“James, let’s go home together. Mrs. Orlando wants us to go home for dinner.” Salome says ingratiatingly.
James no longer hides his impatience. He stares at me and then says to Salome, “Just go by yourself. Tell her I have something else to do.”
“But…” Salome also looks at me, and says unwillingly, “They are waiting for you.”
James pushes Salome away and stands up. “I’m leaving now.” Then he comes up to me and takes my hand.
“James!” Salome stands in front of me, blocking our way, “The lady looks familiar.”
She looks at me aggressively. Miss Salome must know Carolina. She must have thought that I did not know that I was Carolina’s substitute.
Before James speaks, I smile at Salome and say, “Are you talking about Carolina? We look much alike, right? As for who is Carolina, I think you have known her, right?”
Salome is speechless. “When I saw you, I was shocked. I thought you had come back.”
James’s face grows worse. “How can the dead come back?”
We both know that the woman James cares about is not me or Salome, but the dead Carolina.
The three of us are like a strange circle. I envy Salome, and Salome envies me because I’m like Carolina. I envy Salome because Salome’s background matches James’s.
And James no longer loves anyone, he loves a dead woman.
I take James’s arm and say, “James, let’s go.”
Maybe everyone around us is watching the play, but no one dares to show up, only secretly watching us.
Salome turns pale and grabs James. “Mrs. Orlando says you must come home today.”
She’s using Wendy to force James.
But she doesn’t know that that is James’s pet peeves.
Sure enough, James pushes away Salome and says, “I have something to do today. I have to accompany Carl.”
I give her a smirk. Now I’m competing with her like the jealous concubine in the harem, and James is the emperor. It seems like we are competing with each other without dignity.
Instantly, the atmosphere gets quiet. No one has ever seen the mistress would be so aggressive to challenge the fiancé.
Salome loses face and turns blue.
I get out holding James’s arm
As soon as we get outside, I let go of James, and walk to the car alone.
James frowns and follows.
The car starts and I don’t know where James is taking me to.
I keep silent to show that I am angry now.
James rejoiced. “What would you like to have later?”
“Whatever.” I say angrily.
“Why loses temper?” James rubs my hair. “You are like a child.”
“Isn’t that what you want to see?” I smile coldly.
Jams is shocked and takes back his hand, saying,” Let’s go eat some Japanese food.”
I don’t like Japanese food the least. I didn’t like Japanese food before and I don’t like it now.
But I am happy to say, “Yes.”
I wonder what James is trying to test.
At the Izakaya, James takes me to the VIP lounge.
“We have salmon just flown from Hokkaido. Would you like some, Sir?” The waiter recommends.
I frown, but James says, “Yes.”
He turns to look at me, and asks, “Do you like Japanese food?”
“Yes.” I gently say, “I like the Japanese food the most.”
I don’t like it, but I have to say I do, as I couldn’t make James suspicious. He tests me all the time.
The food is ready, and I gulp joyfully, looking like I like it.
But that fishy smell makes me want to vomit, I repress my dislike, forcing myself to eat it.
James doesn’t move his chopsticks. He looks at me intently and says, “Take it slowly. No one grabs it with you.”
I almost ate all the dish. Finally, I put down my chopsticks and say, “I really can’t eat any more.”
I’ll throw up if I eat any more.
I feel sick in my stomach, but there is a smile on my face and I pretend nothing is wrong.
He looks disappointed. James isn’t just testing me, but he is trying to make me look just like Carolina.
Oh, how could two people be so alike in the world?
I sneer in my heart.
Then he picks up his chopsticks and eats sushi slowly. He doesn’t like Japanese food either.
He chooses in the plate, not knowing what to eat. Finally, he picks one piece of sushi in the mouth.
“Is it delicious?” I ask.
James frowns and says, “Yes.” He says unwillingly.
“If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. I won’t force you.” I say.
James raises his eyes and looks at me. “Do you think it’s funny, Miss Carl?”
“Then how about you?” I reply sarcastically.
James drops his chopsticks.
I laugh, “How can you so easily get angry?”
He is as the same as before.
“You took me to pick the clothes today. Did you know Salome would be coming here or did you ask her to come? James, what do you want?” I look into his deep eyes. There are few fools now.
James does not speak. His eyes grow fierce.
