Chapter 33
I'd already sensed that Sophia suspected my identity, but so what if she could confirm right now that I was Emma?
She couldn't stop what I wanted to do, and she couldn't get what she wanted from me.
"Ms. Wilson, what if that person you mentioned is the last scenario? I heard you have a plastic surgery hospital in Solstice. You said you saw that person whose face was disfigured—is there any chance they could restore their appearance? Or get a completely different face?" Sophia's hand gripped the edge of the bed, slowly moving toward my arm, toward the rose tattoo where cigarette burns had scarred the center of the flower.
I quickly grabbed her slender wrist, my voice cold and emotionless: "What is this, a TV drama? A worthless woman has a one-in-ten-thousand chance of surviving. Though I do have a cosmetic surgery hospital—if you want plastic surgery, I can give you a discount."
Sophia tried to pull away from my grip, but with her weak body, just a little pressure from me made her lose balance and nearly fall against the bed.
I threw her wrist away and adjusted to a comfortable sleeping position: "It's getting late. Better get some rest. I need to go to the company tomorrow to check things out. The office building renovation has started, and I need to find more people so we can start using it as soon as possible."
I heard her breathing become a bit rapid. After a while, I finally heard her rustling as she lay back down.
When I woke up in the morning, Sophia had already left. The moment I walked out of the room, Oscar came up and affectionately patted my head: "How did you sleep last night? Without me there, did you sleep poorly?"
I looked at him and smiled: "Actually, I slept really well last night."
Oscar put on a hurt expression: "That's a bit hurtful. Without you, I couldn't sleep most of the night. Look at my dark circles. I was waiting for you to wake up so we could nap together, but you never came back."
I gently patted his cheek: "What nap? Let me go change, I need to go out today."
"Alright." Oscar's tone was helpless as he slowly followed me back to the room.
As soon as we entered, his expression changed, and he said seriously, "Sophia left on her own around six this morning. Just got word—she and Jasper are at the testing center now. I'm guessing they definitely got some of your hair."
"So what?" I opened the closet door, looking for clothes to wear out today.
Oscar said with a grin, "Aren't you worried she'll find out your identity? If you beg me now, maybe I can help you fix this."
"No need." I picked out a dress and laid it on the bed, then started looking for a bag to match. "DNA testing takes at least twenty-four hours, right? I have enough time to handle it myself."
Oscar looked at me helplessly: "You could lean on me a little. As your fiancé, being able to solve problems for you would give me a sense of accomplishment."
"Fake fiancé." I reminded him of our actual relationship.
Oscar walked over to me, casually picked out a small bag that matched the dress perfectly, leaned in close with his head tilted, and smiled at me: "They say fake relationships can become real. What if one day ours does?"
I instinctively avoided his ambiguous gaze. He was really strange, getting close like this from time to time, saying things that could be misunderstood. A man like that is either a people-pleaser who's nice to everyone, or he's a complete player.
I was also a bit strange. I thought I'd given up on men long ago, that I'd never feel anything again in this lifetime, but sometimes, my heart would just race like this.
I hated this uncontrollable heartbeat: "If I were still that ugly mess from the auction, would Mr. Lopez still work with me and wonder if our fake relationship could become real?"
He seriously thought about my question for two seconds, then shook his head at me: "I'd still work with you, but in a different way."
Every man loves a beautiful thing.
Oscar quickly explained: "Don't think I'm shallow. It's just that you looked really rough back then. But I quickly realized you're truly special. I really regret not grabbing you at the auction—Michael got lucky. But fortunately, we're working together now anyway."
"So it's just work. Mr. Lopez, better not say those other things anymore." I lowered my head, my voice neither cold nor warm, reining in my casual attitude.
Oscar patted his mouth: "Alright, let's talk business. Now isn't the time for your identity to be exposed. What's your plan?"
"I don't plan to do anything. Just wait quietly." Talking business, I quickly gathered my slightly disappointed feelings, my eyes growing colder.
Oscar looked incredulous: "You're not just giving up, are you? Waiting? Once the DNA test results come out, what's the point of hiding your identity? Forget it, I'll handle it for you. Voluntarily—you won't owe me any favors."
"Do you think switching the test samples or the results doesn't require careful planning? Twenty-four hours—I'd advise you not to waste time on such small matters."
"Then let's go simple and direct—throw money at it. If that doesn't work, I'll contact someone now to just run them over with a car. If someone dies, they won't have time to think about anything else." He picked up his phone to send a message.
Such a refined-looking person, talking about running someone over like it was dealing with livestock.
But then again, he'd fought his way out of that kind of environment—how could he be anything but ruthless?
"No need." I quickly put my hand in front of his phone. Any later and he might actually have a hitman lined up. "This is Lumaria. The public security is very good."
"Then you..."
I sighed and had to come clean: "Actually, I never really enter deep sleep. The slightest movement wakes me up, so when she snuck over to pull my hair in the middle of the night, I already knew."
"Alright, I underestimated you." Oscar sighed, looking somewhat disappointed, as if unwilling to miss this chance to prove himself.
"The western district project in Emerald City is officially being bid on today. If you're free, want to come with me?" Since Sophia's matter posed no real threat, Oscar extended another invitation.
"Isn't it already decided that you'll get it? Is the bidding meeting really necessary? Couldn't you just send someone random?" I was a bit confused.
Oscar raised an eyebrow: "Of course it's different. There will be lots of news media there today. Come on, there might be a good show to watch."
His eyes held cold disdain, but the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened, as if he were brewing some conspiracy.