Impersonating Amelia

The room was bathed in a warm glow. The man who was seated on the couch had flawless features. He looked extremely handsome, putting on a well tailored black suit, and dark tinted eyeglasses. Richard Miller took off his eyes, and his eyes turned icy at the thought of what his mother had told him.

“Richard, there's no other person that would be better than that beautiful young lady. You have to marry Amelia Rodriguez, she's the reason I'm still alive. Most of all, I won't accept anyone else as my daughter-in-law if not her”.

As it stands, the only person on Richard's mind was the woman who he had ravished in the dark at a clubhouse, five years ago. That night, he was drunk and intoxicated, the only thing he could remember was the woman's pleading voice and how he paid a deaf ear to her crying despite how she begged him to stop. When he was done with her, he only remembered that he gave his diamond necklace to her. Then he passed out.

It's been five years, and for those past years he had been looking for her. Only last week, he found out that the necklace he gave to her was sold to a pawnshop. But as it stands, his mother is bent on forcing him to marry someone else.

He was still lost in thought when the landline rang, he picked it up. “What is it?”

“Young Master Richard, we found her. Her name is Emma Thompson, and she was the one who sold the necklace”. 

Richard's eyes gleamed in elation. “Send me her address immediately. I need to see her”.

“The mysterious girl from that one night I got drunk has been found. I really have to make it up to her”.

Meanwhile, Emma barged into her family's apartment, fuming furiously. She met her younger brother, Johnson, he was smoking.

“Hey, sister. What are you doing here? You didn't tell us you'll be visiting today?” He smiled dryly at her.

Emma scoffed. “Where's Mom? Where's Daphne?” 

“Daphne went to a beauty pageant. You know how addicted she is to that. As for Mom, she went to gamble” Johnson yawned tiredly.

Emma clenched her fist. She felt like she was going to burst in anger. “She went to gamble again? The same gambling that made her lose the money I sent for this apartment's rent? Why are you guys not helping me at all? I'm out there, suffering and struggling to make ends meet. But what have you guys done? Squander the money in clubbing, gambling and some useless pageant”.

Johnson rolled his eyes, and continued smoking. Emma couldn't take it anymore. “I'll be back when Mom is home. I need an explanation on what happened to the money I just sent her two days ago”.

With that, She stormed out of the house. Emma walked into the small grocery store where she has been managing. The money she got from the sales of the diamond necklace, she actually sent it to her mother. Unfortunately, they already squandered the money. 

The diamond necklace wasn't hers to begin with. Five years ago, at the clubhouse where her best-friend Chloe had set her step-sister up, the staff of the clubhouse contacted her and told her they retrieved a diamond necklace at the hotel room she had booked. Thereafter, told her to collect it from their lost and found possession department. On reaching there and seeing how expensive the necklace looked, she claimed it was hers.

Ever since then, the diamond necklace had been with her until she decided to sell it off at a pawnshop so that she'd be able to pay her family's apartment rent since her grocery store wasn't doing too well.

Emma was still lost in thoughts when the glass door of her grocery store swung open. She quickly sprang up to greet the customer. “You're welcome to….”

She paused, surprised on seeing who had entered her store. 

The man who entered her grocery store was tall, handsome, and a definition of perfect gentleman. His scent alone made her wonder what such a handsome, rich looking man would be doing in such a small grocery store.

It took a few minutes for Emma to snap out of her daze before she stammered. “W…what do you want, sir?”

He looked around the store, before turning his gaze at her. “Emma Thompson?” Richard asked with his eyes narrowed. He stared at her face. Probably, he might still recognize her voice at least.

“Uhm… y…yes. And you are…?” She couldn't complete her statement because she couldn't help but drool at the man's burning gaze.

On hearing her reply, Richard snapped his finger. Immediately, his assistant handed the diamond necklace to him. “Has this necklace been in your possession all these years?”

