~~

The sudden downpour of water made Emily's eyes open slowly and a gasp escaped her gummy throat.

She must have passed out completely after she was thrown into the truck. And now, this environment is unfamiliar.

She felt restraints, and that's because her arms are tied behind her. She is laying on the ground with her right side, her mouth gagged.

The place smelt like sawdust with a mix of dung. Is this a stable?

There's a small dim light shinning directly on her face, and just when she was about to start wondering where it's coming from, she was pulled to her knees by strong arms.

She wasn't surprised when she came face-to-face with Sophia.

Sophia sat like a vice on a chair, right in front of her. There are still streaks of tears on her face, and that only confirmed something.

Sage is dead.

Despite her gagged mouth, Emily smiled in victory, and the smile graduated into a shrill laughter which annoyed Sophia to the deepest core.

She roughly pulled the gag away from Emily's mouth, and Emily let out a breath.

No idea what the gag was, but it stank.

Sophia threw her hand forward hitting Emily vengefully in her face.

Emily cheek stung, and the bun in her hair went loose, letting her long blonde hair cover a large part of her face.

Sophia's hand flew forward again, giving her another hit, harder than the first one.

The third hit came almost immediately and Emily's mouth bled from the intensity.

“I can help you send the baby to him too, in hell. Pretty sure he's long dead!” Emily spat.

Sophia raised her hand to slap her again, but Emily ducked her head forward, slamming her forehead on Sophia's tummy.

An earthshaking scream tore out of Sophia's mouth as she staggered and fell, holding her stomach which began hurting like hell.

Her gangsters rushed in to help her up. They are three, plus the two who hijacked the van.

“I trusted you! I respected you, Sophia! I gave you my all and what did you do? You threw it to the dust! I can't count how many times I borrowed you money! But you never paid back with our friendship excuse! I even bought you a baby walker and a cot already, intending to gift them to you after you put to bed, but what? The baby belongs to Sage?” Emily said, laughing at herself.

“I should probably get an award for foolishness at this rate” She grinned painfully.

By now Sophia is back at her feet, she came closer again, picking a plank from the ground which she hit on Emily's head mercilessly.

Emily's skull made a loud noise as blood ran down her face, and Sophia grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to face up.

“He doesn't want you! You're a fool! Is that too hard to grasp? He only want your money for us! You've been so kind funding the two of us for so long. What's bad in continuing? Huh?” She shamelessly said.

Emily's head is still a mess from the plank hit, so she couldn't even give a reply as she wriggled in her hold.

“Now that you've killed him and rendered my baby fatherless, I am going to end you too like I promise” Sophia barked, releasing her roughly.

Emily fell back to the ground, almost passing out as Sophia took a Glock Gun from the gangsters.

She slid her fingers under the trigger, aiming for Emily on the ground.

“Bye sweetheart-” She muttered, and the scenario experienced a swift and unexpected change.

The dim lighr in the room which came from the bulb suddenly went off and someone definitely entered the room.

The sound of trashing was the only thing that could be heard for the next three minutes.

“What's going on?! Who is it?!” Sophia shaky scared voice boomed as she stood alone in the darkness.

The light came back on, and the gory scene that greeted her made her freeze in place.

Four bodies are down in pool of their blood. The bodies of the gangsters.

The fifth one is in the grip of a guy who is wearing a cap.

He is holding the gangster in a dangerous chokehold, ready to sniff life out of him as his determined eyes fell on Sophia.

“Who…who are…. you!” Sophia gasped as the gun fell from her and she shifted back in trepidation.

Emily's eyes opened on the ground, and she managed to raise her head a bit, taking a look.

It's the same strange guy she sighted in the wedding hall earlier. The buff guy.

He snapped the neck of the fifth gangster in ease, dropping his dead body on top of the other four.

Sophia let out a deafening scream, and she fell unconscious.

Emily pushed herself to a sitting position, viewing the man clearly.

He's not moving from his position, and he's giving her that intentional look again like he's on a mission.

“Who are you? And why did you save me?” Emily asked slowly, her head throbbing and her body aching.

“The boss has an important business to settle with you” he replied, his voice firm.

“The boss?” Emily tried to open her eyes wider as the headache got more intense.

The man stepped aside and the powerful scent of pine and wood confiscated the air as another man stepped into the room.

Even in the dim light, his halo is too strong, and his walking steps are calculative. With a hand in his pocket and the other hand firm beside him, he advanced.

