Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) novel Chapter 810

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Chapter #10

Chapter 810

From the moment Shiloh first mentioned she was over 80, Andrew had suspected she suffered from a rare condition—one commonly known as the “ageless syndrome“. As the name suggested, those affected by it never aged beyond a certain point.

Looking at Shiloh, even with her veil on, Andrew could tell she had likely stopped aging in her early 20s–still in the prime of youth. To the outside world, ageless syndrome sounded like a blessing–eternal youth.

Yet, in reality, for many who suffered from it, it was a nightmare. Some stopped growing as infants, toddlers, or even newborns, forever trapped in a child’s body.

On the other hand, Shiloh was one of the lucky few she had at least matured into adulthood before her aging had frozen.

Nonetheless, the ageless syndrome was not as wonderful as it seemed. Certain conditions–cold, extreme heat, or even specific lunar phases–could trigger unbearable pain, or worse, episodes of mental instability.

In Shiloh’s case, she was not just dealing with ageless syndrome. She also had amnesia.

That meant her memories had been wiped–either entirely or in fragments–and she might continue to forget things as time went on.

Andrew sighed, shaking his head. “With two rare conditions like that, no wonder you chose to live alone in the Southern Highlands.”

There was a hint of sympathy in his voice.

Shiloh’s tone remained even. “I don’t have any friends. I don’t remember anyone. If I were around people too often, it would only cause trouble. Living in The Southern Highlands isn’t so bad, except for being broke all the time.

“There are so many delicious foods, beautiful things I’ve never been able to experience. Thankfully, I learned how to use TikTok. That helped me connect with people and make some friends!”

As she spoke, she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through videos.

Andrew, focused on driving, could not look, so he asked casually, “How many followers do you have?”

Shiloh turned the screen toward him with a slight hint of pride. “Not a lot, just a little over a million.”

Andrew nearly did a double take. After all, a million followers was no small number. That meant Shiloh was a full- fledged social media influencer. It also explained why so many socialites and wellness enthusiasts in Jayrodale worshipped her.

A second later, another thought struck him. “Wait… if you have that many followers, shouldn’t you be making decent money?”