Chapter 001

Nova Pearl Laurent stepped out of the sleek, black sedan that had driven her to the imposing gates of the Laurent family mansion. The sprawling estate stood as a stark contrast to the gritty underground fight clubs she had become accustomed to. 

Her body bore the scars of countless fights, a testament to the hard life she had led since being released from juvenile detention three years ago. But now, she was back in the confines of her opulent childhood home.

The heavy oak doors creaked open, revealing the familiar grandeur of the Laurent mansion's foyer. Nova's gaze swept across the ornate chandeliers, marble floors, and the portraits of her ancestors that adorned the walls. 

"Welcome home, Miss Laurent," a voice greeted her, jolting her from her thoughts. It was William, the long-serving butler, who had been a steadfast presence throughout Nova's  childhood. His face displayed a mix of relief and apprehension upon seeing her.

The mansion was still the same after so many years, also the same familiar smell of her childhood. 

She handed her suitcase to the butler, "Thank you, William," Nova replied, her voice tinged with weariness. "Where is my mother?"

"She is waiting for you in the drawing room, Miss Laurent," William said, gesturing towards a set of double doors at the end of the hallway.

Nova nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She took a deep breath, straightened her leather jacket, and pushed open the doors. The room beyond was as lavish as she remembered, with velvet drapes and antique furniture, but her attention was immediately drawn to the figure standing by the window.

Her mother, Hera Laurent, turned to face Nova, her eyes void of any emotions. Her hair slicked back in a bun, her lips painted in red lipstick, her hands crossed across her chest. 

It had been 8 years since she last saw her, and the woman who gave birth to her didn't had slightest regret in her eyes for abandoning her all these years.

"What was so urgent that you called me back?" Nova questioned straightforwardly, her eyes had a little hope in them.

"I've a job for you, an important one" the older woman replied, "take a seat" she added

Nova sat on the leather chair as her mother made herself comfortable in the seat in front of her, she poured the hot tea in a cup extending it towards Nova for her to drink. 

Nova blankly stared at the teacup without touching it, "Make it quick, I don't have time for this" Nova uttered tilting her head to crack her neck. 

"Your twin sister Reverie has gotten herself in a car accident" Hera said

Nova's voice caught in her throat, her hands trembling, she had so many questions in her head but she could only ask, "What happened to Reverie?"

"A car accident," Hera replied, "She's been in a coma for weeks now. The doctors say there's little hope for her recovery."

Nova's fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. "And what does this have to do with me?", It was the last thing Nova wanted to say but she couldn't even express her worry for her beloved sister.

Hera's gaze hardened. This wasn't quite the reaction she expected from Nova. The woman treasured her younger twin sister more than anything in the world. 

"Reverie is married to Aeros Ian Valencia, the heir of the Valencia family, a powerful and influential family. Their alliance was crucial to maintaining our status and wealth. They saved us from bankruptcy. But now, with Reverie incapacitated, it falls upon you to take her place" Hera explained. 

Nova was internally disappointed that she couldn't be present for her twin sister's wedding, but was content by the fact that her sister had found  someone for herself. 

"Take Reverie's place as Aeros's wife" she stated 

Nova's eyes widened in disbelief. "You want me to take her place? To pretend to be Reverie?"

"Yes," her mother said, her voice resolute. "It's the only way to secure our family's future. You will need to convince Aeros that you are Reverie, only until Reverie opens her eyes "

Nova felt a wave of anger surge through her. Her life had been stolen once, and now her mother expected her to give up her identity again. The mother who once loved them so much, is now a cold hearted woman she couldn't even recognise. 

Nova chuckled in sarcasm, "And here I thought that maybe, maybe, there's a tiny bit of regret in your heart for everything you've done to me, but no, you want to use me again for your personal benifits!" She exclaimed bitterly 

"I don't tolerate any failures in our family, but I'm giving you a chance, aren't I? To make up your past failures" she asserted taking a sip of the tea before putting the cup down on the table, "I don't expect you to do this play for free, I'll pay you well" 

Nova's eyes widened, "Huh? What the hell do you think of me? I'm not a beggar!" 

