Simon''s mom had tried to set ra up on a dinner date with Nate, but ra


    managed to give them the slip. When the bodyguard mentioned seeing a specific car picking ra up, Simon found it hard to believe Dn would have done such a thing. Dn couldn''t stand ra, so what was going on?


    Over the next few days, Simon''s gut was telling him something was up, especially after seeing ra willingly share an elevator ride with Dn. Simon couldn''t get a straight answer from ra, and asking Dn directly felt too risky. So, he turned to Colton for some insider info.


    Colton was Richard''s cousin, and Richard was tight with Dn. If anyone knew anything, it might be Colton. "Hey, Colton, did Richard ever mention if Dn had a thing for someone while he was overseas?" Simon asked.


    For two years, Dn had gone radio silent, but surely Richard had seen him. At Dn''s age, most guys in their circle had a string of flings. Dn was eerily quiet on that front.


    Colton was still in a funk because Quinn was about to get hitched. He answered without much enthusiasm, "Dn? Yeah, I think he''s been hung up on someone for years."


    Simon''s curiosity piqued, and he clutched Colton''s arm. "Seriously? Who told you? Did Richard say that himself?" If Richard said it, it had to be legit!


    Colton chuckled, not eager to admit he wasn''t exactly Richard''s favorite. He''d overheard it by ident. "Yeah, it was Richard. He said, ''Dn, are you really staying loyal to that girl? After all these years, why have you not given anyone else a shot?""


    Simon felt his heart race. Had Dn been in love all this time? But there hadn''t been a girl in sight. Was it because she was long gone and Dn just couldn''t let go?


    Simon thought he was onto something big. No one, even Dn, was above experiencing heartbreak. He immediately thought of the Dawson family. Jackson Dawson was a buddy of Dn''s, and years ago, Shelly Dawson was kidnapped and murdered. Rumor had it Dn was close to her, and even visited her grave a few times.


    The scandal around Shelly''s kidnapping and death was huge back then. It never crossed Simon''s mind that she might be Dn''s lost love. Feeling like he''d cracked the case, Simon dug up an old news article. Sure enough, it mentioned Dn visiting the cemetery for a straight week.


    For someone who usually kept family at a distance, Dn must''ve really cared for Shelly to be so open about it. Feeling smug, Simon shared the scoop with ra.


    Simon: [Did you know about Dn''s lost love? It was all over the news back then. He went to the cemetery for a week straight. Oh, and Miss Dawson even penned love poems for him. My grandpa used to pass them around at our family get- togethers.]


    ra, intrigued, clicked on the news link. The media had captured a shot of Dn holding flowers, looking utterly heartbroken.


    She''d heard about Shelly''s tragic story-it was seven years ago. Dn was justing of age, and already had a fearsome reputation. Beyond that photo, the media didn''t dare reveal who he honored.


    After that, news about Dn faded.


    She thought back to that idental elevator kiss and his intense reaction and guessed he was utterly repelled.


    A shiver ran down her spine as Simon sent another message: [By the way, Shelly''s kidnapping kinda ties back to you. The kidnappers were aiming for you, but you texted Shelly to meet you, and she got caught up in it instead.]


    ra was dealing with amnesia and didn''t remember this, but as Simon mentioned it, hazy memories flickered in her mind, just out of reach.