Emma glanced at the necklace, and felt guilty immediately. Bowing her head, she mumbled, “Yes… it's… it's mine.”

“Were you the woman at Five Stars clubhouses, room 275, five years ago?” Richard arched his eyebrows at her.

“Is she really the woman from the club that night?”

Emma's heart started racing rapidly. “Room 275. Five years ago? Wasn't that the room Chloe had me book for her to set Amelia up? Why is this man asking about that room?”

Without much hesitation, Emma nodded her head rapidly. “Yes, I am”

“Here is the necklace. Keep it from now on, don't try pawning it again. I'll make sure that I make it up to you. By the way, I'm Richard Miller”.

Emma widened her eyes in shock, and thought. “Richard Miller? The heir of Miller's exclusive designing company? Is this a dream?”. Emma smiled faintly at him, and asked. “You… you're Richard Miller?” She asked again to make sure she heard right.

The man, standing next to Richard, handed a business card to her and said. “He's our Young Master and this is his card. If you need anything, you can call”.

Emma took the card with a shaky hand, and her eyes caught with his name. She was overwhelmed, but had to get a hold of herself. “So the man who slept with Chloe's half-sister Amelia wasn't the gigolo we arranged for her. Instead, it was a handsome, rich heir of such a noble family?”

Without hesitation, Emma knew that this was her time to get herself out of poverty. She grabbed Richard's arm, and faked tears to make her story believable. “You have to take responsibility for what you did to me. You don't know how much I suffered the trauma of that night” She started shedding crocodile tears, like she was the one who was assaulted five years ago.

Only one thing was on her mind, and that is, stepping into Amelia's shoes and assuming the roles of the victim who was violated five years ago. She was set on having Richard take responsibility so that she could benefit from it. Probably, she could even get the heir of Miller's corporation to marry her. She would become Young Lady Miller.

“Don't worry, I promise to make it up to you” The man assured her, and helped her up because she had knelt beside him.

“Miss Thompson, the Young Master has already arranged a mansion for you. You can move in anytime you want. He'll be responsible for all your needs from now on.” The assistant responded.

A gasp escaped her lips. Her excitement knew no bounds. “I'm going to be living in a mansion, huh? I'm about to be freaking rich”.

“I'll see you some other time. You have my card, you can call me anytime” Richard said after staring at Emma for the last time, and left the store.

Immediately, the door swung shut. Emma humped for joy, clutching the necklace tight. She couldn't believe the turn of things. “I'm rich! I'm freaking rich”. She thought of Amelia, and wished that she had already died. That way, she won't appear and ruin her plans of impersonating her.

Sitting at the back seat of the luxurious Lamborghini, Richard shut his eyes for a few minutes. “Is that woman really the woman from the clubhouse five years ago? Why do I feel she's different? Is it because it's been long, or simply because I was drunk that night?”

Actually, he got drunk that night because it was his best friend's birthday. Even though he told them he doesn't really take alcohol, he was forced to. When he got drunk, Richard had saved himself by darting into the open room where he met the innocent woman whom he took advantage of, which he regretted. Ever since then, to think that he ravished a girl and took away her innocence made him feel guilty.

He was sure she was chaste until that night because he found traces of blood stain on the bedspread the next morning. Thinking about those things made him even more remorseful. “I have to take full responsibility for my actions”.

Meanwhile, Amelia was in her apartment in the faraway city where she was living. She actually got a letter. Upon opening the letter, she found out that she has been offered a job as an interior designer back in the country. She had always wanted to be an interior designer, so it was like a dream come true. Dialing the number that was written on the letter, she placed the cell phone on her ear.

“I'll be back to the country in four days. Thank you for this opportunity” She hung up, and smiled broadly.

“Mommy, are we leaving? Where are we going?” The cute, little boy pouted his mouth. He was only four years old, very elegant and outspoken. 

Patting his head softly, Amelia kissed his forehead and nodded. “Don't you want to come with Mommy?”