His bolrado suit is best described as ‘perfect’, and the sharpness of his jaw is obvious from the distance. His hair is slick back and when the dim light hit his eyes, the heterochromia showed.

The color of his two eyes differ, and it only added to his commanding aura.

Who's this man?

Emily shifted back on her butt, fear suddenly clawing her the closer he got.

She couldn't escape though. Her back hit the wall after a few shifts. She gasped, swallowing nothingness.

The man crouched in front of her, the smell of his aftershave wafting through her nose as their eyes met.

No jokes, she could die in fear right now. Whoever this man is, he's definitely a powerful force.

“Who are…you?” She stuttered.

This is the second time she would be asking that question today though from different people, and she's hoping he's not here to make her life worse than it is already.

The man eyes twitched, burning embers through her skin, before he spoke in a rich dulcet voice.

“Ever heard of Lorenzo Vasquez?”

Emily's heart got hooked in her throat, and her breath seized.

Lorenzo Vasquez is a name which spelled doomed whenever it was mentioned.

Belonging to a devil who's custom-made from hell. The merciless boss of The Asylum, who is allergic to forgiveness and giving second chances.

As Lorenzo kept his eyes zeroed on Emily who is sitting helplessly on the ground. Emily couldn't help but recall every evil thing she has heard about this man.

She shivered like a leaf in storm and she slowly looked away from those dark eyes, facing the ground.

Lorenzo stretched his hand sideward, and the other guy placed a combat knife in it.

“Get up” Lorenzo commanded, and Emily had to look up again.

How is she suppose to stand with her hands tied behind like this?

She pushed the pessimistic thought away and tried to stand up, but that definitely was a bad choice.

She was able to stand up but she staggered forward, almost knocking herself into Lorenzo.

Lorenzo moved out of the way and she fell back to the ground, hurting her knees.

“Hmmp!” A gasp left her mouth, and Lorenzo's face turned disappointed as he watched her bleed.

Is this really the same woman who stabbed her groom to death on the altar?

His brows twitched and that little act triggered Emily.

She is not a weakling and no one is allowed to look down on her, no matter who.

Determined, she pushed herself to her feet, and she did it cleanly. Standing in front of him.

“What business do you have with me, Mr. Vasquez?” she raised her chin bravely.

The man smirked with a toxic edge, grabbing her arm and turning her around in a swift twist.

The knife with him made just one contact with the knot she was tied with. It was too professional, and when the rope fell on the ground, she quickly faced him, swallowing again.

Thier eyes met, and his own seem to hold a thousand midnights as it clashed with hers.

“Talking here would be attempted murder” he said looking at the smelly sawdust. It's really a messy stable.

“Tag along” he finished the statement, exiting the building with one hand inserted in his pocket.

The other guy carried unconscious Sophia and Emily didn't bother to ask what they want with Sophia too, she just followed him out.

Despite the ache in her bones and the killing stings in her skull and knees, she followed without thinking.

If there's a safe place to hide from the cops, it would be with a powerful mafia boss.

Not like she is scared of going to jail, but she could use more time before getting captured again.

Whatever is in stock for her should better be in her good interest.

~~

“What would you like to have, miss?” a server dressed in immaculate white uniform asked with a welcoming smile, and Emily looked over to the other side of the wide table where Lorenzo sat like a king with the other guy behind him.

Emily got to know his name was Cooper during the drive here, and he is Lorenzo closest man.

There are currently in a private dinner called ‘Vino e Cucina’, but food is the least of Emily's issues presently.

“I'm not hungry” she told the server who instantly stepped away.

Emily's eyes went to the end of the table again to see Cooper saying something into Lorenzo's ear, and her patience vanished.

“What are we doing here?” she asked firmly, her fist folded on her laps under the table.

Cooper stepped back from Lorenzo, seems he has finished telling him whatever he was saying.

“Eat” Lorenzo replied, his eyes settling on her.

“I just said I am not hungry, this is not the time to eat” she retorted, surprised that she didn't stutter.

“It's either you eat, and we get this over with. Or you don't, and we spend the rest of our day sitting here” he replied blankly.

Emily knew he wasn't bluffing, and the last thing she would want to do is spend the rest of her time before jail here. Also, she is curious about what he wants from her, so she gave in.

She called the sever back, and she could feel Lorenzo's eyes piercing on herself as she ordered a dish of paste and a simple pineapple juice.

Lorenzo's face made a strange glitch immediately she ordered that, but she didn't care.

She was tapping her foot on the ground, glaring at both Lorenzo and Cooper without minding the consequences until her food arrived.

