Love Killer: Tricky But Seductive

In A City

It was a hot summer day. A slight breeze rustled through the leaves, dispersing the warm, sluggish air.

The beige curtains in the windows of Ling family villa swayed imperceptibly in the wind. Surrounded by a semicircle of birch and poplar trees, the magnificent villa looked like a forest castle in a fairytale. The villa had been cleverly designed for maximum privacy. There was a massive private garden leading up to it, and a swimming pool in the back. Well-kept lawns and courtyards of various shapes and sizes surrounded the main building, keeping it away from prying eyes. It was breathtakingly beautiful. This was Hillside Villa, the biggest villa district in A City. The villas in this exclusive district were worth hundreds of millions. Only the wealthiest families could afford to have a villa here.

In the garden, the magnificent rose bushes were in full bloom. Warmed by the summer sun, their enchanting fragrance filled every corner of the garden.

The water lilies in the garden pond nodded drowsily in the summer heat. There was someone in the garden: a tall, shapely woman, dressed in a beige French-style dress. Her long black hair hung over her shoulders like a velvet curtain. She had beautiful, slanted eyes. Her bangs, tastefully parted in the middle, framed her exquisite facial features. This was a woman who could pass for royalty.

There was a reddish tinge to her snowy white skin; she had been in the sun before moving into the shade of one of the birch trees.

She leaned against the tree as she casually leafed through the magazine in her hands. All of a sudden, her fingers stilled and her entire body stiffened. She stared at the photo in the magazine.

The light in her eyes dimmed. The man in the photo was her husband, but the woman beside him wasn't her.

A breeze blew into the garden, rustling the leaves. The pond rippled, and the water lilies danced like tiny floral fairies. It was a lovely sight.

"Sophia Su, what are you doing? Pull yourself together." the woman murmured to herself. Her voice was tinged with profound sorrow. Why couldn't she leave him? He was clearly unworthy of her. Why was it so difficult for her to steel her heart against her husband, Lucas Ling? In the two years leading to their marriage, she had never been able to stay angry with him for long.

"Lucas, you'd better be able to explain this." She sighed inwardly. It had been four months since she last saw him. Lucas Ling had stopped coming home the moment Rebecca Shen reappeared. The tabloids were full of photos of Lucas Ling and Rebecca Shen enjoying themselves together.

A small breeze stirred Sophia Su's velvet hair, and her thoughts drifted with the wind. Her beautiful eyes shone with unspoken emotion.

It was horribly unfair of him to leave her without an explanation. Why did he even marry her in the first place, if his love for her could be so easily replaced?

Sophia Su smiled bitterly at herself. She knew it was madness to continue to pine for her husband when the entire world knew he was cheating on her.

"Sophia." A gentle voice interrupted Sophia Su's thoughts. She looked up and saw Laura Ling, Lucas Ling's younger sister.

She was dressed in a pink blouse and beige jeans. Her curly hair had been gathered into a ponytail. She was pretty, and her tendency to wear brightly colored clothes meant that her presence always brightened the room.

"Oh, you're back." Sophia Su nodded at Laura Ling in greeting.

"Why are you in the garden? It's so hot out here." Laura Ling saw the magazine in her hands. The pretty smile on her face stiffened.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to get some fresh air." Sophia Su's tone was calm and indifferent.

"Sophia, listen..." Laura Ling trailed off uncertainly as she struggled to find the right words.

"You want to talk about this, right?" Sophia Su lifted the magazine as a small smile appeared on her beautiful face.

Laura Ling stared at her sister-in-law in open astonishment. Sophia Su was truly in a class of her own. Her husband had cheated on her. Most other women would have cried and threatened to kill themselves if their husbands cheated on them. But Sophia Su was evidently not like any of the other women. The news of her husband's infidelity didn't seem to bother her at all.

Sophia Su began to read from the magazine. "Rebecca Shen, 22 years old. Daughter of Dragon Group's leader. She was in a relationship with Lucas Ling, the CEO of Ling Group, five years ago. Three years ago, she vanished without a trace. Now she's back to pick up where she left behind and rekindle her relationship with Lucas." Sophia Su paused. "Why didn't you tell me I was just a substitute?"

"No, it's not like that. Rebecca's Rebecca, and you're you. My brother never thought of you as her substitute."

