Katerina Dale

Currently, I was seated in the black Lamborghini of Arosio De Luca as the man who I have learnt is his right-hand man and best friend, Alejandro, drove silently. Arosio did not come himself but instead sent his bestfriend to pick me up after I regained consciousness this morning.

Tears gathered in my eyes as I recalled the events that occurred last night. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that my own father would find me and blackmail me into living my twin sister's life until he locates where she ran off to. I bit back a sob as I recalled his exact words from last night.

"Huh, where am I? Mr. Romero?" I called out fearfully while slowly lifting my aching body from the bed. Looking around the white sterilized room, I guessed that I was in a hospital.

"Finally, took you long enough, Ms. Avery," a harsh voice rang out from the side and I snapped my gaze to meet my father's cold cerulean blue eyes.

"Father..." I mumbled in shock and was met with his disgusted expression.

"Don't you dare call me that! I only have one child, my sweet Isabella. You were nothing but a curse who killed my wife!" he snapped at me coldly, making me flinch back in fear. My head began to ache and I reached up to caress it but noticed gauze wrapped around it.

"Stupid bitch, you managed to ruin half the plan already. I needed to have your hair dyed to brown but I can't because of your wound," he hissed out in annoyance as I scooted further away from him on the hospital bed.

"Please let me go, I'm sorry for everything, please" I began to beg helplessly but was met with his chilling smile as he scoffed at me.

"You're finally about to become useful for once but you're asking me to let you go? Not a chance. You are going to pretend to be Isabella and live with her husband and his family until I locate where in the hell she ran off to!" Samuel Dale demanded and smirked when my eyes widened in fear.

"What...no...I can't! Are you crazy?" I stuttered out in fear and flinched when he raised his hand to slap me but stopped midway.

"Shut up. My precious daughter needed some time to herself so she left one month ago. Her husband, Mr. Arosio De Luca, is one of the most powerful and dangerous men in America. He was planning to divorce her which is why I had to drag trash like you into our lives. Obediently act as Isabella or else I will destroy your life. I think I'll start with your precious grandparents actually," he threatened me as I gaped at him with more tears falling. How could he threaten his late wife's parents?

"No...Please...I beg of you...let me go. I promise, I'll live quietly with grandpapa and grandmama...please, spare me," I pleaded with him in between my sobs and failed to notice the footsteps approaching outside the door. My father's sinister laughter fell in my ears before he tightly gripped onto the back of my head.

"You do not get a say, bitch. You better listen--" he began to threaten me again as I hissed in pain. Thankfully he stopped once he heard several footsteps throw the door open and enter. Without even turning around, I could feel the powerful and dominating presence of the men behind me, making me suppress a shudder of terror.

My father let go of my head when the man pushed him away from me and I reached up to touch the back of my aching head before grimacing in pain. It hurt so much, I have no idea what father's guard hit me with but it feels like a thousand needles were stabbing my skull.

"Son, I'm glad you're here. Isabella met with an accident and the doctors confirmed that she has amnesia. I was just trying to help her understand what is going on," father lied smoothly and I could see him straighten his suit jacket out of the corner of my eye.

The man he addressed remained silent and I could feel him drilling holes into the back of my head with his eyes. I remained facing away from them, not wanting to show my face to any of those monsters. Father must have guessed what they were thinking since he immediately began to spew excuses without waiting for them to ask their questions.

"She dyed her hair while in Paris. Isabella, aren't you going to turn around and greet your husband?" his voice held a certain edge to it as he addressed me, making me unconsciously flinch away in fear. I could feel the men in the room staring at me intently, causing me to become even more afraid and nervous than before.

I began to shake violently and refused to meet the powerful man's dark gaze. My tears fell down and hit my pale hands that were wrapped tightly around my knees. I could feel the pressure in the room rise as the man seemed to be angered by me ignoring him.

Suddenly, he placed his warm hand on my shoulder and squeezed it tightly, making me yelp in pain with more tears falling down my swollen eyes. He seemed to freeze in surprise and confusion at my action as if he didn't expect me to feel pain from the amount of force he used to grip onto my shoulder. I still kept my back facing him and refused to budge.

Releasing his hand, he took a step back and took papers from another man before raising the papers towards me. I could feel my father's anger and shut my eyes tightly.

"Sign this and I will be gone. I have given you a considerable amount of alimony," he stated in an emotionless tone and scoffed when my father exhaled in shock.

"You...you can't do this! My poor Isabella just regained consciousness, she doesn't even remember the past! You have to take responsibility. Isabella, what are you doing? Beg your husband for forgiveness!" my father began to yell at me and violently shook me back and forth. Upon receiving no reply, he let go of me and went to plead with the man instead.

A sudden throbbing began to attack my head more intensely, making me feel a wave of dizziness wash over me. I tried to grip onto the side rails of the bed but I had no more strength left in me. Falling backwards, I waited for the pain to hit me once my head collided with the nightstand but instead, I felt a warm pair of muscular arms wrap around me. They made me feel safe and protected. Through a blurry vision, I whispered one last plead, begging the handsome man to save me from this nightmare before fading into darkness.

