Two

CHAPTER 2

Isabella Swan sipped her coffee as she looked around the bustling cafe. It was filled with writers and creatives, each engrossed in their own world. Across from her sat Peter, her chatty editor, who was waving his arms excitedly as he discussed the upcoming publication of her novel on an online platform.

"Isabella, this is going to be great!" Peter exclaimed, his excitement obvious. "Your readers will love the surprises in this new chapter. And the character development? Brilliant!"

Isabella smiled, appreciating Peter's enthusiasm despite his tendency to ramble. "Thank you, Peter. I'm glad we can finally finish the editing process."

Peter nodded vigorously. "Of course. Now, about next week's launch event-"

Isabella's cell phone buzzed, interrupting her. She glanced at the screen, seeing a message from her parents, Ben and Rose. It contained the address of Rudolf, her sister Irene's boyfriend. Her heart tightened. Irene had been missing for days, and this clue was the only lead he had.

"Sorry, Peter, I have to go," Isabella said, suddenly standing up.

Peter looked surprised but nodded. "Of course, Isabella. Keep me posted on the progress of the novel!"

Isabella rushed out of the café, her mind racing. The address her parents had given her was Rudolf's apartment, a place she hoped would give her answers. She took a taxi to the address, a run-down building on the edge of town, her anxiety growing by the minute.

When she arrived, she was met by the caretaker of the apartment, a middle-aged man with a gruff demeanor. He eyed her warily as she approached.

"Excuse me, sir," Isabella began, "I'm looking for Rudolf. He used to live here with my sister, Irene."

The guard's expression darkened. "Rudolf? He moved out a week ago. Evicted, actually. Too much noise, always drunk, and treated his girlfriend badly. Disrupted the whole building."

Isabella felt a surge of panic. "Do you know where he went?"

The guard shook his head. "No idea. Good riddance, if you ask me."

Seeing the unfriendly apartment guard, made Isabella feel uncomfortable. She nodded her head and thanked him for all the information. Although it was obviously not very helpful.

"Thank you, sir."

Isabella turned around, returning to her car that she bought from the proceeds of selling her book two years ago. From inside the car, Isabella looked around Rudolf's apartment again, there was nothing strange there. Maybe it was Rudolf who had problems and Isabella had known about it from the beginning. Unfortunately, Ben and Rose, her parents, were denial about all of Isabella's suspicions.

"What should I do? Where is Irene really?"

An idea popped into her head when she saw her twin sister's I*******m bio. Alpha Company. Irene was the CEO's personal secretary in the office. Isabella could probably find information from Irene's office friends, or business relations and such. But Isabella's brow furrowed as she thought of a way to get in and join them all.

"Should I disguise myself as Irene?"

Without any other clues, she had no idea where to start looking for Irene. Desperation gripped her, and she struggled to remain calm. She needed a plan, something that could get her closer to finding her sister.

If she could gain access to Irene's workplace, she might be able to find some clues as to her whereabouts. It was risky, but she was willing to take the chance.

That night, Isabella stood in front of her mirror, studying her reflection. With a little makeup and a change of clothes, she could have impersonated Irene. They were indeed identical twins. She practiced mimicking Irene's confident demeanor, her heart pounding with fear and determination.

"Damn, I who's been working as a writer and talking to my laptop, now I have to mingle and look friendly just to impersonate my own sister?!"

A long sigh escaped Isabella's mouth. For her, creating stories was easy. It was a job she had been doing since graduating college. But role-playing? Isabella never imagined it. In the midst of the chaos, Isabella also called her best friend, Emily, maybe Emily could help her to calm her mind.

Isabella Swan looked at her reflection in the mirror, her hands shaking slightly as she smoothed her hair. She was dressed in a sleek professional outfit that mirrored the style her sister, Irene, used to wear. Her heart was pounding with a mixture of fear and determination. Irene had always been confident, a person who could overcome anything she faced. But now, Irene was missing, and it was up to Isabella to find her.

"Are you sure about this, Bella?" her best friend, Emily, asked from behind her.

Isabella took a deep breath and nodded. "I have no choice. Irene needs me, and this is the only way I can find out what happened to her."

Emily furrowed her brow, "what if Irene's boss finds out that you're not Irene?"

Isabella's laughter filled the room. "Come on, Emily. Irene is the personal secretary of a CEO, why would she care about her secretary's personal life? Our faces are so identical, anyone would never guess that Irene is not Irene, but me."

Shrugging, Emily replied. "I'm not sure about this."

"I went to Rudolf's apartment this afternoon. Do you know what I found there?"

"..."

"Nothing! Rudolf was evicted from his apartment a week ago!" Isabella shouted excitedly, and made Emily stunned. Emily was a good listener, she just shut up and listened to all her best friend's complaints without any judgment at all. "Irene wasn't there, Rudolf lied to us all!"

BRUGH!

"What did you say?!"

The door suddenly opened and Rose stood there. The commotion made Ben run to catch up with them all. Isabella was the most anxious and panicked person in this situation.

"Irene isn't at Rudolf's apartment?!"

Ben tried to interrupt their conversation. While calming his pale-looking wife, he said, "Wait a minute. What is this all about? You went to Rudolf's apartment, didn't you?"

"Y-yes, Dad," Isabella replied hesitantly.

"Was Irene there?"

But before Isabella could answer, Rose's body suddenly fell to the floor and everyone panicked.

"Mooooooom!"