Love after Death (S1) [Completed]

Chapter 34: ​The Autopsy of an Identity

Miguel's POV

The Devilla estate didn't just loom; it exhaled a cold, gilded authority that made our family's mansion feel like a cozy cottage in comparison. As we stepped through the arched mahogany entrance, the scent of expensive floor wax and ancient leather hit me-the smell of a legacy that Liam was expected to uphold and one that I was, apparently, now tethered to. After seven years of that car accident, I had been the perfect corporate soldier, working alongside Liam to build the very walls that now felt like they were closing in.

But recently, we had stepped back. We had chosen the campus over the boardroom, a move that our parents clearly viewed as a temporary sabbatical rather than a choice of soul.

"Welcome back, Miguel," Chairman Ruis boomed, echoing off the marble foyer. He clapped a hand on my shoulder-a gesture of fatherly approval that made my heart hammer against my ribs. "I was just telling your Dad that the resort and restaurant complex is still the crown jewel of our partnership. That hospital wing you and Liam proposed? It's saved more lives than any other private facility in the region this year. You've given months of brilliant service to this company, even after that. It's a shame you both decided to focus purely on your studies this year; the corporate office feels empty without that energy."

"I just wanted to ensure the vision we presented remained intact, Dad," Liam replied smoothly, stepping up beside me.

I nodded, forced to maintain the rhythm. "We just felt that completing our degrees was the best way to support the legacy long-term, Chairman Ruis. Months in the office taught us a lot, but there is still theory we want to master."

Liam was standing just half a step behind me, a silent shadow. I could feel the heat radiating off him as we moved into the dining hall. I was flanked by my parents-Dad looking satisfied, Mom looking like she was ready to dismantle the room with a single remark. Across from us sat the hosts. Mrs. Stella sat with a posture so straight it looked painful, her eyes tracking every movement I made.

"So," Mrs. Stella began, her voice a sharp contrast with the clinking of silverware. "The two of them are finally back together in one room. I was starting to think my son had moved into your dorm permanently, Miguel. I hear you two are even taking the same elective this semester? Quite a commitment for 'best friends' who just spent a couple of months sharing an office."

I opened my mouth to answer, but Mom's voice cut through the air, her tone laced with dangerous, honeyed sarcasm.

"They're just enjoying their youth, Stella," Mom said, keeping her eyes on her plate. "Though I must say, it's a change of pace. In our younger days, we weren't quite so... inseparable. Your son has always been the diligent one, but Miguel? He's the real surprise. To think he'd trade his boardroom solitude for a constant shadow at school."

"A pleasant change, I hope?" Chairman Ruis asked.

"Oh, fascinating," Mom said, finally looking at Mrs. Stella with a thin smile. "He's a completely different person since that car accident, wouldn't you agree? You remember how he used to be? Then the crash happened, and suddenly he's a business prodigy. It's almost as if the old Miguel vanished in that wreckage and someone entirely new took his place. Eight years is a long time to play a new part, but some changes... they feel more like a rebirth than a recovery."

The table went silent. Michael intervened from the end of the table, his doctor's eyes narrowed.

"Trauma has a way of sharpening the mind," Michael said. "A near-death experience can strip away the fluff. But even success stories have side effects. You've become very... synchronized... with my brother. It's unusual for two people to align so perfectly after such a drastic shift in personality."