CEO's Stand In Lover

Mistaken identity

Lucy’s anger flared instantly as she realized that this man was treating her as a stand-in for someone else. In a flash, she snapped back to herself and forcefully pushed him away.

"President Kevin, do you always treat your subordinates like this?" she demanded.

Kevin’s eyes locked on her familiar face—a face so strikingly similar that he was convinced it must be her. "What’s your name?" he asked.

Staring directly into his clear eyes with a trace of scorn, Lucy replied, "President Kevin, my name is Lucy, not Bella as you insist! And please, keep your sentimental longings to yourself—go hide in a corner so no one sees you!"

"Longing?" he scoffed. "Is there anything worth longing for? In the end, both family and lovers abandon those dear to them for their gain. Isn’t that exactly what your mother did? Less than two months after your father died, she rushed to send you off to an orphanage and then went off to marry some rich man—that’s what you call maternal love?"

Kevin’s gaze sharpened as he studied the woman before him—one who looked identical to his lost Bella. Yet, with just one look, he could tell she wasn’t his Bella at all; she was as cold and distant as ice, never capable of the radiant smile his Bella once wore.

"This woman dares lecture me!" he thought bitterly. "She truly doesn’t know her place!"

"President Kevin, if you’re still wallowing in thoughts of that so-called Bella, then we’ll come back tomorrow!" Lucy said coolly. Her eyes then fell on his hand, still clutched tightly around hers. "And let go of my hand, please!"

From the doorway, Yan Yishan watched as Kevin’s face darkened. Nervously tugging at Lucy’s sleeve, she whispered, "Lucy, don’t go too far—please, just ease up a bit!"

But Lucy ignored her. Her clear, calm eyes were as deep and still as the sea. When she mentioned Bella again, Kevin’s grip loosened abruptly, and his once-bright eyes dimmed. Yet moments later, the thin corners of his lips curled into an eerie smile.

His gaze, stubborn and resolute, betrayed a hint of sorrow beneath his dark hair; his rosy lips twisted into a strange, cold laugh.

"Yes… Bella died four years ago. How could she possibly appear now?" he murmured.

"Fool! Kevin, are you a fool? Your Bella is dead! She’s dead!" Lucy snapped.

Despite his fury, Kevin couldn’t help but be struck by her boldness. As he fixed his gaze on Lucy, he was surprised to see her pure, spotless eyes, flowing like water and gradually seeping into his thoughts.

"Stay!" he commanded, pointing at her. Then, turning to Yan Yishan, he added, "You may leave now!"

"Why do I have to leave first?" Yan Yishan stuttered, her eyes filled with fear. "You won’t do anything to Lucy, right?!"

"Yishan, be a good girl and go!" he replied sharply. "She won’t be harmed."

Hesitantly, Yan Yishan said nothing more and quietly exited the CEO’s office.

Left alone in the sparse room, a heavy loneliness settled between Lucy and Kevin. Suddenly, Kevin rose and walked to the bar counter. He retrieved a bottle of brandy along with two crystal glasses and set them on the table.

"Care to join me for a drink?" he offered.

"I'm sorry, I don’t drink," Lucy replied coolly. Her dark eyes revealed nothing as she asked, "President Kevin, what is it you want from me? Is it merely that I drink with you?"

Kevin pursed his lips and said nothing further. Clutching his glass, he walked to the twenty-story floor-to-ceiling window. Beyond, the cityscape sprawled under a bright sun—but his eyes, shadowed in deep melancholy, told a different story.

"Is Bella the one you sent to comfort me?" he murmured. "If not, then why does she look exactly like you?"

Standing straight at the window, with the crystal glass of brandy in his hand and his impeccably tailored black suit exuding a chilling loneliness, he pressed on.

"President Kevin, what is it you want from me? If you don’t speak, I’m leaving!" Lucy’s anger was unmistakable. "I can’t fathom how I ended up being treated as someone else’s substitute!"

Finally, Kevin spoke, his tone laced with a bizarre proposition as if he were treating her like merchandise he could buy. "Could you stay by my side? I’ll accept any conditions you set!"

His words were almost unthinkable—suggesting that she, too, might be purchased, forced into a life of constant appeasement to avoid displeasing him.

"Hmph, Lucy—would you really stoop so low?" he thought silently.

"Any conditions you set?" Lucy shot back, her gaze fixed steadily on him. "What if I told you that what I really want is for you to hand over your position as President of the Kevin Group? How would that suit you?"

Kevin turned around, astonished, raising his glass as he stared at her serene, almost unnervingly calm face. "You certainly are bold," he remarked.

"Not bad at all," Lucy replied evenly, a trace of scorn playing on her lips.

"Is that so? Then what would you do if I insisted that you remain by my side?" he pressed.

Kevin’s purple eyes deepened with sorrow and a faint, elusive glow. Without another word, he raised the sparkling crystal glass to his lips and downed its contents in one swift gulp. The strong, spicy brandy scorched his throat with a burning pain. Yet, strangely, that very pain sparked a hidden longing—a desperate hope that she might give him the answer he craved, that she might truly remain by his side.

"I'm sorry, President Kevin, but what you propose will never happen!" Lucy declared firmly.

Outside, the day was bathed in warm, brilliant sunlight. Cherry trees lined the stone pathway, their blossoms whispering softly in the breeze. Meanwhile, Lucy sat at a stone table, quietly reading. Each time she recalled Kevin’s words, her anger flared anew. What did it mean, "stay by your side under any conditions you set"? What did he think of her? She was not a woman to be bought with money! Perhaps he desired her only because of that other woman—Bella.

At that very moment, Du Zixiu walked in through the school gate, accompanied by a middle-aged man in a suit.

"Young Master, your Madame will return from the UK next month," the man announced.

"Alright, I got it. Butler Qiao, please go back now—come pick me up after school," Du Zixiu replied.

After the butler departed, Du Zixiu looked up and his eyes fell upon Lucy, who was reading beneath the cherry trees. A confident, radiant smile slowly spread across his face. "There’s nothing I, Du Zixiu, can’t accomplish!" he thought to himself.

Step by step, he approached her and took a seat on the stone bench beside her, his smile as warm as ever. "Hello! My name is Du Zixiu," he introduced himself.

Lucy looked up at his enchanting smile, which stirred something deep within her. Why was his smile always so brilliant? The subtle fragrance that emanated from him brought an unexpected sense of comfort.

Du Zixiu, in turn, gazed steadily at the seemingly cold girl before him. He noticed that her clear eyes carried an air of purity, with pupils as dark as the night. Though she appeared aloof, her eyes were as transparent as glass—untainted and mesmerizing.