The Old Bets

"Cedric, you have forgotten your cell phone in the room." He stopped and she walked over to him.

He noticed a missed call on his phone with furrowed brows. Something flashed in those dark eyes. 

"You are going to meet my sister?" her voice sounded shaken when he looked at her and for the first time she found him struggling for words. She regretted asking the question at once.

"I am going to meet your father, Evangeline. I think she will be here. But it is a business matter. I will come home early and then we will decide everything together. Okay?" Eve stared at him with surprise as this was a kind of explanation. Cedric had never been a person who explained himself.

He had only felt that people knowing him should understand him and if they did not understand enough, they did not know him well. 

She never understood that theory but she had always respected it. So, this was the best she could get. She smiled at him and nodded and his expressions softened too.

"It is cold outside. Go in." he leaned and pecked her lips before leaving from there. There was an uneasy feeling in her heart as she looked at him leaving. 

"Do you think now that the original had returned, the substitute would be thrown out?" Eve stopped and leaned on the wall. It had been two years since they had stopped talking about her being fake.

It was her sister Cedric who was going to marry. They were so much in love but then an accident happened and her sister lost her life. At least, that was what everyone thought since no one was able to find her body.

She was skiing in the mountains and only her things were found but she was lost. She had seen Cedric standing there for hours as if he had lost everything. As if the world had stopped existing for him.

But just when she had thought that he would leave, he came to her and proposed marriage to her. Their parents who were drowning in tears escalated.

As if it was not the death of their daughter had disheartened them. But they were upset because they would lose a fat cow giving milk to them daily. She wanted to tell Cedric about her greedy family and how her sister was with him only for money. But she could not when she looked at the raw pain in his eyes.

She had a crush on him from the start. But since he was dating her sister, she never dared to confess it. And always hid in her room whenever he came. But this… it was like a dream come true.

Their marriage was simple and his family did not accept her. But then, they have not accepted her sister either. Since they were from a middle-class family. Both of her parents were simple office workers. 

"I can bet my whole salary that the boss is going to meet his first love while asking his substitute wife to arrange her welcome." another maid snickers bringing her back to her senses.

She felt her blood boil. So what if Cedric had loved her sister years ago, she was his wife now.

"I can bet that…"

"What are you betting about?" She stood behind them and glared at them with cold and dark eyes. She was silent in front of Cedric that did not mean she was going to stay silent in front of the world. 

The maids were stunned at her sudden presence. They had seen her running behind their boss with sniffling eyes.

"We… that, we were betting on the choice of decoration, madam." the maid lied with an awkward look on her face.

Eve had been silent in front of their master but that did not mean she was a spineless woman. She had fired all the staff for one reason or another when they insulted her in the past. She had cleared it well so that she could not be insulted.

They were left ones and mostly new ones who did not know about the matter. The three gossiping were just irked that she had fired all of their colleagues and friends. But they held it in for years.

Now that they had found a chance, they spoke about it.

"Tsk! If you are so scared of your actions. Do not do them. You remember the consequences well so I will not waste my breath on explaining it to you, Grace. But remember, whether I stay or not is not in your hands. But whether you stay or not…" a condescending smile appeared on her lips trembling the maid and she dared not waste another breath.

She bowed hard.

"I… I apologize, madam. I didn't mean to do that. I was wrong. Please." the maid sniffled, making her snicker.

"The preparations.. Pay more attention to them." Eve walked to her room. She plopped on the sofa and closed her eyes. It was going to be two hard days but as long as Ceric kept his promise, she could handle this nightmare.

She opened her eyes only to see a large picture on the opposite wall. It was her, Cedric and Elene. She never wanted this picture in her room. But Cedric said that they looked good together in it. Ha! It was Elene who looked best in this picture and she had often found him staring at this picture.

She stood up and walked toward the picture. 

"I wonder… who do you see when you stand here, Cedric." her voice was cold this time. She had enough if he decided to choose her sister, she was not going to drown herself into tears and beg him.

She was going to slap him and leave. Leave with… her hands tightened around her belly. 

"Do not give me the chance to leave, Cedric. Or you will lose me forever." But do you care?