Chapter 3
The information showed that Vicky had started dating Charles three years ago, and they were deeply in love with each other.
Xavier was surprised by how uncanny the timing was.
His face grew colder as he read through the information.
The information was comprehensive and even included Vicky's preferences.
Even I was surprised by how we had a lot in common.
I wondered what exactly was going on.
Charles grew up with me, so he must have noticed all this.
"Victoria, is it you?" Xavier mumbled as he brushed his fingers against Vicky's photo, but I was shocked.
I managed a bitter smile. He thought I was pretending to be Vicky, but that was impossible.
…
The next day, Xavier spotted a familiar figure in the restaurant after meeting his client.
"Vicky?"
Upon hearing him, Vicky looked up. "It's you, sir."
"I'm Xavier Gardner. I'm sorry that I mistook you for someone else last time. Let me treat you to a meal."
Before she could reject him, he summoned the waiter over to place his order.
His gaze fell upon a dish on the menu, and he quietly pointed at it.
Vicky was about to leave, but he insisted, and she ended up taking a few bites.
Soon, rashes started forming around her neck. It was an allergic reaction.
"Does this contain peanuts?" she asked anxiously.
"Are you allergic to peanuts, too?" Xavier's gaze darkened.
He only wanted to verify something, but he didn't expect that Vicky was also allergic to peanuts.
Fortunately, Vicky brought her allergy medication, and the reaction subsided after she took it.
"I have something to deal with, so I'm leaving," she said, her voice cold.
Xavier stared at her retreating figure and fell into a daze.
…
The next few days, I followed Xavier around.
He would drop by the area near Vicky's house from time to time.
Sometimes, he saw her walking her dog alone around the neighborhood. And sometimes, she was taking a walk with Charles.
The couple's intimate acts often made Xavier burn with jealousy.
One day, at a meeting, Xavier was surprised to find that Vicky was the representative of his business partner.
The partnership brought them closer together.
When they were out together, Vicky would take photos of anything she found interesting, and Xavier would wait for her patiently.
When they were dining out, Xavier would ask the waiter if the food contained peanuts or milk.
He would bring her to get some toys when she was stressed out.
They were doing all the things we did when we were still dating.
I felt like I could see the young Xavier from the past.
One day, while they were working overtime, Vicky went to the downstairs stall, and Xavier followed.
"Sir, could I have two servings of soup, one without cilantro?"
Xavier, who was about to sit down, shot her a piercing look. "You know that I don't eat cilantro? Only Victoria knows I don't eat cilantro."
Xavier hated cilantro. He would cover his nose and step back whenever he saw cilantro.
I loved teasing him by secretly adding cilantro to his food. He would get frustrated and come to kiss me.
Vicky was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile, "You don't eat cilantro? Sir, two servings without cilantro.
"Is Victoria your lover?"
"No, I hate her," he answered without hesitation.
I felt as if someone had stabbed me in the chest, and the pain was excruciating.
"You hate her only because you love her."
Xavier's hand paused in midair, and he locked eyes with her. "What exactly is your relationship with her? Or… You're actually her?"
Unexpectedly, instead of panicking, Vicky retorted, "Mr. Gardner, you must be kidding me. How could I be the person you're looking for? You see her in me, don't you? But you won't be mistaken if you truly love her."
Xavier fell into a daze, his eyes losing focus.
He studied every feature on Vicky's face.
He wondered if it was true that he couldn't differentiate between her and me, or if he was just fooling himself.
Even I felt that Vicky showed up at an uncanny time. It was such a coincidence that she bore a strong resemblance to me. Xavier was definitely aware of this.
But he couldn't think straight because he was too desperate to find me.
Rubbing his forehead, Xavier looked irritated.
Then, he recalled Vicky's words.
"You couldn't find her, no matter how hard you tried. Could it be that she's already gone?"
He replied firmly, "Impossible. She must be hooking up with the person backing her. Yup, she must be!"
Squatting next to him, I was utterly helpless.
