Chapter 255

Chapter 255
The drive out of the city took longer than Serena expected.

Concrete gave way to trees. Noise thinned into quiet. Signal bars dropped one by one until her phone became nothing more than a reflective screen.

She watched Lucien from the passenger seat.

He was focused, but lighter somehow. Not relaxed, never that, but intentional. As though today had a purpose beyond destruction.

“You told them to stop,” Serena said suddenly.

He glanced at her. “Told who to stop?”

“Your men,” she replied. “The house feels different.”

Lucien didn’t deny it.

“For now,” he said. “Fear works best when it’s paced.”

Her fingers curled against her thigh. “You’re destroying the Weng family.”

“Yes.”

“Without touching Arabelle.”

“Yes.”

She exhaled slowly. “You want her to watch.”

He didn’t look away from the road this time.

“I want her to understand,” he said, “that running doesn’t change the ending.”

The car turned onto a narrow road lined with tall trees, branches arching overhead like a cathedral.

Serena’s breath caught.

She remembered this place.

Her heart began to race.

“Lucien,” she whispered.

He slowed the car.

“Yes?”

“This place… why here?”

The gates closed behind them with a muted thud.

Serena stepped out of the car slowly, the gravel crunching beneath her shoes sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet. The estate before her was modest compared to Hillside, no grandeur, no show of power. Just calm. Guarded. Safe.

Too safe.

“This isn’t a training ground,” she said quietly.

Lucien shut the door and came around to her side. “No.”

Her eyes lifted to him. Searching.

“You brought me somewhere we couldn’t be followed,” she realized.

“Yes.”

They walked toward the house together. Every step made Serena’s chest feel tighter, as if something long buried was about to surface.

Inside, the air smelled faintly of tea and disinfectant. Sunlight filtered through sheer curtains. Soft footsteps echoed down the hallway.

And then...

“Serena?”

Her body froze.

That voice.

She turned sharply.

Meilin stood at the end of the hall, a cardigan draped loosely over her shoulders, hair pulled back simply. Her face was thinner than Serena remembered, paler, but her eyes were clear.

Present.

Alive.

“Meilin…” Serena whispered.

The world tilted.

She crossed the distance in seconds, arms wrapping tightly around her friend as if afraid she’d vanish again. Meilin stiffened in surprise, then slowly hugged her back.

“You’re really here,” Meilin said, voice trembling. “Lucien said you would come.”

Serena pulled back, hands gripping Meilin’s shoulders, eyes scanning her face desperately.

“You’re okay?” she demanded. “She.. she tried to...”

“I know,” Meilin said gently. “She tried to end me.”

Serena’s breath hitched.

Lucien watched from a respectful distance, giving them space.

Meilin led Serena to the couch, sitting beside her. “It didn’t work,” she continued. “Not completely. I lost time. Memories blurred. Some things… felt wrong.”

Her fingers curled slightly. “But he found me before it stuck.”

Serena turned toward Lucien.

“You saved her.”

“I intervened,” he corrected. “Doctors, specialists. People who know how to undo damage instead of causing it.”

Meilin smiled faintly. “He stayed until I remembered my own name again.”

Tears burned Serena’s eyes.

Arabelle hadn’t just tried to hurt her.

She had tried to erase her.

The rage that rose inside Serena this time was colder than anything she’d ever felt.

“I’m sorry,” Serena whispered to Meilin. “You were dragged into this because of me.”

Meilin shook her head. “No. Because she was afraid.”

That landed harder.

Meilin reached into the pocket of her cardigan and hesitated. “There’s something else.”

Lucien straightened slightly.

Meilin met Serena’s eyes. “While my memories were… unstable, I remembered fragments. Things I shouldn’t have known. Conversations. Names. Places.”

Serena’s pulse quickened. “About Arabelle?”

“Yes.” Meilin nodded. “And about your past accident.”

The room went still.

Lucien’s jaw tightened.

Meilin swallowed. “She didn’t just orchestrate it. She rehearsed it. Over and over. She wanted it perfect.”

Serena felt something inside her finally settle.

Not fear.

Lucien stepped forward. “That’s why I brought you here,” he said quietly. “You deserve to know the truth. And she doesn’t get to do it anymore.”

Serena reached for his hand.

This time, she didn’t hesitate.

“Thank you,” she said. Not just for Meilin. For everything.

Lucien squeezed her fingers once. Firm. Steady.

Outside, birds lifted from the trees.

And far away, Arabelle Weng opened her phone to a flood of notifications, frozen assets, board resignations, investigations launched.

She stared at the screen, numb.

She didn’t know it yet. But Serena had stopped fighting her past. And Lucien had just given her back a witness.

The weight in Serena’s chest didn’t lift all at once.

It loosened slowly, like fingers unclenching after holding on for too long.

Meilin excused herself briefly to change, and when she returned, she looked more like the woman Serena remembered, simple jeans, soft sweater, hair loosely tied back. Not fragile. Just… real.

“There’s a small place nearby,” Meilin said, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice. “They make the best dumplings. I’ve been craving them for weeks.”

Serena blinked. “You’re allowed to go out?”

Meilin smiled knowingly. “Your husband finally decided I’m not made of glass.”

Serena turned toward Lucien. “You finally decided?”

Lucien raised an eyebrow. “I was outvoted.”

By whom? Serena mouthed silently.

Meilin only laughed.

The restaurant was tucked between a florist and a closed bookstore, quiet and unassuming. The kind of place people overlooked, which made it perfect.

They sat at a corner table.

Lucien insisted on sitting beside Serena, close enough that their shoulders brushed whenever he reached for his tea. It was subtle. Possessive without being obvious.

Meilin noticed.

“So,” Meilin said casually, chopsticks poised, “is he always this attentive, or is this a special occasion?”

Serena nearly choked on her drink.

Lucien didn’t even flinch. “Define attentive.”

“You looked like you were ready to fight the waiter for pouring her tea first,” Meilin replied sweetly.

Serena burst out laughing before she could stop herself.

Lucien sighed. “I was assessing threats.”

Meilin leaned back, amused. “The dumplings?”

“They looked suspicious.”

Serena laughed harder, wiping her eyes. “I married a paranoid man.”

“You married a prepared one,” Lucien corrected calmly, reaching out to adjust the napkin on her lap without thinking.

Meilin watched the exchange quietly, a smile tugging at her lips.

“You’re different with him,” she said softly.