*𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐏𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐃*
After a short-lived marriage with the cold and arrogant billionaire Ronin Logan, Carmen Price is eager for a break. Her attempt to unwind leads her to another wealthy billionaire, Simon Walsh. Little does she know...
"Are you serious right now?" Diana asked, as she glared at Willow and the man standing behind her.
After leaving Jasper's place, Willow was quick to call Diana and asked her to meet at Carmen's home address. Diana had asked what the hell she was trying to do, but Willow didn't have time to explain, she was trying to put the pieces together herself, but for now, that was all she had.
Willow brushed the back of her neck, looking around and noticing how late it was, how nothing seemed real anymore, and everything was just messed up. "I think I am?" She said, suddenly not so sure anymore. But then she shook her head. "Look, you have to trust me on this. This is the only explanation as to why I didn't have the device on me after I returned. Ryan has to have it."
But Diana wasn't so sure if Willow was making literally any sense at all. I mean, what were the chances? It felt so unreal and ridiculous. Their one mistake could cost the lives of the two people they held dear. But then again, Willow did have a point.
The old woman turned and walked away from them, only to sigh and walk back towards Willow. "How are you even so sure that my grandson has it? Did he tell you?"
Willow shook her head. She knew her theory wouldn't make much sense until she backed it with solid proof. She looked over her shoulder, hoping Dan wouldn't think of her as some crazed woman after what she was about to say.
She ran a hand through her hair. "The truth is that before I travelled through time, Ryan didn't exist. Either he was not born or he wasn't supposed to. Either way, Alice was the one Carmen raised on her own because Ronin had died in the fire set by James that night."
Diana gasped, taking a step back. Her eyes widened, and she stared at Willow with her mouth hanging open. Willow could tell how shocked the woman was upon hearing such a revelation. It was crazy, she knew. But it was also true. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't lived it herself.
She continued, even though a part of her wished it was all nothing but a bad dream. "What I am trying to say, I guess, is that in my previous reality when you trusted Carmen with the device, you didn't really tell her what it really was, and even if you did, she might not have taken it seriously."
The wheels of Diana's head started turning as she listened to Willow's words carefully, putting two and two together. She raised her chin, her jaw clenching. "I did give it to Carmen. I thought no one would ever expect me to do something so stupid, to hide it in plain sight, and the organisation would leave my daughter alone. I even made the joke about it once, asking her what was the one thing she would change if she ever got to travel through time."
Willow didn't doubt the possibility of it, because that's exactly what had happened in her previous timeline as well. The only difference was: Diana had made the joke to Alice, and Alice had done what made absolute sense to a five-year-old. She had run straight to Willow, someone she trusted to keep her secret and the two of them had made the pact to bring her dad back.
If only for Willow to feel a little less guilty. After all, it was her stubbornness to not keep her mouth shut that led to her unexpected coma and Ronin's death. Alas, Dan and Eric weren't the only ones who blamed themselves for not doing enough to save Ronin's life. Willow was right there with them, seething in the heat of the same remorse.
She nodded, smiling a little. She still didn't understand how Alice turned out to be Jasper's. It was still a mystery that she couldn't decipher. "Anyway. When I returned, things were obviously not the same. Because Ronin had survived the fire, as we all know it, a different set of reality must have kicked in. One where Ryan was Carmen and Ronin's biological child."
Dan cleared his throat from behind Willow, and she almost forgot that he was still there. "Yeah, we went to Jasper and Molly's house, but Alice denied having the device. So, the fact that Ryan might have it, makes absolute sense. Or at least enough to make us believe that it's a possible lead."
Diana remained silent for a while, staring at the ground thoughtfully. Willow waited for her to say something, anything. Because right now, they had no choice but to hope for the best.
Finally, Diana lifted her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Okay." She breathed out. "You have convinced me. If Carmen did give the device to her child, and that child is Ryan in this reality, then you're right, he might still have it."
But that was not all, they were still miles away from a solution that could save Carmen and Ronin's life. Not to forget, even though Diana had made it pretty obvious that she needed to return the device to the organization, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to do that.
There was a reason she had run with that thing. One of them being the corruption she witnessed. She hated the organization. She hated how they used innocent people and treated them like lab rats. But most importantly, she hated how they lied to her about everything. From their intention to build such a device to their purpose to use it.
"So?" Willow said, breaking the older woman out of her thoughts. "What next?"
"I think it's time I call Simon," Diana sighed eventually, rubbing her temples. "I didn't want to involve him, but looks like we don't have much choice. He's the only one who would know what to do."
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