Chapter 283
They showered each other with compliments, but neither meant a word.
Allison couldn't resist teasing, her tone dripping with exaggeration. "I thought I was rusty, but stepping into the arena brought me right back to life. It's just minor competition, nothing to write home about."
Kellan replied with a languid drawl, "Maybe you really are a retired pro racer after all."
With a playful sparkle in her eyes, Allison declared, "Who knows? I might even be a world champion!" The confidence radiating from her was a striking blend of self-assuredness and sharp insight. And there was a kernel of truth in her boast. She had graced the global short-track speed skating scene and received tempting offers to join professional teams, but she'd turned them all down. Skating was simply a delightful pastime.
Kellan leaned back, propping his chin on his hand as he regarded her. For reasons he couldn't quite pinpoint, he found joy in her confident, slightly assertive demeanor. Even in jest, her unique charisma had a magnetic pull. What intrigued him most was that, despite her clever strategies, Allison always wore an innocent mask. Deep down, they were two halves of a whole.
As Kellan lifted a cup of tea, lost in his musings, he recalled, "You know, I wasn't always fond of short-track speed skating. A major childhood event left me with amnesia, and suddenly, I found myself drawn to extreme sports like short-track speed skating."
Allison quipped, "Maybe someone taught you the ropes before you lost your memory, and that's why it lingers in your mind."
She often thought about the parallels between Kellan and Colton. Both had suffered their fathers' betrayals and experienced a piece of their past being erased. Yet, their personalities couldn't be more different.
"Maybe," Kellan mused, lowering his gaze. He paused, lost in the reverie of fragmented memories that had eluded him since the incident. Allison's words conjured a faint image of a girl in his mind, but a dull ache soon throbbed in his forehead.
"Mr. Lloyd, are you alright?" Allison noticed his sudden shift. The man who had been calm moments ago was now rubbing his temples, his complexion pale and slick with cold sweat.
"It's nothing. Just my headache acting up again." Kellan downed the hot tea, forcing himself to push aside thoughts of his lost memories. Slowly, he began to regain his composure. "It could be nerve-related headaches, making it tricky to retrieve my childhood memories."
To him, whether he remembered his past or not was of little consequence. Yet, society's demand for perfection often stirred his curiosity about what had transpired during his formative years. Moreover, the relentless nerve-related headaches he'd endured for years might be linked to those forgotten memories. But the complexities of his current situation left little room for such reflections.
"It might also be the brain's protective instinct," Allison recalled the doctor's assessment of Colton. The doctor had explained how Colton's emotional trauma caused his mind to suppress painful memories. Despite her best efforts over three years, Colton couldn't remember any part of his lost past, always suspecting her motives as mere sympathy-seeking lies.
With a mix of emotions, Allison said, "Maybe it's for the best. Those memories could be too painful for you. Sometimes, forgetting is the kindest option." She felt the need to move on, rather than remain trapped in the shackles of her past. The boy who once carried her across mountains and rivers to escape, who vowed to marry her, had changed irrevocably.
Yet, a concerning pattern of mental health issues lingered in the Lloyd family: Lorna with her autism, Kinslee battling Alzheimer's, and Kellan enduring nerve-related headaches… it was a strikingly peculiar lineage.
Kellan clearly wished to steer the conversation elsewhere and deftly changed the subject. "By the way, I could use your assistance with something."
"What do you need?" she asked.
"Next month, there's a charity ball and auction organized by Ferdinand. He extended an invitation for me to attend. But I need a female companion. I wonder if you would honor me with your presence? I don't have anyone else I can count on. You won't have to lift a finger; just showing up is all I need." After finishing his tea, Kellan felt his headache lift slightly. He continued in a steady tone. Though his face remained placid, his grip on the teacup tightened involuntarily. Allison, however, seemed blissfully unaware.
"Sure," she replied. While the charity ball didn't particularly pique her interest, the auction held the promise of uncovering something related to her mother's belongings.