Her eyes widened before she quickly averted her eyes from mine. Seeing her meek and vulnerable side was quite a rare sight and that made me want to spend my time savoring it. At the same time, I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her. She would probably get very mad at me if she were to find out that I was acting this way just to tease her. She was right that my mother was mentally unstable, but her tantrums would have gone on regardless of what Dahlia did or didn’t do. “I already said that I’m sorry…” she muttered. “I don’t want your words of apology,” I replied coldly.Dahlia eye’s returned to meet mine and I could sense the frustration in her gaze as she glared at me. She let out a sigh after a moment of silence as if she had made up her mind to give in. “Then, what is it that you want?” she asked, although without much interest. “Not much. I’ll let everything slide, if you tell me why you said those things,” I replied. My words must have shocked her even more than before. A
**Many years before** Bradon’s point of viewI didn't want to believe in the common stereotypical belief that rainy days would turn out to be bad days; however, that rainy day truly felt like one of the worst days of my life at that time. Apparently there was an important party Alfred Vulkan hosted and Anthony needed to be in attendance as heir of the host family. The problem was that Anthony had caught a very bad cold, and not surprisingly I was the only one who could take his place and attend the party. At least, that was the short story that my father came up with when he informed me of what I needed to do. What would have felt like nothing in the present was actually quite a difficult task for me back in the days when I first started impersonating my younger brother. At that point I have only had a few successful experiences of taking my brother's place and all of them were in private family gatherings or in pretty safe environments. Our father made it very clear that I needed to
To her side was her younger twin sister with wide round eyes filled with anticipation and excitement. Looking at her felt like a breath of fresh air and suddenly the warm weather didn't seem to bother me as much. Although the two sisters looked extremely identical and were dressed very similarly, I could tell right away which one of them was Dahlia. “Thank you for gathering here today. It is an honor for our family to host this party for all of you. To thank your precious time, I figured that my son could put on a little show to provide some entertainment to all of you. Your time is undoubtedly precious and I would like to make sure that this party is well worth your time. Of course, I am eternally thankful for your continuous support of our various family businesses,” my father announced to the crowd in his booming loud voice. I tried to remain calm as I looked straight ahead into the crowd. I had no idea what my father had in mind but it was clear that he didn't care what I though
The instructor helped lead the horse outside as I walked by its side. So far, Anthony's horse appeared calm but I wondered how long that was going to last. Alfred was waiting for us outside and we found him chatting with a few of his guests. His apparent bright mood seemed to vanish when his eyes landed on me. I could tell that he was displeased that I was not yet sitting atop the horse. “Sir, if I may…this might be a bad idea. Are you sure that we need to use this horse when there are so many others available?” the instructor asked my father with a pleading tone. Although I appreciated the instructor speaking up for me, I didn't dare have any hope that my father would change his mind. Keeping up appearances for the family was more important than the safety of my life.“We will use this horse. It was gifted to Anthony by the royal family. How could we use some other horse? That would be highly disrespectful,” My father replied curtly.That was that. Without a word, my father led t
Just like that, and with countless pairs of eyes watching our every move, Dahlia's legs gave out from under her and she collapsed onto the ground. My body moved instinctively as I rushed to hold her in my arms to break her fall. I almost cried out her real name in the midst of my panic. Dahlia's eyes were closed and her face did look slightly pale. Her small body felt so fragile in my arms and she also felt so light. At first it felt like time had stopped, and I could not see or hear anything except for Dahlia. It took me a short moment to figure out that she was probably just faking it. After all, what are the odds that she would mention fainting and then actually faint just a few seconds later? When that thought occurred to me, I finally managed to calm down enough to pay attention to the situation around us. Dahlia had managed to capture everyone's attention again and the sounds of their murmurs and chatters as they discussed and commented on what was going on filled my ears. Sud
“Why are you here?” I asked before I could stop myself.I glanced nervously in Dahlia's direction just to find that she had already closed her eyes. Because I knew that she was just awake not so long ago, I knew that she was just pretending to be asleep and that was probably because she didn't want to deal with the unknown visitor. Other people might have thought that what Dahlia did was completely rude; however, it worked well in my favor. I stared at the woman who just entered the room and felt thankful that Dahlia had decided not to pay her any attention.Why is my mother here of all people?It was rare for my mother to attend any kind of parties or events hosted by the Vulkan family and that was because she wasn’t allowed to do so without explicit permission from Alfred. However, there must have been a good reason why she was standing in the same room with me while I was still actively acting as Anthony. The grim looked on her face and the cold way that she was staring at me told
