The Double ( or More ?) Life of The Fake Heiress

In the dead of the night, Collins was already tucked in when his phone erupted with a call from a colleague in the marketing department at the company. Apparently, Leo had made the trending list again.

And the rumor mill suggested Leo had picked up a girlfriend? Please!

Collins shook his head in disbelief and said, “Cut it out, will you? Just stay put in the car.” With that, Collins stepped out of the vehicle. He stood by the car, hands buried in his pockets, waiting.

Summer had just exited the school gates and was scanning the area for the Gilbert family’s car. It didn’t take her long to spot Collins by the roadside. At first, she only found him vaguely familiar, but upon closer inspection, her eyes widened in recognition. He was Leo’s manager, Mr. Collins, whom she had met a couple of times before.

It was obvious he was waiting for someone. For her, maybe? With a flutter of excitement. Summer smoothed down her hair and sauntered over to Collins with a composed pace. As she approached, she greeted him with a smile, “Hello, you’re Leo’s manager, Mr. Collins, right?”

Collins had noticed Summer moving towards him from a distance, but it took a moment before he remembered who she was. Now, recognizing her, he straightened up and nodded politely.

“Hello.”

Summer glanced at the car behind him, half–expecting to see Leo inside, but quickly returned her focus to Collins and asked, “Mr. Collins, is Leo…?”

She had barely begun her inquiry when Collins gestured towards the car, “Leo is right in there. Are you looking for him?”

At his words, Summer’s expression flickered momentarily. The implication of ‘Are you looking for him?‘ suggested that Collins wasn’t there for her. And if he wasn’t there for her, then he must’ve been there for… Mirabella.

Summer’s thoughts spun as she remembered her number had been blocked. She struggled to maintain her composure. Quickly nodding, she didn’t wait for Collins to say more and tapped on the car window.

Inside, Leo looked up to see Summer, his expression cold. He pressed the button to lower the window halfway, revealing just his eyes and forehead, before letting go. “What do you want?” His voice was as icy as his demeanor.

Summer’s fingers clenched tightly at her sides, her nails digging into her skin without feeling the pain. She pursed her lips, her already pale and drawn face managing a smile that came across as more pitiful than pleasant.

“Leo, I tried calling you this afternoon but couldn’t get through. Were you busy?” she asked softly. Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.

Collins was trying not to eavesdrop and couldn’t help but cast a skeptical look at Leo in the car. If he remembered correctly. Leo’s phone had only rung once that afternoon, and Collins had even asked who was calling. Leo had dismissed it as a scam call.

“Yes. I’ve been busy,” Leo replied, clearly unswayed by Summer’s forlorn appearance. He had grown tired of her act of playing the victim at the drop of a hat. He wasn’t in the mood to indulge her.

Summer’s face grew even paler, stung by his blatant disregard for any sentiment. “Leo, are your still upset about the foolish thing I did before?” Summer swallowed her pride, pleading. “I’m sorry. I was

young and didn’t think through the consequences.”

Leo’s lips twisted in irritation. “We’re not related by blood. And as for the past.” He gave a disdainful snort. “It’s meaningless.”