THE BILLIONAIRE'S DUPLICATE WIFE

"Lily, a customer in room 5 asked you to massage her," Emma said as she was busy staring at the cashier's computer screen.

Lily frowned, "Me? Have I handled her before?" she asked, somewhat surprised.

"I don't know. As far as I know, she's a new customer here. You have to be a little careful; she's an influential socialite in LA. Her name is Victoria Thompson."

Lily frowned again. Why would an influential socialite in LA ask for a massage from her? Did she want to test her? Without wasting any time, she rushed to room number 5 with a massage kit in her hands. She knocked on the door twice, and then a hoarse voice answered, telling her to come in.

"Mrs. Thompson? I am Lily, and I'm going to be your therapist today," she said politely.

"Yeah, I'm expecting you," replied Victoria Thompson, looking up at her with sharp eyes.

Lily smiled, stepped closer to put the massage oil on the table, and then poured it into a small marble bowl that had been heated.

"May I know why?" she asked, curious.

"Is this room soundproof?" asked Victoria Thompson, staring at the tightly closed door.

Lily nodded. "You are at the best beauty salon in LA. Of course, all your privacy is well maintained," she said without losing her smile.

"I know. I don't need a massage. I need to talk to you," said Victoria Thompson seriously.

"Me? What is it all about?" Lily started to worry.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-eight," she answered hesitantly, taking a step back. She had a bad feeling about the woman in front of her.

Victoria nodded, looking satisfied. She rose from her seat, standing exactly two feet in front of Lily. "I'll get straight to the point. I want you to work for me. We can talk about the numbers you want," she said, raising one eyebrow.

Lily cleared her throat softly and scratched the nape of her neck. "I do not understand what you're talking about, Ma'am..."

Victoria took out her cell phone from her handbag and scrolled through it for a moment.

"Take a look at this!" she said, showing Lily a picture on the phone's screen. Lily frowned at the photo of a husband and wife on their wedding day in front of her. The bride looked a bit like her, but their hair was different. She was a brunette while the bride was blonde.

"Who are they?"

Victoria took a deep breath. "That's my son and his wife. They got married three years ago. He loves her so much," she said.

Lily frowned, but she didn't say anything. She waited for Victoria to continue her story.

"Some time ago, they had an accident. Ethan was in a coma for some time, but he's okay now except for his legs. He still needs some therapy to be able to walk again. And Nora, she's gone."

Victoria paused for a moment. "I want you to pretend to be her, just for a while..."

Lily was flabbergasted. She blinked a few times as if she were getting used to the light. "What do you mean? Our faces are not identical, and your son, he's not an idiot, is he?" she said with a deep frown on her forehead.

"You just have to pretend to be her for a year. After that, you have to file for divorce and say that you have a relationship with another man. I don't want Ethan to be haunted by guilt because his wife died in that accident. He was the one who drove the car that night," said Victoria, turning her face to the wooden floor underneath her feet.

Lily bit her lip. "What if someone else told Ethan about it?"

"Nobody would. I'm isolating him in our mansion for the time being. He has to be in a wheelchair. His old life was in London, and not many people know him here," said Victoria firmly. "One million dollars. Isn't that enough for fun?"

Lily was trying hard not to scream. Her brain was working fast.

"Two million dollars. Take it or leave it!"

There was no longer the innocent girl who had greeted Victoria Thompson kindly. There was only a girl who was struggling to have the proper life that she had always dreamed of.

"Whoa! Look at you! Is that the real you?" said Victoria in surprise.

Lily shrugged, "There's no point in pretending. I do need the money. If you agree, I will immediately submit my resignation letter today," she said nonchalantly.

Victoria smiled for the first time, then nodded.

"I will prepare the contract today. Meet me at this address tomorrow," she said as she held out a business card to Lily, who immediately accepted it.

That day, Lily came home early. She returned to her studio apartment, brewed a cup of coffee, and sat in front of her laptop. She typed in Ethan Thompson's name, and several articles appeared. She read them one by one, but there was no information about his wife.

