Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 399

“Wow!”

Emilia stumbled back a step, eyes wide.

“Doesn’t it look like a burning heart?” Theodore grinned, watching her reaction.

The glow in Emilia’s eyes hadn’t faded.

It really did.

The little stone quickly burned out, and all the while he watched her.

He saw the fire reflected in her gaze.

He squeezed her hand and led her onwards, to the heart of it all.

In the middle of the island stood a wide plaza.

A massive bonfire roared at its center, with men and women in colorful, exotic costumes spinning and laughing as they danced around the flames.

Hand in hand, Theodore and Emilia joined the swirling crowd.

They moved close—so close that Emilia could see the flicker of firelight on his masked face.

For a moment, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

She was sure she’d seen him like this somewhere before.

…

Out beyond the island, a boat was tearing across the waves.

Onboard, Raymond cursed under his breath.

He clutched a bag, its contents a mystery.

“Theodore, you better hope I don’t catch up to you!” he shouted at the wind.

The moment the boat scraped the shore—before it had even stopped moving—Raymond leapt out, phone in hand.

A message flashed on the screen:

“They’re dancing in the central square.”

That was the latest update from his people.

Still muttering angrily, Raymond broke into a run toward the plaza.

…

In the plaza, Emilia gazed up at Theodore.

Another memory flickered in her mind.

Christmas Eve.

Mulled wine.

“I do.” She watched the deep red liquid swirl in her cup, her tone soft.

Theodore glanced at his watch, something flashing on the screen. He looked over his shoulder down a side street.

Then he smiled—and said, “Come with me.”

Emilia set down her cup and followed Theodore to another corner of the plaza.

There, a huge hot air balloon was tethered and waiting.

“Want to go up?” he asked.

“Absolutely.” Emilia followed him into the wicker basket.

It was just the two of them. With a gentle pull on the controls, the balloon began to rise.

As they floated higher, Emilia caught sight of something below—a figure jumping up and down in frustration.

But from this distance, she couldn’t make out who it was.

She blinked and turned to Theodore, who was watching her with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Who’s that down there?” Emilia asked.

“Raymond,” Theodore replied, a chuckle in his voice. “He came to try and catch us, but the moment he landed, someone let me know.”

Remembering the furious little figure she’d seen below, Emilia couldn’t hold it in any longer—she burst out laughing.