When I awoke this morning, it was to an empty hospital room. My father was long gone, having only left a single note behind that instructed me to 'behave or else' with a picture of my grandpapa and grandmama's bungalow in the countryside. By the time Alejandro strolled into the room with two bulky guards, all of the color had already drained from my face. I stood up in a daze and silently followed them out of the hospital.

"Excuse me, Sir? May I please borrow your phone?" I tried to hide the desperateness in my tone of voice and gave Alejandro a small smile as he looked at me in surprise through the rearview mirror. The two guards were following us in another car behind.

"Sir? What happened to addressing me as your husband's slave or was it 'bitch' that you usually called me?" Alejandro scoffed aloud and accelerated on the road. I flinched at his cold words before softly speaking to him again.

"I...I am not sure how I spoke to you in the past. In fact, I don't really remember anything but I know that is no excuse. If I ever made you feel less than a human and degraded you in the past, I am very sorry, Sir. No one deserves to be treated in such a way, I am truly sorry. I hope you will be able to forgive me in the future," I began to apologize earnestly and offered him a genuine smile when he gaped at me in shock and almost crashed into the car in front of us at the red light.

"Uh...that's quite alright. Just stop calling me Sir. My name's Alejandro for fucks sake," he replied in a less harsh tone, making me smile towards him brightly and lean closer to the driver seat.

"Will do, Ale! Can I borrow your phone, please?" I stared at him with my big innocent eyes and tried to ignore the itchiness of the colored contacts that my father left for me to wear. My eyes are green unlike Isabella's cerulean blue eyes so I need to wear those from now on.

"Ale? Oh whatever, here" Alejandro passed his phone to me before focusing on the road and I quickly dialed grandmama's number.

"Hello? Who is this?" grandmama's weak voice mumbled into the phone as my eyes teared up again. I felt Alejandro staring at me through the rearview mirror but I was too worried about my grandparents to pay much mind to him.

"Hello? It's me, grandmama, it's me," I whispered through tears and laughed softly when she cried out to grandpapa and they began to fight over the phone.

"Princess, where are you? Romero told us about your vile father kidnapping you, are you alright? Tell grandpapa where you are, I will come get you," grandpapa pleaded on the phone and I covered the speaker part with my hand as a sob broke through me with more tears falling. By now Alejandro seemed to have slowed down on the road and was focused fully on me.

"No, you can't. Please, just know that I love you both and everything I do is for our family. I promise that I will return to you soon, I love you so much. I'm sorry for everything, please wait for me," I cut the call before they could question me further and hugged the phone to my chest while silently sobbing. Alejandro waited a few moments before clearing his throat, making me snap back to reality.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ale. Here is your cellphone, thank you so much," I thanked him and gave him a small smile when he seemed shocked again.

'She said sorry and thank you? She didn't even call one of her boyfriends but instead called her grandparents? Who is this woman?' I heard Alejandro mumble in shock before returning his gaze to the road. I paled at his words and reminded myself that I was suppose to act as my twin sister. The only problem was that I have no idea how my twin sister acts. She never reached out to me and I was not allowed to contact anyone in the Dale family.

A headache began to knock at my brain while I tried to think of the best way to act as my sister so that I could buy some time for my father to find her. Then, I can escape these dangerous men and return to my peaceful life in the countryside. Sighing, I leaned my head against the window and ended up falling asleep.

I awoke to the feeling of a familiar pair of strong arms carrying me in his arms. My eyes opened slightly and stared at his handsome face as he carried me away from the car and a gaping Alejandro stood behind him staring at us in shock. He seemed to notice me stirring awake in his arms as he leaned down with his hot minty breath fanning my face.

"Don't worry, it's me. Sleep, tesoro" he spoke in a soft voice that lulled me back to sleep as he carried me into his black and white mansion in his safe arms.

***

Stirring on the soft bed, I slowly lifted my body up and looked around the unfamiliar bedroom. It was huge and if I were to guess, I would think it is the master bedroom. The bedroom was decorated elegantly but it was obvious that the room belonged to a man as it held no trace of a woman's presence.

I wanted to explore some more of it but first I would need to shower. I was still dressed in the same white dress with red roses from yesterday since my father couldn't bother to bring me any clothes. Looking around the room, I noticed a walk in closet and went in there. I expected to see some of my sister's clothes but there was only designer men clothing. I hated the smell of blood and my clothes seemed to reek of it so I took a black button up shirt and pair of grey sweatpants with strings before entering the luxurious bathroom.

Even the products were mens products, making me exhale in annoyance. With no other choice, I used the shampoo, conditioner and body wash there before quickly putting the clothes on my aching body and removing the gauze from around my head. I felt the back of my head and smiled when I noticed that it was only swollen a little bit, there weren't any stitches or anything. There was a single hairbrush on the side so I used that to brush through my long wet hair before throwing it into a loose braid.

