Fenella’s POVHearing Alan's statement, my mouth dropped open. I huffed and shook my head in annoyance. "How could I not do it? You made me fall too deep into the grave you dug for yourself." "Isn't it the other way around? I built a staircase framework for you, but you were the one who knocked it down." He shrugged. His eyes blinked, and it was clear he didn't want to be blamed. "Yeah, yeah, Alan. I know you're trying to provide me with a lot of projects. Even yesterday, Mike said that I was taking on too many projects. Was that your doing?" I squinted at him, and he fell silent. Seeing his reaction, I huffed again and rolled my eyes. Without needing a response from him, I already knew my suspicions were correct. "Hey, Fenella, just calm down." Alan hurriedly tried to stop me from getting angry, but I was already far too annoyed with him. "How could you do that to them? They are all my friends, including Mike. You said you didn't want any toxic people like Kiara in your sacred t
Fenella’s POV"I didn't expect it to turn out like this. I really wanted to help you, Fenella. Please trust me."Alan pleaded with me in a soft voice. His body was now fully facing me, and his legs were no longer propped up sideways on the table.No matter how many times he said that, I couldn't believe him. Maybe if another woman were sitting here facing Alan, she might believe him. His handsome, charming face, dark eyes that glittered seductively, and the stubble on his jaw that gave a modern impression—all of it screamed the word ‘charmer’.After various heated debates and bad soap opera dramas, it seemed we were starting to reach some calm. I hoped this was enough to soothe my emotions and speak calmly. Although I wanted to treat the burn on his leg, Alan insisted that the cold compress on his leg was enough. He said he would endure it until all my questions were answered."Alright, if you want me to trust you, answer all my questions honestly." I demanded answers firmly."I will
Alan’s POVThe senior year, winter holiday, 7 years ago…This year was my last year at Whitehill Academy as a senior in the 12th grade. Isn't that great?! I smiled widely at myself in the bathroom mirror."Ouch!" My cheek got nicked by the razor. "Oh, no, no. Damn." I quickly dabbed at my bleeding cheek with a tissue."Clark! Get the hell out of there! It’s almost 7 p.m.!" My mom banged on the bathroom door."Yeah, Mom! I’ll be out in a second! Just a little accident!""Hurry up and put your clothes on! We’re going to be late!""Yes, Mom!"Following her orders, I rushed to finish shaving, occasionally pressing the cut on my cheek. When I was done, I stepped out of the bathroom, dried off, and put on my shirt and black suit, not forgetting my favorite red bow tie."Katching! You look cool!" I shot finger guns at myself in the mirror. Doesn’t it look great? My curly red hair matched perfectly with the red bow tie I was wearing."Clark! It’s already 7! Get down here now!""Yes, Mom!"My
Alan’s POVThe screen of my laptop still displayed a long-haired blonde woman riding a man, her breasts bouncing. The woman resembled Fenella. Perhaps when she grew up, she would look like the woman on my laptop screen.In truth, I didn't need to be afraid of getting caught because Mom and Dad were on their honeymoon. As for Amy, well, she seemed to have been out with Chris since the morning. However, there was still the housekeeper in the Schmidt household.I peeked out of my window. It turned out Mrs. Greta, the housekeeper, was sweeping the dry leaves in the front yard. The house felt quiet that afternoon, so I thought I could watch more freely now. Besides, my ears were starting to hurt, and I couldn't move freely because of the headphone cable."Shit."The headphones slipped off my ears again. Just as I was about to adjust them, that damn broken headphone interrupted my fantasy once more. I looked down from my bedroom window again. There was no sign of Chris's car, and Mrs. Greta
Alan’s POVA week after prom night…This summer was the worst!Mom went on vacation with her husband, Amy went with Chris, and I was left home alone. My friends were all busy with their own family holidays. I never thought I would say this, but I missed my mother. At least, she would nag me when I lazed around all day in my room during the summer.I had told my mother many times that remarrying was a bad idea. I was forced to move and lost my fun neighbor friends. Several times, I begged my mom to divorce Mr. Schmidt and come back to our old home.Of course, my mother rejected it. She had won all the lotteries she wanted, while I was left isolated and alone.I stared at the photo from my graduation ceremony with Fenella just before prom night. That morning, Fenella still had a bright smile, like a sweet angel. In this photo, I stood next to her, and I had to admit we looked good together!I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. I took a deep breath, staring at the photo for a
Alan’s POVA year after college graduation…Everything may have passed in the blink of an eye for others, but not for me. I spent four years attending the same university as Amy and Chris. Those times were a long torture for me. They made me their sexual slave, and it completely changed me. Both psychologically and physically, I was no longer Clark Thomson.I had to endure the forced suffering for more than four years.How could anyone influence another person to change their entire identity like this? I used to love eating, but Amy forced me to change my eating habits and turned me into a clean-eating enthusiast. I used to watch cartoons while snacking, but now Amy has driven me to become obsessed with working out at the gym.Maybe it was better for me. Perhaps it was what I needed, even if I had to suffer. It was what transformed me into someone who was valued like I am now.I walked toward the altar. A small box containing a gold ring was safely tucked in my black tuxedo pocket. As
Alan’s POV“Hey, milady. Was everything good for you?”“Everything was fine until you came over to greet me.”Mallory West, the pop diva, did not look at me and responded to my greeting with a dismissive tone. I chuckled softly. Unfortunately, the woman truly seemed uninterested in engaging with me. She continued her workout on the leg press machine.“Is that so? I thought you might need some extra guidance, Miss West. I could give you the tricks you need.” I kept smiling.“Oh, yes, I suppose I need this branch manager to get you to leave.”“What if I offered for the owner of the entire chain to hear all your complaints?”Her legs stopped moving, and she looked at me. I widened my smile and spread my arms out to the sides.“I’m here. I heard from the staff that you were looking for me.”Mallory huffed and shook her head. She got up from the machine and wiped her sweaty body with a small towel. Then she looked at me for a long moment before grabbing her water bottle.“Damn it. Why didn
Fenella’s POVBack to present day…My mouth hung open after hearing all of Alan's story. His life journey from the time he met Amy until now could be described as a curse. I hadn’t realized that there was someone more unfortunate than me dealing with Amy.Imagine your own identity being stolen by someone you despise. Just because of a fleeting moment of desire, Clark Thomson disappeared, replaced by Alan Schmidt. I found too many differences between Clark and Alan. That’s why I never suspected they were the same person!But what’s worse than all this is the reality that Alan had prepared everything! He changed himself and then started a business just to attract my attention. I didn’t want to be full of myself, but this was obsessive!My heart pounded, and I stared at Alan intently. I knew there were no more lies he was hiding. Everything had been explained in detail by him—even too detailed!So now what?I moved awkwardly in my seat, unsure of what to say about all these revelations. M