Sophia Su pointed at the picture of Rebecca Shen in the magazine. "We have the same eyes, don't we?" Laura Ling didn't know what to say. It wasn't just the eyes; Sophia Su had a certain aura around her that was just like Rebecca Shen's. In a strange twist of fate, Sophia Su had turned up in Lucas Ling's life right after Rebecca Shen disappeared. Lucas Ling had showered Sophia Su with love. But now that Rebecca Shen returned, he threw Sophia Su away without a second thought.

"It's not what you think. My brother will explain, I know he will. Even if you don't trust him, you can trust me on this. You believe me, don't you?" Laura Ling reached for Sophia Su's hand and clasped her hands around it reassuringly. It was a blazing hot day, but Sophia Su's hand was as cold as ice.

Sophia Su looked steadily at Laura Ling as she slowly shook her head. She wanted to believe, but she didn't know where to start. All the evidence told her that her husband was cheating on her. Sophia Su wished she could believe Laura Ling. Her husband's sister had always been good to her. She looked into Laura Ling's eyes. They reminded her of her husband's: dark and cold.

"It's okay, you don't have to try to comfort me. It's my marriage. I know what's going on better than anyone else."

"I just wish you'd give my brother the benefit of the doubt. Everyone can see that he loves you very much." Laura Ling wasn't exaggerating. She had never seen her brother care for anyone as much as he had cared for Sophia Su. She was very close with her brother, but he had never treated her with the love and tenderness he reserved for Sophia Su. As for Rebecca Shen, Laura Ling knew that her brother had been just as cold and aloof with her five years ago. Back then, Laura Ling had been convinced that her brother's icy heart would never melt. He would never learn how to be gentle with someone.

But she had been proven wrong. The moment Sophia Su entered her brother's life, he had been unable to keep himself from showering her with love and affection. He had spared no expense for their wedding. The extravagant event was so spectacular it had been branded "The Fairy-tale Wedding of the Century," and news of it trended on social media for weeks. Laura Ling bit her lip as she recalled her brother's determination to give Sophia Su the perfect wedding. He would have given her the world if she had asked for it. That was love, wasn't it?

"It's fine, let's drop this. I need some time to think. I'm going to stay here for a little longer, but you should get out of the sun. We'll have dinner together later, okay? I'll whip up something delicious for you." Sophia Su smiled warmly.

"Okay." Laura Ling sighed. She wished Sophia Su would stop smiling for once and be honest with herself.

Laura Ling turned to go, but before she entered the villa she stopped to look at Sophia Su again. Sophia Su's back looked lonely and frail. Laura Ling's heart sank. She could tell that Sophia Su was suffering inside, despite all her attempts to appear indifferent on the outside. Laura Ling could only hope that her brother would return to his senses soon.

The villa's furnishings were simple but elegant. Laura watched Sophia bustle about in the kitchen from the living room sofa. She could hardly wait to dig into Sophia's delicious cooking.

In the kitchen, Sophia watched the steaks sizzle on the grill. She had chosen to grill steaks for dinner because she didn't trust herself to make anything more complex in her current mood. Sophia usually let the servants handle the cooking, but in the last several months, she had had to cook most of her own meals to make up for her loss of appetite.

A few minutes later, Sophia emerged from the kitchen with two covered plates and set them on the dining table. Laura leaned over her plate, her face shining with excitement. "What is it?" She removed the cover. The steak, arranged artfully on the plate, seemed to glisten in the light. Laura had to wipe the drool from her chin.

"Go on. Don't be shy now," Sophia said with a smile.

That was all the encouragement she needed. Laura picked up her fork and knife and attacked her steak with gusto. The two women were so engrossed in their meal they didn't hear the front door open.

Lucas, dressed in an expensive silver-gray suit from Italy, closed the door behind him. His jet-black hair was styled in a medium-length haircut, and his cold, unreadable eyes glittered from under his bangs. He had the chiseled features of a Greek god. There was a perpetual aura of darkness about him. His chilling aura, combined with his jet-black hair and eyes, gave everyone who saw him the impression that he was the God of Darkness.

Sophia looked up at the sound of footsteps, and found herself caught in Lucas' dark, bottomless gaze. There was a moment of awkward silence as Sophia and Lucas stared at each other.

"What's that you're having, Laura?" The sweet, flirtatious voice shattered the silence.

Laura, who had been too busy eating to notice her brother, finally looked up. Rebecca was now standing next to Lucas. Laura grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth. "Lucas, you're back." She didn't look at Rebecca, or answer her question.

Rebecca's smile stiffened at the open animosity emanating from Laura.

Lucas nodded to his sister in greeting.