The pasta barely hit the table before she began eating fast, and though it's madly delicious, she had no time to savour the taste well.

She ate five mouthfuls before drinking the pineapple juice to wash it down.

“This is the last time you would be taking pineapple juice” Lorenzo's commanding voice came from the table end, and she lifted her lids at him, questioning him with her eyes and the cup still intact between her full lips.

“You're gonna be acting as my dead wife, and pineapple is the one thing she was allergic to” he continued, making her choke on her juice.

She spilled the juice all over the clothed table. Her shock was raw when she saw pictures of herself, but the only difference is the eyes.

While her eyes are hazel, the eyes in the pictures are emerald. Apart from that, they're literally the same, even the blonde hair.

“This is…your…dead wife?” Emily asked in a drawl.

“You are smart. Yes, that is Laura Vasquez, the woman you will be” Lorenzo replied crisply, resting his elbows on the table and interlocking his fingers.

His stiffed shoulders strained against his suit in the process, the movement intentional.

“Wait,” Emily stood, shutting her eyes for a while before opening it.

“Why should I-”

“I'll help you live freely, and you won't have to go to jail for killing your groom” Lorenzo declared and her butt landed back on the chair.

“Where is the contract?” She asked thoughtlessly.

What is there to think about?

She accepted her life was over immediately she stabbed Sage, but now that an opportunity to live on popped up, it will be stupid to not take it.

Though she would be living the life of a dead person, so what? Atleast she'll still stay alive and well, not eating shit in jail.

It will be a plain and bland too since Lorenzo is a well-known emotionless monster who doesn't like anyone who is not his dead wife.

Her own heart has been locked away since Safe poisoned her emotions.

It's just the perfect combo, an opportunity to survive again.

She looked at Lorenzo who looks unmoved even by her sudden outburst.

“I'll sign it” She said.

Cooper dropped the paperwork in front of her and a pen.

She read the contract attentively, making sure she grasped every concept and detail.

The most important part is acting like a mother to his twins without giving them any reason to suspect her, then making sure not to develop worthless feelings for him.

If she gets caught by the kids as an imposter, or she get caught developing feelings for him, the contract will be terminated and she will be handed over to the cops.

She took the pen on top of the paper, and looked at him with a slow, cunning smile.

He just met the perfect person for his job, majorly because none of the two is ever going to happen.

Ever.

She brought her eyes back to the contract, signing smoothly.

New life, New persona.

The smell of injections, medicines, and antiseptics mixed together to make Emily's stomach turn.

How much she hates the smell of hospitals. It makes her sick to the core.

Lorenzo had driven her to the hospital after the contract signing, and it's surprising how the nurses attending to her pretended not to know about what she did to Sage.

The news is all over the country, and she is currently wanted.

Lorenzo is sitting on a couch in the private ward, working on a tablet.

Obviously, he has this hospital in palm of his hands. He's the mafia boss anyway. His authority goes far and wide.

Emily looked at Cooper who is standing rigidly behind the nurses attending to her.

Cooper looked down at her, and she smiled a bit. “Does he own this hospital?...I mean Mr. Vasquez”

Cooper threw his face away, and she bit into her bottom lip scoffing in secret. There's hardly any difference between Lorenzo himself and Cooper, they are both chunks of dry ice.

Her head got treated and bandaged, and her knees were patched too. She was given helpful shots to relieve the pains in her system, and she was made to lay in bed for rest.

Her mind reeled back to Sage, the fact that she doesn't regret or feel any remorse is blissful. She had the last laugh after all.

Her eyes fell on Lorenzo who is still on his tab, sitting gracefully on the couch, and questions shrouded her mind.

Why did he not just tell the kids about their mother's death instead of hiring her to act like the dead wife.

Why does she share the same face with the dead wife.

These questions disturbed her head, and she pulled a sigh out of herself to calm her medulla.

Lorenzo suddenly stood, making her blink slightly as he walked to her, darkness oozing off him in waves.

“All news about you will be out of the media houses before day break, and the case will be closed too” he said easily.

Emily sat up in quickly in bed, her eyes showing how shocked she was.

“Just like that? It didn't take an hour. I killed someone and I'm off the hook after you pressed your tab for some minutes?” she asked in an unsettled rush.

“You'll stay here for a week to heal” Lorenzo spoke, ignoring her words.

“Oh okay” she sounded.

“Ask the nurses anything you want, they'll provide it. I'll be back in a week to pick you up” Lorenzo continued.

Emily just sighed, then he dropped his tablet on her hands which she quickly held.

