My Mistaken Identity Landed Me A Rich Lover

I got down from the bus and looked up at the sky. It was bright, sunny, and a bit annoying. I was in mourning so why couldn't the sky even mourn with me?

My identical twin sister, Eve, died for reasons no one knew. Even the police didn't know who caused her death. All we knew was that her body was found floating close to the harbor.

Though we were twin sisters, compared to me, she was always brilliant, coming up with new ideas and providing lavishly for the family. It was thanks to her we had a comfortable roof over our heads, a kind helper and food on our table.

I couldn't do half of what she did, not even quarter, and if not for her, I wonder what we would've been reduced to since my father fell ill five years ago.

Because of my father's illness and inability to work, we both ended our education in high school and didn't go further but we had been doing well thanks to Eve.

She was always so brilliant and I felt it wasn't fair that she had to end without a proper education. But even when she had the money, Eve showed no interest in going to school so I felt it was her choice.

And since she, who was the brilliant one among us, didn't want to go back to school, I felt it would be a waste for me to go to school since I wasn't really smart.

"Hah!" I sighed and wore my confident face.

I needed to get a job and that was all that mattered, the matter of the past could stay in the past. This was my present.

Though we still had a fair amount of resources, if I didn't find a stable job soon, it would run out and we would starve. I'd need to restock dad's medicines at the end of the month and pay the helper.

Also, it would seem we would have to park out of that apartment soon since the yearly rent wasn't something I could afford. It would be better to get a cheaper place and manage the resources we had and not lavishly spend just because it was there.

I sighed once more and wondered, 'were things this difficult for you too, eh, Eve?'

I entered the first shop that had a 'sales girl' signboard up. It was a local restaurant with a lot of customers.

"Welcome." I was greeted warmly the receptionist standing at the front of the door. She was a lady with brown hair, thick eyebrows, freckled cheeks and small lips, and I smiled awkwardly,

"Um, I'm not a customer. I came to apply for the job of a salesperson." I said and she scanned me thoroughly with judging eyes.

I was dressed in all black since I was still in my mourning phase but I hoped she wouldn't mind.

"This isn't a cemetery. Why did you dress this way when coming to apply for a salesperson?" She asked, her hospitable appearance turning sour in a second.

"Oh, that's... My sister died so I..."

"That's not my concern." She said. "If you dress like that, you'll only scare the customers away. Go back and change before you think of applying again."

Her tone was so rude and disrespectful that even I, who was slow to anger, wanted to yell at her. My sister died, couldn't she just be a little bit understanding?

If I didn't know better, I would assume she was jealous of me. Ugh, I was overthinking it again. Who would be jealous of a girl who just lost her sister?

"What are you still doing here? Do you plan to garner sympathy from me and her the job because your sister died?" She asked and I took in a deep breath.

I smiled and said,

"Have a nice day. I hope your business doesn't fall with that attitude of yours." I turned around, leaving her dumbstruck.

I clenched my fists as I made my way out. I couldn't be like my sister. If it were Eve in this situation, she would've certainly put that rude-tongued girl into her place but I couldn't even spit out hurtful words to her back at her for disrespecting my condition.

I was so pitiful.

How was a girl with a soft attitude like me going to survive in this world? It was no wonder Eve always said,

"Your heart is too big, allow me to do the dirty job and just take care of Dad and our siblings."

She sheltered me so much that now I feel so useless and guilty for putting all the burden on her alone.

I sniffed and wiped my eyes with my sleeves.

I stood at the roadside while wondering where I was going to go next. I looked at my clothes. Maybe I should have her changed so as not to get accused of trying to garner sympathy.

Just then, a flashy black car pulled up in front of me. I stepped back, thinking I was in the way of someone important but to my surprise, a tall bulky man wearing dark sunglasses, got down from the passenger's seat and approached me.

"Eve Newton? You need to come with me, you've hidden yourself for too long." He said and I blinked my eyes twice,

"Eh?"

