Chapter 1
When Lucas returned from his business trip, my sister Evelyn was waiting at the door.
I floated in mid-air, watching Evelyn gently and attentively remove his suit jacket.
“Lucas, I’ve missed you so much.”
She spoke in a slightly high-pitched voice, her tone rising slightly. Her way of speaking was identical to mine.
When I was struggling to breathe during an asthma attack, she stepped on my inhaler. Her face, identical to mine, twisted in a vicious expression: “Do you know how I’ve lived these past two years abroad? I had to constantly study you, learn your every move, your way of speaking. I never imagined that one day I’d have to learn from you, you little bitch! Everything you have in the Gray family should have been mine!”
She had indeed learned well; it was truly convincing.
At least Lucas didn’t notice anything amiss.
His expression remained indifferent as he allowed her to help him remove his suit jacket.
As Evelyn tried to get closer, an unfamiliar fragrance wafted into Lucas’s nose.
His eyes darkened slightly as he asked, “Did you change your perfume?”
Evelyn hesitated for a moment, then lowered her eyes coyly, “Yes, I bought it while shopping today. Do you like it?”
She didn’t get the romantic encounter she had fantasized about.
Because in the next second, Lucas had already gripped her slender neck and pinned her against the wall.
Her back slammed hard against the wall, causing Evelyn’s face to turn pale with pain.
She looked at Lucas, who had suddenly turned violent, with shock and fear, struggling desperately.
But Lucas’s eyes were bloodshot, as if he had lost his mind. His grip tightened, almost breaking her neck.
“Help… me…”
Evelyn’s face had already turned red from suffocation, as if she might lose consciousness at any moment.
Watching this scene, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
Evelyn, you saw how glamorous my life seemed and took my place at the cost of my life. Did you ever imagine what kind of soul lurked beneath Lucas’s cold and noble exterior?
Just as Evelyn was about to roll her eyes back, Lucas suddenly released his grip.
Evelyn collapsed to the floor, clutching her throat and gasping for air. Tears and mucus smeared her face, making her look quite ridiculous.
Lucas pressed his forehead painfully and crouched down.
Evelyn was so frightened that she trembled, wanting to run away but finding her legs too weak to stand.
“Aria, I’m sorry…” Lucas’s dark eyes had already regained their calmness. He looked at the purple bruises on Evelyn’s neck with a hint of regret and reached out to caress them.
Evelyn reflexively avoided his hand, wanting to speak but finding her voice too hoarse to utter a word.
Seeing Evelyn’s rejection, Lucas’s hand fell on her hair, gently stroking it.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Perhaps I was triggered by your new perfume. I couldn’t control myself for a moment and hurt you.”
He pulled the trembling Evelyn into his arms to comfort her: “Don’t be afraid of me, don’t leave me, Aria.”
Evelyn sat there dumbfounded, her eyes full of fear.
She was scared and regretful.
But what right did Evelyn have to regret?
I was already dead, and she couldn’t afford to offend the Gray family’s power.
She had no choice but to continue playing the role of Lucas’s wife.
Seeing that Evelyn still looked lost, Lucas took out a black card from his pocket and handed it to her: “As compensation, go buy something you like.”
Evelyn’s eyes moved slightly.
I saw the familiar greed in her downcast eyes.
Lucas, seeing she didn’t move, actively placed the black card in her hand and gently kissed her cheek: “Aria, I’m going to take a shower. As for your perfume, switch back to the old one, okay? I’m afraid I might lose control and hurt you again.”
After Lucas left, Evelyn let out a sigh of relief.
She touched her neck fearfully, then caressed the black card in her hand. Finally, as if she had made some decision, she stood up.
I heard her mutter to herself: “What’s done is done. If that bitch could win him over, I’m sure I can do it too.”
Evelyn followed Lucas into the bedroom.
I knew what she was thinking.
She wanted to quickly consummate the marriage with Lucas, bear a child for the Gray family, and then gain status through the child.