Aoife was pleasantly surprised, but she quickly composed herself, not letting the surprise cloud her judgment.
She shook her head. “No need, I’ll stand and wait for you to finish before eating.”
“You’re called over here, so come.” Finn’s tone was firm.
People like Aoife, with such a good temperament, were a waste when used on her.
Reluctantly, Aoife moved closer to Finn, not daring to sit too close, only taking a seat at a distance by his side.
“Eat.”
Aoife’s eating was slow. Most of the time, she waited for Finn to finish his meal before eating what was left. Cold food would be wasted, and Aoife was frugal with both food and electricity. This way of living had become second nature to her, having lived like this in the mountain village for over a decade.
After finishing the meal, Aoife quickly put down her fork as soon as Finn did.
Finn glanced at her. “Is this all you’re eating? Are you full?”
“I… I am full,” Aoife responded.
“One must eat properly for every meal. Your body is your own. There was once a person who developed stomach cancer from frequently going hungry.”
There was someone before? Who was that person? Aoife dared not ask further.
“I’ll go wash the dishes.”
“Wait.” Finn stopped her. “Sit down first, I have something to tell you.”
Aoife didn’t know what Finn wanted to say to her. His thoughts were always difficult to decipher, but after spending so much time with him, his expression at that moment indicated that it was not good news.
Her heart raced, and she nervously sat down, placing her hands on her lap, waiting for Finn to speak.
“Tonight, you’ll go to a place.”
“What place?”
“International Hotel, Room 4503. A key card will be sent over later. Tonight, a man named Hamish is staying inside, and you’re responsible for keeping him company for the night.”
Aoife’s pupils shrank suddenly, and her whole body felt a daze. She looked at Finn’s moving mouth, even though she could hear his words clearly, each word, each sentence, yet when combined, they were so perplexing.
Finn wanted her to accompany another man tonight? Why?
Seemingly reading her questions, Finn explained, “I trained you to be Elisa’s substitute to restrain Hamish. Why else do you think I went to such lengths to keep you by my side?”
He effortlessly shattered all the fantasies she had built over these days, showing her the brutal reality. She knew she was a substitute, but what she believed a substitute to be was someone Finn cared for.
She was despicable, Aoife knew she was despicable. Lacking in dignity, a human disgrace. Even though the other person humiliated her and hurt her, she shamelessly loved him, even thinking…
A substitute… even if it’s just a substitute…
She didn’t want to be a substitute, but her heart refused to act otherwise. A white dress from Finn was all it took to win her over. She was that pathetic.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and Aoife tried to control her breathing. Like a fish thrown on land, gasping for oxygen, she couldn’t afford to cry. She had already shown such weakness; she couldn’t… embarrass herself further.
“I won’t go, can I?”
“No,” Finn added, “I have ways to ensure you appear at that hotel. Will you obey?”
Obeying… obeying to practice the piano, obeying to do the household chores, obeying to do makeup to resemble Elisa, obeying to wear those red dresses she disliked. Being obedient as a qualified substitute, yet he… still didn’t want her. So obedience meant being abandoned over and over again?
“Do you remember the contract we signed between us? You must obey me,” Finn reiterated.
At that moment, Aoife’s fate was sealed. Only she, foolishly, didn’t know that she had sold her entire life for a measly sum.
With a serious tone and a calm voice, Finn made it clear that he wasn’t joking. No matter how she resisted, she would be sent to another man’s bed.
For the first time, Aoife felt sickened by herself. Crying wouldn’t help; to someone who didn’t care for her, seeing her tears would only make him more impatient.
“Fine, I’ll go. What time tonight?” Accepting her fate so quickly surprised even Finn.
“Driver will come to pick you up at eight. Just do your makeup to resemble Elisa and mimic her expressions.”
“I understand.” After a brief silence, Aoife searched Hamish’s name on her phone. In the evening, his profile appeared, looking no less handsome than Finn but exuding a distant aura in his photos.
The most notable information on his profile was, top-most, emphasized in red bold letters.
-Wife: Elisa, beloved, not remarried till date.
So Elisa was this man’s wife. Aoife’s eyes grew even more bitter. Was she envious of Elisa’s love, or did she pity herself, knowing that as a substitute, she couldn’t even get a fraction of that love?
Suddenly, Aoife let out a laugh, a smile forced so hard that it was uglier than crying.
Unexpectedly, Finn didn’t like her laugh. He frowned and asked, “What are you laughing at?”
“I didn’t expect Mr. Snearl to ask me to accompany such a man. I’m not at a loss at all. He’s wealthy, handsome, and I consider it a great advantage for me. If he wants me, I’ll surely thank you sincerely.”
Bang! Finn slammed his hand on the table, standing up with a fierce look directed at Aoife.
If it were the previous Aoife, she might have been frightened, but now her heart was already dead. What was there left to scare? She continued to smile, her belly aching from laughter, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at Finn, tilting her head curiously.
“Mr. Snearl, are you angry? What are you mad about? Weren’t you the one sending me away? What right do you have to be angry?”
Finn looked at Aoife’s eyes, lacking any light, and the anger in him suddenly dissipated, replaced by a hint of panic. It made him want to cover his heart with his hand, but he couldn’t. A voice in his head stopped him, and all he could do was clench his fists tightly, gritting his teeth as he said, “You just need to know that I’m doing this for your own good.”
He kicked the chair beside him, toppling it over, and after a couple of steps, he halted. “I won’t be back for lunch, you don’t need to prepare it for me. Someone will inform you in the evening.”
Not having to prepare his lunch… no… in the future, she wouldn’t even get to cook for him anymore.
Aoife remained seated, watching Finn leave. She heard the sound of the car engine outside, realizing that he was gone, only then did she wipe away her tears.
Let him leave like this… it was just a mistake from the start. She couldn’t keep holding onto him just because he helped her in the restaurant once, right?