CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
DANIEL'S POV
Something inside me had changed.
I noticed it long ago.
But no matter how hard I tried—
I could never understand what exactly was missing.
Life had returned to normal after the strange events that nearly destroyed the kingdom. My father recovered completely, the council regained stability, and the people slowly forgot the terrifying sickness that once covered the land with fear.
Everything was peaceful again.
At least for everyone else.
Because inside me—
there was still emptiness.
A deep emptiness that refused to disappear.
I buried myself in work to avoid thinking about it.
Day after day, I focused on royal duties.
Meetings.
Business negotiations.
Military affairs.
Trade agreements.
The responsibilities of becoming future king consumed most of my time.
And because of that, people believed I was fine.
But they were wrong.
Very wrong.
No matter how successful I became—
something inside me always felt incomplete.
Sometimes I would wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, my chest aching painfully for reasons I could not explain.
Other times, I would hear whispers in my dreams.
A woman's voice.
Cold.
Soft.
Familiar.
But every time I tried to remember the face attached to that voice—
everything vanished.
Leaving only pain behind.
At first I ignored it.
But as months passed, the emptiness only grew stronger.
Especially around women.
It became impossible for me to tolerate their presence for too long.
The moment they tried getting close—
irritation rose inside me immediately.
Some disgusted me without reason.
Others bored me completely.
Even the most beautiful princesses from powerful kingdoms failed to move my heart.
That worried my father greatly.
One evening during a royal dinner, the king finally confronted me before the council elders.
"Daniel," my father called calmly.
I lifted my eyes from the table.
"Yes, Father?"
"You are twenty-eight years old now."
I already knew where the conversation was heading.
One of the elders cleared his throat carefully.
"The kingdom needs stability, Your Highness."
"Which means," another elder added, "the kingdom also needs an heir."
I remained silent.
The king studied me closely.
"You avoid every woman brought before you," he continued. "Why?"
I frowned slightly.
"I simply haven't met anyone worth my attention."
The elders exchanged worried glances.
"That is exactly the problem," one of them said carefully. "No woman seems capable of capturing your heart."
I almost laughed bitterly.
Because the truth was—
I wasn't sure I even had a heart left to give.
Something inside me always felt cold.
As if part of me had been taken away long ago.
And I had no memory of losing it.
Weeks later, I traveled abroad for an important business trip arranged by the royal council.
Our kingdom wanted to expand its international partnerships, especially with one of the largest corporate companies in modern trade.
Zarion Global Enterprises.
A company feared and respected across several countries.
Powerful.
Ruthless.
Untouchable.
I had attempted multiple collaborations with them over the years.
Every proposal had been rejected without explanation.
At first I respected their professionalism.
Later—
their arrogance irritated me deeply.
No one had ever seen the true owner publicly before.
Only representatives.
Lawyers.
Executives.
Rumors described the owner as cold-hearted and merciless in business dealings.
And honestly—
I hated people like that.
But fate had other plans for me.
The international conference was held inside one of the most luxurious hotels overseas.
Powerful businessmen filled the massive conference hall, discussing partnerships worth billions.
I attended out of obligation.
Nothing more.
At least that was what I believed—
until I saw her.
The entire room seemed to fall silent the moment she walked in.
She wore a fitted black suit that perfectly hugged her figure, her long dark hair flowing neatly behind her shoulders.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Her high heels echoed softly against the polished floor as she walked past executives twice her age without sparing them a glance.
Confidence surrounded her naturally.
But what truly shocked me—
was my reaction.
The moment my eyes landed on her—
my chest tightened painfully.
My heartbeat became uneven.
For the first time in years…
I felt something.
Something powerful enough to shake me completely.
I stared at her longer than necessary.
Unable to look away.
One of the businessmen beside me noticed immediately.
"You seem interested," he chuckled quietly.
"Who is she?" I asked without hesitation.
The man looked surprised.
"You don't know?"
I frowned slightly.
He lowered his voice.
"That is Sandra Laurent."
The name alone sent a strange shiver through my body.
"Sandra Laurent," he repeated. "The CEO of Zarion Global Enterprises."
My eyes widened slightly.
Impossible.
So this was the woman who kept rejecting my proposals for years?
The same ruthless businesswoman I had grown to dislike without ever meeting?
I stared at her again carefully.
And strangely—
none of that mattered anymore.
Because the closer she moved—
the stronger my heart reacted.
Something about her felt familiar.
Painfully familiar.
Yet I was certain we had never met before.
Sandra remained focused on the meeting, flipping through documents calmly while discussing business with foreign investors.
Cold.
Professional.
Untouchable.
Then suddenly—
she looked up.
Our eyes met briefly.
And my entire body froze.
For a split second—
something flashed inside her eyes too.
Shock.
Confusion.
Pain.
But it disappeared so quickly I almost imagined it.
She immediately looked away as if nothing happened.
And continued speaking normally.
Ignoring me completely.
That hurt my pride more than I expected.
Women usually fought for my attention the moment they learned who I was.
But Sandra?
She acted as if I didn't exist.
I found myself watching her throughout the entire conference.
Every movement.
Every expression.
Every word.
And the more she ignored me—
the more obsessed I became.
By the end of the meeting, I could no longer control my curiosity.
The moment I returned to my hotel suite, I ordered my assistants to investigate everything about her.
Hours later, files covered the table before me.
But strangely—
there was almost nothing.
No proper family records.
No childhood history.
No public relationships.
Only one thing remained clear.
Sandra Laurent was the powerful CEO of Zarion Global Enterprises.
That alone confused me deeply.
How could someone so influential appear from nowhere?
I stared at her photograph silently.
Then my eyes lowered toward the black necklace around her neck.
A strange symbol was carved into it.
The moment I saw it—
a violent headache struck me.
I grabbed the edge of the table tightly.
Dark forests flashed through my mind.
Black eyes.
Whispers.
Magic.
Pain.
Then—
a woman's voice.
"Forgive me…"
My breathing became uneven.
I stood up immediately.
Sweat covering my forehead.
"What the hell is happening to me?" I whispered.
But despite the pain—
one thing became clear.
Sandra Laurent had awakened something buried deep inside me.
Something powerful enough to break through the emptiness I had carried for years.
And no matter how cold or ruthless she was—
I could not walk away anymore.
For the first time in my life—
a woman had captured my heart.
And I swore to myself right there—
I would make Sandra Laurent fall for me.
No matter what it took.