Rebirth Of The Heiress And The Tycoon's Lover (Alina) novel Chapter 259

The Evergreen jet touched down on Ravinne soil under a muted sky. The air was crisp and cleaner, almost lighter, different from the bustling city of Elaris. It carried the faint scent of rain–soaked pines and distant lavender fields. From the car window, Alina watched the grand iron gates of the Evergreen estate slowly open.

Her reflection in the glass looked detached, unfeeling. But her hands, clasped tightly on her lap, betrayed the storm she was holding back.

When the car finally stopped in front of the mansion, Luna and Darius were already waiting on the steps. They had flown in earlier while Damien and Alina followed behind.

Luna’s eyes shone the moment she saw her, her frailness from before replaced with a glow that made her

seem years younger.

“Welcome home, my darling.” Luna said softly, stepping forward with open arms.

Alina hesitated. The word home didn’t sit right on her tongue. She offered a small nod instead, polite but distant.

The staff had gathered in a neat line behind Luna and Darius, maids and butlers who looked genuinely emotional. “Welcome back, Miss Dahlia. They chorused, bowing slightly.

Luna’s smile widened, her eyes misting. “You see, everyone missed you.”

Alina gave a faint, forced smile. “Thank you, but call me Alina.” Her voice was calm, almost too calm…stripped

of warmth.

Luna didn’t seem to notice, too caught up in the relief of seeing her daughter safe and home again. She turned, gesturing eagerly toward the grand entrance. “Come, let’s get you settled. You must be exhausted from the flight.”

As they walked through the gilded doors, the familiar scent of vanilla and white lilies wrapped around Alina like a ghost of her childhood. Every painting, every ornate chandelier, every step on the marble floor tugged at something buried deep within her.

Luna led the small group through the hallway, chatting softly. “Your old room is still exactly how you left it. We couldn’t bear to change a thing.”

Her voice trembled, but her smile didn’t falter. “Even your dolls… the ones you used to dress up and line by the window, they’re all still there. Oh, Alina, you have no idea how much I prayed for this day.”

Alina’s gaze flickered to her mother briefly before drifting away. Her tone was cool, almost detached. “That’s… thoughtful of you.”

Luna faltered a bit but continued, determined to keep the mood light. “You must be starving, my love. I told the chef to prepare your favorites. There’s rosemary chicken, truffle pasta, and that chocolate mousse you used to steal from the kitchen at midnight.”

18:59 Fri Oct 17

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO.

“Hey! Stop that!”

He froze, his head snapping up. The boys‘ laughter faded, the world falling silent except for that voice that had just spoken.

The voice cut through the air, clear and firm, almost melodic. It wasn’t loud, but it carried authority that made every boy freeze.

“I said stop.”

The voice came again, closer this time. “I’ve already called the matron.”

That did it. The boys scrambled, muttering under their breaths as they stumbled over each other to flee. One kicked at the dirt near Lucian’s leg before taking off down the corridor, but none dared to look back.

Lucian blinked, his body trembling from the adrenaline still coursing through him. Slowly, he turned his head toward the source of the voice.

She stood there, framed by the weak sunlight spilling through the windowpane. A girl…small and slight, with long jet–black hair that shimmered like silk when the light touched it. Her eyes… grey, like the edge of a storm, watching him with something that felt dangerously close to concern.

For a moment, Lucian couldn’t breathe. Something in those eyes tugged at a place deep inside him, a memory that he was trying so hard to reach but couldn’t because of the sharp pain that was threatening to split his head into two.

She stepped forward, her shoes crunching softly on the gravel. “Are you okay?” She asked quietly.

Lucian didn’t answer. He just stared, his lips parting as if words had abandoned him completely.

Without hesitation, she crouched beside him, her brows knitting together when she saw the split at the corner of his lip. “You’re bleeding,” she murmured, and then she did something that startled him…she reached out her hand.

Lucian hesitated. His instinct screamed to pull back, to retreat, to trust no one. But something in her eyes….the strange familiarity, the warmth, made him still.

Her hand was small, delicate, but strong. She took his without hesitation and helped him to his feet. He staggered slightly, catching himself against the wall as she steadied him.

“I’m Alina,” she said softly, brushing dust from her skirt. “Alina Dawn.”

