CEO's Stand In Lover

A Shattered Truce

Under the quiet sunlight, everything around seemed still. Kevin gazed at her, and in her eyes, he thought he saw a wisp of fragile hope—as if she might explain the mystery behind her guarded heart. Just as Lucy was about to speak, a cold voice shattered the silence:

“Let go of her hand!”

Out of the backlight strode a well-built man. His haughty chin and pale purple eyes, now darkened by anger, gave him an imposing presence. The sunlight cast sharp highlights on his chiseled face, rendering him as handsome and unyielding as Apollo himself.

“Kevin…” Lucy managed to whisper, utterly astonished by his sudden appearance. Her large, clear eyes shone with pure light, yet she was struck dumb.

Without a word, Kevin pressed his lips together. His violet eyes seemed to frost over as he walked straight to Lucy and wrested her hand from Du Zixiu’s grasp. Gently, almost reverently, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it—a tender gesture as if cradling the most precious treasure in his life.

He then turned to Du Zixiu with cool detachment and said,

“You may leave. I will take care of my fiancée myself!”

Fiancée?

The word exploded like an atomic bomb in both Lucy’s and Du Zixiu’s hearts.

Lucy’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Kevin’s violet gaze—now filled with a flowing tenderness as clear as water. Was this genuine affection? If it were, what did it truly mean for her? Or was she merely a stand-in—a substitute for the woman he called Bella?

She didn’t know. All she knew was that when Kevin held her hand, her heart began to calm. The jagged wounds of her past, long torn and raw, seemed to mend ever so slightly under the warmth of his touch. His hand was large and comforting, and those bright purple eyes drew her in, making her feel safe—as if his presence could shield her from further pain.

Du Zixiu watched the unfolding scene with a self-mocking smile. They had fallen so deeply into each other’s orbits that he feared his chance was lost. No wonder Lucy had spoken those harsh words earlier—to protect herself from further hurt.

“Since your fiancée has arrived, I’ll take my leave,” Du Zixiu said flatly, his eyes clouded with sorrow. Then, glancing at Kevin, he added, “Please take good care of Lucy. Her hand is still so cold—perhaps it’s just the fountain’s chill. You should have her checked at the hospital.”

In the radiant sunlight, Du Zixiu’s solitary figure slowly receded into the distance, his back a portrait of loneliness and regret.

“Kevin, President,” Lucy finally managed, withdrawing her hand from his grip, her voice cool yet trembling with unresolved emotion, “now you must tell me—what is really going on? You once claimed to love a woman called Bella. Then why declare me as your fiancée? What does that even mean?”

She continued, her tone icy: “From now on, don’t call me ‘President Kevin.’ Just call me Kevin, understand?”

Kevin gently brushed his hand along her flawless face and replied in a soft, almost tender tone, “You can only be mine. So never let me see you with another man—I would be hurt.”

The golden sunlight poured over them, and the fountain nearby sparkled under its glow. Lucy looked at his handsome face, feeling a strange warmth blossom in her heart. Despite knowing deep down that this might be a ruse—that perhaps he only saw her as a substitute for Bella—a trace of sweetness lingered within her.

“President Kevin, I’m not the Bella you speak of. Please, get it straight! I am Lucy, not someone’s substitute!” she said coldly, as her hand slowly slipped away, her clear eyes darkening in sorrow.

“I said—don’t call me ‘President Kevin’ again!”

Kevin’s tone grew cold as he replied, “It appears we’re not very familiar. I have no need to be so intimate.”

“President Kevin, you must have a poor memory!” Lucy snapped.

Kevin reached out and firmly grasped her chin again, his violet eyes burning with an intense possessiveness. “You can only call me Kevin. And only you may do so,” he insisted.

Lucy’s vision blurred slightly as if shrouded in a dense mist. Her once-crystal eyes now glistened with a watery sheen. “The one you truly love is that girl called Bella. Why do you cling to me? Are you trying to make me your substitute? If that’s your intention, know this: no matter how humble I may be, I will never be anyone’s replacement! I am Lucy—you are you. We are two distinct souls. Even if you resemble her, you are not her!”

At that moment, Lucy smiled—a radiant, almost childlike smile that was as delicate as winter’s first snowflake, so fleeting it could vanish in a gust of wind. “Is that so? Then should I feel honored?” Her voice, cold yet gentle, flowed like melted snow—frigid but soft.

Kevin slowly lifted Lucy’s chin once more, his gaze locked on her cherry-blossom red lips that shone with inviting brilliance in the sunlight. “So beautiful… so utterly captivating.”

The sunlight continued to bathe everything in serene silence. Kevin’s eyes searched Lucy’s face, yearning to understand the hidden pain behind her guarded expression. He longed for her to reveal the reason behind her sorrow. Yet, just as Lucy gathered the courage to speak, a stern, icy voice cut through the quiet:

“Let go of her hand!”

