CHAPTER 476: THE BET

Selina drawled, her tone light but sharp, "I remember Mrs. Reid isn’t someone unreasonable... right, Mr. Reid?"

The imposter broke into a cold sweat, her body instinctively trembling as tears welled up.

"But yesterday—you and my husband—there was something unclear between you two. And besides, you can’t prove the blue diamond earring in that room isn’t yours. What if you have two pairs of blue diamonds?"

Selina arched a brow.

Still not giving up?

She was determined to nail the "mistress" charge on her, wasn’t she?

Selina gave a soft laugh, feigning puzzlement.

"That’s strange... Why would Mrs. Reid assume this blue diamond earring is mine?"

"As far as I know, that pair of diamonds was crafted by Mr. Riel of Country F. Every single piece he sells has the buyer’s name engraved on it."

Selina stepped forward, brushed her fingers against the blue diamond in the imposter’s hand, and spoke lazily.

"This one says ’Selina.’ Surely Mrs. Reid can’t still insist this is my earring?"

The blue diamond had a name engraved on it?!

The onlookers instinctively leaned closer—and sure enough, there it was, tiny but undeniable, etched into the platinum backing.

The owner of this earring was Selina.

Selina tossed the earring lightly in her palm, her voice calm but every word cutting like glass.

"Mrs. Reid, the earring says your name, yet you insist it’s mine. Does that mean..."

Her voice dropped like a blade.

"...does that mean you’re not Selina—I am?"

The imposter’s entire body shook like a leaf in a storm.

No one else might understand, but she did.

She wasn’t Selina.

And she knew this "Sophia" standing before her was.

Her throat closed around a scream; she nearly shrieked out a denial—

Only to hear Logan’s voice, low and faintly amused, curl around the air like smoke.

"Since it’s all cleared up, better apologize to Miss Carter."

Apologize?

She had to apologize?

She was Mrs. Reid now—why the hell should she apologize to Selina?!

But with so many eyes watching, and Logan’s mocking gaze fixed on her, she swallowed her rage, ground her teeth, and forced out the words, each one tasting like blood.

"I... I must have been mistaken... Miss Carter, I’m sorry. It was my fault—I misunderstood you..."

Selina’s lips curved in satisfaction.

"Good. Then I can leave now?"

"Of course..."

Selina glanced back at the imposter, admiring the way her face twisted in silent fury, and offered her a smile only the two of them understood.

"Impersonation isn’t just about the face. More important than the face is the personality—the way someone lives and breathes. Wouldn’t you agree, Mrs. Reid?"

The imposter bit down so hard she could taste blood, glaring at Selina’s departing figure, seething.

Damn it! That bitch!

Selina couldn’t let go of the fact she had stolen her identity.

She and Victoria deserved to have their identities stolen.

They deserved it!

Once Selina left, the other ladies dispersed too.

The imposter’s mind raced—she thought of last night, of Logan tossing her out of the room, and she knew.

Logan must have figured out something.

What if he exposed her?

What then?

But Logan didn’t bother to say a single word to her.

He simply turned and went back to his room.

The imposter let out a shaky breath of relief.

It didn’t matter if Logan hated her now.

Once the Hill Family perfected that drug, Logan would forget Selina—he would love her.

The imposter never doubted the drug’s effect.

Even the closest of kin, the deepest of loves—after taking that drug, they would discard them like trash.

Just like Old Mr. Hill.

Charles was his son, but he despised and tormented him all the same, all because...

"Mrs. Reid, there you are. Mr. Carter is looking for you—he’d like to see you right away."

The imposter’s thoughts shattered at the voice of an assistant.

The imposter didn’t think twice as she went to the lounge to meet Jacob—but before she could even open her mouth, a sharp slap landed square across her face.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Jacob’s expression was darker than hers.

"Did I—or did I not—tell you never to go after Selina?"

"I wasn’t going after her!" the imposter snapped, her cheek burning.

"She was the one shamelessly rolling around with my husband last night, and you hit me?!"

She had completely stepped into the role of the "real wife."

In her mind, Logan was her husband.

Her face flushed crimson with anger, too raw to seem like an act.

"Everyone sides with her—it’s disgusting!"

Jacob lowered his hand, letting out a sharp, disdainful laugh.

"That’s because you’re stupid. Even with the same face, your acting isn’t good enough. You can’t even fool Logan."

The imposter clutched her stinging cheek, humiliated and furious.

"...So what? Once my mom gives me that drug, Logan will only ever love me."

Jacob’s voice cooled slightly at the mention of that drug, though there was still no warmth in it.

"If you already know Logan will be yours sooner or later, why can’t you leave her alone in the meantime?"

His tone was measured, almost bored.

"I told you—this partnership only works if you do exactly what I say. If you don’t, I can expose you anytime I want. Would you like to test me on that?"

The imposter froze, rage written all over her face but not daring to let a single word out.

...

Selina quietly shifted her weight, having heard every word, then slipped away without a sound.

That one word she overheard stuck with her—

Mom.

The imposter had a family.

She had a mother.

But what kind of mother would agree to let her daughter change her face, change her name, and completely become another person?

The imposter’s goal was to replace Selina—and if she succeeded, she would replace Selina.

But in the process, the imposter herself would be erased.

Her twenty years of life would vanish.

She would abandon her own identity entirely.

From then on, she would only exist as Selina.

Selina couldn’t understand—what was the point of that kind of substitution?

If it were her—if someone told her to throw away her identity, to live forever as someone else—she would never agree.

Because that would mean her mother would no longer be her mother.

Her life would no longer be her life.

The imposter was barely in her twenties.

What obsession could drive her to take Selina’s place so desperately?

Or...

Was someone pushing her into it?

Could it be... her mother?

...

Old Mr. Carter’s birthday banquet finally came to an end, and guests began preparing to leave.

As a member of the Carter Family, Jacob stood by the door, seeing them off one by one.

Watching their backs fade into the distance, he turned to Selina, his tone filled with mock regret.

"Selina, what a shame. The whole banquet, and you didn’t find a way to leave."

Selina folded her arms across her chest, her expression cool.

"You said my face would go back to normal in a few days. Was that true?"

Jacob didn’t answer. Instead, he asked softly, "What do you think?"

"I think it’s a lie," Selina shot back, her voice sharp as a blade.

"If I had to guess, you probably want me to live the rest of my life under Sophia’s name. If this face changed back—how would your little plan keep going?"

"Don’t make it sound so ugly."

Jacob smiled faintly.

"I don’t mean you any harm. I’m doing this for your own good."

Those were the words Selina hated most—I’m doing this for your own good.

She let out a cold laugh.

"Then why don’t we make a bet? Let’s bet on when I’ll get my identity back—say, within a week."

Jacob only smiled, shaking his head like he was humoring a child who didn’t know better.

"Selina... you’ve already lost."