter what you feel… remember this, do not provoke him."
That sent a chill straight down Liang Xi's spine.
"I—"
The door opened. Silence fell like a guillotine. A man stepped inside. Tall. Broad-shouldered. He was dressed in a dark tailored coat that hugged his frame like it was made for him alone. His presence was overwhelming—not loud, just absolute. The kind of man who didn't need to announce himself.
The room felt smaller the moment he entered. And Liang Xi felt as if he stole her breath away. He was Beautiful!
His gaze swept the space once—cold, sharp, assessing—before locking onto the bed. Onto her.
Liang Xi's breath caught. She lost herself in his gaze, as she felt her body heating up from the eye contact. What was wrong with her?
He was… terrifyingly calm. Sharp features. Dark eyes. A face so controlled it bordered on ruthless. He didn't rush to her side. Didn't show relief. Didn't speak.He simply looked. And in that look was judgment, Possession and Certainty.
Her heart began to race for reasons she didn't understand. He took a single step forward. The doctor bowed deeply. The nanny dropped her gaze. Even her elder brother straightened instinctively.
"Lord Jiang," her brother, Liang Ji said carefully.
So this was him.
Jiang Shanghai.
The man whose name made the capital shudder in fear.
His eyes never left Liang Xi.
"How long?" he asked. His voice sent electrifying shocks through her body.
"Thirty minutes since she regained consciousness," Great Mr.Chen replied quickly. "Her vitals are stable, but—"
"That's enough."
The Great Mr.Chen fell silent instantly.
Jiang Shanghai moved closer, stopping at the side of the bed. He stood there, close enough that Liang Xi could sense him—his height, his warmth, the faint scent of something dark and expensive. He slowly reached out.
His fingers closed around her wrist. Liang Xi felt her body becoming rigid at the direct contact of their skin. His touch was Just firm enough to remind her she couldn't pull away. His thumb pressed lightly against her pulse.
It betrayed her instantly. Fast. Erratic. He watched her reaction closely, a smile appearing on his face.
"How do you feel?" he asked calmly.
Liang Xi swallowed.
"I don't know ," she said before she could stop herself.
The room went cold. Her brother stiffened. The nanny's breath hitched. Jiang Shanghai'd gaze sharpened.
"That's an unexpected answer" he replied, watching her like a prey. Liang Xi was afraid that he had seen through her facade.
"No...," she insisted, heart pounding. "I don't."
For the first time, something shifted in his expression—not anger, not surprise. But
Interest.
"You seem to have forgotten," he said.
It wasn't a question, but a statement.
"I woke up today," she said quietly, "I haven't recovered back all my memories"
He leaned down. Close. Too close.
Liang Xi froze as his shadow fell over her, his voice dropping low enough that only she could hear.
"Then listen carefully," Jiang Shanghai said. "Whether you remember or not… whether you accept it or not… this body of yours is now mine"
His grip tightened slightly.
"And you belong to me."
Her breath hitched sharply. That wasn't romance. That was a claim.
What kind of madness did she wake up into?
Her brother stepped forward. "Jiang Shanghai—"
Jiang Shanghai straightened slowly, eyes never leaving Liang Xi.
"I was informed the moment she opened her eyes," he said. "I came immediately."
"I can see that," her Liang Ji replied coolly. "But she has just awakened. She needs time."
Jiang Shanghai's lips curved faintly.
"You've had her for three years," he said. "That is time enough."
Liang Xi's chest tightened. He looked down at her again.
"You survived," he said, voice low. "Good. That is more than enough for me"
Good? That was all?
She searched his face for relief. Concern. For any emotion at all. There was none.
Only certainty.
"I will return to the capital tonight," he continued. "She comes with me."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
The nanny gasped. "My lord, the princess has only just—"
"I wasn't asking," Jiang Shanghai said calmly.
His gaze locked onto Liang Xi's.
"You are my fiancée," he said. "The world believes you dead. That ends now."
Her pulse thundered.
"I don't even know you," she whispered.
He leaned closer once more, voice dropping dangerously low.
"You will."
His thumb brushed over her wrist again, lingering just a second too long.
"And you will remember," he added quietly, "the very reason I chose you to be mine."
Liang Xi felt it then. Not fear, but Something far more dangerous. She had escaped one nightmare, Only to step straight into the arms of another.