I barely had time to process what the mission meant before I heard my mother’s voice calling me back home. I had traveled seventy-six years into the future, and now I was standing in the body of a girl who shared my name—Amelia Wallace. She even looked exactly like me. The wedding was already underway when I woke up in her place.
A man in his sixties stood at the altar, waiting for me. My so-called father, Mr. Wallace, was beaming. He had arranged this marriage without my consent, selling off his own daughter to secure his future.
“Mr. Welch, you may kiss your bride,” the officiant announced. I stepped back. “Why should I marry him?
I don’t agree. ”
“You disobedient girl! You have no say in it at all. You have to marry him as I’ve decided.
”
“Arranged and forced marriages were abolished ages ago. What you’re doing is illegal. I could report you to the cops. ”
“You—Amelia, Dad only wants the best for you.
Mr. Welch is quite well off. You’re so lucky to have the chance to marry him,” my so-called sister Tina added. “Since you think he’s great, why don’t you marry him then?
”
“Amelia used to be so timid, such a pushover. Why did she become so forceful so suddenly? ” my father muttered to himself. “Whether you agree or not, you’ll have to marry him today.
Someone tie her up and have her proceed with the wedding. ”
I laughed. “I dare you to try to tie me up today. ”
The room fell silent as I stood my ground.
I wasn’t about to let anyone control my life again. Later, at the George family estate, I overheard Nigel George, the young heir, talking about the family patriarch. “My grandfather isn’t in the best of health,” he said. I froze.
“Can you take me to see him? ”
“Amelia, you’re just trying to grab attention and marry into our family,” Tina sneered. I looked at Nigel directly. “Your grandfather has a 3 cm scar on the left side of his waist.
He hates onions and baked beans. And his favorite dessert is brownie, right? ”
Nigel’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?
”
“Your grandfather and I have a special bond. Can you take me to see him now? ”
“There must be a bit of history between her and grandpa,” Nigel murmured. “Tomorrow is his birthday party.
You can meet him there by then. ”
Tina grabbed his arm. “Nigel! It’s fine.
A lot of people have been invited. She wouldn’t dare to try any tricks. ”
I smiled. Tomorrow was indeed Aaron’s birthday.
I needed to prepare a gift for him. But Tina had other plans. She convinced my father to lock me in a room. “Locked up in there for a few days, she’ll behave herself.
By then, we’ll marry her off to Mr. Welch again,” my father laughed. I picked the lock easily. When I arrived at the birthday party, the guards tried to stop me.
“Amelia, you’re just a piece of trash. You don’t deserve to attend the birthday party,” Tina hissed. But I walked right in, holding a small gift. Amelia, how dare you try to attack Vincent?
” someone yelled as a young man approached me. I looked at him. “Aaron, happy eighth birthday to you. ”
The old man’s eyes welled up with tears.
“Thanks, Mom. ”
He tasted the brownie I’d baked and broke down. “This tastes exactly like my mom used to make it. Who sent this?
Where are they? ”
I stepped forward. “It was sent by me. Miss Amelia Wallace.
”
Later, when Aaron saw me in person, he collapsed in shock. The whole room turned against me. “Amelia, I knew you were trying to hurt Mr. George, weren’t you?
Otherwise, why would he have a heart attack at the sight of you? ” Tina screamed. Security surrounded me. “Miss Amelia Wallace, you’ve got bad intentions and tried to poison Mr.
George. Take her down and call the police. ”
But Aaron recovered enough to shout, “Stop it! Don’t you dare do it.
Mr. George, you can’t—”
Then he looked at me and whispered, “Mom? ”
Everyone thought he was suffering from senile dementia. But I knew the truth.
Aaron George was my son. After the chaos settled, Aaron took me aside. “How did you come back alive? And you look so young.
”
“Let’s talk somewhere else,” I said. “This is a family matter. ”
He introduced me to Nigel and Vincent as their great-grandmother. Nigel was shocked but obeyed.
Vincent, the wild one, refused to accept it until I beat him and his friends in a fight. “You’re so badass, great-grandma. Why are you so awesome? Where did you learn such fighting skills?
” Vincent asked. “If you behave yourself and make something of yourself, I might teach you. ”
“I’ve made up my mind,” Vincent said. “Wipe the slate clean and start all over again.
I’ll definitely make our company more prosperous. ”
But the George Group had rot within. I discovered that Tina’s family had embezzled millions from the company. Nigel, blinded by love, refused to see it.
“Nigel, fire everyone from the Wallace family immediately,” I ordered. “You—why should he? ” Tina cried. “Nigel, that’s so unfair.
Firing so many people at once is too much,” Dina added. “What about me? I’m the chairman of the company, also the ultimate decision maker. I have the right to fire anyone,” Aaron said.
“Miss Amelia Wallace’s decision is also my decision. Do as she says. Fire everyone from the Wallace family and call the police to charge them with embezzling company funds. ”
Dina’s father tried to push Aaron down the stairs later, but I caught him.
“You tried to push Aaron on purpose,” I accused. “No, I didn’t. It’s because I twisted my ankle in high heels and fell in his direction. ”
“I’ve witnessed so many murders.
Whether you did it on purpose, it’s pretty clear to me. ”
But Nigel still believed her. “Miss Amelia Wallace, Grandpa, Dina’s so gentle and kind. Why did you have such a rooted prejudice against her?
”
“Nigel George, she tried to hurt your own grandfather. You’re blind to the truth. But I won’t allow anyone to hurt Aaron. From today, I don’t want to see anyone surnamed Wallace in places belonging to the George family.
