"The next meeting will be intentional," I murmured while gazing at my reflection in the mirror.Venice, in the midst of applying a facial mask, chimed in, "He's bound to recognize you, no doubt about it."I grinned slyly. "That's the whole point. But who said anything about introducing myself? He will only know me as Empress," I stated with a slow, calculated smile.Yumi, entering the room with a plate of nachos, interjected, "What if he mistakes you for Veronica? He will surely arrest you and lock you up.""That's Venice for you," I said pointing to Venice.Venice nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'll explain what happened. That Kassandra was brought to the hospital where my parents work, and she was in a coma. When she finally woke up, she had no recollection of anything. This drama deserves an award really.”"So, you're going to pretend to be Veronica," Yumi summarized."Not exactly pretending. We'll make it seem like she was Veronica because with no memory of her past, how can she prov
"What are you doing here?" I asked, feigning innocence.We were now in his office, although I hadn't initially planned to follow him. He'd pulled me along, threatening to have me arrested for impersonation. Of course I'd acted surprised and frightened by his threat, which had ultimately led us here."You should be asking yourself that. What are you doing here?" he retorted sharply.I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his question. "Well, I'm here to look for a job. I heard there's a job fair going on. If I knew you'd be here, I wouldn’t have come here," I added in a hushed tone, which seemed to catch his attention as his eyebrows furrowed."Why? Because you thought I’m going to catch you?”"Excuse me? I think there's been some confusion. I'm just a woman looking for a job, not someone trying to escape something. Who do you think you are, the police?" I countered boldly."I'm not playing games here, Veronica.""Do I look like I'm playing here? And by the way, my name isn't Veronica." I
"Good morning, ma'am!" greeted the guard as I entered the building. He even bowed, which took me by surprise, so I instinctively bowed back."Good morning, but you don't have to bow," I chuckled.I left the puzzled guard behind and continued into the building. I was dressed in a white blouse and a gray skirt, trying to blend in as an employee.As I walked through the corridor, all the employees I passed either greeted me or bowed. If I genuinely didn't remember, I might have found this strange, but since I was just pretending, I had to act as if everything was strange.Inside the elevator, I opted for the employee's lift. It was filled with mostly male employees, and when they saw me, their eyes seemed to light up, and they all offered greetings and bows.“Good morning!” I replied in kind and pressed the button for my floor."Ma'am Kassandra, good to see you again," one of the men on the elevator greeted me.I smiled at the mistake. "Ahm, I'm not Kassandra," I replied shyly.They appe
"Mommy called me. You were right! Karious immediately launched an investigation into your identity," Venice told me when I returned home from work one day.Feeling drained, I crawled into bed and lay down. I was utterly exhausted today. It had been what? Three days, I think. Dealing with Karious had been nothing short of stressful. In these three days, I had to suppress my annoyance and irritation with him. I had more leisure time than actual work because they weren't assigning me tasks! I felt like a mere decoration in the office, something to gaze at when you needed a break from work."I don't want to go to work anymore! I'm losing my mind with Karious! I'm like a ticking time bomb. One of these days, I'm going to explode from being irritated!" I vented."You don't have a choice. This is all part of your plan.""Yeah, anyway, what happened? Did Karious speak to your mom? Did you guys have a conversation?" I asked and propped myself up slightly to glance at Venice, who was sitting on
"She doesn't remember a thing. She's been in a coma for months. When she woke up, she couldn't even speak due to trauma," Venice explained."And you never told me about her?""Why would I? To begin with, I didn't even know you were connected to her, Zackarious. All I knew after all this was that you married Kassandra," Karious remained silent.Venice narrowed her eyes. "I admit, at first, I thought Kassandra was the woman we saved. That's why we were surprised when you suddenly married a certain Kassandra. We also considered the possibility that Veronica might be the woman we rescued, but we didn't know the truth. She was unconscious for months! We heard about all the crimes Veronica committed, but we couldn't just hand our friend over to the authorities without making sure she was okay.""Is that why she applied to work at my company?"Venice nodded. "She wanted to live a normal life despite her condition. I advised her to apply at your company in the hope that you would meet her and
"Sir Karious, the conference was—" I heard a loud gasp followed by the sound of a closing door.Gently pulling my lips away from Karious, I couldn't help but smirk as I noticed the smudge of my lipstick that had transferred to him. "Oops," I muttered playfully, using my fingers to wipe it away.Straightening myself up, I took a moment to fix my hair before walking purposefully towards Karious' desk. Standing in front of him, I adopted a formal demeanor and addressed him respectfully. "If you'll excuse me, sir, I'll take a short break. I'll be back shortly." With a polite bow, I left his office without glancing back.I caught up with Miles, who was engrossed in her computer. Our eyes met, and I winked at her, knowing that I didn't need to explain what she might have seen. I cared little about what others might think, and in fact, I would be even happier if Miles reported the incident to Kassandra, or rather Veronica.Instead of leaving the office, I decided to head to the pantry and g
