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.

Lorenzo's expression stayed unchanged, so is Cooper's.

Emily felt like she is the only one who heard the kids just now, and she wondered if these two are really humans or stones pretending to have blood and flesh.

“You heard them” she spoke up, her voice lower than intended.

“What were you expecting, Laura. You left them for a year and more. They wouldn't jump into your arms and give you a darn hug” Lorenzo replied, his words curt.

“I'm not Lau…”

“Watch your tongue, Laura” Lorenzo cut her off, reminding her of her current identity.

Emily quickly gathered herself together, brushing her hair back with her palm.

Lorenzo entered the mansion, and a lady came out, taking Emily's bag from Cooper who retired to his own quarters afterwards.

“I'm Maggie, the maid” The lady introduced herself with a smile so radiant it could lighten a room.

Emily liked her immediately.

“You're the new Mrs. Vasquez. The boss told me everything about you already. You only have to ask me anything about the real Mrs. Vasquez or the kids, and I'll tell you” Maggie smiled again, politely.

Emily went closer to her, and the lady leaned closer too.

“Why couldn't he tell them about their mother's death instead of hiring me to act like her? They are bound to find out sooner or later” Emily spoke in a low voice, and Maggie sighed.

“They were born with weak hearts, and the doctor already warned against any shocking news. It might kill them no matter the slightest, and they both loved their mother a lot. So, the boss had to keep it from them. Every member of the inner circle and family members are aware, but the had to pretend just to fool the kids.

“Oh” Emily blinked, developing sudden pity for the kids without planning to.

She could imagine how hard it must have been for them without their mother for the past one year, and with a father who is like the devil's advocate.

Emily grew up in an orphanage till she was adopted by the rich Laurent family at five. She had lived with the family for five years before she was framed for theft.

At ten, she was thrown out of Laurent Mansion. She met Sophia who was another orphan in the street, and they had strived and grew together, only for her to become a thorn.

Growing up without either parents was hellish, but as kids with weak hearts, a year without a mother would have been harder.

Right there, Emily decided to do all it would take. They are free to stay mad at her for as long as they want, she’d earn their forgiveness.

“The boss had lie to them continously that their mother went for a confidential mission in America. But then, he saw you in a GMI modelling shoot and kept an eye on you since then. The opportunity showed up after the thing with your groom happened” Maggie kindly explained and Emily took a deep breath, taking everything in at the same time.

“Thanks a lot Maggie” she gave the woman a short but genuine smile.

“You are very welcome, ma'am” Maggie replied, leading her inside.

The interior color of the mansion has the same as the exterior, and the designs are intricately modest, clean with a long staircase which led upstairs to the rooms. A large model kitchen, a spacious dining room and the lavishly furnished living room which was exceptionally designed with gold.

The kids aren't any where around, so Maggie led Emily upstairs to her room, right beside the kids room.

“If you need anything ma'am, please call for me. I'm at your service” Maggie told her before leaving.

Emily looked around the neatly-arranged room, the smell of Laura's strawberry perfume still lingering in the air.

She has never had a room this big all her life.

She noticed there are two other adjoining rooms and proceeded to opening them.

The first one is the bathroom which is as big as her former room in her former place.

The second room is a closet — Laura's closet, full to the brim with her luxury wears.

But then, they are in twos. Each wear has a twin, and she frowned as she tried to make out what it means.

Emily's mouth couldn't close as she stared, till her heels hit something on the ground.

She squatted, picking it up.

It's a bottle of cognac, and there's a half smoked cigar right beside it.

Emily's lashes flicked. Lorenzo Vasquez is obviously not over his dead wife.

He obviously came here to reminisce about her.

Seems the boss was down bad for his wife and is still down bad even after loosing her.

Laura Vasquez was a lucky woman.

Emily ran the tip of her fingers over the line of expensive clothes on the hanger, the itch to try out one of them making her suddenly stop.