“You want to see me jealous? Or do you want me to care about you? You want to use Salome to irritate me, right?”
I smile and stand up, leaning forward to him. We get so close that our faces almost stick together.
James frowns deeper.
“But I’m not Carolina, I can’t love you as much as she does. I’m just your mistress in exchange for the benefits. Our pay is not equal.” I lean over and kiss the corner of his mouth. “So, don’t get angry and focus too much on me.”
“I am not her. If you want me to cooperate with you, I will. But I just want to make it clear to you that I am who I am, not Carolina.” I back away and stare into his eyes.
I solemnly tell him that I am not a substitute for anyone, even if that person is my former self.
James laughs instead, his eyes squinting. “I belittle you. You know what I think.”
After all, we once loved each other, and we still know a little bit about each other, but there are a lot of things we can’t see clearly. Otherwise, I promise that James would not hurt my family and me, but my father is dead.
“You are very clever. If you behaved better, you could get a lot from me.” James looks at me with interest, but also with a warning. “But I want you to be stupid, did you hear?”
“Yes.” I show a silly smile.
James gives me a hard look and looks away. He is angry, as I destroy Carolina’s good image in his mind. I’m a fickle person.
We finish the meal with different opinions in my mind, and then James sends me home.
When we get downstairs, James unbuckles his seat belt and says, “I’ll walk you up.”
“It’s too late.” I refuse him.
James taps the steering wheel with his fingers. He stares at me and says, “Last time I took you home, I saw a car that shouldn’t be parked here. You would make it clear to that man, right? I am good, right?”
He stares at me, like the real hunting beast, waiting for me to throw myself into the net.
“Come on up.” I have no choice but to let him go to my house.
James seems to know everything. There is a vague uneasiness in my heart.
Today I come back early. Miss Amy just helped Ella prepare the dinner.
When she sees us coming back, she is a little surprised, “Miss Carl, you came back early today. Who is this?” She looks behind me.
“James, her boyfriend.” “He points to me.
I don’t deny it.
Ella runs towards me, and I open my arms, but she changes her mind and runs towards James.
James quickly picks her up and says, “Good evening, Miss Ella.”
“Why did you come to my house? Why are you always with my mother? Do you really want to be my father?” Ella holds James’s face in her hands and says, “Actually, I really love having you as my dad.”
The child says childishly, puckering up her mouth.
“Don’t talk nonsense, Ella.” I interrupt Ella right away.
Like a smoothed cat, James hugs Ella gently and says, “Yes, I agree.”
I don’t like Ella and James getting along. Blood relation is a wonderful thing. I am afraid that it will cause harm to Ella when we leave.
They are, after all, father and daughter.
Ella laughs and lies on James as she rides on James’s back. I look at them blankly.
This scene is like a thorn, which makes me uncomfortable.
Maybe I have eaten too much raw and cold food at the Japanese food store, and I feel sick in my stomach.
James coaxes Ella to eat. After Ella falls asleep, he goes out of the room.
“What’s the matter with you?” James sees that I am hunching on the sofa, clutching my stomach.
“Maybe I ate too much cold food, and I am not feeling well.” I say wanly.
“Go to the hospital.” James is furious.
“No, what are you anxious about?” I am speechless about his anxiety.
“Then I’ll call my personal doctor and ask him to come here.” James says and takes out the phone.
“It will get better if I drink more hot water. Stay quiet, I feel upset if you fuss around.” I frown at James who feels anxious.
“It won’t!” James calls the phone.
I sigh, “In fact, many people have been so. We are the ordinary. If we are ill, we will bear it, and we don’t have private doctor, but we are still very good.”
“That’s because you didn’t meet me before.” James glances at me. “It will never happen again, because I’m here.”
I am dumbstruck, lost and touched. I don’t know who James is saying that to, whether it is to Carolina or her substitute.
Both of them are me, but it’s not.
I am lost in thought.
After James hangs up the call, he comes over and hugs me.
“What?” I nudge him. “I don’t have the energy to flirt with you right now.”
James chuckle. “I just want to warm you up.”
Then he puts his hand on my stomach.
His warm hands rub on my stomach gently.
Suddenly my heart seems to be disturbed.
“Do you feel better?”
He whispers softly in my ear.
I am lost in his gentleness.