"I was a fool to come here in the first place! I'm going I don't think I can listen to anymore of this nonsense" she added getting up from her seat before turning her boots around, 

but her mother's next words made her halt in her steps, "Reverie's accident was not an accident, it was a well planned out trap to kill her" 

Nova turned her back, "Who the hell put my sister in a coma? And why are you so calm about it!" she yelled in disbelief

Nova felt like killing the person responsible for her sister's accident, her sister who is now hanging by a thread between life and death. She wanted to scream and cry but she maintained her composure to not let out her unsightiness in front her mother who she still respected. 

"We don't know yet. Being the wife of the heir of Valencia Group, Reverie has many enemies around her, enemies that lusts after the power and that comes along with being a part of Valencia, we have some suspects but we've no proof against them" Hera calmly dictated.

"Why... Why are you willing to go so far as to make me pretend to be Reverie?" Nova's voice trembled as she questioned Hera's plan, "Why not just tell them the truth it's not like they can break off the marriage just because she's in an accident" 

Hera sighed, "You're mistaken at that part, they can break off the marriage, do you think laws are implied to someone as influential as them?" 

Nova's brows furrowed in confusion,  "Why would her husband divorce her if he married her in the first place?" she asked 

"It was an arranged marriage fixed his family, Aeros was against this marriage from the beginning, the only reason he agreed to it was to get his position as the Ceo of the company, the chairman indirectly threatened him that if he didn't marry the woman of their choice the position as the Ceo would be given to his stepbrother" the older woman explained 

"So basically y'all married off Reverie to a man who absolutely hates her" Nova let out a scoff, "And for what? To save yourself from bankruptcy, you're the same as ever" she added

Nova genuinely thought that someone as idealistic as Reverie would've married someone who loved her, to say she was shocked was an understatement. 

Hera gazed towards her, "This is nothing, I can go till any extent to maintain our family's name and reputation or else everything I've done until now would go in vain" 

Nova bit her lower lip in frustration, "I can't agree to this, if her husband catches on my act he would divorce Reverie without a second thought" she objected

"You don't have to worry about that, Aeros isn't the least interested in Reverie, he's cold towards her, so much that he wouldn't notice if it's a whole different person in Reverie's place" Hera reasoned out

"What about Reverie? What would she feel if she gets to know that I took her place and lived under the same roof with her husband?" Nova questioned 

"Aeros does not care one bit about Reverie, he hates her, but Reverie that girl, she's head over heels for him. She feels as if it's her rightful place as the Laurent heiress to be beside someone as him" Hera trailed off 

"And Aeros had a lover with whom he had to break up with before the marriage, but I recently got to know that they've been in contact for the past few weeks, and the worst possible scenario for Reverie would be Aeros getting his lover pregnant to break off the marriage while she's unconscious" she added

Nova could not believe her mother's words, she could not comprehend the fact that her sister is married to such a horrible man, it was expected as arrange marriages usually don't end up well but this guy was getting on her nerves. 

"Before I make my decision, let me see Reverie"

Hera with hesitation accepted Nova's demand to see Reverie. Nova, her mother and her personal assistant drove to the penthouse where Reverie was being treated by a doctor who was a close acquaintance of her mother. 

Nova stepped out of the car, entering the penthouse which was once their vacation place, here Reverie and Nova spent their childhood summers together. So much has changed yet everything feels so familiar. Nova thought to herself. 

Her mother and her assistant led her to her sister's room. 

Nova's heart dropped as the door of the room was opened. Reverie Rye Laurent, her once cheerful twin sister, laid motionless on a hospital bed, hooked up to machines that kept her alive.

Nova walked towards her, bruises and cuts were visible on Reverie's face and body, her pale dry lips, Nova's trembling hand stretched forward to hold her sister's lifeless hand. 

She held her hand tightly afraid if she let go of it she would lose her warmth forever, a tear rolled down her cheek seeing the state of her sister. 

It was harder than Nova thought, she couldn't bear seeing her beloved sister like this. 

"Do you understand the gravity of the situation now?" Her mother questioned.

She could not respond to her mother for a few minutes, "Whoever the hell did this, I'll make sure to make their life a living hell" Nova expressed in anger.

As she was holding her hand tightly she noticed a diamond ring on her finger which was probably her engagement ring. With a heavy heart Nova removed the ring from her finger 

"I hope you forgive me for this, I'll be holding onto it for awhile, Rev" she uttered calling her younger sister by the nickname she used to call when they were younger. 

