Suddenly, a few messages popped up on my phone."Darling, I made your favorite dish today."What's this about?A second later, the messages were frantically deleted.Then, Brad's phone screen suddenly lit up.Did she send it to the wrong person?What a scatterbrain.I snickered and typed, "What did you just send? I was busy and didn't see it."The other side typed and deleted, typed and deleted, rapidly responding in the chat box."Are you at home? Nothing happened with Brad, right?"Testing me."I confronted him about breaking up, but he's locked me in the house and won't let me leave!""Oh my God! How could he do that to you? That's terrible!""Miss Harper, don't be afraid. I'll help you!"Anne fired off a few messages.It was all about how to make Brad angry, how to disappoint him, how to make him lose patience—poisonous schemes.Reading through these, it's clear Anne doesn't want me by Brad's side!"I have a brother who's a great guy. How about he takes you away fi
Brad's frown deepened.My heart skipped a beat as I suddenly remembered the message Anne sent last night. What did she call Brad again? Darling? As the reigning champion of stand-ins, I thought her choice of words might be worth borrowing.I took a deep breath, letting the words roll around in my mouth before speaking. "B-Brad… darling?"Thank heavens, his brow smoothed out.So this is what Brad likes?"The day after tomorrow at 8 PM, dress up nicely. You're coming with me to a dinner party," Brad said, his tone laced with authority.I was startled. This wasn't how things went in my past life. 8 PM? What a coincidence.Thinking about Brad's sour mood all morning, it clicked. My Oscar-worthy performance must have set off Anne's alarm bells. She must have ratted me out to Brad.Crap.Seeing me clam up, Brad spoke again. "$50,000 has been wired to your account."I nearly teared up at the power of cold, hard cash. My anger toward Anne melted away."Brad, darling~ What kind
Brad took a moment from his busy socializing to glance at me, as if checking if I was still there.When our eyes met, his expression softened, a dazzling smile lighting up his face.That smile dazzled me.Who could resist such charm?I might not be much, but I sure know how to appreciate a handsome face and a fat wallet!Anne was clearly smitten too, drooling over Brad as she pulled out a compact mirror to touch up her unremarkable features.I'd seen Linda's photos before. Anne's eyes were practically identical to hers, but the rest of her face didn't quite measure up.As for me, I didn't really look like Linda, except for my figure.Brad certainly had an eye for detail.Halfway through the event, they started the charity auction.Everyone here, except for Anne and me, was a big shot.The auction items were jaw-droppingly expensive.It was like being in a museum of luxury.One piece caught my eye - a stunning emerald bracelet.My phone buzzed. "Want it?" Brad texted!Goo
The entire room was in an uproar.Brad walked right up to me!"What's this about?"The way I looked must have shocked him.I'd spent ages in the bathroom, working hard to make myself look like I'd just been assaulted.With teary eyes, I whispered, "It's Halloween. I wanted to try something dramatic!"Brad couldn't help but chuckle.As everyone watched in horror, Brad took my hand and slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.They were horrified, and so was I.What about his true love, Linda Clark?Just as Brad was about to fasten the clasp, Anne rushed over like a madwoman and grabbed his arm.Oh no!"Back off, bitch!"This wasn't just any bracelet; this was a million-dollar bracelet!"Darling! You can't give it to her!""Do you know what she's been doing behind your back?!"Brad's gentle gaze instantly turned icy cold.Seeing this, Anne pressed on, "Look at her! She's just been..."Right on cue, I let a couple of tears fall.The crowd, hearing Anne's words and seeing my s
If I'd known Anne was planning to set me up like this, I wouldn't have let her get away with it.Anne's schemes were full of holes, showing she didn't have much between her ears.I didn't believe she could have come up with this on her own. Someone must have been pulling the strings.A quick background check on Anne's connections led me straight to my target: her sister.I spent ages figuring out how to deal with these sisters.In the end, I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.Anne's sister had cooked up this vicious plan to take me down, so I'd let her reap what she sowed.Anne wanted to be the only woman by Brad's side, so I'd make sure she'd never have a chance to stand with him again.A golden boy like Brad would never tolerate any woman embarrassing him in public.Especially not with such a ridiculous stunt.I'd given Anne a chance, but she insisted on showing that video.Well, she had it coming.Anne's face turned ashen. Suddenly, she glared at me veno
"Got it?" I snapped at Linda, while secretly watching Brad's reaction.He didn't let go of my hand. Instead, he looked quite pleased.As expected, Brad's acting was better than mine. No wonder he's destined for greatness.Feeling more confident, I continued my act, "Brad's loaded, gorgeous, successful, and treats his girlfriend like a queen. If you couldn't appreciate a catch like that, then we've got nothing to discuss.""Our values are worlds apart.""It's too late to come crawling back now!"I unleashed my verbal assault.When I paused, I saw tears welling up in Linda's eyes. "Brad? Is she telling the truth?""Is it... really over?"She looked so pitiful.Crap, I might have gone overboard.My heart skipped a beat.I prayed Brad wouldn't cave.Thankfully, he stood his ground. After being ghosted by his girlfriend, he needed to play hard to get.Otherwise, where would his authority in the relationship be?Brad said in a deep voice, "Yes."Then, holding my hand, he stro
"Ma'am, can I help you with something?"The hunky guy I was ogling discreetly covered his goods.Not wanting to creep anyone out, I smiled politely. "Oh, nothing. Just enjoying the view. I'm not actually going in."Realizing I shouldn't push my luck, I reluctantly went into the gym.Thirty minutes later, I stumbled out of the gym, wheezing and grumbling as I headed home."What a ripoff! Pay a fortune and they won't even let you touch!"The more I stewed, the angrier I got. I even considered marching back to complain, but as I turned around, that creepy feeling of being watched returned.Suddenly, pain exploded in my head. I saw stars, then everything went dark.I came to with the sound of a woman sobbing.As I slowly regained consciousness, my wrists screamed in pain. My feet were dangling in thin air.With a jolt, I realized I was suspended from somewhere high up.Below me, angry waves smashed against sharp rocks.The woman bawling her eyes out next to me? None other than
"Four.""Three."Brad's gaze flickered between Linda and me. Finally, he spoke painfully, "Let... Linda go."I calmly closed my eyes.Suddenly, Anne's frenzied scream pierced the air, "You think I'd actually let you choose? If you won't pick me, you won't get to pick at all!"With that, I felt a sudden, sickening drop."No—""Aah—"Brad's despairing shout and Linda's terrified scream rang out simultaneously.The next second, I plunged into the churning sea.—I carefully cut the ropes with my small knife.The seawater stung my eyes, but I had no time to worry about that.I dove deep, grabbing Linda as she thrashed wildly in the water, and struggled to swim upwards.We burst to the surface, gasping for air.The sea was rough. I tried to conserve energy, just keeping Linda and myself barely afloat.After about five minutes, the waves had carried us far from the cliff.In the distance, a small boat was heading our way."Hurry— gulp Hurry up!"The person on the boat pulle