Ch -4 Emily

Ethan's POV

I don't know what it is, but there is something in the back of my mind that's trying to alert me about something ominous… along with my heartbeats, but I ignore everything– until it finally happened.

I step out of the shower, the steam following me outside as I loosely drape a robe over myself. The ends of my hair are dripping with water, and I glance at myself in the mirror before stepping out, expecting that girl… Ashley Waverly to be there, ready to sacrifice herself in return for my help. 

Without my permission, my mind flashes back to the image of her sleeping soundly outside my door, as if she wasn't crouched in the lobby of a five star hotel but sprawling on her own personal bedroom! 

Her auburn hair was scattered all over the place and when our eyes met, for a fleeting moment, I actually thought…

I thought she was back, and those eyes made me stop in my place, along with my heart. 

Emily, she was back? What was she doing here, was something wrong?

But just before I could ask her that, she woke up, looking into my eyes as if inquiring how she had gotten there.

And by the time my eyes can confirm it with my brain about what my next move should be, my heart has already formed an alliance with my lips, as they have already spoken the words of acknowledgement for her.

But before I can complete my sentence, my eyes fall on her face, and I realize that even though everything was so similar to Emily, she isn't Emily… 

In fact, her nose is the only feature that makes this slight difference, apart from it… everything is perfect. But even after that difference, she is just like her, in every aspect… even her voice.

My voice must have awakened her, and opening her eyes, she starts to speak;

"Mr. Johnson, I need your help. That's why I came here to ask for your help with my father's company…"

Help? She needs my help… anybody in this world who knows me, knows that I don't help anyone. At least not for free! But the face of this girl made me listen to her plea… listen to everything she is going through, wanting me to help her so desperately.

And when she finally concludes her speech, I find that my heart has already given in to help her because of the resemblance… and my brain finally comes up with the solution. 

If she wants my help, then she has to compromise with the exact same thing because of which my heart has lured me to help her.

Because if she was getting the privilege of the face she has, then she should be the one to bear the repercussions related to the very same face.

Emily, the girl who has left me after torturing my soul like hell… my heart is still willing to help her look-alike. Then, I will help her… but no matter what, I can never forget the betrayal I have gotten, along with the lesson it has taught me.

And now, I will finally get to exact my revenge by watching her squirm–

However, that thought is abandoned right there as I step into the empty room, my gaze falling on the neatly made bed on whose edge she had been sitting just moments before.

That girl has disappeared, leaving no trace of her presence behind. I feel my frustration rising at her sudden departure, and no matter how much I try to, I can't shake the feeling of annoyance simmering under my skin. 

I expected her to stay true to her word, or at least have the decency to say no to my face! But she has chosen to run away like a coward– and really, that girl thought she can handle the corporate world? She wouldn't last a day! 

She is just also just like her… She fled without giving me any answer, after knowing that she is not capable of fulfilling my demand… after knowing that she was wrong in the first place! 

Running a hand through my damp hair, I can't help but feel a twinge of bitterness at her actions. What can I call it, if not hypocrisy?

The thought left a sour taste in my mouth, and I flung myself onto the bed, fuming with frustration. 

I mindlessly scroll through my phone with a sense of detachment, but my thoughts are stuck in a completely different place. But as I swipe left again, a pang of longing sweeps through my heart when my gaze was unintentionally drawn to a photo of a woman with striking auburn hair.

I doubt that anyone in this world can deny the resemblance between Ashley and Emily, the woman I have tried so hard to forget… and it is really amazing, isn't it, how Emily can still play with my emotions so easily, even after leaving me so ruthlessly? 

How could I allow myself to be fooled by her for a second time? And what's more humiliating is the realization that it wasn't even Emily this time – it was just an illusion, a shadow of the woman who had once held my heart in her hands.

With a bitter laugh, Ethan I toss my phone aside, my frustration boiling over into a simmering rage. I was a fool to let myself be swayed by Ashley's charms, to believe that she could ever be anything more than a passing distraction… 

If it was anybody else, I wouldn't have given her a second thought, or even a chance to speak. But there was something about her that was so reminiscent of Emily that I just couldn't reject her… 

I raise my hand to smash my phone against the wall to release my anger, but just then, the door opens.

It's her… Ashley. It is her again… my thoughts echo in my mind, and with that, the girl struts through the door. But it seems like she has changed completely. 

Before I can figure out what's going on, she presses her lips on mine, the sweet cherry-like fragrance overwhelming all my senses while her hands work to untie the knot on my robe… 

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