Ian Berry

Ian Berry was a famous businessman: handsome as the devil, smart as a god. But he had his flaw—unrequited love.

He'd seen her as a child—his friend Alex's sweet little sister. The Berry and Dores families had been friends since elementary school: they'd built a business together and raised their children. When Alexia was born, Ian firmly declared, "I'm going to marry her!" Everyone laughed, but the boy was hopelessly in love. At 16, when Alexia was 10, he already saw her as his future bride and believed that by her 18th birthday, she would blossom and become his.

But fate had other plans. Rivals kidnapped Alexia, staged her death, and disguised her. The news of his daughter's death killed the father, drove the mother insane, and forced the 18-year-old brother to take over his father's position and mourn his loss alone. The Berry family supported their friend: Ian's parents welcomed Alexia's brother as their own and offered him a place to live. The girl's "death" destroyed two families.

All this time, Alexia lived with a new face, enduring beatings, abuse, and humiliation. When her kidnappers were arrested, she was sent to an orphanage as a "child of criminals." At 18, she finally found freedom: she entered university, found a job, lived in a dorm, made friends, and saw a psychologist. Her memory of her past life had almost faded—only a few fragments remained. She didn't know where her family was, and she didn't remember her brother or Ian.

When 26-year-old Ian arrived at her institute to give a lecture as the guest of honor, Alexia didn't feel the slightest bit of anxiety—he simply seemed like a handsome and successful man. But Ian froze when he saw her. Before him was no longer the girl from the past, but a new Alexia—broken, but still sweet and kind. And for the first time, he didn't pine for the old version of her—he was completely captivated by this current one.