20 minutes.I'd never waited so long in the lobby. Right now, I'm sipping my coffee and enjoying a slice of cake.When the private elevator opened, I adjusted my seat. My jaw dropped when I saw her. She still looks like me, the way I used to style myself in the past.She walked out proudly, with some of her bodyguards following. She was all smiles, but I knew her smile hid her wickedness. She must have been thrilled, thinking she had successfully stolen my whole being.I quickly stood up and walked towards her, holding my coffee. I pretended to be engrossed in my phone until I bumped into a blocking bodyguard. I deliberately spilled coffee on Veronica's dress. Too bad, my coffee wasn't very hot anymore. It must be satisfaction to see her skin burn."Oh my goodness!" Veronica screamed."Oops! I’m sorry!" I feigned surprise. The bodyguard nudged me aside, and I stumbled backward, pretending to fall.Now, I'm on the floor, hunched over, with my hair covering my face."What the heck? Can'
" Ma'am Kassandra, just a moment—"The door unexpectedly swung open as I stood in the office. I had anticipated Karious not coming to work, possibly to discuss matters concerning their son with Yasmin. However, the sight of Veronica in the office was a surprised. Her presence was suggesting as if she was ready to reprimand me for any wrongdoing that caught me off guard.Veronica's voice was filled with anger as she addressed Miles, "Why are you stopping me? I'm your boss' wife! You have no right to treat me like this!"Miles responded with a respectful bow, "I apologize, ma'am. Sir Karious didn't inform us that you would be temporarily taking over—"Veronica cut her off. "And so? I'm his wife. Even without his notice, I also have the right to oversee my business. Don't interfere with me if you want to keep your job," Her stern gaze then shifted to me.I quickly bowed and introduced myself, "Good morning, ma'am. By the way, I'm—""My husband's bitch. I'm aware."To my surprise, she abr
During the months that I hadn't seen Kassandra, I felt like I was slowly losing my sanity. All the fear I experienced when I learned about the accident she had faced had me on edge. Not finding her body in the burning car gave me a glimmer of hope that she might still be alive. Veronica revealed that the woman in the car was her. She pretended to be Kassandra. This was one of the reasons we hesitated to expose her deception, as we suspected she might be holding Kassandra captive. However, as I tracked and observed her, I realized that even she was searching for Kassandra. I hadn't thought her to be that cunning. She had succeeded in tarnishing Kassandra's reputation, and when the truth came out that she had done nothing, she stole Kassandra's identity. I informed Kassandra's father that the girl we had been with was an impostor. To my surprise, he was already aware because Kassandra had left behind the results of a DNA test and some evidence in his office. Together, we devised a pl
Zackarious "Where is she now?" I asked over the phone. "I found her entering a bar, sir. She's now on the dance floor, dancing," said my investigator. My jaw dropped when I heard it. And finally! my ex-wife, Veronica, also showed up. I've been searching for her for weeks now because I intend to make her pay for what she did to our son. Stealing money from my company? I can forgive that, but harming my child? I can't overlook that. She cheated on me several times and left us for another man. I admit that I was preoccupied with work, but I made every effort to cater to all her desires. I can't believe she would betray me like this. I married her when I learned that I had impregnated her. I've had past relationships with women, and accidentally impregnating someone is something I cannot turn my back. So, even though I didn't have strong feelings for Veronica, I married her. We were together for years, and even though our family wasn't perfect, I made sure that we stayed together and
This is the last chapter of the story. The next chapter would be special chapters under Zackarious point of view....I woke up lying in a hospital bed, the world slowly coming back into my senses. The voices of people talking around me filled the room."I want that woman and all her accomplices to rot in hell!""They definitely will, sir. The case filed against them is layer by layer. We also have lots of evidence, so we can definitely win the case."I gradually opened my eyes, greeted by the sight of a white ceiling. The voices drew closer."She's awake!" someone exclaimed. Footsteps approached, and soon after, I saw my dad being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tightly held my hand."My child, I’m sorry! It's my fault why this happened to you. If only I had listened to you from the beginning, you wouldn't have suffered like this!" he cried.A smile broke across my face, though my eyes brimmed with tears. I hadn't seen my father in a long time, an
