Chapter 1
Chapter 1 Blake Parker, Nigel Jefferson’s mom, said firmly, “I know him better than anyone. No matter how much you’ve changed, he still only loves you.” With her help, I quickly got a job at Jefferson Corp. Standing in front of the mirror, I felt nervous. My bangs hid the scar, but they could not hide the wrinkles around my eyes. I was no longer young or beautiful. Even though I had moved on, I still worried about how Nigel would react when he saw me again. Just then, I heard quick footsteps outside. “Mr. Jefferson is coming!” I saw him from far away, and I was shocked. He was only in his early thirties, but his hair was completely white. As I stared at him, he suddenly turned around like he could feel my eyes on him. The moment he saw me, his cold expression froze into a look of incredulous shock, then turned into wild joy. Without caring about the surrounding people, he ran straight to me. “Olivia… are you Olivia Smith?” Seeing him cry and smile like he had just found something precious he lost made my eyes fill with tears, too. “Yes, Nigel… It’s me. I’m back.” Years ago, while running from the people his mom sent after me, I fell into the water and almost drowned. She went along with the story and told Nigel I was dead. Looking at me, Nigel was filled with joy, like he had finally gotten back the person he thought he had lost forever. After making sure I was really standing in front of him, he hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. “Olivia, do you know what these eight years have been like for me? “I’ve thought about you all this time. I still love you so much.” Hearing that made my heart ache. Blake had told me that during these eight years, Nigel kept hurting himself and had to get mental and emotional help many times. That past year, when he finally seemed a bit more stable, he started searching for women who looked like me. He spent a lot of money to keep them close. Blake was scared he would ruin the family business or even hurt himself again. She had no other choice, so she came to apologize and beg me to come back. Thinking of the promise I made to Blake, I softly told Nigel, “All these years, I’ve been thinking about you, too.” Nigel could not wait to take me back to his villa. But as soon as he opened the door, I saw a woman inside who looked a lot like me. When she saw Nigel holding my hand, her expression instantly darkened. At that moment, I understood. She had to be Jora Young, the woman Blake had told me about. Nigel had been seen with her a lot this past year, and he even let her live with him. Even though he never made the relationship official, she clearly thought she was his girlfriend. I gave a faint smile and pointed at the shoe rack filled with high heels.
Chapter 2 “Nigel, didn’t you say you’ve been thinking about me all these years? Then who is this woman?” My words made Jora bite her lip in embarrassment. “Mr. Jefferson, if you want me to leave, just say it. I’ll go right now.” I acted rudely and unreasonably on purpose. “I get it. You were lonely and needed someone to keep you company, so you found random women to pass the time. But now that I’m back, shouldn’t you send these lookalikes away?” Nigel looked hurt. “Olivia, how can you say that?” When he saw I was not backing down, he hesitated for a while, then chose to defend Jora. “Jora is just an assistant who helps me with daily stuff. I can’t kick her out for no reason. “But don’t worry. You’re the only one I’ve ever truly loved.” Blake had asked me to find a way to eliminate these lookalikes, who had ulterior motives. But I did not expect Nigel to refuse to do it for me. Seeing I was unhappy, Nigel tried calming me down and asked me to move in right away. In front of me, he called someone and had three suitcases full of Chanel clothes delivered. He told me to wear whatever I liked. His sweet gestures made me feel confused again. Later, after I showered and came out to change into one of the new outfits, I found Jora waiting in the room. She gave the boxes of Chanel clothes a little kick and said with a smirk, “Nigel treats every new lookalike like this. Don’t think you’re that special.” When I remained speechless, Jora crossed her arms and gave me a proud, mocking smile. “Even if we’re all just lookalikes, I’m still the one Mr. Jefferson cares about most. Otherwise, why would he have kept me around for so many years? “And look at you now. You’re older, not as pretty, and you have a scar on your face.” She pointed at my forehead and said sharply, “Once Mr. Jefferson sees you’re nothing like how he remembers, he’ll kick you out.” I sighed inwardly. If Nigel and I did not get back together and he ended up pushing me away, that would still count as completing what Blake asked me to do. As long as Nigel could move on from me completely, even if it meant he hated me, I could leave with the money and walk away for good. Before I could respond, Nigel walked into the room. Jora’s eyes filled with fake tears. She suddenly dropped to the floor like she had been hurt. “Olivia, I really love Mr. Jefferson. Why can’t you accept me?” Nigel looked surprised, just like I was. Before I could explain, he gently helped Jora up and told her to wait outside. As she walked out, she wiped her tears and held onto Nigel’s arm. “Olivia just loves you too much. That’s why she’s acting like this. Please don’t be mad at her.” Nigel looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. After walking her out, he came back and looked at me, clearly torn. “At first, I only kept Jora around because she reminded me of you. “But over time, I realized she’s actually sweet, gentle, and kind. She’s a good person. Olivia, please don’t make things hard for her.” I remembered how, back then, Nigel had always stood by me. Even when his mother accused me of stealing her jewelry or poisoning her, Nigel never believed her. He always trusted me and protected me without question.
