3

For an entire week, I hadn't contacted Archer.

Over the weekend, I was at home diligently studying for the CPA. I also have a second major in finance, and combined with my proficiency in Prench, I hope to land a job at a major company someday.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Archer.

Before I would have eagerly answered, always ready to help, but now I simply glanced at it and pressed ignore.

He called again, five times in total, and each time, I ignored the call.

Soon after, there was a forceful knocking at my door. I opened it to find Archer standing there, his handsome face utterly darkened.

I calmly let him in.

"Why aren't you answering my calls?" he demanded.

I looked up at him and said, "Archer, let's break up."

"Break up? Why on earth would we do that?" he asked, tugging at his tie, visibly irritated.

"You see me as a substitute for Sienna, don't you?" I confronted him directly, not wanting to waste any more time or emotions on him.

He froze.

I pushed him out of the room. "Leave, and don't bother me again. Oh, remember the three hundred and fifty dollars you owe me? Please transfer it."

With a loud slam, I closed the door and slumped down, exhausted. Then I got back up, my eyes resilient.

The sentiments of the past wouldn't bring me down.

The role of the wicked woman could be played by someone else! I was tired of entangling with trash. Sienna and those three guys, their love-hate drama, if I couldn't handle it, I could at least avoid it!

I needed to study hard and boost my abilities.

While I devoted myself to studying and working, Archer didn't want to break up. Initially, he was aggressive, thinking I was playing hard to get. After I threw the flowers he bought into the trash twice, he finally realized my resolve and softened his approach.

"What exactly do you want?" He cornered me outside the rental, reeking of alcohol, pinning me against the wall. "Sienna is a celestial beauty, and you're just dirt. She's pristine and untainted by greed, while you come whining to me over three hundred bucks. Being her double is your good fortune!"

"Get out of my way."

"No! You want money, right? I'll give it to you. How much do you want?"

I pushed him several times, but he didn’t budge.

To him, I was just dirt, a woman only after money.

Fine.

I smiled, "You're only after me because I look like Sienna. I can act like her, be her double. A thousand dollars per hour, how about that?"

He paused, then disdainfully transferred a thousand to me. "Is that enough now?"

His look seemed to say, "See, you just love money. There’s your true face."

He took me away to hang out with his friends.

I stopped and said, "That's a different rate. A hundred per friend, plus extra for running errands and buying things."

Archer's face turned pale, and after a moment, he begrudgingly said, "Fine!"

4

"Payment first," I said, opening my hands.

Archer exploded in anger. "Do you think I'd stiff you?"

I lifted my eyelids slightly. "The three hundred from a few days ago took several reminders before you paid. This isn't the first time you've tried to dodge."

"You..."

Archer gritted his teeth, and to prove he wasn't short on money, he transferred five thousand dollars to me directly.

I calmly said, "I'll refund the excess or ask for more if it's not enough."

At the club, I mingled with Archer's friends as usual, but without the previous eagerness to please, my smiles barely concealed my disdain.

Since there would be no future dealings and no benefits to gain, I didn't care about them at all!

Archer's friends were not pleased and seemed to whisper something to him. Soon after, Archer pulled me aside and said quietly, "Why can't you just be civil?"

What did he mean by being civil? I was only treating them the way they treated me. Oh, and I hadn't even started insulting them.

If you want me to greet everyone with a smile like before, it's an extra two hundred dollars per person. You have five friends, plus the initial one hundred dollars, that’s three hundred dollars each now, a total of fifteen hundred dollars," I said.

Archer, grinding his teeth, agreed, "Fine."

With Archer's approval, I plastered on a smile and chatted with the others. Soon, someone asked me to buy things.

I turned to Archer. "Running errands is five hundred dollars a trip, you decide whether you or your friends will pay."

Archer was fuming, gritting his teeth. "I'll pay!"

I deliberately dawdled when I went out to buy the items because I didn’t want to deal with their faces. Around eight, I returned to the club, handed the items to Archer's friends, grabbed my bag, and told Archer. "I'm leaving."

"What? Ashley is leaving?" a friend joked, "Don't go, hang out with us."

Archer was stunned for a moment. "Why are you leaving?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Hour's up. If you want me to stay, you'll have to pay up."

Archer's face turned crimson, his teeth gritted. "Renew it!"

"I'm short five hundred dollars bucks," I said with a shrug.

Fuming, Archer transferred me twenty thousand dollars. Considering the money, I stayed with him until midnight. Then, grabbing my bag, I said, "I'm leaving. Got work tomorrow. Oh, and do I need to announce our breakup? I'll tell your friends I dumped you, and that's the end of it..."

"No way!" Archer cut me off angrily.

He cared a lot about his image.

I smiled and said, "Mr. Flynn, feel free to order again next time. Goodbye."

This time, I didn't drive him; I just walked out of the club, hailed a cab, and left him and a few friends gaping.

He could buy time with money, but only if I was willing to sell.

The evening breeze was gentle, and I had made over ten thousand dollars in one night without much emotional or mental effort. Quite a joyful evening indeed.

5

The next day at work, I was glowing with confidence. Everly Tate, my team leader, walked over and dumped a stack of files in front of me, ordering me to sort them out.

