Barry wished he could travel back in time and kill his greedy former self.But it was too late now. Nothing he said could change anything.Barry's hands trembled as he clutched his phone. The company had abandoned her, her manager had washed his hands of her, leaving her to fend for herself, and Steele wouldn't lift a finger to help her anymore.The only option left was to try and save herself. She found Eulalia's contact information and tried calling. When that failed, she resorted to texting:"Eulalia, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have framed you. My manager put me up to it. I'm innocent, I had nothing to do with any of it. Please, post a statement online forgiving me. I'll compensate you for your losses - whatever I can afford, I'll pay."The phone remained silent. No reply came for what felt like an eternity. Barry waited anxiously, constantly checking her phone to see if Eulalia had responded.A flood of calls and texts poured in, but she was too terrified to answer or look at the m
"Ms. Clearwater, I'm afraid you'll have to come in person for this one.""What do you mean?" Eulalia asked, slightly furrowing her brow.Oliver explained, "Misty hasn't left the garden since you died. It scratches anyone who tries to take it out. Neither I nor the boss dare to touch it. So we need you to come over yourself. How about this... let's set a time tomorrow, and I'll arrange for a driver to pick you up."When Eulalia heard Misty's name, her heart ached. How was that silly cat doing, the one that tried to save her from the fire? It refused to leave the villa - was it still thinking about what she said before she died last life, telling it to wait for her to come get it?"No need, I'll go there myself. 9:30 in the morning." Eulalia hung up after saying this.The five-minute call left her hair wet and sticky against her skin, very uncomfortable. Eulalia found a hair dryer in the closet.June and July are the hottest months. Eulalia blew on a fan while drying her hair. The hair
Percival stood alone like an outsider, watching Eulalia carefully cradle the cat as if it were a precious treasure.His heart clenched, filled with pain.Eulalia turned to leave, holding Misty close. Now that she had found Misty, she couldn't bear to stay in this place a second longer.Seeing her about to leave, Percival reached out to block her path. Though he had grown thinner, his tall frame still towered over Eulalia, like an impenetrable wall."I've missed you so much these past three days," Percival said, resembling an abandoned puppy. Perhaps due to lack of rest, dark circles shadowed his eyes, which were bloodshot as if he'd been crying all night.His hoarse voice as he spoke these words would have stirred sympathy in most people.Unfortunately for him, Eulalia was not most people."I see. Now move aside," she said coldly.Percival felt as if his heart had been shot, the pain unbearable. He rubbed his face and continued, "Eulalia, when I say I missed you, I mean I felt like I
"Percival, you bastard! What did I ever do to you? I gave you my life, and it's still not enough? Do you want me to die again to be satisfied?" Eulalia shouted, hitting and cursing in Percival's arms. She wanted nothing more than to bite the man who had tormented her for most of her life.A sharp pain shot through Percival's hand, causing him to instinctively release Eulalia. He stumbled back, staring blankly at the two bloody puncture marks on the back of his hand.Time seemed to slow down. He gazed at the wounds for a moment before looking up, first at Eulalia's red-rimmed eyes, then slowly down to the cat she was cradling. Both human and feline glared at him with hatred, as if his embrace had been an unforgivable crime.Sometimes words hurt more than physical pain. Percival felt as if his heart was bleeding. Tears streamed down his face, staining his pale cheeks.The pain was unbearable, far worse than when he had been rushed to the ER during a lung cancer attack.Eulalia was so co
Oliver watched from upstairs until Eulalia called him down. He grabbed the cancer medication and went to the first floor to get a glass of water.Percival had just been discharged from the hospital. Still weak, he couldn't handle even the slightest discomfort. He leaned against the doorframe, dried blood on his fingertips, his body trembling almost imperceptibly.Oliver approached and handed him the pills. Percival coughed twice. "I don't want to take them.""You'll die if you don't."With shaking hands, Percival took the two pills from Oliver and tossed them into his mouth. Oliver offered water, but Percival pushed it away. He chewed the pills and swallowed them dry. Having just coughed up blood, his throat felt sticky and uncomfortable. The pills didn't go down smoothly, getting stuck in his throat. The bitter taste slowly spread.Percival winced, his face contorting. He wondered how Eulalia, who used to hate bitter things, managed to take these pills for three years.The bitterness
With two weeks to go before The Palace started filming, Eulalia was busy memorizing her script and house hunting.Since the drama was shooting in Windwatch, and Eulalia liked the area, she decided to buy a place there. The renovations would take at least a year though.For now, Eulalia rented a spacious 1,300 square foot two-bedroom apartment in Windwatch - perfect for her and her cat.Money makes life easier. Eulalia had people check out places for her online. The movers packed up her old studio in half a day.Once the new place was cleaned up, Eulalia and Misty moved right in.A week flew by, and the first episode of "Actor's Arrival" aired to great ratings and buzz. It topped the trending topics and view counts.After Barry, Eulalia, and Steele had been all over social media the past couple weeks, curious viewers tuned in to see what the fuss was about. Was Eulalia's acting really that amazing?"Actor's Arrival" aired Saturdays at 8pm primetime, with a replay at 10pm on streaming.
North City.Trent never watched variety shows. If he hadn't overheard the staff mention "Eulalia," he might have forgotten all about Riley.Riley meant nothing to him. She was just a stand-in, trash to be tossed aside and forgotten.He'd only ever used Riley. He chose her solely for her resemblance to Eulalia.He'd pulled some strings to get her signed with an agency and brought to him, to mold her into the perfect stand-in. He treated her well, hired tutors, taught her violin.Riley was obedient. Her personality was very different from Eulalia's - more timid. Maybe because of her family background, she lacked confidence. When faced with problems, she'd hide under the covers and cry instead of solving them or asking for help.She cried the most while learning violin. Her eyes were red every day, fingers bleeding, nails cracked, but she kept at it.Trent was naturally cruel and enjoyed tormenting people. But he never felt the urge to torment Riley. Maybe because she was so weak, there
Riley started working hard to learn Eulalia's every glance and smile, trying to be a worthy replacement.When Trent saw that she'd learned enough, he set a time for her to go keep Percival company.From the very beginning, he hadn't made Riley into Eulalia's replacement for himself. He wanted to use this little stand-in to keep Percival in check.For the past three years, Percival had been half-dead because of Eulalia's death. Give him a replacement, and he might even be grateful.In Trent's eyes, Riley had always been obedient. Even knowing she was just a replacement, she played the part without complaint, accepting it easily.Telling her to go be with another man - she probably wouldn't refuse that either.Riley didn't refuse. She just said in a hoarse voice, "Once you give something away, you can't take it back."At some point, she'd stopped seeing herself as a person. She was just a thing, an object Trent could use and manipulate however he wanted, something he could give away fre