Chapter 1: New Heart
Leon’s POV
If there were an award for the busiest man on earth, Leon Arvell Cornwell would probably win it without competition.
Unfortunately, that man was me.
Being the CEO of a multibillion-dollar corporation wasn’t glamorous the way people imagined.
People saw private jets.
Luxury hotels.
Business magazines.
Award ceremonies.
What they didn’t see were the endless meetings.
The sleepless nights.
The constant pressure.
And the responsibility of carrying a legacy that had existed long before I was born.
Cornwell Holdings wasn’t simply a company.
It was my family’s legacy.
Founded by my grandparents and expanded by my parents, it had grown into one of the largest business groups in the world.
And as the only heir of my generation, the responsibility eventually landed on my shoulders.
Whether I liked it or not.
Thankfully, there was an end in sight.
At least that was what I kept telling myself.
Once everything stabilized...
Once the latest acquisitions were completed...
Once the mergers were finalized...
I would finally slow down.
For the first time in years.
And maybe...
I could start building a life outside the boardroom.
My fiancée had waited long enough.
Candice and I had known each other since childhood.
Our parents were friends long before we were born.
As children, we played together.
As teenagers, we dated.
As adults, we simply stayed together.
People often asked if I believed in soulmates.
I wasn’t sure.
But I knew one thing.
No matter how many countries I visited.
No matter how many people I met.
I always came back to Candice.
And somehow, she always remained.
Steady.
Faithful.
Patient.
Waiting for me.
Only days earlier, I had returned from Italy after finalizing the acquisition of a one-hundred-room luxury hotel in Florence.
Since then, my schedule had been relentless.
Business meetings.
Contract signings.
Corporate negotiations.
Investment discussions.
The list never ended.
And today was no different.
I had just returned from another merger meeting involving a company on the verge of bankruptcy.
A deal that would likely become one of our most profitable acquisitions.
I was exhausted.
Mentally.
Physically.
Emotionally.
All I wanted was ten minutes of peace.
Unfortunately...
The universe had other plans.
The moment I sat behind my desk, my phone rang.
I already knew who it was before checking the screen.
“Mom.”
I answered immediately.
“Arvell, where are you?” my mother demanded.
I pulled the phone away from my ear.
Just slightly.
“I’m in my office.”
“Don’t tell me you’re still working.”
I glanced at the wall clock.
Five o’clock.
Exactly.
The engagement celebration wasn’t until six.
And it was literally across the street.
“I’ll be there.”
“You said that last week.”
I laughed.
“Mom.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know.”
“One day you’ll schedule your own wedding between meetings.”
That actually sounded possible.
“Relax. I’ll be there before everyone else.”
“You’d better.”
The call ended shortly afterward.
I smiled.
Mothers never changed.
No matter how old you became.
After gathering my things, I left the office.
Employees greeted me as I crossed the lobby.
I returned each greeting automatically.
My mind was already focused on the evening ahead.
The engagement party.
Candice.
Family.
Friends.
Maybe for one night...
I could stop being a CEO.
And simply be a man in love.
The hotel stood directly across the street.
Walking would be faster than driving.
The city remained busy despite the approaching evening.
Cars moved steadily.
Pedestrians hurried along the sidewalks.
Everything appeared normal.
Ordinary.
Routine.
Until it wasn’t.
The first gunshot shattered the air.
People screamed.
A second shot followed.
Then a third.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Vehicles stopped.
Pedestrians scattered.
Someone shouted.
Someone fell.
Someone cried.
I instinctively stepped backward.
Trying to locate the source.
Trying to understand what was happening.
Then something slammed into my shoulder.
Hard.
Violently.
The impact spun me sideways.
Pain exploded through my body.
A strange numbness followed.
I looked down.
Blood.
So much blood.
My vision blurred.
The sounds around me grew distant.
Muted.
Almost unreal.
I tried to stay standing.
Tried to move.
Tried to breathe.
But darkness rushed toward me.
Fast.
Merciless.
And within seconds...
Everything disappeared.
At first there was nothing.
Only darkness.
Silence.
Endless silence.
Then came fragments.
Voices.
Sounds.
Dreams.
Strange dreams.
Dreams that didn’t belong to me.
A beach.
Golden sunlight.
A woman’s laughter.
A diamond ring hanging from a necklace.
A voice.
Warm.
Tender.
Loving.
“As long as my heart is beating...”
The words echoed repeatedly.
Again.
And again.
And again.
My eyes flew open.
Bright lights immediately assaulted my vision.
Everything looked blurry.
Unfamiliar.
Wrong.
I blinked several times.
Trying to focus.
Trying to understand where I was.
What happened?
Why was I here?
“Doctor!”
A nurse’s voice broke through the confusion.
“He’s awake.”
Moments later, a man wearing a white coat appeared beside my bed.
Relief immediately crossed his face.
“Welcome back, Mr. Cornwell.”
My throat felt dry.
Raw.
Painful.
“Where am I?”
The words barely came out.
“You’re in the hospital.”
The doctor smiled reassuringly.
“Your parents stepped out for lunch. They’ll be back soon.”
Hospital?
Why?
I frowned.
“What happened?”
The doctor’s expression became serious.
“You were caught in a shooting incident four days ago.”
Pieces of memory slowly returned.
The street.
The gunfire.
The pain.
The darkness.
“The bullet entered through your shoulder.”
The doctor paused.
Then continued carefully.
“It severely damaged your heart.”
My chest tightened.
Instinctively.
As though my body already knew what came next.
“The surgical team performed an emergency heart transplant.”
The room suddenly felt cold.
Too cold.
“What?”
The doctor nodded.
“A donor heart became available in time.”
I stared at him.
Speechless.
Disbelieving.
Trying to process what he was saying.
A donor heart.
Inside me.
Beating.
Keeping me alive.
Yet not mine.
“How long?”
I finally managed.
“Four days.”
The doctor answered.
“You’ve been unconscious since the surgery.”
I slowly closed my eyes.
Trying to absorb everything.
Trying to understand.
Trying to accept.
Yet one question continued bothering me.
That dream.
That woman.
That voice.
None of it made sense.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.
The door opened.
And Candice entered.
Relief immediately filled her face.
“Leon.”
Her eyes glistened with tears.
“The doctor told us you were awake.”
I looked at her.
My fiancée.
The woman I was supposed to marry.
The woman I loved.
At least...
I thought I did.
“Candice.”
She smiled.
A familiar smile.
One I had seen thousands of times before.
“I’m so happy you’re okay.”
I should have felt relieved.
Happy.
Excited.
Grateful.
Instead...
Something felt strangely wrong.
Not with her.
Not with us.
With me.
As though something inside me had shifted.
Something I couldn’t explain.
Something I couldn’t understand.
Candice sat beside the bed and gently squeezed my hand.
“Don’t talk too much.”
“The doctor said you need rest.”
I nodded.
Obediently.
Silently.
Yet even as she sat beside me...
My mind drifted elsewhere.
To a beach I had never visited.
To a woman I had never met.
To a promise I had never made.
And to a heart...
That was no longer mine.