"A billionaire?" she said in disbelief. She looked at Ethan's face closely. He looked very handsome with dimples on both of his cheeks. But why wasn't there any news about Nora? Was everyone keeping her life a secret? Did she die because of that accident? Or maybe someone got rid of her on purpose?

She had doubts. How could she lie to a man who had just lost his wife? Was she that low? Or should she just do it for the money that she'd always wanted?

She got to her feet and paced back and forth in her cramped apartment, biting her index finger. It's still not too late to decide. She could refuse Victoria's offer and live a normal life. Or she could get what she's always wanted since she was in the orphanage: a comfortable life! She closed her eyes. The decision has been made.

The next day, Lily got off the taxi right in front of a very large and luxurious mansion. Hesitantly she walked to the giant gate and met a bodyguard in a neat suit.

"Good morning, is there anything we can help you with?" said the bodyguard flatly.

Lily cleared her throat softly, "My name is Lily, and I have an appointment with Victoria Thompson," she said a little nervously.

There was silence before he finally said, "Please this way, Mrs. Thompson is waiting for you." The bodyguard walked in front of her and took her to the main door where she was greeted by a man who introduced himself as Albert, Victoria's assistant.

"This way," said Albert, leading her to the footpath heading to the pavilion located quite far from the main building itself. "Please, Mrs. Thompson is waiting for you inside," Albert said as he opened the pavilion's door for her.

Cautiously she went inside, her eyes scrutinizing every corner of the room. It was dominated by wooden shades with several works of art mounted on the solid walls.

"You came!" Suddenly a voice startled her. She turned and found Victoria Thompson sitting on the sofa enjoying a cup of tea.

"When is my son's birthday?" Victoria asked while selecting clothes from the hanging wardrobe in front of her.

"January 22, 1989, Bachelor of Business from Stanford, nut allergy, hates bananas, good at playing basketball, running his family business since his father died, he was twenty-five years old back then, am I right?"

Victoria didn't answer, which meant everything she said was true. She smirked triumphantly.

"Put this on," Victoria said, handing her a plum midi dress. She grimaced; she wasn't used to wearing dresses daily, but she couldn't refuse Victoria's request. She took the dress and brought it to a changing room. Not long after, she emerged with a different appearance. The expensive dress fit perfectly on her body.

Victoria looked at her with satisfaction. "Put these shoes on, and can you make a messy bun like Nora did with her hair?"

She took a deep breath. "Do I have to wear this kind of clothing every day? Can't I just wear something more casual?" she mumbled, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"No, you can't. He wouldn't believe he had ever married a woman like you. Your looks and tastes don't suit him," Victoria said flatly.

She sneered, one corner of her lips rising, feeling offended by Victoria's words. Was there something wrong with her taste? Just because she preferred to wear jeans and T-shirts didn't mean she had a bad fashion sense!

"Oh, whatever! I'll be Nora Thompson then!" she said, putting the stiletto on her feet. She walked fast to the mirror and did her hair into a messy bun, as Victoria wanted. "See? I worked at a beauty salon, I can do this kind of thing easily!" she said proudly.

"So tell me, who are you now?" Victoria said, unresponsive to her earlier rambling.

She took a deep breath, looking at Victoria with a tired face.

"Nora Thompson, birth name Nora Styles, was born on May 20, 1995. My mother died when I was a kid, my father remarried and lived in South Africa, and I never met him again. I'm a shopaholic, I can't cook, and I hate sports," she mumbled casually as if she'd known Nora for a long time.

Victoria nodded in satisfaction. "Your job is only to act as Ethan's wife. He may ignore you, but you still have to be sweet at first—

Months later, when I give you the instructions, you have to admit that you have another man, and you have to file for divorce. Of course, it's all pretend, my lawyer will arrange everything for you," she raved firmly.

"And what will happen if one day he knew that I'm not Nora Thompson?" asked Lily, tilting her head.