I knew that I had to come up with an explanation so that Dahlia wouldn’t figure out that this woman is actually my real mother. If she found out about my mother’s real identity then she would also figure out that I am not Anthony. I cursed silently inside my head because I wasn't sure how to bring the situation under control. I had seen my mother lose her temper before and I knew just how bad it could get. She could easily turn into a crazy woman with no control over her emotions and her actions in her fit of rage, and I didn't want that to happen here right in front of Dahlia. It was bad enough that she had to hear everything already. “What is going on? Why are you being so loud when i'm trying to take some rest?” A lazy and sleepy sounding voice suddenly asked from the direction of the bed. I felt my heart skip a beat in my chest as I slowly turned my head in the direction where the voice came from. I saw Dahlia sitting up on the bed and looking our way with a confused and slight
I didn’t think that I was a nice person at all. If anything, I must be one of the most deceitful and selfish people out there because I’m always doing things for my own survival or just to get by. Even now, I was lying to her and putting on an act to shield my mother from blame. I didn’t even want to think what kind of face Dahlia would make if she were to find out the truth. Not wanting to lie to her any further, I simply put on one of my best smiles. “You should leave now. I want to talk privately with my fiancé,” Dahlia ordered my mother before she smiled politely.My mother stood up emotionlessly as if she was a robot, and without looking our way, she made her way out of the room. Once again I was left alone with Dahlia and I wondered what it was that she wanted to talk to me about.“Why did you let her talk to you that way? I mean, she’s your nanny…but still…” Dahlia snapped at me and it was clear just how frustrated she was. She bit on her lower lip as a troubled look appeared
I needed to leave him and as soon as possible, but I didn't know how I could achieve that. My past experiences have taught me quite directly that I couldn't truly run away from Bradon. Escaping from the mansion was unquestionably impossible. I could not run away, so that meant that I needed to get Bradon to agree to let me leave. My legs already felt weak, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and shut my eyes to escape reality. I knew that I needed to talk to Bradon about ending our fake marriage as soon as possible, although I had no idea how to bring up the topic. Something told me that it might prove to be difficult to get Bradon to agree, and there was always a risk that he might react unpredictably.However, if everything he did was simply him just acting out his role and his feelings for me didn't truly exist, then that might be the solution to all of my problems. If he felt no attachment to me, then he should have no problem letting me go just as planned. After all
The party ended early, yet it was quite eventful, at least for Bradon and myself. I felt like there was a storm raging inside of me all the while that we rode back to his mansion. It felt like there was something right at the tip of my tongue that I wanted to say, but yet I couldn't bring myself to say it. There were times when I thought that I fully understood myself and what I wanted, and yet at the very same time, I felt so confused and lost. The feelings that were struggling to take dominance inside of me did not make sense, and it made me feel as if my thoughts and my feelings were heading in the direct opposite direction of one another.Bradon's words of defiance as he confronted my father came back to me loud and clear:"Dahlia is not your daughter anymore, and neither am I one of the Vulkans. I will never let you take my wife..."I should have known that entering into this contract marriage with Bradon, while taking my sister's place, would somehow lead to blurring the line be
"But..." I mumbled, but I could not bring myself to say anything else when my eyes met his. His beautiful lips curved into a teasing smile, and there was a certain sparkle in the depths of his eyes that captivated my attention. That was when I knew that although he probably disapproved of what I had just done, there was a part of him that was actually quite pleased. I found myself smiling sweetly back at him like I was some fool."You hit me? You vile bitch! I'm your father. I raised you!" my father screamed at me at the top of his lungs. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had forgotten where we were and the fact that we were surrounded by other high-profile guests who were attending the party."Dahlia, how could you do something like that? How could you hurt your father? We never raised you to become like this," my mother said, with clear disappointment and shock on her facial features."Really? Because here I honestly thought that I was already disowned. Well, to be more accurate