Chapter 3 But Nigel had changed drastically. He had started to doubt me. The person he trusted completely had changed into someone else. I hid how disappointed I felt and just looked down. “Okay.” Nigel finally relaxed. He stepped closer and hugged me. “I know you’re acting like this because you love me. It’s alright. “I’ve planned a welcome party for you. Go get ready. We’ll head out soon.” I followed him. At the welcome party, I was well-dressed. Word had already spread that Nigel’s crush was back, and people were curious to see the woman he had loved for so many years. I stayed close to Nigel and smiled gently. One by one, people came to congratulate him. “Mr. Jefferson, congratulations! You finally got back the woman you love most!” Someone even joked, “Now we see the difference. The real one is way more beautiful than all those lookalikes.” Nigel’s face turned serious. “Don’t talk like that in front of Olivia.” He turned to me and gently said, “Don’t mind them. See? Everyone knows how much I love you.” I smiled politely and kept quiet. But just then, another woman walked in. She looked a lot like me. I knew who she was right away. Her name was Fiona Lane, the second lookalike Nigel kept around. She walked onto the stage and sat down at the piano. “Welcome back, Olivia. Since today is such a happy occasion, let me play a song for you and Mr. Jefferson.” With that, she started playing. Soft, beautiful music filled the hall. As I watched Fiona’s fingers dance over the keys, the familiar tune brought back memories. Back in college, when Nigel and I first met, he was sitting in the audience while I played this exact song, Moonlight Variation. After that, he always wanted me to play it for him. “Every time I hear it, it reminds me of the moment I first saw you and instantly fell in love.” It became our love song. I could still remember how amazed Nigel looked when he watched me play the piano. I turned to look at Nigel. He was completely focused on Fiona. The person who amazed him was no longer me. I looked at my hands. They were rough from years of hard work. My heart sank. When the music ended, Fiona came over and handed me a glass of wine. “When I was with Mr. Jefferson, people said I only got to stay because I looked like you. “They thought they were insulting me, but honestly, looking like you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Her meaning was clear. Nigel’s expression instantly darkened. “Who permitted you to talk like that here? Get out.” He was not nice to Fiona at all. After telling someone to take her away, he hugged me tightly. “Fiona’s fresh out of school. She doesn’t understand how things work. If she upset you, don’t take it to heart.” Even then, he was still defending her. He took me around the party and let them all compliment me. He seemed so happy, and I did not want to ruin it. That night, he held me in his arms and gently laid me on the bed. “Olivia, there were so many nights I couldn’t sleep because I missed you so much.”
Chapter 4 As things started to heat up between us, he kissed my nose and gently touched my hair. I saw the emotion in his eyes, so I closed mine, ready to give in. But he suddenly stopped moving. I opened my eyes and saw him staring at the scar on my forehead and the rough skin on my face. I was not the young, pretty girl he remembered anymore. His eyes showed a flash of disgust, but he quickly turned away and pretended nothing had happened. “I just remembered. I still have some work to finish.” He stepped back and told the maid to bring me some fruit and milk. He told me to rest early. But I saw him driving off in his fancy car through the window. The maid whispered, “When Mr. Jefferson leaves this late, he usually goes to see Ms. Lane.” I turned to look at my tired face in the mirror and felt heartbroken. Nigel did not want to sleep beside me, but during the day, he stayed close, like he could not stand being apart. Since I came back, his mood had improved. He was no longer violent and stopped trying to hurt himself. He stopped chasing after other women who looked like me and focused on work. Even the white hairs on his head started turning black again. Blake was grateful to me, and even the employees at Jefferson Corp were saying, “Only Ms. Smith is truly fit to be the CEO’s wife.” Just when Blake thought things were finally going well between Nigel and me, I got a call that brought me to the hospital. When I walked into the room, I saw Fiona lying in bed. She looked pale and weak. As soon as she saw me, she started crying loudly. “Olivia, I know you’re jealous that Mr. Jefferson spends his nights with me, but even so, how could you hurt his baby?” As she cried, she held her stomach and pointed at me. “I’m carrying his only child! How could you be so heartless?” The mood in the room was tense and heavy. Before I could react, Jora stepped up and angrily said, “Before you came back, Fiona and I got along just fine. I was even happy for her when I found out she was pregnant. “But ever since you came back, she lost the baby!” Tears ran down her face as she added, “I don’t care if you yell at me and treat me badly, but how could you hurt Mr. Jefferson’s child?” Everyone went quiet. I forced myself to stay calm and looked straight at Nigel. “I didn’t even know Fiona was pregnant. I don’t even know where she lives. This has nothing to do with me!” Jora hugged Fiona, and both of them cried together. “Do you think that just because Mr. Jefferson loves you, you could get rid of us all? But you can’t be so selfish that you take away his only child—” “Enough!” Before she could finish, Nigel shouted angrily. The room went completely silent. The silence was suffocating. Everyone looked at him and waited to see what he would say next.