Sophia ignored them. She kept her eyes on her steak as she methodically cut it up and shoved the pieces into her mouth. She could feel Lucas' cold, hard stare on her. He had been staring at her ever since he entered the room, but she wasn't about to acknowledge his presence by looking at him.

"Laura, it's been such a long time since I last saw you. You were pretty back then, but you're absolutely beautiful now," Rebecca added nonchalantly. She walked over to Laura and squeezed her hand like a long-lost friend.

Laura forced a smile. They had never been that close, and Rebecca's sudden affection for her was making her uncomfortable. "You too, Rebecca," Laura said woodenly. She looked at Rebecca's hand on hers, and cleared her throat awkwardly.

Sophia chewed serenely on her steak as she inwardly rolled her eyes at the awkward acting from the two women.

"Laura, is that steak? Did you make it yourself? Lucas and I are starving, we haven't had dinner yet." Rebecca's voice was the kind of cloyingly sweet voice that seduced men and annoyed other women. Laura felt the hair stand on the back of her neck.

"My sister-in-law made it for me."

"Sophia, I didn't know you were such a good cook. I'd love to try your cooking, you know." Sophia stopped to look at Rebecca. She took in Rebecca's thin blue T-shirt and black miniskirt. She noted the way Rebecca's voluptuous curves strained against her clothing with some distaste.

Sophia frowned. Why was Rebecca addressing her by her first name? They weren't even friends. Sophia put her fork down. She forced a smile. "You're hungry, Miss Shen?" It took all of Sophia's self-control to keep her composure.

"Oh yes, we haven't had anything to eat. Would you be a dear and cook something for us, Sophia?"

Sophia looked steadily at Rebecca, before arching an eyebrow at Lucas. Her husband had been conspicuously silent the entire time.

"Miss Shen, if you're hungry, the kitchen is over there. Cook your own food."

It would be a cold day in hell before Sophia cooked a meal for her husband's mistress. She wiped her mouth without breaking eye contact with Rebecca. She rose, tossed the napkin onto the table, and made for the stairs. She was almost at the stairs when she heard Lucas say to a servant, "Rebecca's things are outside. Bring them in."

Sophia froze in mid-step. She could hardly believe her ears. Was Lucas moving his mistress in? She clenched her jaw. So this was the real Lucas. She had been a fool to trust him. She went upstairs without a second glance. She would play the part of the dignified wife, come hell or high water.

"Lucas, what's wrong? You're so quiet tonight." Rebecca draped her arms around Lucas' neck seductively.

"I'm fine. Let's go upstairs." Lucas put his arm around Rebecca's hips as they walked up the stairs together.

Laura watched them go with an arched eyebrow.

Sophia returned to her bedroom. She showered and turned on the AC before flopping onto the bed. It was still early in the evening, but it was too hot to do anything else. She was sound asleep within seconds. It had been months since she had had a good night's sleep. As she drifted comfortably in dreamland, she sensed someone entering the room. She felt a familiar warmth spread across the palm of her icy cold hand; someone was holding her hand. Sophia's eyes flew open, and she almost jumped out of her skin. Lucas' handsome face was right in front of her. It hadn't been a dream after all. Sophia glared at him. "Why are you here?" Lucas had been leaning in to kiss her. He stopped.

His eyes were full of fiery anger as he snarled, "This is my room. I don't need your permission to be here, do I?"

Sophia tried to turn away from him, but Lucas pinned her waist down with his hands. She couldn't move. "What's wrong? I'm your husband, remember? Have you forgotten me in the last several months?" There was an undercurrent of anger in his deep, masculine voice. Sophia snorted. "You're one to talk. How dare you call yourself my husband when you haven't been acting like a married man!"

"Are you complaining?"

"No, of course not. I wouldn't dream of it. Now let get of me, I'm getting up." Sophia looked out the window. It was pitch-black outside. She wondered what time it was.

Lucas pinned her down. "Looks like you've forgotten who your body belongs to. Perhaps it's time for you to review your lessons." Lucas' eyes traveled hungrily over Sophia. She was a delectable sight, dressed only in a thin chemise and with her dark hair fanned out over the white sheets. Before she could open her mouth to protest, he kissed her fiercely on the lips. He put his hand up her chemise, and she responded to this with a mighty kick into his stomach. Lucas tumbled off the bed and onto the carpeted floor with an undignified yelp. Sophia could feel his dark, icy glare on her. It chilled her to the bone. She ignored him. He had been humiliated in his attempt to have his way with her, and she knew better than to engage with him in his angry state. She smoothed her chemise demurely as a gentle voice sounded from the door. "Lucas, the food's ready."