My stomach began to growl once I left the bathroom, making me look towards the alarm clock on the nightstand and notice that it was already two in the afternoon. Exiting the bedroom, I slowly made my way down four flights of stairs until I finally reached the main floor. I thought my grandparents bungalow was luxurious but it is nothing compared to this mansion. Just thinking of that made me shiver in fear, who knew what this family did to make so much money?

My feet followed my gut instincts and after a few minutes I finally found a kitchen. It was huge and very clean, making me convinced that this family also hired cooks and housekeepers. I slowly walked towards the refrigerator but froze in my tracks when something soft collided into my legs.

"Mommy, I missed you so much. Please don't leave me, I'll be a good boy, I promise," I looked down at the sound of a small child's voice and bent down while gently smiling at him.

My gaze met the little boy's cheerful smile and bright green eyes before he clung onto me and buried his face into my neck. My hand subconsciously raised to caress the back of his small bed of soft black curls.

"May I know who this cute little boy might be?" I questioned softly and rubbed the top of the little boy's head. He looked to be about three or four years old but his speaking ability was quite high. He seemed like an intelligent boy, making me wonder why he would beg me not to leave him. Who could leave such a cute boy behind?

"Mommy, you don't remember me?" he raised his small round face and looked up at me with tearful eyes. His green eyes shined like emeralds, making my heart swirl with motherly instincts.

"I'm sorry, little one. I was in an accident and lost my memories," I explained slowly, hoping he would understand despite his young age.

His eyes widened before he raised his hand to touch my head, making me hiss in pain. He quickly retracted his hand in fear and just when I was about to assure him that it was okay, he was torn away from my body. I was too shocked and busy looking at the woman in front of me and failed to notice the several pairs of footsteps making their way towards the kitchen entrance.

"Young Master, how many times have we told you to stay away from our Mistress? How dare filth like you pester our Mistress? You are nothing but a curse who killed Master's sister during childbirth. You are lucky Master insisted on raising you as his own but now you are trying to claim our Mistress as your mother?" my shocked eyes traveled to the young woman standing beside the kitchen island who was dressed in a housekeeper's outfit.

I glared at her fiercely when her words finally registered in my head and my eyes narrowed at her hands that gripped onto the little boy's arms in a vice like hold.

"Let go of him! How dare you harm my child?" I screamed in anger before pushing her away and carrying the little boy up into my arms.

"Are you alright, baby? Does your arm hurt? Tell mommy, I will rub medicine onto it for you," the boy in my arms stared at me in surprise before wailing loudly and wrapping his tiny arms around my neck while burying his face into my chest. I rubbed his small back up and down soothingly before meeting the surprised gaze of the maid with my cold gaze.

"But...Mistress...you paid us to keep Elijah away from you...you said he was a curse" the maid mumbled in confusion before my eyes widened in realization. How could my sister be so cold-hearted?

"Mommy...you don't want me? Am I a curse?" Elijah looked up at me and whispered through tears. I shook my head as tears began to pool in my own eyes before I gently kissed his tears away and hugged him against my chest tightly.

"No, of course not. Mommy was wrong, mommy was very wrong. My little Elijah is the sweetest boy in the whole wide world. Mommy was not in her right state of mind before, please forgive mommy. I promise I will never allow anyone to hurt you ever again, my little Eli. Mommy is so sorry," I whispered through tears and continued to hug him to my body tightly. Memories of my past and my own family throwing me aside and labeling me a curse for killing my mother during childbirth began to resurface in my mind.

Elijah slowly pulled himself away from my neck before lifting his small hands to wipe the tears away from my eyes, making me let out a soft laugh. He held my face in between his two hands before kissing both of my flushed cheeks.

"Don't cry, mommy. I will always love you the most, don't worry," he whispered back and tried to hide his blush by burying his face into the crook of my neck. A huge smile graced my lips as I hugged him tightly and kissed the top of his head.

"Thank you, sweetie. Mommy will cherish you forever, I promise," I whispered back and adjusted him on my hip before turning to address the maid.

I was just about to speak to her when I noticed three men standing at the entrance of the kitchen, all of whom were looking at me in pure shock. One of the men, who I recognized as my twin sisters husband, Arosio De Luca, was looking at me with such an intense gaze that it made my whole body freeze in terror.

His intense dark eyes, almost pitch black, held an indescribable emotion, making me suppress shivers. I haven't gotten used to his appearance yet, his handsome face with his sharp jawline, straight nose, light stubble and full lips almost made my knees go weak. I quickly shook the thoughts away and averted my frightened gaze.

The whole room stiffened and silence ensued as the powerful man began to stalk towards me. I expected him to rip the child out of my arms and threaten me for going near his family. I bet that is what his friends expected too.

Which is why his next words and action shocked all of us, making my jaw instantly drop in shock.

"You heard that, Elijah? Mommy will cherish us both forever," Arosio stated before leaning down and placing a soft, lingering kiss on my lips.

***

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