Chapter 3: Fake It Till You Make It

Immediately he came in and saw the book in my hand. It felt like an earthquake shook the whole room, and the aftermath was still wrecking me.

My hands trembled, my legs shook, my head felt heavy.

I couldn't take the pressure anymore, so the heavy book slipped from my fingers and landed straight on my foot with a loud thud.

“Ow—” I winced in both pain and disbelief.

Luca’s reflexes kicked in fast. He rushed over and helped lift the book off me, then gently sat me down on the sofa.

“How did the book slip out of your hands?” he asked, his voice loud but not angry,more like concerned. His eyes scanned me like I was made of glass.

But I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t move.

“It’s just…” I stuttered, my lips parted, but the complete sentence couldn’t come out.

Because all I could think about was what I just discovered.

Luca Zhao… was my stepbrother.

The same man I had posters of.

The same man I had crushed on since I was fifteen.

He was my idol, I had made endless research about him,his workouts, his diet, his skincare routine. I even knew his car’s name like it was mine.

And now?

Now he was the son of the man who had torn the remaining part of my family.

I didn’t know what was worse,the fact that Luca was my stepbrother…

Or that he was tied to the same man who was the angel of death to my mum.

But now wasn't the time to break down.

It was time to act right.

One thing was for sure: I wouldn’t just break down the bloodline responsible for turning me vulnerable.

I would destroy it.

Like my mom used to say, “Fake it till you make it.” With that proverb, I changed my entire mood back to the innocent fangirl I was.

“Mr. Luca, I’m so sorry. Just as Miss Harper left, she slammed the door, which made that book fall, and so I thought of picking it up,” I lied with much confidence and innocence, so he wouldn’t suspect a thing.

“That’s thoughtful of you, but be careful next time. I don’t want you carrying a cast,” he smiled as he said this, making my heart melt for a minute.

But the picture of my mom still hidden in my hand rekindled the doused rage in my heart.

So I drastically stood up from the sofa back to the corporate chair facing his office desk.

“Sir, you called for me,you called me to the 60th floor,” I said, trying to hide the first droplet of tears trying to roll down my eye.

“Yes, I did. May I know why you were seated there looking all sad and frustrated? A pretty girl like you isn’t supposed to be looking all sad.”

Immediately he said that last line “A pretty girl like you isn’t supposed to be looking all sad” I felt like pulling a knife out of my pocket and stabbing him in the throat, where he had no chance of survival.

But if I got arrested or fired, I would never get another golden opportunity like this to avenge my mom’s brutal death.

So I recited my new mantra:

Fake it till you make it.

“It’s just that I got selected into the internship program, but I still wasn’t able to go in. Miss Harper only distributed my friends and colleagues into their different departments,except me…just because I was an intern and would be working under her. So It made me extremely sad.”

As I began explaining to him, I made my voice sound a lot more vulnerable and sad, so he could help me get in.

“So that’s why you were so sad and depressed?”

Hearing Luca say this, I felt a sense of assurance.

“You know what… Do you want that internship post?” he asked with a grin on his face.

“Yes!” I said, with ecstasy all over my reply.

“You know what,my answer is No!. You won’t be getting that post,” he replied with much seriousness.

I wondered if he had figured out everything, so I began pleading.

“Sir, I really need…”

“You won’t be taking the internship program. You will become my personal assistant, handling all my external meetings and schedules. And if you still care for training, I don’t mind giving you one or two pointers,after or during work hours,” he said now with a widened smile.

“Sir, thank you. You won’t regret this decision,” I entwined gratitude in my tone,as I gave a pretentious bow.

“Sorry for joking with you. I thought keeping the good news in suspense would cheer you up. And guess what…it did. All you have to do is resume here tomorrow morning, remember my office.”

“Thanks a lot again,” I thanked him with a sly smile on my face. “I don’t know how to repay this favor. What can I do for you, sir?”

“All you have to do is give me that beautiful name of yours,” he said, stroking his chin pervasively.

“It’s Seraph Hampton.” I answered.

The name of the girl who was going to become your nemesis.

Just as I thought I had escaped further interrogation,he asked me a question that felt like he knew something.