Billionaire's Substitute Lover

Chapter1

"They're talking behind your back, Scarlett. You should really see their faces. I guarantee if you were there, they would keep their mouths shut."

"What did they say?" Scarlett asked, a bit distracted, not even bothering to glance at the person next to her.

To be honest, it wasn't the first time someone tried to win her favor by telling her this. But these attempts were always in vain.

Scarlett wasn't the type to care about rumors, otherwise, she wouldn't be by Alexander Thorn's side in this capacity.

The person beside her didn't notice Scarlett's lack of interest, thinking instead that she had gained her approval.

"They said Thorn only sees you as a plaything. They should look in the mirror and see their own envy."

"Is that all?"

"That’s... that's all." Scarlett's indifferent reaction caught the person off guard, making her realize that trying to befriend Scarlett might not have been a wise move.

Since Scarlett became Thorn's special assistant, she had been the center of office gossip.

Scarlett thought about what they said and concluded they weren't wrong.

Thorn didn't love her, not in the slightest, that was certain. Even though her skin still bore the marks of his caresses.

"If you're done, go back to work. It's working hours, isn't it?"

The informant, named Cindy, didn't miss the look of anger on her face.

Scarlett didn't think Cindy was trustworthy. The only reason Cindy knew what was said behind her back was that she was one of them.

Probably the most active gossip in the group.

Scarlett had been chosen as Thorn's special assistant because she resembled another girl. Everyone knew her true role was Thorn's secret lover.

After Cindy left, Scarlett stood at Thorn's office door.

She reapplied her lipstick, a honeyed flavor—not one Scarlett liked, but the preferred flavor of another girl, Thorn’s true love, Anna.

In front of Thorn, Scarlett had to constantly play another role.

After a knock on the door, a low voice responded, "Come in."

Alexander Thorn, with his billions and his handsome face and tall stature, had a moment of confusion when he saw Scarlett.

The resemblance was uncanny, which is why he chose her.

But upon closer inspection, differences could be seen.

Anna was gentle and caring, while Scarlett's ambition could be read in her subtle expressions.

The biggest difference was that Anna wouldn't become someone's lover for money.

But Scarlett would.

"Kiss me." The command was issued with eyes devoid of warmth as Thorn assessed Scarlett like prey, weighing her value.

Scarlett obeyed, standing on tiptoe due to their height difference.

Their warm lips met, and from Thorn's perspective, he could see Scarlett's eyelashes trembling slightly.

When Scarlett kissed, her expression was devout and pure, as if kissing someone she loved.

Thorn knew it was all a facade. A woman who could sell herself couldn't have true feelings.

Honestly, kissing Thorn felt unfamiliar to Scarlett. Despite their intimate physical relationship, kisses between them were rare.

The taste of honey lingered between their lips, a taste that belonged to Anna.

Thorn's hot hand encircled Scarlett's waist, tightening with the kiss.

Scarlett placed her hand on Thorn's chest, feeling his firm muscles. Being in his arms gave a false sense of security.

Thorn didn’t love her and wouldn’t protect her. His hands were so hot, and every time he held her waist, Scarlett could feel his desire for her body.

Just then, an annoying knock sounded.

Thorn gripped Scarlett's chin, their lips parting.

She saw his Adam's apple move.

Thorn's body was hot, proof of his desire for her, but his gaze remained cold. "I'll come to your place tonight."

Thorn had bought Scarlett a luxurious villa, though she had never been to his home.

Just as they said, Thorn had no love for her.

That evening, Scarlett took a bath, put on a sexy nightgown, and poured wine for both of them.

To be honest, dealing with a drunk Thorn was harder than when he was sober.

Alcohol easily blurred lines, and often, a drunk Thorn was more passionate, more powerful, his expression wild and frenzied.

In those moments, it was hard for Scarlett to tell if he saw Anna or her.

Realizing this, Scarlett tried to keep Thorn from drinking.

Their relationship was fragile, and blurred lines could be detrimental to both.

But today, Scarlett prepared some fine wine.

Thorn probably didn't remember, but today was Scarlett's birthday.

After her mother passed, few remembered her birthday.

Since Thorn was coming, on this special day, Scarlett didn't mind sharing her treasured wine with him.

She also prepared some food and lit scented candles.

Just as Thorn's feelings were never for her, Scarlett drew boundaries for herself. But tonight, she decided to indulge a little, treating him as a friend, just for tonight.

Scarlett waited at the dining table for a long time before moving to the window.

The sky had darkened from deep blue to black, the streetlights casting a glow that revealed tiny raindrops.