"Ashley, get these done tonight."

Everly, taking advantage of her connection with our department manager, Dexter Harrow, constantly bosses me around. This time, I was not going to put up with it.

Planning to quit soon anyway, I flatly refused her. "This isn't my job. I'm not doing it."

"You!" Everly's face twisted in anger as she stormed off with the files.

"Wow!" my colleagues cheered, giving me a thumbs up.

Offending Everly might cost me a promotion or raise, but I didn't expect her to retaliate so pettily over the next two days, making my life miserable. Dexter called me in for a talk, criticizing everything I did.

"Ashley, you need to think carefully. When your boss assigns you tasks, how can you just refuse? Do you want a 'C' on your performance review?"

Performance reviews were a tool for bosses to control their subordinates. After a moment of silence, not wanting to stir up trouble, I agreed to follow Everly's instructions.

Back at my desk, Everly smugly handed me a pile of invoices and documents to sort out. I didn't refuse and worked diligently until 9 PM.

With the office lights bright and everyone else gone, Dexter approached me from behind. "Ashley, still working, huh?"

I moved away, ignoring him.

He overstepped further, attempting to embrace me!

Panicked, I struggled fiercely, stabbing his head with my high heel.

"Ashley, you're done!" Dexter screamed, clutching his face.

At his shout, I figured since I had already hit him, I might as well make it count. Grabbing my high heel, I beat him wildly as he howled in pain.

Seizing the moment while he was groaning on the ground, I quickly grabbed my bag and dashed out the front door.

The night air was chillingly cold, and I soon calmed down.

I couldn't just sit around and wait for Dexter and Everly to get their way.

Remembering our company's CEO, who also seemed to be Sienna's secret admirer, I took a cab to the address I recalled from the book, heading to the CEO's luxurious villa.

Ryan Pierce, our CEO, was surprised by my sudden visit and frowned. "What are you doing here?"

He appeared cold and arrogant, strikingly handsome. If I hadn't known the plot of the book, I wouldn't have guessed he was so infatuated with Sienna.

I gave him a slight smile. "Mr. Pierce, you hired me because I look like Sienna, didn't you?"

He paused for a moment.

It was Ryan who interviewed me for the final round when I first joined the company, initially applying for a secretary position before being moved to the administration department.

I used to think I had done something wrong to offend him, but now I understood he hired me because of my resemblance to Sienna, yet he moved me to avoid suspicion.

"From today, I can be Sienna's double, acting just as you wish," I smiled, flipping my dark hair. "A thousand dollars an hour.

"Also, Dexter just harassed me. He seems pretty taken with my face."

Ryan's expression changed immediately; in his mind, Sienna was an untouchable goddess, and no one was allowed to tarnish her.

He wouldn't defend me, but he would stand up for a face that resembled Sienna's.

6

The next day, in front of everyone, Dexter rebuked my work, saying my performance review would be a C.

If I got a C three months in a row, I might be fired. Dexter was determined to ruin me.

My colleagues were furious but powerless against him.

Everly, clicking her heels, came over and insincerely advised, "Ashley, don't be too arrogant. Don't offend people easily at work; you have to do whatever your superiors ask."

Then she walked away, head held high.

I ignored her and remained calm. Around 11 AM, the company's OA system suddenly announced Dexter's termination.

The reason was the sexual harassment of a female employee.

Everyone was shocked. We had all assumed I would be the one leaving, but instead, it was Dexter who was shown the door.

The second file revealed that the boss, Ryan, had appointed me as his secretary, instantly elevating my status above Everly's.

Colleagues came to congratulate me while Everly turned pale, muttering, "Impossible... How could this be?"

I walked over to her, my slender fingers tapping on the desk, my voice calm. "You shouldn't be too arrogant. In the workplace, don't make enemies carelessly. You do what your superiors ask of you."

I gathered all the departmental documents and presented them to her. "Sort all these documents today unless you want a 'C' for your performance review."

Everly's face turned beet red, and she forced a smile, saying, "Yes, Ms. Gomez."

Afterward, I reported to Ryan. Initially, he was pretty gentlemanly, but then he began to show hints of flirtation.

Prepared, I approached him like a siren, my long fingers tracing his chest, my words laced with innuendo. "It's not impossible between us, but that would mean betraying your beloved. So much for your love, huh?"

Ryan's expression changed, and he quickly pushed me away.

I smirked inwardly. In the book, Ryan was Sienna's devoted admirer, a typical male side character in such melodramas, always remaining chaste for the heroine, which is why I dared to be so bold around him.

Pride wounded, Ryan retorted, "I have no intention of having sex with you. You're not even worth a finger of Sienna's."

"That's more like it," I replied with a smile, my lips barely moving. "Talking about feelings is such a waste of money."

Subsequently, Ryan began to take me out frequently for meals near the office, not hiding from others, and rumors spread that I was his lover.

Whenever Everly saw me, her legs would shake, and she'd avoid me if possible, but I found an opportunity to have Ryan fire her.

After all, she was a toxic presence in the department and had bullied me repeatedly. I was not the kind to turn the other cheek.

Now that I had the upper hand, it wouldn't matter when Sienna returned.

It was only natural for me to embrace the role of a villainess.