Victoria cleared her throat. "It's not your job to think about it," she replied coldly.

"I'll show you your room! You will sleep here for a while," said Victoria, as she opened the room before her.

"For a while? I'm not going to sleep with your son after that, am I?" asked Lily, glaring in horror.

"Could be, but that doesn't mean you can take advantage of the situation."

"Take what?! Mrs. Thompson! I would never do such a thing! What kind of woman do you think I am? Huh!" chirped Lily with an annoyed face.

"Good then, that spacious walking closet was yours too, you can wear everything there during your stay here," said Victoria. She walked to the big window and stood there.

Lily stood next to Victoria, following her gaze.

"Is that your son?" she asked, staring at someone sitting in a wheelchair.

"Yes, my poor son, he is too innocent and sincere for Nora to play with him. Call me a witch because I feel grateful for her disappearance," she hissed coldly.

Lily gulped. "Was Nora that bad? I mean why do you hate her so much?" she asked, a little annoyed that Victoria kept cursing that woman.

"Yeah, she's bad! She's a poor woman who took advantage of my son's kindness. I found evidence of her affair with every guy in the strip club; she intended to leave my son after she managed to make her fortune! Because of that—" Victoria turned around, staring at her sharply.

"You have to show your ugliness! Make my son believe that you are Nora! You have to make him hate you! Do that later when he already believes that you are the real one!"

Lily gulped as Victoria shook her shoulder. She could see the anger on her face. She nodded her head, "Okay, no problem," she said, half sneering.

After a long discussion with Victoria, the time had finally come. Nervously, she met Ethan Thompson who was sitting near the fishpond with the fountain in the middle.

"There are a lot more fish than the last time we visited this place," she murmured, peering into the fishpond.

Ethan Thompson turned to her, his face tense.

She looked back at him, and for a moment she felt as if she had been hypnotized. Victoria didn't lie when she said that Ethan had an extraordinary charm. He was not only handsome but also charismatic. Even in a wheelchair, he looked amazing!

"Who are you?" he asked almost in a whisper.

She smiled, crouched in front of him, and put her eyes intensely on him. "You don't know me?" As Victoria had told her, she just needed to act like Nora and let Ethan guess for himself about her identity.

Their eyes met. Ethan frowned then shook his head a few times as if he was denying his own thought. She took Ethan's hand and pressed it to her cheek.

"I missed you so much," she whispered sadly. She was just pretending to be Nora, but she didn't know why her feelings seemed to be swept away in the role she was playing. She could feel her eyes watering and twitching.

Ethan was taken aback, his face paling instantly, "It can't be, it can't be...you can't be Nora, can you? No! You're not Nora! You're someone else," said Ethan, turning his face away from Lily, who instantly sighed in disappointment.

She took a deep breath. "I thought you would recognize me," she muttered as she stood up with a sad face.

Ethan looked confused, his face very pale, and it made Lily feel guilty. She turned her face away and closed her eyes tightly, trying to dispel the doubts in her heart, not to stop with the role she was playing. She had to convince Ethan that she was Nora without being pushy, so she began to dive into the role. She wept bitterly, without a sound. Her eyes were staring deep into the green grass in front of her, she knew behind her Ethan was watching.

She counted in her head, waiting for any questions to come out of his mouth. And her guess was right.

"If you are Nora, why is your face so different?"

She swallowed nervously. Thankfully, her experience performing in theater at the orphanage had prepared her for this—acting was second nature now. Through the tears streaking down her face, she turned to Ethan.

"The car accident, it burned half my face."

Ethan’s eyes widened, shock and disbelief etched across his face.

Silence fell between them, punctuated only by her soft sobs. Ethan remained frozen, too stunned to speak.

"I lost pieces of my memory. If it weren’t for Albert and Victoria, I wouldn’t have made it back to you," she added, firing her next emotional shot.

Ethan buried his face in his hands, the trauma of the accident replaying behind his eyes.

