Chloe's face turned cold in an instant, the alcohol-induced haze in her mind clearing up slightly.Flora scanned Chloe from head to toe with an air of superiority. "Aren't you supposed to be living the high life now? Why do you look worse than a beggar?"Chloe turned her head away, unwilling to look at the face identical to her own. Sometimes, in moments of impulse, she felt like destroying her own face, ashamed of sharing the same features as Flora."Oh, feeling smug now, huh? You really think you've married into wealth? Don't forget, I'm the one who's officially married to him! The media recognizes me as his wife. You? You're just a replacement. A cheap plaything for a man. You're disappear forever! You'll live your entire life in misery, hidden away.""What are you talking about?" Chloe asked, staring at Flora with a chilling sense of disbelief. How could fate be so cruel to make this person her sibling?What did she mean by disappear forever?Flora sneered, her voice dripping with
Back at the party, only two people remained in the private room—Riva and Flora.The flickering neon lights cast an eerie glow on Flora's face, distorting her features into something almost ghostly.Riva swallowed hard, downed a glass of wine in one gulp, and straightened her back, staring directly at Flora, who looked like she wanted to tear her apart.What was bound to happen would happen, but Riva wasn't afraid. After all, self-preservation was the most basic rule of survival. She hadn't done anything wrong."Riva, we need to talk," Flora said, holding a glass of wine, her face twisted in a sinister expression. The elegant aura of the wealthy wife from earlier had long since vanished.Riva met Flora's gaze without flinching. "I don't think there's anything for us to discuss.""Hah!" Flora let out a chilling laugh. "Nothing to discuss? Do you think I'm an idiot? Need me to remind you?"Without warning, Flora threw the wine in her glass straight at Riva's beautiful face."Flora, don't
In the darkness, a pair of bright eyes stayed fixed on the few figures moving downstairs.Finally, dawn broke.The night had been endlessly long. Chloe felt as if her entire body had fallen apart. She ached all over, her stomach cramped painfully, and her mouth tasted bitter. Her head throbbed like it had been slammed in a door."Ugh..." She turned over, and with a loud thud, she hit the ground."Ouch!" Chloe cried out in pain. Poor back! She had no choice but to open her eyes. A completely unfamiliar environment filled her vision, startling her. She quickly scrambled to sit up.God, where was she?Her hands pressed against something cold. Looking down, she realized she was on the floor!Lifting her gaze, she saw a wooden frame in front of her. On top of the frame was a wooden board, acting as a makeshift bed. Judging by the messy sheets on it, she had probably just fallen off that thing.Rubbing her head, Chloe stood up and looked around. The room was full of tools—hoes, sickles, gar
When Chloe arrived at Lisa's home, she found Lisa watching TV. As soon as Lisa saw Chloe, she ran over and hugged her tightly."Chloe, I missed you so much!" Lisa snuggled against Chloe, acting playful.Lisa was eight years old, a sweet and rosy-cheeked little girl, though her deep, dark eyes often carried a hint of sadness and loneliness. Every day, Chloe's piano lessons were the happiest part of her day."Lisa! Mind your manners.," a voice scolded from behind. Chloe turned slightly and saw Marcus, dressed casually, with a faint smile."Mr. Latham, how come you're home today?" Chloe greeted him with a soft smile. The man was so busy every day that he would actually have time to watch TV with Lisa today."Yeah… Lisa's health is a bit delicate, so I thought it'd be better to stay home with her today." Dressed casually, Marcus looked even younger, like a man in his late twenties. His smile was like a ray of sunlight—warm and comforting."Lisa, let go!" Marcus's voice was gentle, his eye
Her vision blurred instantly, and Chloe couldn't make out the exact details of how long she'd supposedly been dead."Mom..." Chloe's voice choked with emotion as she looked up at Donna. "What does this mean?! You can't tolerate me anymore? Do you wish I were dead? I've already lost myself—I sold my soul to take Flora's place. And now, you won't even allow me to keep my name?"That was the only proof Chloe still existed!In the government records, she was already listed as a dead person—completely erased. Chloe Miler had vanished entirely.Tears flowed silently down her cheeks as she closed her eyes.Chloe's desperate accusation caused a sharp pain in Donna's chest. She grabbed her daughter's hand, trying to explain, "Chloe, it's not what you think. Flora only did this because she was scared that if... if they found out we lied to them, our entire family would be doomed...""Hah..." Chloe let out a tearful laugh. "So, in the end, you're just trading my death for your own survival! Mom,
At 11 p.m., the villa was brightly lit.The servants and housekeeper stood in two rows in the hall, heads lowered, nervously wringing their hands, not daring to breathe too loudly.Lionel paced back and forth, his handsome face icy, hands stuffed into his pockets. His hazel eyes had darkened to match the night outside.For half an hour, he hadn't said a word, only mechanically repeating his pacing. The overwhelming aura of authority surrounding him seemed to cast the entire room into a state of stillness, as if everything had fallen into a deep slumber.It was quiet. Unbearably quiet.Mandy cautiously glanced up, her voice barely above a whisper as she broke the tense silence. "Sir, maybe you should rest. The madam is probably just delayed by something..."Lionel paused for a moment but then continued his pacing.Grace shot Mandy a glare and spoke up. "Sir, I reminded madam this morning to come home early. But, you know, she has a habit of... coming back late. Perhaps you should just
That night, Lionel returned home. After dinner, he went straight to his study without a word about Chloe, and he didn't go to her room to check on her either.Mandy felt uneasy. Did Lionel really need to act this way? She might not be married, but she wasn't completely ignorant about relationships between men and women. On the surface, Lionel seemed to despise Chloe, but deep down... he must care for her, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed in so anxiously that morning.Men of status and power often focus on their careers, never allowing a woman to dictate their actions or delay their important matters.Sighing, Mandy thought to herself, This house is full of opportunists! Since Chloe wasn't in Lionel's favor, no one cared about her well-being.Taking one last glance at the light coming from the study, Mandy sighed again before heading back to Chloe's room to care for her.She wasn't sure how long it had been, but while dozing off beside Chloe's bed, a faint sound of the door op
Another day passed, and Chloe remained in a daze, sleepily drinking the porridge that was fed to her, drifting in and out of consciousness. Her fever had gone down, but she was still in a deep sleep.That night, Mandy expected Lionel to come to Chloe's room again, as he had the previous night. She waited by Chloe's bedside, but as the night turned to morning, she realized Lionel hadn't come.What was going on with him?Mandy couldn't guess Lionel's thoughts. Disappointed, she got up, stretched her stiff neck, and hurried downstairs to prepare soup for Chloe.By late morning, Chloe finally woke up, feeling famished.Just as Mandy entered with food, she exclaimed, "Ma'am, you've slept for two days! You gave me quite a scare.""Really?" Chloe rubbed her head apologetically. "Have you been taking care of me this whole time? Thank you!"From what she remembered, Mandy was the only person in this house who didn't give her a hard time or treat her coldly. If anyone had taken care of her whil