Sophie didn't react.Her face remained blank as Emily tossed her hair triumphantly.
"Congratulations," Sophie said flatly.
"Hurry up and help me get ready for my big night!"
Emily soaked herself in a warm bath and then sprayed on an entire bottle of high-end rose perfume.She thought of Ethan's handsome face—his tall, broad frame, and sculpted abs that could rival a Calvin Klein model.
Just thinking about it made her blush with desire.
She turned toward Sophie, smug as ever."Jealous? Don't forget—you're just a pitiful stand-in. I'm the real Mrs. Lancaster."
With that, she flounced out, heels clicking on the marble floor.
Upstairs in the master bedroom, Ethan was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, dressed in a fitted charcoal robe. The city lights reflected on his chiseled features.
Emily rushed in, voice sweet and sickly."Darling, I'm here~"
She threw herself at him.
But Ethan immediately stiffened and pushed her away.His brows furrowed sharply.
"What is that smell?" he asked coldly."Why does it smell different from the bed?"
Emily froze.The bed...?
She had never actually slept in his bed.That scent—it wasn't hers. It must have been...
Sophie?!
Panic flickered in her eyes, but she forced a laugh."Oh, that! I—I just took a floral bath. The petals must've changed my scent a little."
Ethan's expression darkened, his gaze turning sharp."So the woman sleeping in my bed... wasn't you?"
Oh god. He was starting to figure it out.
"Of course it was me, darling!" she said quickly."I was just trying something new. I can go shower again and get rid of it—just wait a minute, okay?"
Ethan's voice dropped, ice in every syllable:"I want the original scent. If you can't bring it back—don't bother calling yourself Mrs. Lancaster again."
"Okay, okay!" Emily stammered, heart pounding. She turned and fled the room.
Back downstairs, Sophie was getting ready for bed when Emily stormed in with fury blazing in her eyes.
"Let me guess—Ethan threw you out?" Sophie said calmly.
Emily didn't answer. She pulled out her phone and shoved the screen in Sophie's face.
A video started playing.
Sophie's heart stopped.
Her grandmother lay in a hospital bed, frail and thin, hair completely white.An oxygen mask covered her face.She stirred weakly, murmuring—
"Ci-Ci… Ci-Ci…"
"Go sleep with him tonight," Emily snapped.
"No," Sophie said immediately, her voice cold and firm.
Emily's jaw clenched, her fists shaking with jealousy.She didn't want to send Sophie. She didn't want to give up her night.
But she had no choice.Ethan wanted Sophie's scent.
If she didn't go, he'd find out everything—and Emily would lose her position.
Emily leaned in close."If you don't go, I'll have them take off her oxygen mask."She smiled sweetly."Your poor grandmother… She misses you so much. She calls your name every day."
Sophie's eyes turned red.
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth."I'll go."
"You can't let him touch you," Emily added sharply."Be out before six a.m. Not a minute later. You hear me?"
Sophie stared at her, disgust and anger in her eyes.But she nodded.
"Understood."
Emily pointed at her face."Put on some makeup and cover that hideous scar. You'll scare him like that."
She left in a huff, finally satisfied.
Alone in her room, Sophie sat down at the vanity.
She didn't pick up foundation.Instead, she picked up makeup remover.
With gentle strokes, she wiped away the scar—layer by layer.
What appeared in the mirror wasn't a clown girl.
It was a face so delicate and cold, it was breathtaking.
The scar was fake.The story—fabricated.
She wasn't the stand-in.
She was the real one.