Just then, a flashy black car pulled up in front of me. I stepped back, thinking I was in the way of someone important but to my surprise, a tall bulky man wearing dark sunglasses, got down from the passenger's seat and approached me.

"Eve Newton? You need to come with me, you've hidden yourself for too long." He said and I blinked my eyes twice,

"Eh?"

I stood shocked. What was the meaning of this? And who... Who was this guy? Why does he know Eve's name?

"I... I think there's been some sort of mistake." I said, taking a step back but he suddenly grabbed my hand and said,

"You've been playing around for too long and the boss has caught on to your schemes. You better come back now before you make yet another mistake."

I was utterly confused. What sort of relationship could Eve have had with this man and... I glanced at the car. He looked like he was well off. What was going on?

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about and I... Whoa!" I exclaimed as he suddenly lifted me off my feet and threw me over his shoulder. "You, what are you doing? Let me go! Put me down." I frailed my legs but he held on firmly and wouldn't put me down.

'What is going on? How could he just lift me off my feet? This... This I kidnapping. Is there anyone there to help me?' I looked around but for some reason, the streets were deserted.

Why, of all times, did the street decide to be deserted now? I needed help but there was no one to call for.

If this was indeed kidnapping for ransom then they were better off killing me because my family would never be able to come up with any money to pay up.

"Put me down," I yelled but he played deaf and threw me into the back seat of the car. "Ah!"

He shut the door and got in the passenger's seat. There was another person in the car, the driver who was paying no attention to me.

"What is going on? What you guys are doing is a crime. Let me down right this instant." I demanded but they kept playing deaf and made sure to lock the doors to prevent me from escaping.

I was starting to get scared. These people seemed dangerous and it would seem that they were after Eve but I wasn't her. What would they do to me if they discovered that I wasn't her?

No, the first thing was to let them know that they took the wrong person but how though?

My face, hair, voice... It was a complete replica of Eve's. And even our mole was in the same spot. How exactly was I going to convince them otherwise?

They would not bother themselves to run a blood test and even if they wanted to, what would they use to compare?

My head was spinning and my heart was racing. Was this going to be the end of me?

But I still needed to take care of Dad, Sequence, and Sebastian.

If I died, who would take care of them? I had to fight back. They weren't people without reason so maybe if I tried to talk to them and reason things with them, they just might listen.

"Hey!" I called. "You've honestly gotten the wrong person." I said, "My name is Ava, I'm Eve's twin." I explained but there was no response. "You can't just take someone against their will with just your speculation," I added but they still didn't say anything about it.

I hoped they would understand and see reason to my words but they remained silent as ever, as if my fate had been set in stone.

"Ugh, just what do you want from me?" I asked, resigning to the chair which was really, really comfortable. How was I just noticing it?

"You can ask the boss yourself." The guy in the passenger's seat said and I looked aside, staring out the tinted window.

'Ask him myself? Who are they taking me to meet? I honestly have no idea and I... I'm getting scared.'

My heart felt too anxious to be at ease. I was busy trying to come up with a plan to convince their boss, whoever it was, that I was not Eve and that Eve was dead.

Who was their boss though? This car was so flashy and it was just the guard's car so I wondered if it was some fat old man.

Wait, did Eve get involved with a rich fat old man just so she could provide for us? Was that what she had been doing all along that she was able to send us huge amounts of money from time to time?

I clenched my fists. If I hadn't been so incompetent, would Eve have had to go to such extreme measures just to make sure we didn't starve?

The car pulled up and I wondered if we had gotten to our destination. I wanted to look out but before I could, the door opened, and the bulky guard man stood in front of me, blocking me from seeing anything beyond his body.

Then, he took out a rope and head cloth. He tied my legs, as well as my hands, and then covered my face with the head cloth.

"Is this necessary?" I asked as he lifted me and threw me over his shoulder like I was a bag of potatoes.

"You're quite fast on your feet." He said and I groaned. It was very uncomfortable being carried like that, and my face was covered as well so it was discomfort at its max.