“It contains everything you need to know about Laura and the kids. Take your time to learn them, efficiently” he addressed, his tone authoritative.

“Sure” she added again, tighting her grip on the tab.

“The pregnant lady, do you want her dead?” Cooper asked.

Emily looked up, he is definitely talking about Sophia, and she got mixed feelings immediately.

Now that Sophia's fate is in her hands, what punishment befits her?

“Kill her” Lorenzo ordered when she was taking too long to reply.

“Yes boss” Cooper replied straight, and Emily looked down from the bed grabbing Lorenzo's arm.

Lorenzo looked down at the contact, and she quickly let go off him before apologizing.

“I'm…I'm sorry”

“It's pointless, we have lots of acts to do in front of the kids” he replied point-blank, his brows thickening.

Emily dropped her hands slowly, her mind swaying to Sophia.

Sophia is a bitch who deserves to die in a ditch, but for the sake of her pregnancy, she is willing to spare her life. The baby might be Sage's, but it's too innocent to be murdered in the womb. She wont be that cruel.

“Leave Sophia alive” she said politely.

Without anymore talk, Lorenzo and Cooper left the ward, and Emily fell back in bed, sighing out.

“Do you need anything, Mrs. Vasquez?” A nurse asked, and she swiftly turned her head around to see a smiley nurse standing beside her.

“Mrs. Vasquez?”

“The boss told us to address you like that, ma'am” the nurse respectfully replied, and Emily squinted.

That was….fast.

Mrs. Vasquez sounds foreign, sounds new.

~~

[The Browns’ Residence]

The house is in disarray with the couple — Sage's parents, rushing around and grabbing the most important stuffs into their bags.

They look like they are going on a sudden journey, and they are both sweating.

“Did you take my favorite shirt?” Mr. Brown asked impatiently.

“This is not the time to care about a favourite shirt, he gave us an ultimatum, remember? We must not stay here for 24 hours more” Mrs. Brown replied, zipping up the bag.

Mr. Brown carried the bag, and they both rushed out of the house into a waiting car driven by Cooper.

~~

[A week later]

Emily was ready for the game when Lorenzo came to pick her up at the hospital.

He had taken her to the needed places for the needed touches, especially the eyes.

Emerald contact lenses were attached to her eyes to give her the real Laura Vasquez look, and she had to wear tall heels since Laura liked them.

Though, that's nothing since she wore tall heels for her modelling shoots before.

She has been reading Laura's and the kids lifestyle, likes and dislikes on the tablet since three days ago, and she grasped as much as possible.

She even read all about the Vasquez Estate, but that still wasn't enough to prepare her for the awe she experienced when she came down from the McLaren with Lorenzo and Cooper.

The car drove into the large Vasquez Estate three minutes ago, and those three minutes were what it took for the car to get to the main park.

The Estate has teak trees in it's surrounding, creating a weirdly good greenery, and the road was paved with cobblestones. They are short growing dandelions in a small garden, and Emily got to know through the tablet and kids love the flowers.

Apart from the main ash-painted mansion in the middle of the estate, there are separate quarters for the guards and cleaners, and there are several other empty buildings which Emily is yet to know their uses.

Tall, hefty guards strolled the perimeter, their figures threatening and intimidating with their long guns locked securely in the their grasp.

Emily's eyes wandered back to Lorenzo who is accessing her with all of his devilish eyes, making her uncomfortable.

She's wearing a white low-cut dress. Simple but sophisticated like Laura’s style and it hugged her curves, giving her the look. Lorenzo had picked the dress.

Lorenzo took his eyes off her satisfactorily and led the way to the main mansion.

Cooper carried Emily's expensive trolley bag and led her in with Lorenzo, but getting to the mansion door, they met the two spawns by the door.

Cora, a beautiful blondie who looks like a goth barbie in her all-black outfit, unsmiling. And Cole who looks like his father in his ash cargo pants and hoodie, his long lashes unblinking.

Emily got into the character immediately, letting tears out of her eyes as she began walking to them, the scars on her forehead still very obvious despite the makeup, and the ones on her knees the same.

“How much I missed my babies” she sniffled, the tears multiplying in her eyes as they fell down her cheeks.

But before she could get to them, the two bursted her bubbles.

“Go back to where you have been for the past one year” Cole spoke stonily.

“And never come back” Cora added with the same time. And together, they entered the mansion.

Emily came to a standstill, her tears stopped falling as she faced Lorenzo and Cooper.

This will be harder than expected.