Chapter 5 The Day I Found Him
Joanna climbed out of bed and headed for the door. Just as she cracked it open, voices drifted in from the living room.
"Luckily, someone helped us pay off Millie's hospital bill, so we didn't have to touch Mom's treatment fund."
Jonny sounded relieved.
A brief silence followed.
"I've been thinking," Mr. Hart said heavily. "Maybe we should ask Millie to quit her job. I'll take on more work. It should be enough to cover your mother's expenses."
"I agree. She can stay home and take care of Mom. Besides, ever since she got out of the hospital, she seems to have forgotten a lot of things."
Joanna bit her lip. Warmth spread through her chest, but it was tangled with discomfort as she realized how hard Millie had worked to support her mother's treatment.
She felt responsible. At the very least, she needed to protect this family now that she was living in Millie's body.
"I don't want to quit my job."
Joanna pushed the door open wider. Both men turned in surprise.
"I want to go back to work today. Staying at home will only make me feel worse."
"Today?" Jonny frowned deeply. "You just got out of the hospital."
"I think I'm fine. I've forgotten a lot of things, so I need something to help me remember. Maybe my workplace can do that."
Jonny and his father exchanged glances.
"Your condition still isn't good enough for that kind of work." Mr. Hart looked at his daughter with concern.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten what your job even is."
"Uh,"
Joanna could only mumble.
She genuinely had no idea what Millie's job was. If the dream she'd just experienced had been part of Millie's memories, then whatever work Millie did certainly wasn't easy.
Jonny let out a long breath. Then he walked to the only cabinet in the living room, took something out, and handed it to Joanna.
It was an employee ID badge.
Joanna stared at it and swallowed hard.
Millie Hart.
Vance Global Enterprise.
Cleaning Staff.
So the dream was real. Her fingers tightened around the badge. If that was real, then everything that happened in it had been real too.
Her breathing became heavier. Her determination to return to that place grew even stronger. She was certain she would find answers there.
"I have to go to work."
She looked at Jonny with unwavering determination. Even Jonny was startled by the look in her eyes. He had never seen Millie stare at someone with such conviction.
"But..." Mr. Hart began.
Joanna turned toward him. Just like Jonny, he fell silent. There was something in his daughter's gaze that he simply couldn't argue with.
"O-Okay. But on one condition. I'll go with you." Jonny spoke hesitantly, but there was no way he was letting her leave unsupervised.
Joanna thought about it for a moment. She knew where the Vance building was, but she had no idea how to get there now.
She no longer had the privileges she'd once enjoyed, a chauffeur and a car waiting to take her anywhere she wanted.
So yes. She definitely needed Jonny's help.
"Alright. I'll get ready right now." Joanna smiled brightly and hurried back to her room.
Jonny and his father exchanged another glance. Neither needed words. Both of them felt the same thing. The current Millie felt completely different.
Joanna finally discovered another side of life. This was her first time using public transportation. She spent thirty minutes standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers, squeezed into a crowded bus just to get somewhere. It was completely different from the life she'd once known. The experience was shocking, yet strangely fascinating.
"We're here. Are you sure you want to work today?" Jonny asked again.
"Of course."
Joanna confidently headed toward the skyscraper's main entrance. Before she could step inside, Jonny grabbed her arm. She frowned immediately, silently asking why.
"You normally go through that entrance."
He pointed toward another door on the side of the building. The entrance designated for cleaning staff and logistics workers.
"Oh. Right. See you later."
Joanna quickly changed direction. She pushed open the old metal door, which contrasted sharply with the polished corporate tower. Only then did she realize her own company had operated similarly. Employees who weren't considered part of the company's core staff had to use separate entrances.
If she ever returned to a leadership position, she would abolish that rule. It felt unnecessarily discriminatory.
Joanna followed the hallway, briefly reading the regulations posted on the walls. She clocked in and changed into her uniform. Oddly enough, the process felt familiar, as though her body remembered what her mind did not.
"There you are. Your assignment today is to clean the restrooms on the first and second floors." A middle aged woman approached and immediately handed her instructions.
"Um, I was in an accident and lost some of my memory. Where do I get my equipment?" The woman frowned before pointing toward a nearby room. Joanna nodded and walked over.
Storage Room.
The moment she opened the door, she froze. It was the place from her dream. Every shelf. Every corner. Every detail.
Her chest tightened instantly. She hurriedly grabbed a cleaning cart and left as quickly as possible. For the first time, she truly understood what Millie must have felt. Returning every day to the place where she'd been violated. Carrying trauma she couldn't tell anyone about.
Joanna pushed the cart down the hallway. As she turned a corner, she accidentally collided with someone.
"Hey! Can't you watch where you're going? Are you blind?" The man barked at her.
Joanna was about to apologize. Then she saw his face. Her eyes widened.
It was him!
The man from her dream.
Just like Joanna, the man looked shocked. The anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by fear.
"You!"
Joanna's fists clenched. Rage exploded through her mind. She felt as if she might erupt at any second.
"Finally."
Her voice came out as a furious hiss.
"I've finally found you."
"Has she arrived yet?"
Alarich glanced at the assistant standing nearby.
"According to the attendance records, Miss Millie arrived about ten minutes ago, sir." Romero looked at him with a deeply puzzled expression.
Alarich simply nodded, as though he had expected the answer and was merely confirming it. The crease between Romero's brows deepened.
Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, he finally asked, "Sir, may I ask something? Doesn't this mean Miss Millie will run into the people who attacked her again?"
Romero couldn't understand it. Alarich had personally instructed him to call Millie back to work today and ensure she returned to the company. But hadn't his master been fiercely protective of her before?
Alarich didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed ahead, distant and unreadable, as though he were staring beyond the limits of time itself.
"Because she has to go through this before she can take the next step."
Romero frowned.
"Even if she gets hurt?”
"Especially if she gets hurt.”
Then he rose from his chair and strode toward the door, as if there were something urgent that required his immediate attention.
