Dear Sweetheart novel

Rayna didn’t know what Kristie saw in her dream, but it broke her heart to see Kristie cry.

Eventually, Kristie calmed down and woke up. When she saw Rayna, she thought she was dreaming, and she

rubbed her eyes.

“Rayna? Oh, you’re here. You should’ve woken me up,” she said, her voice still raspy from all the crying.

Rayna wiped Kristie’s tears away and asked tenderly, “What did you dream of? You were crying.”

“I… I don’t know.” Kristie sat up, a frown creasing her forehead. She tried her best to recall what she saw in her

dream. “I dreamt of a guy. He said he would marry me after he graduates, but… but I couldn’t see his face clearly.

And that’s not even the weird part. For some reason, I said yes, and we went to pick out my gown and our wedding

ring. The wedding was held in a church. But just before we could take our vows, he said he had something to settle,

and then he ran away.”

A sorrowful sensation filled Kristie’s heart. “For some reason, I felt my heart clench. It’s like my world got shattered

into a million pieces. What if he isn’t coming back? That was what I thought. So I went after him, but no matter how

much I cried out to him, he wouldn’t turn back.”

The more she recalled the dream she had, the more distressed she was, and she began crying uncontrollably

again. Wiping her tears, she said, “I just felt so, so sad. I couldn’t stop crying. It’s weird, Rayna. I couldn’t even see

his face, and yet I couldn’t stop crying.”

Rayna had the answer to that question. Kristie might have forgotten that man, but Rayna didn’t. The former might

be hypnotized, but her memories of James were still suppressed somewhere in her mind. She would subconsciously

think of him from time to time.

How much does she love him to dream about him even after she lost her memories of him.

Rayna smiled and consoled her, “It’s just a dream, silly. Stop overthinking. I guess he must love you a lot. Maybe

someday he’ll come to you.”

Kristie frowned as a look of confusion surfaced in her eyes. “He said he’d marry me after he graduated. So he’s

younger than me? I hope he’s not ugly. And I really wish he’s not a manchild.”

“He’s not,” promised Rayna. “He’s handsome, mature, and loving. He’ll keep you safe.”

“Do you know who he is, Rayna?”

“Yes. I know him.”

Kristie inched closer to Rayna and pressed on for answers. “Really? So when’s he coming back?”

Rayna’s lips curled into a smile. “Not in the near future. He’s really busy right now. All right, enough about him. Get

changed now. It’s dinnertime.”

“Okay…” Kristie wanted to know more, but Rayna didn’t give her the chance to ask any questions. It was her first

time crying over someone she saw in her dream, and yet she couldn’t see his face. I wonder when we can meet

each other.

Kristie emerged from her room after getting changed, and Rayna pointed at Carl, introducing him to Kristie.

“Is he really Theodore’s kid?” Kristie rubbed Carl’s cheeks, still in disbelief. “I thought he isn’t into women. And here

you’re telling me he has a son?”

Carl protested, “Aunt Kristie, you can’t run your mouth just because you’re pretty. My father never said he’s not into

women. That’s just you stereotyping him.”

Kristie pouted. “Hey, don’t blame me. He never had a girlfriend, and he never showed affection to me. All I did was

give him a polite hug, and he practically threw me across the room.”

“That proves he has self-respect. It’s always dangerous for handsome men like him, you know? Women like to

throw themselves at him. That’s why he needs to protect himself.”

Glaring at the boy, Kristie put her hands on her hips. “What do you mean, you brat?”

“Nothing,” said Carl innocently. “But if the shoe fits…”

“Why you little…” Angered, Kristie tried to pinch Carl’s cheeks, but the boy dodged her easily, and the two of them

started a game of chase around the table.

Rayna emerged from the kitchen with a pot of soup in her hands and called them over for dinner, but none of them

paid her any attention. It wasn’t until she grabbed them both and smacked them on their heads that they sat down

to eat.

Kristie bit her fork. “You’re scary, Rayna. Too scary. Nobody’s going to want to marry you.”

Carl nodded in agreement. He was about to say something, but Rayna shot him daggers. “Did you just nod? Fine,

guess you’re not getting a wife.”

Carl promptly shut up and resumed eating without another word.

Right then, someone’s phone rang. Rayna recognized that to be her ringtone and rose from her seat, worried that

the call might be about something important. She picked her phone up and glanced at the caller ID, realizing the

call was from Ringo.

“What’s the matter?” She took the call. Nervously, she asked, “Is this about Jefferson?”

“No.” A long pause ensued before Ringo spoke. “It’s Dorothy. She’s dead.”

The news shook Rayna to the core, and she took some time to process it. “Hold on. She’s working for Arnaud, isn’t

she? So who did it? Who attacked her?”

“It’s your brother. It’s James.”

“That’s impossible!” Rayna snapped, interrupting him. “He sent me a message and told me he was going to Xyperia

for some business. And Dorothy wasn’t in Xyperia.”

Ringo answered, “He returned to Yartran three days ago, and he’s been tailing Arnaud. He was going to assassinate

Arnaud during the charity banquet last night, but Dorothy stepped in and took the bullet for Arnaud. The bullet hit

her chest, killing her on the spot.”

Clasping her phone tightly, Rayna asked, “What about James? Did he escape?”

A momentary silence ensued before Ringo’s voice rang out. “He’s dead.”

It was as if a bomb went off in Rayna’s brain.

In denial, Rayna muttered, “No… That’s not true. He can’t be dead. He’s a smart boy. He must’ve run away. He

always has a plan for everything. He won’t act on impulse. He won’t be this rash. He won’t…”

A sigh escaped Ringo’s lips. “Ms. Garland, you should know that Yartran is Arnaud’s base. He had a lot of men

guarding the charity banquet last night. Maximum security, so to speak. James did escape, but Arnaud’s men

caught up to him easily. They killed him and brought his body with them. All my men found was an emerald pendant

in the bushes.”

He’s dead? James is dead? Rayna felt her blood go cold, and her teeth were chattering. She opened her mouth, but

no words came out, for she was in a complete daze.

No. That’s impossible. He can’t be dead. Someone like James… He can’t be… He’s smart…

After moments of silence, Ringo said, “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Ms. Garland.”

Rayna dug her nails into her hand, holding out a sliver of hope. “I need to see the pendant. Snap a photo of it. I

need to see for myself. I don’t believe he’s dead.”

“Very well. But there’s another thing you might want to know, Ms. Garland.”

“Speak.”

Ringo said, “Mr. Hamilton was worried you might run into danger, so he dispatched a team of bodyguards to

protect you in secret. They saw you going to Ms. Winton’s place a lot, so they thought that’s where you were

staying. They installed some bugs in the lounge.”

Coldly, Rayna said, “What am I, a criminal? Why are you guys monitoring me like one?”

“I’m very sorry, Ms. Garland. I’ve lectured them, and they’ve already removed the bugs. They were only there for

two days. I can send you all the recordings right now.”

“Is that all?”

Ringo hummed in response and said, “It’s also about your brother. I’m sending the file over right now. You should

listen to it.”

Rayna told him her email address and kept refreshing the page to see if there were any new mails.