From the shadows emerged a man of commanding presence. His robust frame, chiseled jaw, and pale purple eyes—now dark with anger—spoke of authority. The sunlight traced his features, rendering him as cold and beautiful as a mythic god.

“Kevin,” Lucy murmured in disbelief as the man advanced. Her clear, luminous eyes shone with astonishment.

Without uttering a word, Kevin’s expression hardened. He stepped forward and, with deliberate care, reclaimed Lucy’s hand from Du Zixiu, placing it tenderly against his lips in a gentle kiss—as though cradling the most precious treasure of his life.

Then he turned his cool gaze on Du Zixiu and said evenly, “You may leave. I will take care of my fiancée myself.”

The word “fiancée” exploded in both Lucy’s and Du Zixiu’s hearts like a bomb. Lucy looked up, her eyes wide with a mix of disbelief and hurt. In Kevin’s violet gaze flowed a tenderness that seemed as fluid as water. Was it real? Or was it merely a lie—an illusion meant to mask the truth that he only wished to protect someone else?

At that moment, her heart stirred. When Kevin held her hand, her inner turmoil eased, and the deep scars that had once riven her soul began to close. His hand was warm, his presence soothing. Yet, doubt gnawed at her: Was he truly sincere, or was she merely a substitute?

Du Zixiu’s self-mocking smile revealed his resigned acceptance of fate. “Lucy, since your fiancée has arrived, I’ll take my leave,” he said softly, his eyes clouded with sorrow. Then, glancing at Kevin, he murmured, “Please, take good care of her. Her hand is still so cold—perhaps it’s from the fountain’s chill. You should have her checked at the hospital.”

As Du Zixiu’s figure faded into the distance, Kevin’s gaze never left Lucy. Finally, she mustered the courage to pull her hand away and ask in a measured tone, “Kevin, what is all of this? I don’t understand. Weren’t you in love with that girl, Bella? Why then do you insist that I am your fiancée? What does it mean?”

Her voice trembled with uncertainty, “And please, from now on, don’t call me ‘President Kevin.’ Just call me Kevin, alright?”

Kevin’s expression softened for a moment as he gently stroked her flawless cheek. “You are mine, Lucy. So never let me see you with another man—or I will be very angry,” he whispered.

The golden light of the afternoon made the fountain shimmer as if sprinkled with liquid gold. Lucy looked into his eyes—those vibrant violet pools—and for a moment, her heart warmed despite her inner turmoil. Even though she suspected that this might be nothing more than an elaborate ruse—that she was merely a stand-in for Bella—a trace of sweetness lingered in her soul.

“Kevin, I’m not Bella. Please, see me for who I am—Lucy—and stop treating me like someone else’s substitute!” she declared, her voice cool but trembling with emotion, as her hand slipped away and her eyes dimmed in sorrow.

Kevin’s tone grew cold as he replied, “It appears we barely know each other. I see no need to be so intimate.”

“Kevin, you seem to have a terrible memory!” Lucy snapped.

Kevin reached out once more, grasping her chin with firm insistence, his violet eyes burning with an almost desperate possessiveness. “You can only call me Kevin. That is the only name you may use,” he insisted.

Lucy’s vision blurred with unshed tears, her once-clear eyes now veiled in a mist of vulnerability. “The one you truly love is that girl, Bella. So why do you cling to me? Do you wish for me to be her substitute? I will never be anyone’s replacement! I am Lucy. We are two distinct souls. No matter how alike you may seem to her, you are not her!”

For a long, heavy moment, silence reigned. Then, unexpectedly, Lucy smiled—a radiant, almost joyous smile that seemed to defy the winter chill, as if delicate snowflakes danced briefly before melting away. “Is that so? Should I then feel honored?” Her voice, though cool, carried a softness like melting snow.

Kevin’s features hardened as he looked down at her, his expression a conflicted mixture of longing and despair. “Lucy, you must understand—I will protect you. I will never allow anyone to take you away from me,” he vowed softly.

Yet Lucy’s heart rebelled at his words. “Kevin, I am not the Bella you speak of! Please, see clearly—I am Lucy. I will not be your substitute!” she declared, her tone icy and resolute.

Kevin’s eyes flashed with anger and sorrow. “Then you leave me no choice,” he whispered hoarsely. “You must stay by my side—only you can call me Kevin!”

As the sunlight poured like liquid crystal over them, Lucy’s heart wavered between bitterness and an inexplicable, tender warmth. Despite knowing that this might all be a cruel illusion, a part of her longed to believe in his promise. And though her voice trembled with defiance, deep inside she wondered if she might, after all, feel cherished—even if it were just a substitute love.

In that moment, the world around them fell silent, as if holding its breath. The fountain’s golden droplets danced in the light, and Lucy, with a faint, sorrowful smile, realized that her fate was now intertwined with Kevin’s—no matter how painful or confusing it might be.