"You don’t remember? The truck hit exactly where I sat. Isn’t it a miracle I’m alive?" Her voice cracked as she pulled a photo from her handbag—a wedding photo of Nora and Ethan Thompson.

"I may not remember much, but this photo, stirs something in me, feelings I can’t explain, even without memories."

Ethan stared at her, confusion clouding his gaze as he struggled to process it all. Finally, he raised a trembling hand and gestured to a male nurse waiting nearby.

"Take me inside," he said, his eyes never meeting hers again.

Lily stood there, stunned by his reaction. Had she failed? Panic surged through her—millions of dollars slipping away—but then it hit her. It was all too much for Ethan to handle. She just needed to give him time. All she had to do was convince him she truly was Nora. She’d better return to her room and study more videos of Nora’s life, to get deeper into the role.

On her way back, she passed through the kitchen and instinctively reached for the refrigerator. Ice cream sounded like heaven right now—but no. Nora didn’t indulge in sweets. A long sigh escaped her. Living as Nora Thompson meant more than just acting. It meant denying herself even small pleasures. She’d probably lose weight just from pretending to be her.

As if on cue, Albert appeared down the hall. She hurried over to him.

"Albert!" Her call made him stop and turn around.

"Yes, Mrs. Thompson," he said, carefully maintaining the facade.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Is it urgent?"

"Um, kind of..." she replied, unsure.

He led her to a quiet corner, away from prying eyes.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Uh, could you help me smuggle some ice cream and snacks?" she whispered, feeling ridiculous. "I can’t just grab them from the fridge like I normally would. I have to stay in character as Nora."

Albert took a deep breath, disbelief flickering across his face. "Do you think this is a Joke?"

"It’s not like that. I just—it’s hard to concentrate when I’m hungry," she said pitifully.

He stared at her, but finally, he relented. "Fine. Wait in your room. I’ll have it delivered."

"Thank you, Albert!" she chirped before catching herself. "Oh, I mean, thanks." Nora wouldn’t be so cheerful, she reminded herself. Elegant and mysterious, that was Nora’s demeanor.

"Watch your tone! Nora Thompson never spoke so brightly," Albert said. "But your voice is very close to hers," he muttered as he walked away.

Lily shrugged. She knew the resemblance was uncanny. She’d spent hours listening to Nora’s voice from the video footage Victoria had given her. Even she was surprised by how similar they sounded.

Once in her room, she exhaled deeply. Becoming Nora Thompson in just one day was exhausting. She glanced at herself in the mirror and noticed something off. Nora had blonde hair. She could say she dyed it, but it would be easier for Ethan to recognize her if she looked exactly like Nora.

She rifled through the drawers, recalling Albert’s mention that she’d find everything she needed there. Sure enough, a new cell phone lay among other items. She turned it on and saw only two contacts—Victoria and Albert.

She dialed Victoria.

"Victoria, it’s me—Nora," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"If you keep acting childish, I’ll cut your pay," Victoria snapped.

Lily rolled her eyes. "No sense of humor, huh? Anyway, I was thinking of dyeing my hair to match Nora’s."

"Not necessary," replied Victoria bluntly.

Lily frowned. "Why not? Wouldn’t it help Ethan accept me as her?"

"I don’t want him to love you the way he loved Nora. He has to believe you’re Nora, but not Nora. He should see changes in you—things he might even dislike," Victoria said with a strange bitterness.

Lily’s head spun. "So, you want me to be Nora but not exactly Nora?"

"Exactly. Be eighty percent like her. Leave the other twenty percent to make him doubt. His feelings for you shouldn’t be the same. Your first job is to convince him you’re his wife—that’s your priority."

Lily sighed as she ended the call. This was far more complicated than she’d anticipated. If she’d known how hard it would be, she would’ve demanded more money upfront. How could she convince Ethan she was Nora while also being not so Nora?

"Aaargghhh!" she groaned, ruffling her hair in frustration. A sudden knock on the door startled her.

She opened it, expecting the ice cream delivery—but instead found Ethan Thompson, staring at her from his wheelchair.