Chapter 235: CHAPTER 0235

ELIZABETH'S POV

“Guess like everyone has a first for everything,” Jessica said, her tone casual.

“Well, I'm not part of everyone,” I replied instantly, almost scoffing. “And you're right, I am definitely not going to give up on Roman. Not after I know that he’s rich enough to use a one-in-a-million diamond ring to propose. If I get this guy, my family and I would turn into billionaires overnight.” I said it confidently, almost proudly, because saying it out loud made it feel even more real. The thought alone made my heart beat a little faster.

“Now that’s the Elizabeth I know,” Jessica said, I could hear the pride in her voice, like she just succeeded in dragging me back into my real senses. “Now, what are you going to do about the whole risky situation? Because don’t forget, the best possible chance you have at getting him is by seducing him. There’s no way you can get him to fall in love with you.”

“Why not?” I asked, raising my brows slightly, genuinely curious why she spoke with such certainty.

“Why not?” She repeated, her voice louder  “Elizabeth, you have the face of the woman his in love with. How do you want to make him fall out of love with her and then fall in love with the same face? It’s ridiculous.”

She said it like it was the simplest math equation in the world, and she was right. The words hit me straight, cutting sharply into every fantasy I had built around Roman, every little scheme I imagined in my head. And in that moment, I remained silent, letting the weight of what she said settle.

She had a big point there, bigger than I had been willing to admit. I knew this, but at the same time, I didn’t. Or more like I never slowed down enough to think about it clearly. That explained everything. That’s why every move I made on him didn’t work. That’s why he wasn’t begging for my attention, why he wasn’t drooling over me like others. Because he looked at me and saw her. He basically saw me as another Lauren. So why would he ever leave his Lauren and come to me?

“You’re right…” I finally said, my voice low, filled with realization that stung more than I expected.

“I see where you're going with this,” I added slowly, letting my thoughts fall into place. “After I seduce him, I could come up with a lie that I am pregnant for him. And then I’ll have the advantage. That’s my only chance at getting Roman Hale.” I said it as the idea formed, each piece locking together like it belonged there all along.

“Now the main issue,” Jessica said, cutting in quickly, “is how are you going to pull through with the seduction after he just proposed? Even when you're living with them, that would still be a risk.”

“Then I'm gonna take the risk,” I replied boldly, my voice lighting up as a clear, sharp idea sprang into my head. It felt dangerous, reckless, stupid even but it also felt like something only I had the guts to do.

“The biggest risk of them all, to be precise,” I added, already picturing exactly how everything would go.

“What risk are you talking about?” Jessica asked, her voice confused but also a little nervous, like she already suspected she wasn’t going to like whatever I was about to say.

“When I get to their place tomorrow,” I said calmly, like it was the most normal plan ever. “I'm gonna walk into Roman’s room, take off my dress there, and he wouldn’t be able to resist the rest.”

“That sounds like a very stupid plan, you know right?” she finally said. “How are you going to just do that when Lauren would be there?”

“Relax,” I said, waving my hand like it was nothing. “I'm not going to do it in front of her. I’ll just wait till she’s gone out.”

“That’s still a bad idea,” Jessica said, her voice low like the plan physically stressed her out.

“This is the only good idea right now,” I argued. “Roman might be seeing me like a second Lauren because of my face, but Lauren and I don’t have the same body. Once I undress in front of him, he wouldn’t be able to resist.”

“And what if he does?” Jessica asked quietly, the question hanging heavy between us.

“Then I leave,” I said without hesitation. “Because if I can’t get him while naked and alone, there’s no way I'm ever gonna get him. That’s basically a trump card that always works for me. So I'm sure it would work.”

Jessica sighed deeply,  “If you were another lady, Roman would have fallen into your trap long ago. But you just had to look like your sister.”

“Correction,” I said proudly, lifting my chin, “my sister looks like me.” I always hated it when Jessica made it sound like I was the copy. “Now that we have everything laid out, I need to start packing. I can’t be wasting my time on people and at the end there would be no end result. It’s frustrating.”

“Alright. Text me when you get there in the morning.” Jessica said.

“Why text? I’ll call you,” I said, already imagining how excited she would be when everything played out exactly like I planned.

“No,” she said quickly. “You can’t do that there. When you call, we're definitely going to speak about this. What if someone listens to what you're saying on the phone? That alone can scatter your plan.”

“Don’t worry, it would be fine,” I said casually as I bent down toward the open box on the floor. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

I began stuffing all my dresses into my box, not bothering to fold any of them. I didn’t even care if they got wrinkled. All I wanted was to make sure everything was ready for tomorrow. Clothes, makeup, anything that could help me seal the deal. The dresses piled up quickly, colorful and messy, but I shoved them down anyway.

The room filled with the sound of zippers, hangers scraping, and clothes rustling as I tossed in one outfit after another. My wardrobe was basically exploding, but I didn’t care. I needed options, and I wasn’t going there unprepared.

I grabbed a pair of heels and threw them in the box too, not caring that they landed on top of silk. Then another pair. Then another. My perfumes went inside next, squeezed between outfits, and I didn’t even bother checking if the caps were tight.

I just kept packing, moving fast, driven by the plan in my head, driven by what tomorrow could become. The air felt heavy with tension and excitement, danger mixed with opportunity.

I zipped the box halfway, then unzipped it again to squeeze in two more dresses.

I refused to let anything slow me down.