An eager smile bathed her face, and she picked one out of the outfits — a black short gown, obviously only suitable for home, because of the thigh slit. It would need an inner short too.

Nevertheless, Emily tried it on and it fitted perfectly. The fact that she even has the same body proportions as Laura is frightening, but she brushed it off and step in front of the mirror to check herself out.

She wasn't opportuned to take a look when Lorenzo entered the room.

She saw him through the mirror, and she turned around quicker than she had planned.

For a moment, Lorenzo stood there, stunned by the way she looked in the outfit exactly like Laura, and the way her eyes batted thrice is the exactly what Laura looked like whenever he was checking her out.

“Is there…a problem?” Emily's question jolted him back to reality, reminding him that this is Emily not Laura. Not his Laura.

Anger suddenly surged Inside him. But to avoid hurting her, he kept it low and went closer to her.

“Take it off” he said in the coolest way he could.

Emily batted her lids again, taken aback by his sudden command.

“Why? Why should I take it off?”

She could feel the intense shift in the air as he took another step closer.

“Take it off, it's Laura's. And you're not allowed to wear anything that is her's” he said, riding each word off his tongue as carefully as ever.

“But I'm playing Laura, shouldn't I have access to her wears and…”

“I said take it off!” he snarled, louder than intended. “You're playing Laura but you're not her. I literally bought you from the government as a fake stand-in, so you might as well know your damn place” the words came out harsh, making Emily's throat shake.

“I was ready to go to jail, you offered to save me yourself so don't say you bought me. Don't do that!” she snapped back, her palms balled.

“I got the duplicates of her dresses and they are at the left part of this room. They are the only dresses you can touch, so beware and take that off. I originally came here to tell you this” he said, inserting one hand in his pocket before walking out, still trying to keep his anger in check.

Emily turned to the left side of the closet like he said, and there are really duplicates, more like clones of Laura's wears.

How come she didn't notice earlier?

She took off the one she was wearing and hung it back to it's original place, then she took the clone one and put it on.

How could he say that to her though? He bought her?

She can't get her mind off that particular statement. It hurts more than it should.

And then, why the mad obsession with his DEAD wife and her belongings?

~~

Cole and Cora share a room since they insisted, but the room is in two parts.

The right side is designed black completely, even the bedspread and walls in that part are black, but the other side is ash and white. The respective owners are obvious.

The two are seated on their beds when Lorenzo came in, and their eyes turned to him at the same time.

“Drop the attitude, right now” he said.

“We wanted her to return, but that doesn't mean we forgive her for one year she spent apart from us” Cora spoke, the black ribbon in her ponytails dangling.

Her sass is like a signature in her voice.

“We'll act mad at her for as long as we want, that'll be her punishment” Cole added.

Lorenzo expected this level of toughness with them, and not to be unreasonable, but he's somehow pleased with it.

She's a facade anyways, and maybe he doesn't want them to grow connections with her at all.

Maybe they are free to stay mad at her for years, just maybe.

The two let on their respective beds without any more talks, pulling the duvet over their heads.

Their telepathy stretches too much, and it's scary to strangers.

Knowing his twins so well, Lorenzo didn't bother talking further.

He left the room, and at the same time, Emily came out of her room — Laura's room.

She froze when their eyes met, the effect of his words from moments ago weighing her.

His eyes frosted as he walked fast to her, and she expected him to egg her with words again, but he only walked past, making her turn.

“Can I…enter the kids room?”

“Do what you want, but be careful. They're mean when they are mad” he replied, descending the stairs and leaving the mansion.

Emily maintained her position, weighing his words in her mind till Maggie showed up.

“The kids can't hold themselves back when they see their best snacks”

“Homemade waffles and beet juice?” Emily raised her lids.

“Sure, I'll help you ma'am” Maggie replied kindly, and Emily sighed in relief.

This woman is surely a godsent.

Emily followed her downstairs into the kitchen.