Rebecca walked in and saw Lucas sitting on the floor. She stared at him for a moment, perplexed, and then turned to Sophia with a troubled look in her eyes. It was clear as day what had happened.

Lucas got to his feet and led Rebecca out of the room without another word. Sophia watched them go with a sneer on her face. She went into the bathroom, changed her clothes, and went downstairs. It was eleven o'clock. Time for a midnight snack.

Lucas was already seated at the dining table. He held hands with Rebecca, who sat beside him. Sophia nonchalantly took the seat opposite Lucas. She picked up her chopsticks and began eating in silence. Lucas glared at her. She had humiliated him just moments ago. How dare she sit before him now and eat her meal as if nothing had happened! Rebecca saw the tension in Lucas' face. She smiled and said, "Eat up, Sophia, don't be shy. I think you'd look better with a little more meat on you."

Sophia looked up at her. "Miss Shen, you're the guest here. Learn your place." It was ridiculous for the guest to ask the host to "eat up."

The smile disappeared from Rebecca's face as she turned to Lucas with a wounded expression. Sophia arched a sarcastic eyebrow and returned to her food. 'What a lovely, heartwarming scene! The mistress, the wife, and the cheating husband are seated together at the same table, enjoying a peaceful meal, ' Sophia thought sardonically to herself. She had had enough of his games. But she wasn't ready to walk away. He had showered her with love in the last two years, and she was almost sure his love had been genuine. Was it possible that Lucas had only been pretending? "Mary, prepare a guest room for Rebecca. See that her things are moved into it as soon as possible." With that, Lucas went upstairs without another word.

"Yes, sir," Mary Liu said respectfully. She had been with the Ling family for over twenty years. She had been Lucas' nanny since he was a kid, and he treated her with a level of respect not usually shown to the other servants. Mary Liu stole a furtive glance at Sophia, before walking up the stairs with a disappointed shake of her head.

With Lucas gone, Sophia and Rebecca were now alone at the table. Sophia waited to see if her husband's mistress would seize the opportunity to ask her to give up her husband. Sure enough, Rebecca turned to her and said, "Sophia, do we really have to do this?"

"What do you think?" Sophia said mildly. She returned her attention to her food.

"Sophia, we can be friends. There's no need for all this animosity."

"Miss Shen, you may want to reconsider what being a friend means." Sophia rolled her eyes. Friends? Fuck being friends! What did Rebecca think this was, a whorehouse?

"Sophia, you know that I'm the one Lucas loves. It has always been me." Rebecca had her wounded puppy look on her face again.

"Are you saying that the title of Mrs. Ling should have been yours to begin with?" Sophia asked with a pleasant smile.

"Sophia, can't you play nice?" Rebecca struggled to contain her anger. She was certain that Lucas loved her, and the fact that he had married Sophia instead infuriated her.

"Miss Shen, I'm sure you know your position better than I do. If you want my place, you'll have to seduce my husband and convince him you deserve to be his wife. If you can do that, I'll gladly give you what you want. If he divorces me, well, even better. I'll be free as a bird." Sophia put her chopsticks down and shot Rebecca a look of undisguised contempt.

"Sophia, I want us to be friends." Rebecca had put on her sad, miserable expression again. She was an expert at winning the sympathies of her audience with her wounded looks.

"Ha! The two of us, friends? That possibility flew out the window the moment you slept with my husband. And stop calling me by my first name. Miss Shen, if memory serves me right, this is only the second time we've met. We're practically strangers." She would never forget her first meeting with Rebecca. Her heart had shattered into a thousand pieces then, and the memory continued to hurt her deeply. She would never forgive them.

Rebecca stared at Sophia, speechless. She hadn't expected Sophia to come right out and accuse her of sleeping with her husband. Sophia rose from her chair and left the table. When she reached the stairs, she turned around to say, "Here's my advice, Rebecca Shen. Don't play with fire if you can't handle the heat. Still, I have to admit that your complete lack of a guilty conscience is impressive, in a way. You are truly shameless, and worse, you don't even know it. Perhaps you should see a psychiatrist, I'm sure they'll find you fascinating."