No matter what I said, they would just respond that way because they strongly believed I was Eve.

'Eve, just what on Earth did you get yourself into?'

I felt like we were climbing stairs as the big guard's movements were that of a climber. Not being able to see anything was torture.

Then, he stopped. While I was still wondering what he was doing, he dropped me on a chair, untied my legs and hands, and tied them to the wooden chair.

Even if I, who was being mistaken as Eve, might've done something bad, I have to ask, was all of this necessary? I understand caution, but the way he treated me made me feel like I was a criminal who couldn't be trusted.

I assure you, I have no intention of running off.

I wanted to say that but kept my mouth shut. Who knows if he would become more weary of me if I said that line?

"Stay here." He said and my eyes twitched. Did I have a choice?

I heard the door close and thought to myself that I had been left alone in a room that I didn't know and sitting in a chair that was very uncomfortable in comparison to the chair in the car. If I were to choose, I would rather stay in the car.

But of course, it wasn't my place to choose. I was being held captive after all.

I sighed.

After about ten minutes, of sitting still in that extremely uncomfortable chair, the door opened.

'Who is it this time?' I wondered and made subtle movements in my chair.

The man who had entered the room walked towards me, placed his hands on the two ends of the chair, and leaned in to whisper in my ear,

"Eve." His manly and sexy voice sent shivers down my spine. Who was this? And why was he calling Eve's name when such a tone in his voice? "Did you have fun, messing with me?"

"Who... Who are you?" I asked and he paused for a moment before reaching out for my head cloth and taking it off.

My eyes, which had gotten used to the darkness in the head cloth, were introduced to a dimly lit room and the face of the man standing in front of me.

He was a young handsome man with a sharp perfect jawline, eyes that were compared to the ocean, and that manly frown. I couldn't help but appreciate his striking features even in a situation like this.

Wait, a frown? Why was he frowning at me? Did I, no, did Eve perhaps offend this man?

I was just about to start apologizing on her behalf, but then he said,

"Your game of hide and seek is now over. I'll make sure you can't get away from me from now on."

"Eh?"

My eyes, which had gotten used to the darkness in the head cloth, were introduced to a dimly lit room and the face of the man standing in front of me.

He was a young handsome man with a sharp perfect jawline, eyes that were compared to the ocean, and that manly frown. I couldn't help but appreciate his striking features even in a situation like this.

Wait, a frown? Why was he frowning at me? Did I, no, did Eve perhaps offend this man?

I was just about to start apologizing on her behalf, but then he said,

"Your game of hide and seek is now over. I'll make sure you can't get away from me from now on."

"Eh?"

Did I perhaps miss the plot? This is a kidnapping case, isn't it?

He snapped his fingers and the lights came on. It was a bit blinding so she squinted her eyes. But now she could get a good view of the man with the blue charming eyes.

He was handsome.

But wait, what was it that I was seeing in his eyes? Despite the frown on his face, he seemed to have some hurt in his eyes. Was he sad?

"Eve," he called over gritted teeth. "Have you had enough fun? How dare you try to make a fool of me and then run away?"

"What?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

He looked at me briefly then shoved his finger through his hair,

"Are you still taking me for a fool? Trying to act oblivious even at a time like this?" He forcefully dropped his hands on my shoulder and I flinched. "Haven't you toyed with me enough?"

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about," I said. "And also, I... I'm not Eve. You got the wrong girl. I'm her twin sister, Ava."

"Dammit, Eve." He cussed and took his hands off. "Again with that lie. Aren't you tired of telling a lie now and then? A twin? I'm no longer stupid enough to believe that." He said, sounding very furious.

I gulped. It would seem he was talking about Eve and she has used the guise of a twin before. She had pretended to be her?

"Ava, was it? You did this before. Was it fun when you ran away and came back, pretending to be your 'twin' just so you could gain my sympathy and extort more out of me? I won't fall for that a second time."

'She did what?'

