Once She Came Like a Flash novel Chapter 55

**TITLE: Faith Didn’t Survive Time – by Aadi Sharma**
**Chapter 55**

At the break of dawn, Azure Villa was enveloped in a stillness that felt almost sacred. The sun had yet to fully rise, and the world outside was painted in soft shades of gray, but inside, Alison was already stirring, her mind racing with thoughts that refused to let her linger in sleep.

Once she had splashed water on her face and brushed her hair into some semblance of order, she reached for her phone, her fingers trembling slightly with anticipation. As she descended the elegant spiral staircase, her eyes flickered to the screen, and her heart sank. Three missed calls.

“Who could it be at this hour?” she mused, her brow furrowing slightly. She initially assumed it was Renee, but her heart dropped when she saw the name—Jasper.

“Why did my brother call me?” she wondered aloud, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach.

The realization hit her like a cold wave. Ever since Renee had gone to negotiate with Everest Group on behalf of Genome Tech the day before, Alison had braced herself for the inevitable fallout. Jasper was probably gearing up to give her a stern talking-to about her reckless ambitions.

With a resigned sigh, she pressed the call-back button, her mind racing with what he might say.

“Are you calling me for something?” she asked, her voice steady, though her heart raced.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from the living room, startling her.

Alison hurried down the remaining steps, her curiosity piqued. There he was—Jasper, lounging on the plush sofa, absorbed in whatever was playing on his tablet. She blinked in surprise, taken aback by his unexpected presence.

“What are you doing home?” she blurted out, her voice tinged with disbelief. Jasper was a creature of habit, usually lost in work or jet-setting to meetings. Seeing him here, in their family home, felt oddly out of place.

Jasper glanced up at her, his expression cool and unreadable. “All thanks to your employee, Ms. Whitley,” he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

That one statement spoke volumes, igniting a flicker of concern within Alison.

“Uh… What does that mean? Did Renee piss you off?” she asked, her brow knitting together in confusion.

She recalled the message Renee had sent her the previous evening, a brief summary of events that had unfolded. Alison had assumed Renee was safe with Adam by her side, and thus, she hadn’t given it much thought. Besides, after a late night out with friends, she had silenced her phone, hoping for a few precious hours of sleep.

Luke, hovering nearby, chimed in with a knowing smirk. “Ms. Whitley got completely wasted and made a scene. Mr. Zeller had no choice but to come back home.”

Jasper had been preoccupied with his work, barely glancing at her.

But Alison was not one to back down easily. She had snapped his laptop shut with a determined flick and thrust her phone in front of him. “Come on, look! Just take a second!” she had insisted, her enthusiasm infectious.

With a resigned sigh, Jasper had finally glanced at the photo.

In it, Renee was a vision—her hair swept back into a high ponytail, clad in a crisp blue-and-white school uniform. She stood beneath the tall trees that lined the street, textbooks clutched against her chest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a warm, dappled glow on her small, oval-shaped face. The light danced in her eyes and highlighted her rosy cheeks, making her fair complexion seem to radiate with an inner light.

Alison chuckled softly at the memory, her heart swelling with affection for her best friend. “I knew you had a thing for her,” she teased, nudging Jasper playfully.

Jasper rolled his eyes, but a small smile crept onto his face, betraying his amusement. “You always knew how to push my buttons, didn’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Alison replied, her laughter ringing through the room, momentarily dispelling the tension that had hung in the air. In that moment, surrounded by the warmth of family and friendship, she felt a flicker of hope amidst the chaos that life had thrown their way.