THE BILLIONAIRE THEY NEVER SAW COMING

CHAPTER 3

“Miss, it appears he’s been badly wounded,” the driver reported as he hefted Javier’s limp body into the passenger seat.

Valeria reclined, using her thigh as a makeshift pillow for his head.

Her eyes locked onto the bloodstained bruise on his temple, while her fingers trailed along his pallid face. “Handle him with care,” she murmured.

“Who would do this to him?” she whispered, her gaze filled with quiet fury.

“Seems someone attacked him,” the driver replied, shutting the car door and starting the engine.

“Should we take him to the hospital, Miss?”

“Be quick,” Valeria said, her eyes narrowing as she inspected his bruised knuckles and torn shirt.

Something about him stirred memories deep within her.

Her hand slid to his wrist, stopping abruptly as she noticed a silver bracelet wound tightly around it—a bracelet hauntingly identical to the one she’d worn since childhood.

The instant her skin made contact, a sudden, intense warmth radiated from her own bracelet, stealing her breath away.

“Miss, are you alright?” the driver asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror as he saw her clench her wrist.

“This bracelet…” Valeria whispered, her heart pounding. “It’s reacting to him.”

In that electrifying moment, a memory surged forth—her grandfather’s voice echoing from years past:

“Valeria, when you meet the one destined for you, your bracelet will burn with recognition. He is your fate, the one to whom you are bound. Find him, and everything will change.”

Her lips parted in astonishment as realization dawned. “Could it be…?”

She turned back to Javier, studying his features under the dim glow of streetlights.

The truth hit her like a thunderclap—this was no stranger.

This was Javier Everhart, the boy she once played with on her family’s plantation; the boy she had secretly adored but disappeared after his father ceased visiting the Everhart estate.

“Miss, we’re approaching the hospital,” the driver announced.

As the car sped through the silent streets, Valeria gripped Javier’s wrist as if afraid he might slip away.

“I’ve finally found you… but why are you like this? Who did this to you?”

Her voice, thick with both longing and determination, barely rose above a whisper.

Drawing closer, she let her warm breath brush over his bruised face. “Javier… wake up.”

In that heartbeat, a faint glow emanated from Javier’s pocket, followed by a pulse of energy so powerful that it drew a gasp from Valeria.

“What in the world—?” she murmured, watching as the light intensified, seeping into his body and causing his fingers to twitch.

His shallow breathing steadied, as though an unseen force was healing him from within.

Unnoticed by anyone, the silver bracelet in his pocket pulsed with a blinding glow before its energy surged into his body.

Deep within his unconscious mind, a vision began to unfurl. Javier found himself standing in an endless void—starless, barren, yet eerily serene.

The air was thick with the scents of burning fire, ancient parchment, and something primordial.

“Javier Everhart, my son,” boomed a deep, resonant voice.

From the darkness emerged a robed figure, his eyes heavy with the wisdom of countless lifetimes. “The time has come for you to awaken.”

Javier’s breath caught in his throat. “Who are you?”

The figure’s smile was a blend of pride and sorrow. “Your father—the last true alchemist of our bloodline.”

“Alchemist?” Javier echoed, his voice trembling with disbelief.

The man gestured toward the silver bracelet—now radiating with an ethereal light. “When you encountered your destined fiancée, the Philosopher’s Stone recognized its counterpart, unlocking the legacy within you.”

“Legacy?” Javier repeated, his mind reeling.

“Embrace it, and you shall understand.” With that, his father’s form began to dissolve like dust in the wind. “You already know the answer.”

At that moment, a searing pain exploded in Javier’s skull as centuries of alchemical mastery surged into his consciousness.

When his eyes finally snapped open, the world had transformed—every detail charged with new meaning.

“You're awake,” a soft, alluring voice called out, drawing him back to reality.

He turned to see himself lying on a sumptuous bed in a richly adorned room.

Beside him sat a woman of incomparable beauty—stunning and poised, her presence both commanding and enigmatic.