I was in disbelief. Why would Eve do such a thing? Come to think of it, I didn't know what Eve did for a living. I didn't know what she used my ID card for after borrowing it. But was Eve as horrible as how they described? Was she into fraud? Did she trick him out of his money?

My head was spinning. What was a lie and what was the truth?

This man looked me in the eyes as if scanning my identity with his own eyes. Just as his eyes were blue, mine were blue as well but compared to his which had the color of the surface of the ocean, mine were as dark as the depths of the sea.

Then, he got closer, lightly grabbed a lock of my blonde hair that was formerly weaved into two pigtails that morning, and then let go before grabbing my chin, and pushing my head to the side.

On my right earlobe was a tiny black mole. Eve and I had that same mole in the same spot, as well as identical earlobes.

It was amazing how one could look so identical in all aspects, even for identical twins.

No one was ever really able to differentiate us because of our extremely similar features.

He let go of my chin and scoffed.

"Don't try to play me in your little game. I'm not falling for it a second time." He said and turned to leave.

"It's the truth," I said, hoping to her through to him. "I'm not Eve. I am Ava."

"After you deceived me, I checked it properly." He said and held the wood frame. "You have no family, let alone a twin sister. Get ready, I'm going to have you tonight."

With those words, he made his way out, leaving me feeling restless, confused, and scared.

What did I get myself into? No, what did Emilia get us into?

After about an hour or two of me sitting still with my legs and hands bound, a few ladies entered the room. They wore maid outfits so I could safely assume they were maids.

They untied me and for a moment, I thought they wanted to help me escape, only to be led to the bathroom and stripped naked.

"Hey, stop. This is too far, don't you think?" I said but they kept a deaf ear and I could almost feel hostility from them.

Sitting in the bathtub like a kid, they filled the tub with warm water that felt just right and soothing before proceeding to bathe me. Honestly, I was confused but I couldn't retaliate because when I weighed the odds, I was more at a disadvantage.

If I tried to run, they would quickly overpower me and then tell on me to the handsome guy of before. Then, who knew what he would do after that?

The last thing I wanted was to get on his nerves even more than I already had.

'Maybe there's still room for negotiation.' I thought as the maids led me, who was already wearing a robe after the relaxing bath, towards the dressing table.

I sat down and they dried my dripping hair with a hairdryer.

This treatment... It was a sin to enjoy it but I couldn't help myself. Having others do stuff for me, having them worry about the trifles while I just sat back, that was something I had grown too used to.

I had Eve doing everything for me and didn't stop to think, not for once, if it would be better to rise to my own feet and work on my own.

I was the older one but she had been the responsible one. She had been the one to take care of me, shield me, comfort me. She did everything for me and the others and I... I just sat back and grew carefree.

I grew sad at the thought. What did she go through to give me such a comfortable life?

Now, Eve was no longer here so I had to break myself from that feeling of comfort at having others do things for me.

One of the maids took out a nightwear from the wardrobe at the side and it was at that moment I realized the room looked quite nice. It had a feminine touch and a scent that, if I wasn't mistaken, was very similar to Eve's.

It was like she had lived here the whole time for her scent to be all over the place.

At the thought of that, my eyes widened. Was this perhaps...?

It couldn't be that she had lived in this room the whole time, right?

"Please stand up." She said and I stood up, while still staring into space. They helped me wear the nightwear. It was lacy and transparent. Such a thing didn't seem suitable for sleeping. It was rather uncomfortable.

Then, I got a whiff of this lacy outfit. It smelled like Eve. It smelled like my sister. I clutched onto it and felt my eyes tearing up. The sister I would no longer see ... This was hers. This was her stuff.

How was it that her scent was still so strong on it? How was it that I didn't possess anything that was so closely related to her like this? Had I been estranged from my sister so much?

The maids suddenly pushed me and I looked back to see they had no sympathy whatsoever for me who was very close to tears. It would seem like they put up a wall against any of my actions.

They were weary.

"The master is waiting." One said and I gulped. Who was waiting?