Her voice was gentle, carrying a melody he couldn’t quite place.

She smiled at him, it was a soft, fleeting thing that tugged at something buried deep in his chest. “I just got adopted,” she added, as if sharing a secret. “I was saying goodbye to everyone when I saw those jerks hitting you.”

He blinked, processing her words slowly. “You’re… leaving?”

“Mm–hmm.” She nodded, her black hair swaying as she did. “I’m leaving today.” Then, tilting her head, she asked, “Are you new?”

Lucian nodded once, the movement stiff. “Yeah.”

For a brief moment, they just stood there, the silence oddly comforting.

Lucian’s gaze lingered on her face…the curve of her cheeks, the way her lashes caught the light. Something about her seemed so familiar it almost hurt.

“Have we…” he hesitated, unsure of his own question. “Have we met before?”

Alina tilted her head again, her lips curving into a small giggle that softened the tension in his chest. “No,” she said simply, shaking her head. “I don’t think so.”

Then, without warning, she leaned closer, her eyes sparkling. “But your eyes are pretty, though.”

He blinked, startled. “What?”

“Your eyes,” she repeated, still smiling. “They’re really pretty. Like-” she paused, thinking, “like honey caught in sunlight.”

The words hit him like an echo…distant, half–remembered. Someone had said that before. Someone who mattered. But the harder he tried to remember, the more his head began to throb, that same sharp pain clawing at the back of his mind.

He winced, bringing a hand to his temple.

“Hey,” Alina said softly, frowning. “Are you okay?”

He nodded quickly, forcing a breath. “Yeah. Just… tired.”

Unknown to either of them, they did know each other…but under a different name, in another life.

Alina…once Dahlia, had been taken five years ago, around the same time the Stormvale family was destroyed. Her memories had been suppressed with drugs before she was abandoned at the orphanage.

But now, standing there in that dusty courtyard, fate had quietly reunited them.

Lucian didn’t know why, but looking at her made something flicker in his chest. Something like… warmth. Safety. A reason to keep breathing.

She crouched again and rummaged through the small pink bag slung over her shoulder. “Hold still.” She murmured.

Before he could ask, she pulled out a little Hello Kitty band–aid and peeled it open with care. “My favorite.” she said with a grin, pressing it gently over the split at the corner of his mouth.

Lucian froze, unsure of what to do with the sudden softness.

“There,” she said, smiling with satisfaction. “All better.”

He stared at her, words lost. “You… carry that around?”

“Of course,” she said proudly. “You never know when someone might need it.”

He huffed a quiet laugh, the first real one he’d had in years. “You’re weird.”

“Thank you.” She said, grinning wider.

Then she went quiet, her grey eyes studying him intently. “You know,” she began slowly, “you look really sad.”

He blinked at her. “Sad?”

She nodded, stepping closer until she was just inches away. “Like you forgot how to smile.”

He didn’t know how to answer that. He hadn’t smiled…truly smiled in five years.

And then, with all the innocence in the world, she tilted her head and asked, “Do you want to marry me?”

Lucian’s eyes widened. “What?!” He stammered, his voice cracking slightly. “Are you crazy?!”

“No.” Alina giggled, utterly unfazed by his shock. “You look like someone who needs someone,” she said matter–of–factly. “So I’m promising you that when we’re older, we’ll get married. That way, you won’t be lonely anymore.”

He could only stare, caught between disbelief and something that felt dangerously close to emotion.

“So because I seem lonely, you want to marry me? Why me?” He whispered.

“Because you look like you need someone to choose you,” she said simply, her small shoulders lifting in a shrug. “And I choose you.”

Something in his chest broke quietly at that.

He wanted to tell her not to say things like that. That people who made promises to him always disappeared. But the words wouldn’t come.

So he just stood there, looking at her as she smiled up at him like he was someone worth knowing.

And though he didn’t understand it then, Lucian would carry that moment with him for the rest of his life… the day a girl with grey eyes and a pink Hello Kitty band–aid saved him from breaking completely.

As she turned to leave, her voice lingered in the air, bright and soft.

“Bye, Lucian. Don’t forget me, okay?”

But he didn’t, back then he was unaware that her name would someday haunt him…because she was the one person he could never forget, even when memory itself failed him.

But she…she forgot him.