Chapter 4
The day Vicky and Xavier signed the contract, the meeting room door was pushed open.
Bawling, Nancy pointed at the two of them and yelled, "Xavier, is she your new lover? How could you do this to me?"
Xavier's face darkened when he got interrupted while signing the deal. "Nancy, are you crazy?"
Nancy couldn't take how harsh Xavier sounded.
"Yeah, I'm going crazy because of you. You can't get over Victoria, and now there's this vixen.
"Xavier, you'd better not forget that you promised to marry me. The one who's been staying by your side is me!"
Xavier tugged at his tie in frustration. "Can't you see that she's my client? Besides, she has a boyfriend, and he's someone I know. Stop being unreasonable."
Nancy sneered and threw a stack of photos on the desk.
"Your client? Do you have to keep your client company all the time? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Xavier crumpled the photo, veins bulging on his hand. "Did you get someone to follow me?"
"If you've done nothing wrong, what's there to be worried about?"
Seeing how the situation had escalated, Vicky said, "Mr. Gardner, how about we sign the deal next time?"
"I'll send you off."
"You can't leave!" Nancy blocked their way.
Xavier warned, "If you want to hold the wedding ceremony as planned, you'd better stop overthinking."
With that, he sent Vicky off.
…
The following day, I didn't follow Xavier. Instead, my spirit got drawn to Vicky by a strong force.
Then, I caught Nancy blocking Vicky's way in an alley.
The familiar place made me shudder.
Nancy fiddled with her nails and scoffed, "I know what kind of trick you're trying to pull. You're impersonating Victoria to seduce Xavier. Dream on!
"He hates her to the bone. You think you can fool him just because you resemble her from the side and pretend to have the same habits."
She stepped forward and patted Vicky's cheek, threatening, "I'm warning you to stay away from him. Or else, I won't go easy on you."
Instead of getting intimidated, Vicky laughed. "How did you know I'm impersonating her? I'm Victoria Zahn."
Nancy's face paled at Vicky's words. "Impossible."
I was startled, too. I wondered what made her say that and what she was trying to do.
Vicky continued, "I'm her, and I'm back."
Nancy didn't buy that at all. "I think you need to learn things the hard way."
As soon as she finished saying that, three tall and burly men stepped out from behind.
I broke into a cold sweat and felt chills running down my spine.
They were the ones who killed me three years ago, and they actually worked for Nancy.
I couldn't bring myself to dwell further.
Vicky didn't seem scared at all. "Ms. Lowe, why don't you believe that I'm Victoria Zahn?"
"You're not her."
"Yes, I am."
"No, you're not! Victoria has been dead for a long time!" When Nancy realized that she had slipped up, her gaze flickered with resentment.
"You must have a death wish."
"So, were you the one who killed her back then?"
Nancy was stunned.
"What are you guys doing?" Xavier's voice rang out.
She quickly feigned a terrified look and threw herself in his embrace. "Xavier, Ms. Zeller got mad because of what happened yesterday, so she brought her men here for me. I've already apologized to her. I'm so scared…"
I wished I could tell Xavier not to trust Nancy and that she was lying to him. Forgetting that I was just an intangible spirit, I dashed forward and wanted to grab him.
"She… She even said she's Victoria Zahn."
Xavier looked up immediately, his voice trembling. "Is it true that you—"
"She's not!" Charles showed up.
He walked up to Vicky and exchanged looks with her.
"What exactly is going on?" Xavier was baffled, yet he felt as if the truth would soon come to light.
Nancy, who was in his arms, started panicking. She tugged at him and wanted to leave. "Xavier, I'm scared. Can we go home right now?"
If it were in the past, Xavier would have carried Nancy and left.
But today, Xavier's legs felt as heavy as lead, and he stood rooted to the spot.
Charles revealed coldly, and every single word stabbed right through Xavier's heart. "Xavier, do you want to know where Vic is? You should ask your fiancee.
"Also, do you know who reached out to the loan shark who lent you money? Do you know where you got the money to start your business again?"