NovelEnglishThe thought steadied Rachel, and she drew a slow breath to calm herself.
"Joshua, | will prove to you that I'm the one you've been searching for," she whispered to herself.
After a quick glance at her watch, Rachel stood up. "I need to get going, Joshua. I'll cby again in a couple of
days," she said, her tone casual.
She knew Simone would arrive any minute now-she had to leave before their paths crossed.
Rachel slipped out of the café just as Simone pulled up outside.
Sitting by the window, Joshua was visible from the street. Simone noticed a woman speaking with him, but with
Rachel's careful disguise, Simone couldn't make out her face. She dismissed her as just another girl trying to flirt
with Joshua -something she'd seen happen plenty of times before.
Without much thought, Simone asked, "Who was that you were talking to, Joshua?"
Joshua waved down the waiter and ordered two coffees. His voice was relaxed, almost lazy. "Rachel."
Simone froze for a split second, unable to believe what she'd just heard.
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"...Who did you say?"
"Rachel," Joshua repeated.
Simone's eyes darted to the door, but Rachel was already gone, nowhere in sight. A cold glint flickered in her
gaze, but her expression remained perfectly composed.
Feigning ignorance, she asked, "And what did Rachel want with you?"
Joshua took a sip of his coffee, then replied evenly, "She claims she's the one I'm looking for, that you're the
imposter. She also said you found her lost earring and created a fake duplicate. And..."
Simone's grip on her coffee cup tightened so suddenly her knuckles turned white. Her voice was sharp, tinged
with menace. "And what else?"
Joshua looked at her, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips. "She said she only confessed to being an imposter to
get out of prison early. She couldn't fight someone as powerful as you, so she had no choice but to comply."
Simone's fist clenched under the table.
Rachel actually had the nerve to stab her in the back?
If Rachel had just kept her head down and stayed out of sight, Simone would have ignored her a nobody, a rat
scurrying in the gutter. But instead, Rachel had the audacity to show up right in front of her.
Well, if that was the way she wanted to play, Simone would show her no mercy.
Simone had never been the sentimental type. As far as she was concerned, Rachel was already as good as dead.
As much as she wanted to tear Rachel apart, Simone's face remained calm and unbothered, her composure
flawless.
"So, do you believe her?" she asked Joshua, her voice steady.
Joshua gave a noncommittal answer. "I know you'd never do something like that, but... sof what she said
does make a certain kind of sense."
Simone offered a poised, graceful smile. "Of course. Well, | suppose twill tell who's telling the truth."
She showed
rush to defend
herself, unwilling to stoop to desperation she was, after all, daughter of a wealthy family. Standing up slowly, she
added, "Until I've proven I'm the one you're looking for, maybe it's best if we don't see each other."
The words sounded proud on the surface, but in truth, Simone simply wanted space to deal with Rachel herself. It
was better to crush this pest before she could crawl out and make trouble again.
Joshua said nothing, simply lowered his gaze and sipped his coffee.
Simone gave him one last look, then turned and walked away.
A few days later, Stella had just set foot inside the stuwhen she heard Abby squealing with excitement, like
someone who'd just won the lottery.
Stella pushed open the door to find Abby in the middle of a conversation with Joshua.
"...Wasn't that Rachel sent to prison? Someone must have pulled sstrings and got her out. But guess what
happened next?"
Joshua played along, raising an eyebrow. "What?"
Abby grinned, almost gleeful. "All five of her fingers-someone chopped them right off!"
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