"Have you decided yet?" Her mother asked getting impatient

"Yes, I'll do it, I'll play the role of Reverie, the wife of Aeros Ian Valencia" Nova Pearl stated with determination and a new resolve as she wore the ring that belonged to Reverie in her finger. 

"Alright, Ms June will give you the necessary instructions, you've to prepare yourself in three days" Hera ordered in an authoritative voice

Nova nodded in response having no choice but to follow the older woman's order. 

Ms June made her learn the names of the family members of Aeros, their likes and dislikes. Nova thought it was futile to do so as she's got a quite forgetful memory. 

Ms June showed her the picture of a woman in her late 40s, she was quite a beautiful woman despite her age, a well poised and elegant woman, "This is Mrs Blanché Valancia, the biological mother of Aeros, and the current chairman is not the biological father of Aeros" 

Nova was taken aback, "What?", She wouldn't have expected Aeros to not be a biological child of the chairman by knowing the power he held. 

"Yeah, Aeros is the child of Mrs Blanché previous marriage, it is said that she divorced him because he was an abusive drunkard, she got married to the chairman when Aeros was ten years old" Ms June explained 

Nova raised a brow, "What about his siblings?" 

"They're his half siblings, Giselle Valencia and Jasper Valencia" Ms June replied as she swiped on the tablet showing the picture of a young woman and a man. They looked like celebrities to Nova. 

Nova questioned, "If Aeros isn't the son of the chairman why would he hand over the Ceo position to him? I mean he would've preferred his own son to inherit the company" 

Ms June gazed up towards her, "The chairman sees potential in Aeros and his capabilities are extraordinary which makes him different from anybody, Mrs Blanché comes off from a wealthy family as well, it's just that she fell in love with Aeros's father who was an unemployed man and got married to him against her family's will" 

"The only reason why Aeros had to marry Reverie was because of the chairman, if he would not have gotten married to your sister his position as the Ceo would've most likely be given to Jasper" she added

"What about Aeros? Do you've a picture of him?" 

"Of course I do, almost everyone in the country knows about him, he's practically a celebrity in the business world" Ms June replied with enthusiasm in her voice as she gave her the tablet to look at his picture. 

An intimidating tall man with a well built body, his posture was befitting of a person in such a high position, his looks were ethereal, dark ebony waves of his hair fallen on his face his dull grey eyes giving a contrasting look to the colour of his hairs. 

No wonder Reverie fell for him Nova thought to herself, good looks, wealth, powerful position, elite family, he has everything.

"Swipe to the next picture" Ms June instructed, Nova swiped on the next picture, it was a picture of a woman in her 20s, long ginger hairs and pretty brown eyes, to say she was 'beautiful' was an understatement, she was so gorgeous that Nova kept staring at the picture. 

"She's Aeros's lover, quite the beauty, it's not a surprise that someone like her has him wrapped around her little finger" Ms June uttered snapping her out of her thoughts.

She continued, "She works for Aeros as his assistant, she's his right hand, he always keeps her by his side which made it harder for Reverie to get him to notice her" 

Nova gritted her teeth in frustration, "He's shameless, keeping a lover by his side when he's married to my sister, I'm gonna fucking end him when I see that bastard" 

Ms June's eyes widened like saucers, "Please don't Ms Laurent, don't let him suspect you even a tiny bit, although there's little to no chance that he would know that it's you not Reverie, but we can't take any risks" she warned the younger woman 

Nova sighed in defeat, "Yeah, I'll be careful"

Ms June looked at her, "Ms Laurent, Reverie has suffered alot mentally during her marriage with Aeros, she was used by her family and her husband would not even spare a glance at her, I hope you make things easier for Reverie when she returns so that she can live in peace" she expressed

Nova felt a knot tying in her throat hearing the older woman's words, "I'll try" was her response. 

"One more thing" Ms June spoke with hesitation in her voice as if she was contemplating if that piece of information should be shared with her or not but she decided to tell her anyways,

"we've our suspicions on few people involved in Reverie's accident and one of our suspects is Aeros Ian Valencia, Reverie's husband"