Love Beyond the Substitute: A Tale of Survival and Discovery

I was just a woman doing my job for money.

On the day the tycoon proposed to me, his long-lost ideal love unexpectedly returned.

It was then I realized I was nothing more than a pitiful substitute.

Watching the two of them embrace passionately, I took off the ring and strode confidently towards him, saying, "Hey, give it back to its rightful owner."

But he panicked.

I didn't love Korbin Burgess.

Being together was beneficial for both of us.

We agreed that he would give me fifty thousand a month as pocket money, and I would help him complete the hundred things he had once promised to do with his ideal love. After that, he would give me an additional five million.

I wanted to settle down in Boston and end my life of renting houses, so we quickly reached an agreement.

Over these three years, he took me to see the snow-capped mountains in the Rocky Mountains, ride horses on the prairies in the Midwest, and wait for the spectacular sunrise at the Grand Canyon. I felt all the love he had for Scarlett Smith.

So, the live scene before me was deeply moving, even more captivating than binge-watching a soap opera.

I sarcastically placed the ring on Scarlett's finger. It fit perfectly!

I guessed he was worried Scarlett might misunderstand our relationship.

Thinking of the five million I was about to receive, I kindly explained, "Scarlett, I've often heard Korbin speak of you. He loves you very much. We're just friends and have never done anything inappropriate. It's wonderful that you've returned safely. I sincerely wish you both the best."

To avoid further misunderstandings, I hurried back to Korbin's mansion to pack my things, planning to move out immediately.

As I was packing everything into my suitcase, the door to the hall suddenly opened.

Oh damn!

It was Scarlett who walked in!

Seeing her made me feel uneasy and with a guilty conscience.

She stared at me, her eyes misty with surprise, "You two are living together?"

Scarlett looked so pitiful, almost on the verge of tears, that even I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

I showed rare tenderness, taking her hand, and said, "Of course not. His housekeeper had something to attend to, so I came to help for a few days. I'm leaving right away."

Seeing my packed belongings, she finally relaxed and smiled sweetly.

My ride had arrived, and I quickly loaded my things into the car. Scarlett kindly saw me off at the door.

Just as I was about to make my escape, she suddenly brought out a stack of photos from the master bedroom. They were from my trips with Korbin.

If she hadn't taken them out, I would have completely forgotten about them.

"Tessa, don't you want these photos?" She asked, her bright, innocent eyes studying me.

"No, I don't." I replied.

As soon as I spoke, she tossed the photos into the trash bin.

I was momentarily stunned, not because I was attached to the photos, but because it felt odd to see my pictures in the trash. Out of curiosity, I peeked inside and noticed a photo of Scarlett and Korbin mixed in.

I kindly reminded her, knowing that Korbin treasured that photo.

Scarlett's face turned pale, and she quickly retrieved the photo from the trash, carefully wiping it clean.

"We probably look too similar. I didn't notice." She explained awkwardly.

I figured she must have felt uncomfortable seeing so many photos of me with Korbin. As a fellow woman, I understood her feelings.

Scarlett warmly saw me to the car, hesitated, and finally spoke, "Tessa, could you delete Korbin from your WhatsApp?"

My heart skipped a beat.

Deleting him wasn't the issue.

The issue was, if I deleted him, who would pay me?

I hadn't received the five million yet.

"But Korbin and I still have some financial matters to settle." I replied in a formal tone.

"He already discussed that with me. Let's add each other on WhatsApp, and I'll transfer the five million to you on his behalf."

Was it such a good deal?

My eyes lit up, and I immediately took out my phone to add Scarlett on WhatsApp. Then, right in front of her, I blocked and deleted Korbin.

Hesitating even for a second would be disrespectful to money.

......

The first thing I did after moving was buy a cat. I had wanted a cat for a long time, but Korbin wouldn't allow it.

Funny enough, the reason was that Scarlett was allergic to cat fur.

Scarlett was true to her word. As soon as I moved into my new place, I received a bank transfer notification. The weight on my heart was finally lifted, and I immediately called my best friend, inviting her out for a night of fun.

The bar was lit with flashing lights, and the loud electronic music filled the air.