WARNING: This chapter contains violence not suitable for young readers. This is a work of fiction but still, you may find the scenes distressing enough so I highly encourage everyone to stop reading if underage. Thank you.I tightly shut my eyes, tears streaming down my cheeks. The regrets of yesterday flooded my mind. There were moments when I had complained about the life I lived, not realizing that someone like Veronica had been working tirelessly to take my place. Memories of my mother's final moments rushed back to me. She had expressed her happiness at my birth, despite being abandoned by those she thought would protect her. She had told me that I was her only treasure, her one hope in a world that seemed determined to see her fail.I could barely recall her voice, but her scent and her warm embrace were etched deep within my memory. Though our time together had been short and devoid of many happy moments, I knew she had always been by my side, silently guiding me. I had harbore
"You know how fortunate you are, Kassandra, because you have parents. Everything you desire is handed to you on a silver platter. You've never had to wander the streets, yearning that you should have never been born. You know what's ironic? I even liked your father, despite knowing that his promises to hand me the company were empty threats for you. I knew he was just trying to intimidate you. I suspect he's aware that I'm not truly his daughter. But you know what made me happy? He accepted me, even though he knew I wasn't his daughter. But what have you done, Kassandra? You've only hurt your father, rebelled against him. If you talk back to him, it's as if he's not your parent. You should be in my shoes, because you don't deserve all the privileges you have," Veronica sneered.I shot her a venomous glare."And you know what? When he found out I had an accident and supposedly died? He hardly seemed to care. He even appeared to breathe a sigh of relief because, instead of you, it was m
Instead of heading straight to Dad's place, I made my way back to my condominium. I stood in dumbfounded silence, staring at my own reflection in the elevator. I knew what lay ahead if I followed Veronica's wants. No matter how many times such choices were presented to me, my resolve to obey for Rious' safety remained unshaken. He was the most important, and I cared little for what Veronica might inflict upon me. I just wanted Rious to be safe.Acting swiftly, I changed into pants so I could move more easily to escape, packed essential items into a small backpack, and tried to come up with a plan, although my nervousness about Veronica's intentions enter me. Regardless, I had to go through with it. If it was true that she could predict my actions, I had to catch her off guard.I stashed money, knives, water, and crackers in my bag. There was still ample time until the scheduled meeting, so I had time to strategize how to be ahead of Veronica.She claimed to know when I reported anythi
I woke up the next day and I found myself alone in bed. I was naked when I peeked under the blanket. I couldn’t see Karious in the room. He doesn’t seem to be in the bathroom either because I don’t hear any noise from there.I stood up and quickly entered the bathroom to take a shower. I smiled as I observed several red marks that were scattered in different parts of my body. I feel sore but satisfied. I also feel glowing. I just woke up, but my face and hair seem healthy. I bit my lip as I remembered what happened last night.That was actually the best! I came so many times I lost count! I would love to do it again this morning if I ever found Karious lying beside me but unfortunately, I woke up alone. I wonder where Karious is now.I hurriedly entered the shower, aware that I had lost track of time lost in reverie about the previous night's escapades. As I stepped into the walk-in closet, my expectations were already set: I wouldn't find any of my clothes. To my astonishment, howeve
As we stepped into the elevator of Karious' condo building, an irresistible urge took hold of us, and we found ourselves unable to resist the pull of each other's lips. We descended to the parking lot, our hands still intertwined. A tangible symbol of anticipation filled the air. Thoughts of what awaited us in his condo stirred a mixture of excitement and nervousness within me. This was the first time our relationship would progress to such an intimate level without the influence of alcohol and I'm gonna make sure that I will not forget this tomorrow. As we walked hand in hand, lost in each other's presence, we barely registered the curious glances and hushed whispers of the employees around us. They can’t do anything anyway but watch. They can’t oppose us either because it’s our life. I doubt that they have any idea what is happening. When we reached our car, it was a good thing that Karious drove because if we had a driver, we might have done something inside. I might go home with
I halted just before entering the office, and there stood Karious, leaning against my desk. I had intended to greet him with a smile, but the intensity of his gaze made it seem as though he wanted to tear me apart from where I stood.He swiftly approached me making my eyes widened, and I instinctively backed up until my back was against the office door."W-what?" I stammered as he came to a stop right in front of me. He was so close that I nearly stumbled, pressing against the door."How long do you plan to hide from me?" His voice was tense as he asked. Nervousness gripped me."What do you mean, Sir Karious?" I inquired, my voice quivering.I don’t say much about my plan. If this was about my true identity, I suspected he might already have a notion that I was Kassandra, so I wasn't sure what he meant by hiding."If you needed help, you should have sought me out," he stated calmly."I need you. That's why I'm here with you," I responded softly, my gaze locked on him.He averted his e