Trapped as a Bird

Chapter 3

I stopped in my tracks.

"I heard they'd found my sister Vanessa, so I went home to see her."

The room fell silent.

A cold sweat beaded along my temples.

After what felt like a long time, he suddenly smiled.

"Mm. Of course you should go see her."

His tone softened, as though that flash of coldness had been nothing but my imagination.

"Come here."

He set down the cigar and held out his hand, the knuckles sharply defined.

I obediently walked over to the sofa.

He lounged against the cushions, looking relaxed, though there was a faint, almost sickly weariness in his eyes.

I put down my bag and sat sideways between his legs, leaning back into his chest as I massaged his temples with exactly the amount of pressure he liked.

This was how he liked me: gentle and obedient.

A moment later, his hand settled on my back.

The warmth of his palm slowly seeped through the thin fabric of my clothes.

I tensed and barely dared to breathe.

He stroked my back gently.

"What did you talk about today?"

My heart jumped. "Just family stuff."

He watched me for a moment, then suddenly took my face in his hand.

His grip wasn't hard, but it forced me to meet his eyes.

"Did Vanessa ask you to give the engagement back?"

My throat tightened. "No."

"You're lying."

He gave a soft laugh, but his tone gave away nothing.

"The engagement was hers to begin with. Plenty of people would kill for the chance to stay by my side every day, gain social standing, and sleep in my bed. She doesn't want the power and prestige?"

I lowered my eyes and didn't dare answer.

He watched me for a long moment, then abruptly let go.

"I'm leaving on a business trip tomorrow."

I paused in surprise.

He said evenly, "I'm going abroad. I'll probably be back in about 1 month."

My heart leaped.

I had a full month.

That was enough time to turn Vanessa into another me.

I didn't dare let my relief show, so I lowered my head even farther.

Adrian's hand returned to my back. He patted me gently. "Don't miss me too much."

I forced a smile. "I'll be good and wait for you to come home, honey."

Satisfied, he kissed my forehead. "Good girl."

The next morning, Adrian left early, just as he had said he would.

I headed back to Hartley House soon afterward.

As I had expected, Vanessa was willing to do anything for wealth and power, even if it meant undergoing plastic surgery.

Fortunately, although we weren't related by blood, we already looked about 70 to 80 percent alike. Even our builds were nearly the same.

So when I brought Vanessa to Eleanor, even she had trouble telling us apart.

My adoptive father spoke first. "Madam Eleanor, this is my younger daughter, Vanessa Hartley."

"Hello, Madam Eleanor." Vanessa's voice was softer than mine.

My adoptive father got straight to the point. "Madam Eleanor, we're here to discuss the engagement between our families."

"Madam Eleanor, this engagement was originally arranged for Adrian and me..."

Eleanor glanced at me without giving anything away. I gave the slightest nod.

After my adoptive father left, Eleanor asked me, "What about Adrian?"

"Grandma, I need your help." I explained exactly what I needed: for her to discreetly arrange for the best cosmetic specialists to make a few subtle changes to Vanessa's face. I would handle everything else.

Eleanor moved quickly. In less than 3 days, even I could barely tell us apart by our faces alone.

The first stage, matching our appearances, was complete. Next, Vanessa had to learn everything about being me, including how to withstand being held underwater.