I’ll give you 10 days to cough up every penny you stole from the George Group, otherwise, you’ll definitely rot in jail. ”
Aaron, weakened and disappointed, asked me to take over the company. “Mom, I want you to take over the company as its chairwoman. Nigel’s too young to be fit for managing the company alone.
He needs someone to keep him in line. ”
But Nigel, determined to protect Dina, resigned from the company and gave up his inheritance. He left to start his own business. “Nigel, I’m so glad to see you,” Dina’s father said when Nigel showed up at their house.
But when Nigel told them he’d left the George family, their faces fell. “We’re done for. It’s all over. Then how—how could I repay so much money?
” Dina’s father wailed. “Mr. Wallace, once I start a business and succeed, I’ll make sure you live in luxury,” Nigel promised. Dina took all his savings, claiming her family needed it to survive.
She bought new clothes and expensive things while Nigel struggled to find investors. I made sure no one lent him a cent. He needed to learn the hard way. Dina grew tired of his poverty.
I caught her cheating with Mr. Yates, a wealthy man. “Without the George family support, you’re just nothing. You can’t let me live in luxury, but you have no right to stop me from finding someone who can.
Mr. Yates can give me everything I want. Designer brands, mansion, and endless money. And what about you?
What do you have? Get out of my house right now. Look at yourself. What a pathetic loser.
”
Nigel came back broken. “Great grandma, you were right. Dina is a gold digger who’s after my money. And I—I am an utter fool.
”
“It’s not too late to realize it, Nigel. If you want to come back, the position of CEO is still yours. ”
“No. Great grandma, I get it now.
True dignity and worth don’t come from family privilege. I have to earn them myself. I want to start from scratch and build up a fortune on my own. ”
I was proud of him.
Finally, he’d become a real man. Vincent suggested I enter a decryption competition hosted by the Yates family. An old letter from the 1940s, worth millions to whoever cracked it. I agreed to give it a chance.
But when I saw the letter, my hands trembled. I recognized the handwriting instantly. It was from Landon—my husband, the love of my life. He’d written it in our secret code before a dangerous mission.
“Amelia, if I don’t come back from this mission, no need to look for me. I’m not afraid to die. I’m just heartbroken we won’t grow old together. I would make the same choice even in my next life, but I hope I can grow old with you in my next life.
”
Tears streamed down my face. Everyone stared in confusion. “She figured it out,” someone whispered. I was trembling.
“This letter was written in 1947 by a young man serving his country. Before going on a dangerous mission, he wrote this farewell letter in code. He told his superior that if he died, this letter must be delivered to his wife. ”
Mr.
Yates confirmed my decryption was correct. I won the antique worth ten million dollars. But I didn’t care about the prize. I demanded to meet him.
When I entered his parlor, he was playing a piano piece—a song I’d written for our future child, named Aaron. I gasped. “It’s him. He’s alive.
He must be alive. Take me to Saul Yates! ”
He turned, and I saw him. Old and frail, but it was him.
Landon. “Amelia. Landon. Amelia.
I’m back. ”
“It’s been 80 years. And you still look so young and so beautiful,” he said. “You too.
In my heart, you’re always that young man who welcomed me with open arms. ”
“Landon, that wasn’t a dream. We really do have a son. ”
He met Aaron for the first time.
“This is our son. His name is Aaron George. ”
Aaron bowed. “Dad.
”
“All these years, I haven’t been by your side. I’m sorry. For leaving you alone to raise our son. You must have suffered a lot.
”
“Let’s not talk about this. In this lifetime, being able to see you again will make me have no regrets. ”
But Dina and Mr. Colin Yates—Landon’s adopted son—swooped in, trying to discredit me.
They claimed Landon had dementia and I was a con artist. Landon had seen enough. He summoned his lawyer and changed his will, cutting off Colin and placing all his assets in my name. “Colin, I brought you home when you were 3 years old and raised you.
No—I can’t stand by and watch you use my assets to hurt my wife after I die. ”
“I respect her just like I respect you, Dad, you have to believe me. ”
“I might believe you, but can I believe her? ” Landon asked, gesturing at Dina.
When Dina and Colin tried to force their way back in, I stood firm. “From today on, none of you can set foot at the Yates residence. ”
Landon finally told me his story. “Back then, I didn’t actually die on that mission.
To hide from the enemies hunting, I had to change my name and stay away from my hometown for years. And then, after the whole country was finally liberated and everything settled down, I rushed straight home without wasting a single moment trying to find you. But all I got was the news that you’d already been killed before the liberation. And I never even knew we had a child together.
”
“What happened after that? How did life treat you? ”
“Later, I changed my name to Saul Yates. I built a business empire by 50 and made the Yates family the prominent family today.
Amelia, all these years, I would have dreams of you and me with a little boy living a happy life. So, I adopted a boy and named him Colin Yates. Amelia, if I had another life, I only wish I could spend every day of my life with you. ”
“Meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me,” I whispered.
The history museum was founded by the renowned industrialist Mr. Saul Yates. He was honored for his legacy. But I didn’t need the honors.
I had my family back. My son, my great-grandsons, and the man I’d loved across a lifetime. Landon reached out and took my hand before anyone could pull him away. “Amelia,” he said softly.
“Promise me you’ll never disappear again. ”
I squeezed his fingers. “I promised you a long time ago, Landon. I keep my promises.
“