I excitedly patted my friend Jane on the shoulder, "Drink as much as you want. Tonight's on me."

Jane looked at me with concern, "Tessa, is it really over between you two?"

Before I could answer, my phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"Who is it?"

"You sure are practical, blocking and deleting me right after getting the money?"

Korbin's sarcastic voice came from the other end.

"No, no, no, it's not like that. I blocked and deleted you before I got the money." I patiently explained.

He was so exasperated that he was at a loss for words, gritting his teeth, "You think you're so clever? You haven't worked in three years. Can you even find a job? Don't come begging to me when you're starving."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to spend the five million wisely." I said, decisively hanging up and blocking the number as well.

This man was truly baffling.

......

I bought a house and a car outright, leaving me with little money. I decided to start a business.

As for the capital, my eyes landed on the luxury items on the shelf.

These had been gifts from Korbin during my time as a substitute. Then, they didn't suit me, so I decided to sell them to gather some funds.

The items were too many to carry conveniently, so I packed them all into a large woven bag and hauled it to the mall. I remembered there was a second-hand luxury consignment store there.

Panting, I reached the fourth floor, only to see Scarlett and Korbin walking hand in hand out of the elevator.

My breath caught, and I quickly ducked into a cosmetics store.

The sales assistant gave me a disdainful look and said haughtily, "Ma'am, this is a high-end skincare brand store. Please don't bring trash in here."

I unzipped the bag just a bit to let her take a peek. Her eyes widened in shock as I walked out with an air of indifference, leaving her speechless.

Finally, I reached the fifth-floor luxury consignment store. Under the staff's watchful eyes, I took out each item and filled the glass display case.

As I was negotiating prices with the sales associate, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure stood outside the counter, examining my Cartier necklace.

"Oh, so much new stock today!"

Her voice was sharp and a bit harsh. I immediately recognized her. It was my high school classmate, Elsie Johnson. She was a spoiled rich kid who loved to bully classmates from less privileged backgrounds. We had never gotten along.

My face stiffened, and I sighed inwardly.

What a nightmare it was. I had run into people I didn't want to see, not once but twice. Truly, misfortunes had never come singly.

But all my things were here, I couldn't just leave them behind, so I had to brace myself and go up.

Elsie quickly recognized me. Her eyes scanned me like a radar, and then she smiled with satisfaction, "Oh, Tessa, do you work here?"

In her mind, there was no other reason I could possibly be in a place like this.

"No, I'm here to sell some things." I replied with a slightly awkward yet polite smile.

"What could you possibly sell? This place only accepts luxury items. Who would want your stuff?" Her eyes openly displayed disdain.

Her words were so absurd, they made me laugh out loud.

I pointed at the Cartier necklace she was holding, unable to suppress my amusement, "How can you say no one wants it? You seem to like it quite a bit."

Elsie finally realized and hurriedly put the necklace back as if it were burning her hands. "This is yours? I was just curious."

She then picked up another item, and I, unfortunately, had to tell her that it was mine too.

She felt embarrassed and her temper flared up. She angrily told the sales assistant to check the purchase receipts to avoid accepting items of dubious origin, implying those things were stolen by me.

Everyone in the store started looking at me strangely, as if I really were a thief.

I quickly explained, "These were gifts from my boyfriend, I don't have receipts."

"I've never heard of you having such a wealthy boyfriend." Elsie sneered.

I retorted without hesitation, "I remember you have quite a few luxury items yourself. So you buy second-hand, huh?"

Hitting a sore spot, she showed her true colors and started cursing, "What are you? Even if I buy second-hand, I'm still better than a country girl like you. Which rich and handsome guy would want you? Must be an old man, right?"

"I didn't expect to be called an old man before I even hit thirty."

A familiar male voice sounded from the door, sending a shiver down my spine. I turned to see Korbin standing there in a sharp suit.

Without saying anything else, just the Patek Philippe 175th Anniversary watch on his wrist was enough to drop jaws.

That was something money couldn't always buy.

Everyone in the store, with eyes like treasure detectors, instantly recognized his wealth.

The staff rushed to serve him tea, treating him with a stark contrast to how they treated me, while Elsie stood frozen, unable to utter a word.

