Chapter 4
714 Words
I knew it—people shouldn't get lazy.
Every loophole gets exploited eventually.
Before I even stepped inside, I heard Jacob's voice coming from the conference room.
"Claire is just using this trick to force me back. Leo, don't be fooled by that high-and-mighty act she puts on. In private, she's just a dog that does everything I say."
All these six years, I had abased myself so much just for the one who had those eyes.
No wonder Jacob had this ridiculous delusion.
The moment I pushed the door open, Leo Miller, Jacob's manager, was even more obsequious to me than Jacob.
"Ms. Roberts, Jacob is only promoting the new drama with Jessie. Netizens love their pairing, and Jacob was just cooperating to help you make more money."
When Leo saw that I said nothing, he nudged Jacob, who was sitting next to him.
"Claire, I wasn't thinking when I said that. Will you forgive me?"
It was probably after building up his nerve for a while that Jacob finally called me Claire again.
"Jacob, you only know to turn back after crashing into a wall?"
Anyone with eyes could see I wanted nothing more to do with Jacob.
But I forgot—Jacob was an i***t.
He only took my words as me throwing a tantrum.
"Leave now, and I won't press charges. Jacob, if you keep pestering me, I won't mind getting you blackballed for good."
Leo tried to say more, but Jacob dragged him away with a scowl on his face.
Before they left, I heard him claim that I would come begging him to come back as I had before.
It seemed I really had done something like that.
Back then, I missed my first love, who'd disappeared without a trace, so much that I could only pin all my emotions on Jacob.
I was the one keeping him as my sugar baby, for heaven's sake.
Yet every time we fought, I was the one who had to swallow my pride and beg him to forgive me.
I hadn't even made it out of the conference room before Jacob dragged another man and burst back in.
"Claire, you knew you couldn't have me, so you already found a stand-in this fast? As long as you apologize to me, I'll come back to you. Then you won't need to find someone to replace me."
I frowned at the arrogance radiating off Jacob and called to get him blackballed right to his face.
He was just a stand-in, and he actually got off on feeling superior?
But this guy Alina had found actually resembled my first love even more than Jacob did.
And on top of the resources I gave him, he worked really hard on his own, too.
So I took him back to the villa.
And I told him clearly from the start that he was just someone I kept for emotional comfort. I also showed him a photo of my first love.
I didn't want a repeat of what happened with Jacob.
He didn't say anything, just stared at that photo for a long time.
That same night, right there in bed, he heard my first love's name.
When the sun was high in the sky the next morning,
I heard the sound of arguing coming from the study.
"Jacob, get one thing straight—you never had Claire in the first place. So I'm not the third party you claim I am."
Jacob said, "You only won Claire's favor because you look like me."
"Know your place. You're nothing but a lousy replacement."
He flung the photo straight into Jacob's face.
Jacob caught it on instinct.
He saw that faded old photo and the face on it, which looked just like the man standing in front of him.
When I pushed the door open, disbelief still lingered in Jacob's eyes.
"Claire, I knew you still loved me, right? The person in the photo is me. You only found him because he looks like me. I won't make you upset ever again. Just kick him out for me, okay?"
Jacob must have fallen on hard times again, which explained this pathetic act.
"Jacob, his name is Andrew Harris, my first love. Your eyes look so much like his."
- Writer