All the color drained from Rebecca's face. She watched Sophia walk away, her jaw clenched in anger and resentment. Sophia's self-assured confidence bewildered her. Rebecca was sure Lucas loved her and would give her anything she wanted, so why was Sophia being so smug? Rebecca chewed on her lip. She had been worried that her three-year absence from Lucas' life would change his opinion of her, but her fears had been unfounded. He had treated her like a queen as soon as she had returned. She had nothing to fear. Rebecca seethed to herself. 'Don't get ahead of yourself, Sophia. Lucas only noticed you because your eyes reminded him of me. He would never have married you otherwise. You're just an orphan, and you'd better learn your place.'

Back in her bedroom, Sophia opened the curtains to look at the beautiful roses in the moonlit garden. The rose garden had a special place in her heart. The rose was her favorite flower, and Lucas had planted all of the rose bushes himself. She had assumed that the rose garden had been carefully planted and cultivated for her, but she knew better now. The rose was Rebecca's favorite flower, too. What changed? Why was everything different now? She deserved an explanation. They had been in love for two years and married for six months when their fairy-tale romance suddenly turned into a tragedy. And it was all because of Rebecca. Perhaps the saying was right: marriage was the tomb of love. Sophia's gaze drifted to the wedding photo hanging above the bed. Her husband's eyes had been full of love and tenderness back then. He had been willing to give her the world, and the sincerity of his love had won her heart. How was she to know that she had only been a stand-in for Rebecca? Now there was no longer any love from him, only silence.

"Lucas, I want to believe that you love me, even if it isn't true," Sophia murmured to herself. A breeze stirred her hair. Her eyelashes, long and full, fluttered prettily as she gazed serenely at the night sky.

The door slammed open, and Sophia snapped out of her reverie. Lucas strode towards her with the domineering aura of a lord looking at his possession. He towered over Sophia, who, against her better judgment, was now openly admiring his devastatingly handsome face and the tantalizing glimpse of his broad, tanned chest beneath his unbuttoned collar. She was hopelessly weak against handsome men. "Well? Is my wife satisfied with my physique and looks?" Lucas looked at her with a deadpan expression, his hands in his pockets. He made sure to emphasize the words "my wife."

Sophia walked up to him, cool as a cucumber, and made a show of looking him over. "You're not bad. Unfortunately, my dear husband, you're only an 8 out of 10."

His eyes narrowed. "You've seen someone more handsome than me?"

"Oh, please. There are millions of handsome men out there. There's always someone more handsome than you. Don't flatter yourself."

As soon as she said that, Lucas' hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Sophia winced in pain. "What are you doing?" Sophia demanded. "This isn't how you treat a lady." The pressure on her arm was so strong she felt as though her arm was about to snap in two.

"Have you been looking at other men while I was away?" Lucas pointed at the laptop on the table. There was a photo of a male celebrity on the screen.

"Yes, of course. It's only fair that I get to look for other men when you've found yourself another woman."

Her voice dripped with sarcasm, but Sophia was only bluffing. She had only been scrolling through an entertainment news site out of boredom. Her husband's petty accusations angered her, however, and she seized the chance to take a jab at him.

"I see. So you're saying you've been so lonely you desperately need the warmth of another man, is that right?"

"Lonely? What's that? I don't know what that word means," Sophia answered fearlessly.

Lucas let go of her arm, but his anger continued to burn in his eyes. Sophia rubbed her arm and said mildly, "If you're here because I upset your baby, I can tell you now that there's nothing to discuss."

"Baby?" Lucas asked, confused.

"You know who I mean. Rebecca."

"Are you jealous?" Lucas looked at her.

"Ha! Jealous? Why would I be jealous? I'm grateful to her for helping me with my wifely duties and servicing my husband in bed." Sophia smiled. The anger boiling inside Lucas erupted. Blind with anger, he lifted his hand and slapped Sophia, hard enough to leave a hand print on her fair face. But as soon as he realized what he had done, his anger receded and his blood ran cold. Why had he hit her? What had gotten into him? Sophia stared at Lucas. She had never in her wildest dreams imagined that Lucas would ever hit her. But the slap didn't hurt as much as the understanding that he had done it for Rebecca.

"Is that all? I think it's time for you to leave. Or perhaps you'd prefer to have Rebecca to move into this room with you instead? If that's the case, I'll move into the guest room. I don't care either way." Lucas' expression darkened. He glared at Sophia, before storming out the room and slamming the door shut behind him. Sophia cupped her swollen cheek as she tried valiantly to keep her tears at bay. 'Sophia, ' she told herself, 'there's no point in hoping. You know better now.'