This was the first time in my life I found Korbin so pleasing to the eye, like a knight in shining armor.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go home."

He declined the tea offered by the sales assistant, wrapped an arm around my shoulder, and his commanding presence made everyone else shrink back.

Previously, I had only interacted with him as Scarlett, never seeing this assertive side of him.

"Sell...sell the...the items."

Damn, I was stuttering.

"No need to sell. Money is the last thing we lack."

He said as he tossed the items back into the bag, then took my hand and the bag, striding out of the store.

That heavy woven bag seemed as light as a cloud in his hand.

I obediently followed him out of the mall. Once I was sure Elsie couldn't see us, I tried to pull my hand away, but after several attempts, I failed.

I recognized his Rolls-Royce parked by the roadside and thought Scarlett was inside. To avoid misunderstandings, I struggled, "Mr. Burgess, please let go."

Korbin didn't release me. Instead, he held on tighter.

I was furious, "We've broken up. What does it look like to be pulling and tugging on the street?"

"Tessa, carrying so many valuables and taking a taxi, you're really bold. Be careful not to get targeted." He stopped in his tracks and called my name loudly, his face dark as ink.

I was stunned, looking at him in disbelief.

In the past three years, he had never called me by my name.

So he knew my name all along.

It felt strange. It was rare for him to show concern for me, except when I was posing as Scarlett.

It was like the sun rising in the west. For him, who had always been cold and indifferent towards me, to suddenly express such concern was completely unexpected and out of character.

While I was still in a daze, he pulled me into the car.

The three of us sat side by side, Korbin in the middle, with Scarlett and me on either side. We exchanged glances.

The atmosphere turned awkward.

The driver started the engine, and the three of us remained silent, each lost in our own thoughts. I stared at my toes, feeling so awkward.

Korbin actually took me to his house without asking where I lived or instructing the driver to take me home.

I wanted to take my things from the trunk and get a taxi home, but he wouldn't let the driver open the trunk for me.

"What do you mean? Do you want to take back the things you gave away?"

I stared at him, incredulous.

He refused to answer my question, looking at me with justified arrogance, "I'm hungry. Go make dinner."

Of course, he had no good intentions.

At this point, Scarlett had already taken his arm, and the two of them looked like a newlywed couple, while I was just the housekeeper.

"Are you crazy? Korbin, we have nothing to do with each other now."

I wasn't their housekeeper.

"Have nothing to do with each other anymore?" Korbin's temper flared, and he pushed Scarlett's hand away, staring straight at me. "The five million was what we agreed upon. I keep my word, but those gifts were for 'Scarlett'. I have the right to take them back. Of course, I'm not stingy. If you're willing to cook, I'll let you keep them."

I stood there, fuming.

Three years of my youth were wasted, and he was even using my precious luxury items to blackmail me.

As the saying went, neither poverty nor power could sway me.

I stood firm, determined to fight the greedy capitalist to the end.

"Private chef, fifty thousand a month, deal?" Korbin looked at me with a teasing smile.

"What are your dietary preferences, sir? Sweet or spicy?"

I tied the apron with a fawning smile.

I once said that I was just a woman doing my job for money.

"Tessa, you're just like a magician wearing different masks."

Korbin mocked me with a cold face, and I didn't retort. Then, while cooking, I deliberately added extra chili.

Both Korbin and Scarlett were from New Jersey where people generally didn't have a high tolerance for spicy food, while I, a native Albuquerque girl, was good at cooking food with a spicy flavor.

I busied myself in the kitchen, while the two of them were in the tea room, acting all lovey-dovey. Through the glass, I saw Scarlett gently feeding Korbin slices of melon.

What a shame!

After a busy afternoon, I served a sumptuous spread of spicy food, filling the room with a tantalizing aroma.

Korbin thoughtfully picked a California roll for Scarlett, his cold demeanor suddenly warm and gentle. "She doesn't have many talents, but she's a great cook. Try it."

It was the only food that wasn't spicy.

I discreetly rolled my eyes.

After saying that, he put on gloves, eager to peel shrimp for Scarlett.

The classic love triangle scene was unfolding.