I was certain that just as many people hated her and blamed her for going against societal norms, there were probably just as many people who admired her, either openly or secretly as her fans. Perhaps to them, our sisterly duo act was the spice they needed in their endlessly boring lives."Don't you feel better from just seeing how everyone is welcoming us with open arms?" Diana continued before she raised her hand to wave at someone that she knew."Fine. I admit that you got your point across," I said as my eyes scanned the crowd that had gathered for the party. I could feel Bradon tensing at my side, and I knew that he had just spotted the two people that I least wanted to see at that moment. "Did you know about this?" I turned to ask Diana without hiding my shock."That they'll be here? I guess not, but why does it matter? You'd have run into them sooner or later. If you ask me, the sooner the better," Diana said with a careless shrug of her shoulders.I narrowed my eyes as I gla
"You should go to bed," Bradon told me the moment that we stepped into the mansion. I knew that his suggestion was spot on because sleep was exactly what I needed to deal with what was to come. The media and everyone had undoubtedly gone wild as they both communicated and speculated on what was the truth and what were twisted lies from all the events that happened in the past that I shared with my sister.I switched off my phone when it wouldn't stop vibrating, without bothering to read the caller ID on the screen. I could already guess who would be calling me and also exactly what they had to say."It feels like my head is ready to explode," I confessed before smiling weakly at Bradon."Which is precisely why you should stop thinking or caring about anyone else and just get some shut-eye," Bradon said as he peeled away the mobile phone that I held in my hand. I let him do so without putting up any resistance because all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide under the sheets wit
"My name is Diana, which can only mean that the Diana standing over there is, in fact, my twin sister, Dahlia. In fact, for the past months, I wasn't present, and the Diana that you knew had always been my sister acting out in my place," Diana explained as if it was something to be proud of.The crowd went wild, but I decided to focus my attention on the two figures that seemed so intent on ruining my life along with my sister’s. Our father had officially become our enemy, and at that moment, he looked like he might have started to regret pushing both of us over the edge. Mr. Malton, who, after all this time, clearly never regretted his actions and never realized that he should have been man enough to take responsibility. I was certain that even now, he was willing to destroy our reputation and our future—all for the sake of the money undoubtedly promised to him by our father. Desperate times truly call for desperate measures; that applied to our father but also to us as well.I could
I found myself praying silently that Desmond could bring everything under control, but my prayers probably fell on deafened ears. Instead of Desmond stepping up to the podium, it was my sister who approached it instead."What is she doing?" I asked in a shaky whisper as I felt myself breaking into a cold sweat. It felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as I continued staring in bewilderment and disbelief at my sister, who stood with a beautiful smile behind the podium, the microphone very close to her lips. I turned to stare at Desmond and managed to lock gazes with him. I could tell that he was staring right back at me, and the way he nodded his head reassuringly was supposed to bring me some relief and keep me at ease, but it only made me even more nervous.I could tell that everyone in the crowd was staring daggers at my sister, even from where I was standing. It wasn't surprising, considering that everyone thought Diana was me. It felt like tight knots had formed
Back to the present"Homewrecker! Homewrecker! Homewrecker!"The violent chanting continued and began seeping into my consciousness, dragging me back to the present. Disaster seemed to be staring me right in the face."Leya..." Bradon whispered my name right beside my ear.His presence close to me reminded me that, unlike that day back then, I wasn't alone. I had Bradon by my side, and, on top of that, everyone was here with me: Desmond and my sister. I suddenly felt a surge of confidence that made me believe that there could be a way out, one that would save us all from this dire situation my father had plotted against us.I had to admit that after leaving the country, I hadn't spared much thought for what would unfold after my departure. I never took care to follow up on any news-not that they would be made public-related to Mr. Malton's wife and child. I had no idea what happened to him or his family after that incident. My parents completely cut me off, and there was frankly no on
"What have you done? Have you completely lost your mind?" my father yelled at me immediately when our family was gathered in private. His face was completely red with anger as his voice echoed in the room. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I could tell that she was more worried about our family rather than her own daughter. "News of your ridiculous and scandalous behavior is now all over the place!" my father continued yelling. As if to drive his message home, his mobile phone began ringing non-stop. One glance at the name displayed on the screen drove my father to the brink before he switched off the phone and threw it onto the floor. My mother let out a scream at my father's sudden violent outburst before sinking down onto the sofa as if she had lost all strength in her body.I took the opportunity to slowly take a seat, and Diana was by my side in an instant. I knew that the best way to brave out this storm was to keep quiet and not let his words get to me.