Chapter 9
Hearing the people around condemning me, a smug smile crept across Scarlet’s lips.
But it quickly disappeared.
Because Ethan walked over and slapped her across the face.
It happened so suddenly that everyone, including Scarlet, was frozen in shock.
“She’s lying,” he said. “The 300,000 dollars was money my ex–girlfriend spent. I just returned it to her. Besides, I’m a student whose family sponsors. She’s not a gold digger.”
The moment he finished, all the judgmental eyes turned to Scarlet.
Clutching her cheek, she broke down.
“Brother Ethan, I was only doing this for your sake. Why would you treat me like this? I hate you!”
She flung the cleaning rag aside and stormed out.
Ethan didn’t follow. Instead, he squatted down and looked up at me.
“Celeste, this is me showing sincerity. What do you think?”
“I know you hate Scarlet. I’ve made my choice. Are you satisfied now?”
But within a week, dark circles had settled under his eyes. His clothes were plain, worn, and even carried a foul odor.
Without financial help from my family, without my support, and with Scarlet constantly asking for money, he could no longer handle the strain.
“Tell me, why does Scarlet keep copying me? Why does she keep buying what I buy, even
when she’s broke?”
“If I tell you, what do I get in return?”
“That depends on the value of your answer.”
Ethan paused, then leaned in and whispered something to me.
Scarlet, who had stormed off earlier, was standing by the roadside waiting for Ethan. When
he didn’t come, she hesitated, bit her lip, and walked back.
But at the entrance of the barbecue place, she saw Ethan talking closely with me.
Her face went pale, like she’d been struck by lightning.
If Ethan had exposed her system, she was finished.
“What are you doing?”
She stormed over and dragged Ethan aside. They argued fiercely before parting on bad
terms.
After that day, she kept an even closer watch on me.
“Celeste, you look so pretty today. Going somewhere special?”
“Yes. A date. Ethan said he’s taking me to a Michelin–starred restaurant.”
2/2
90.0%
58%
As soon as I left, she followed me by taxi.
I caught sight of her crouching outside the place, and then entering the restaurant, all smiles.
But when she saw Ethan actually show up, she was visibly upset.
This time, though, she was smart enough not to approach us.
From then on, she started shadowing us.
Every time Ethan and I went out, she trailed close behind.
On the tenth time I caught her, I stepped into the restroom and made a call–loud enough for her to overhear.
“Oh, please, it’s just 2 million. If Ethan wants it, I’ll give it to him. He told me Scarlet’s secret. That little amount means nothing to me.”
“Her secret? You mean the reason she keeps imitating me? Yeah, I didn’t expect her plan to go that deep. She actually wants to replace me.”
After hanging up, I touched up my lipstick and stepped out–only to find Scarlet right there.
She kicked over a trash can and shouted:
“Bitch! You’re all bitches!”
“Just wait. My plan won’t fail!”
A few moments later, a voice crackled from my hidden monitor.
“System, my imitation index is at zero. Can I still become Celeste and live her life? What if I just kill her?”
[No. You’re meant to mimic the target and siphon her luck through resemblance. If you kill her, the mission fails.]
“This doesn’t work, and that doesn’t work either. You said if I fail, I’ll enter the self–destruct program. If I die, what do I do?”
Chapter 0