Elena’s POV

The man standing behind me was Elder Chen.

President of the Chen Group.

Matthews’s maternal uncle.

For a brief moment, memory overlapped with reality, and I almost couldn’t reconcile the two.

In my recollection, Elder Chen had once been a gentle, courteous elder—someone who spoke softly, who would pat my shoulder and ask about my grades, who smiled kindly whenever he saw me trailing behind the adults during family gatherings.

Back then, his concern had felt ...