The spacious mansion Thorn bought felt even emptier when she was alone, the yard silent, the distant road deserted.

Scarlett sat by the window for a while, then went upstairs to the bedroom window.

From the second-floor window, she could see the distant street, still empty.

Gradually, the food on the table grew cold.

As the night became pitch black, Scarlett knew Thorn wouldn’t come tonight.

Maybe it was business, or something else.

If it were Anna, Thorn would come no matter what, and throw her a grand birthday party.

Thorn never kept Anna waiting.

To be honest, Scarlett didn’t know Anna, but she had seen her photos. Scarlett didn’t think they looked much alike, but everyone who saw her said she resembled Anna.

In their descriptions, Anna was the most wonderful girl in the world—beautiful, gentle, and pure.

And Scarlett was just a poor imitation.

Scarlett ate her cold dinner alone and blew out the candle.

She saw Thorn again two days later, in the evening.

Since Thorn stood her up, Scarlett had no idea where she went. She hadn’t seen her at work either.

Despite some gossip due to her relationship with Thorn, Scarlett's position at the company remained stable. People would talk behind her back while secretly trying to ingratiate themselves with her.

After work, Scarlett returned home.

She took a bath and, after drying her hair, lay comfortably on her bed.

Instead of using honey-flavored lip balm, she opted for her favorite rose scent.

Since Thorn was nowhere to be found, she couldn’t be bothered to play the role of Anna.

Her pajamas that night were casual. Scarlett looked at herself in the mirror and recalled the photos she’d seen of Anna, noticing how different they were.

Anna's hair was straight, while Scarlett's was slightly wavy. Whenever she had to see Thorn, she would straighten her hair with a flat iron. But not tonight—her wavy hair fell over her chest, looking sensual and alluring.

Scarlett lay on the bed, drifting off to sleep soon after.

She didn’t know how long she had slept when she felt someone watching her.

Opening her eyes, she saw Thorn sitting by the window, casually flipping through a book.

“Mr. Thorn,” she said.

Thorn closed the book, and Scarlett realized it was the novel she had left by her bedside.

The novel's content was quite risqué, something a lady like Anna would never read.

Scarlett wondered what Thorn thought of it. To maintain her Anna persona, she had hidden such personal tastes.

Moreover, she hadn’t styled her hair tonight. Her wavy hair hung loosely over her chest, and her pajamas were different from the usual ones.

Thorn’s arrival was too sudden.

He always had a key to her place but had never shown up unannounced before.

“I’ll go fix my hair,” Scarlett said.

Since Thorn stood her up, Scarlett had been reminded of her own identity.

She was Thorn’s contract lover, playing the part of Anna. Anything beyond that was unnecessary.

Any lingering disappointment from before had been dealt with. Scarlett was different from Anna; she was a woman who enjoyed money and luxury. To match that, she also had a strong heart, one that wouldn't be easily worn down by small matters.

Thorn didn’t object to her suggestion.

Truth be told, he was surprised to find himself there.

He knew he didn’t love Scarlett, not one bit.

He loved Anna, the pure, kind, angelic girl.

Scarlett, despite her resemblance to Anna, could never match Anna’s noble spirit.

Today, after finally resolving some unexpected business issues, he had inexplicably found himself here.

Thorn watched Scarlett’s back, her wavy hair cascading behind her, and lit a cigarette.

By the time the cigarette was nearly burned out, Scarlett emerged.

The curls were gone, replaced by Anna-like straight hair.

Scarlett sat on the edge of the bed.

Thorn stood up, extinguished his cigarette, and slowly walked over to her. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable.

He should be satisfied. Scarlett had checked in the mirror; her hair looked almost exactly like Anna’s.

Thorn reached out and touched Scarlett’s hair, then pressed his large hand against the back of her head.

His expression was obscured by the smoke, but Scarlett sensed a sudden displeasure from him. A displeasure she couldn’t understand.

“Do what you always do.”

Thorn was hard to read, but he was a man, and a man's body is honest.

In her daze, Scarlett thought to herself, he says he likes Anna, but Anna would never do this.

When Anna woke up again, as usual, Thorn was no longer in the room.

He never stayed overnight with her.

Scarlett didn’t mind; she felt more relaxed without Thorn around. After all, besides s*x, they barely knew each other.

Thorn had been upset last night, and he had been very rough in bed, as if he was venting some emotion.

Scarlett didn’t care to explore Thorn's emotions. His body was delicious, and that was enough for her.

She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

While applying lipstick, Scarlett remembered she had forgotten to change her lipstick the night before.

