The final notes of the orchestra faded into warm applause.
Guests slowly left the dance floor, smiling as waiters moved gracefully through the ballroom carrying sparkling drinks and elegant desserts.
Aaron turned to Celina.
"Are you tired?"
She smiled.
"A little."
"But I'm enjoying tonight."
"I'm glad."
For a moment...
Neither of them noticed the photographers capturing another picture.
This time...
Aaron was looking at Celina.
Not the cameras.
Across the ballroom...
Sophia quietly excused herself from the guests.
She walked down a quiet corridor toward the ladies' lounge.
Just as she reached the corner...
A voice stopped her.
"Sophia."
She turned.
Eleanor stood behind her.
"We can't leave things like this."
Sophia sighed.
"I know."
Eleanor looked around to be sure they were alone.
"If anyone discovers the truth before we're ready..."
"...Celina's life could change forever."
Sophia nodded slowly.
"I've kept my promise for twenty-five years."
"I won't break it now."
She hesitated.
"But someone else may already be asking questions."
Eleanor's expression darkened.
"What do you mean?"
"I saw a man watching Celina."
"He wasn't looking at the gala."
"He was watching her."
Meanwhile...
Outside the hotel...
The mysterious man sat inside the same silver sedan parked across the street.
He opened a thin brown envelope.
Inside were several freshly printed photographs.
Celina smiling.
Celina dancing.
Aaron looking at her.
He spread them across the passenger seat.
His phone rang.
"I have the photographs."
The familiar deep voice answered.
"Good."
"What have you learned?"
"Very little."
"Her name is Celina Bakers."
"She works at Steel Medical Center."
"No criminal record."
"No wealthy relatives."
"No public history before she arrived in Rosewood."
Silence.
Then...
"That's impossible."
The mysterious man frowned.
"I thought the same."
"It's as if..."
"...someone erased her past."
The voice became colder.
"Keep digging."
"Everyone has a past."
"Find hers."
The line went dead.
The man looked once more toward the brightly lit hotel.
"I will."
Inside the ballroom...
Daniel's doctor approached Aaron.
"Mr. Steel."
"I wanted to thank you."
Aaron looked surprised.
"For what?"
"The new pediatric recreation program."
"The children haven't smiled this much in years."
Aaron glanced across the room.
Celina was kneeling beside a little girl who had become overwhelmed by the large crowd.
She gently adjusted the child's tiny hair ribbon before offering her a cookie from the dessert table.
Within seconds...
The little girl smiled again.
The doctor followed Aaron's gaze.
"She has a gift."
Aaron answered quietly.
"I know."
Later that evening...
The gala finally came to an end.
Luxury cars lined the entrance once again.
Aaron escorted Celina outside.
The night air was cool.
Above them...
The stars shone brightly.
"Thank you for bringing me."
Aaron looked at her.
"Thank you for coming."
She laughed softly.
"I was nervous."
"You hid it well."
She smiled.
"I had someone making sure I wasn't alone."
For reasons he couldn't explain...
Those words stayed with him.
A valet pulled Aaron's car to the entrance.
Before opening the passenger door for Celina...
Aaron removed his suit jacket.
"You'll be cold."
Without waiting for an answer...
He gently placed it over her shoulders.
Celina looked at him in surprise.
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine."
Their eyes met.
Neither noticed...
Someone across the street had just taken another photograph.
Click.
The camera lowered.
Inside the silver sedan...
The mysterious man smiled.
"So..."
"Even better than I expected."
As Aaron's car disappeared into the night...
The mysterious man started his engine.
Instead of following them...
He drove in the opposite direction.
Twenty minutes later...
His car stopped in front of an old records building on the edge of the city.
He stepped out and looked at the faded sign.
Rosewood Municipal Archives.
A slow smile crossed his face.
"If someone erased your past..."
"...this is where they made their first mistake."
He walked toward the entrance.
Unaware...
The first real search for Celina's hidden past...
Had just begun.