A small oversight, nothing to worry about.

"Scarlett, are you home?" There was a sudden, urgent knock on the door.

Scarlett opened the door, and the person outside quickly walked in and poured herself a glass of water, drinking it down in one gulp.

The visitor was Mary, Scarlett’s neighbor.

After Scarlett moved here, people in the community didn’t really welcome her, except for Mary.

Mary came from a not-so-wealthy family, but she was beautiful and knew it, using her looks to marry a rich businessman.

Indeed, she had become wealthy and never lacked money, but the marriage brought her a lot of trouble.

The businessman had been attracted to her beauty, but as time went by, he gradually lost interest and started seeing other women.

Just as the community didn’t like Scarlett, Mary wasn’t well-liked either, but she didn’t care. Perhaps because of their similar experiences, or maybe because living here was a bit lonely, Mary extended her kindness to Scarlett.

Two people who valued material enjoyment easily found common ground. After Scarlett took Mary on a few yacht vacations, they had almost no secrets between them.

Of course, the yacht was a gift from Thorn, though he might not even remember. Thorn didn’t pay much attention to Scarlett’s affairs, but he was never stingy.

When Mary came in, she was clearly angry; it must have been one of the businessman’s girlfriends that Mary had discovered.

Sure enough, Mary drank the water in one gulp. When she put down the glass, Scarlett noticed a clear slap mark on Mary’s left cheek.

"You wouldn’t believe how arrogant that b***h was this time. Even after I caught her, she was still pushing my husband to divorce me."

"So, that woman dared to hit you?" Scarlett handed Mary a cold compress towel to reduce the swelling on her face.

Mary took the towel. "Honey, you're always so considerate. I must say, Thorn is lucky to have you."

She continued, "Don't worry, I slapped that b***h several times and pulled out a handful of her hair. My philandering husband also got two punches from me."

"I went on a trip a few days ago and only came back this morning. Those two bastards thought I wouldn’t be back until tomorrow and were fooling around in my house. I caught them red-handed."

As she spoke, Mary didn’t seem sad at all; instead, she looked like a victorious general announcing her triumphs.

"Too bad she miscalculated. Ethan may seem to love her to death, but he’s not a faithful guy. With her possessiveness, he must have long wanted to break up with her. Just wait and see, they'll split up soon."

"Anyway, sweetie, you'll never guess what gift I brought you." Mary took a gift box out of her bag and handed it to Scarlett.

"I found it during my trip. I’m sure you'll like it."

Despite such a chaotic morning, Mary, in a two-against-one situation, not only didn’t lose but even remembered to bring Scarlett a gift. Scarlett admired this about her.

"Honestly, Scarlett, you should be wary of those crazy women out there, especially since your man is Alexander Thorn. You have no idea how far they’d go to get him."

Mary seemed to imply something.

"My relationship with him isn’t what you think."

"Oh?" Mary looked skeptical.

"How about this, darling? There’s a party tomorrow night. Why don’t you come with me?" Mary suggested.

"Do you know? The woman who tried to seduce Ethan will be there. You wouldn’t leave me alone, would you?"

Scarlett had been a bit bored lately, so she decided to go to the party with Mary.

The next evening, Scarlett and Mary set off together.

Both of them were beautiful and knew how to dress up, attracting everyone’s attention when they arrived at the party.

"Is that Scarlett? Thorn’s lover?" "Wow, she’s really hot." "Can she even compare to Anna?"

Ignoring the gossip, Scarlett noticed Mary being drawn to someone.

"Who is that?" Mary was looking at a young woman sitting in a corner who seemed to have been crying.

"That’s Ethan’s lover. I bet they’ve broken up." Mary smiled. "She doesn’t understand Ethan and is still dreaming of becoming his wife."

"I need to go over there." Knowing Mary’s personality, she wouldn’t miss the chance to watch the drama unfold.

After Mary left, an unfamiliar woman approached Scarlett. "Are you Scarlett?"

She looked Scarlett up and down. "I heard Mr. Thorn is also here tonight."

Scarlett was surprised. Apart from visiting her, Thorn rarely told her his schedule. She had no idea he would be here.

"Apparently, you didn’t know. It's a pity Mr. Thorn didn’t choose to attend the event with you."

"And you are?"

"My sister is with Mr. Thorn right now. I’m here to tell you that you’ve already lost him, so why cling to this position?"

The woman gestured for Scarlett to look up.

Sure enough, two figures were visible in a second-floor window, seemingly dining together. One was a slim young woman, the other was the very familiar Alexander Thorn.