Chapter 22

"But he told me that she went missing or something like that. Didn't he?" I muttered and looked for my phone around and saw it on my nightstand. As I reached for it, my hands accidentally touched the coffee mug and it slipped off the table and the hot coffee fell all over my hand before spilling on the ground.
"Oh shoot!" I hissed feeling the skin on my hands burning.
Why is everything so difficult for me these days?
I ran to my washroom hoping to wash it off using cold water forgetting everything that I was doing. As soon as the cold water touched the burnt area it stung for a moment but then I felt better and leaning against the basin I let the cold water do its work but then my mind drifted back to that guy.
"So your name is Zachary Udolf Sullivan," I spoke to myself thinking about the guy and looked up at my reflection in the mirror.
"I wonder what exactly has happened with you," my eyes fell on my messy hair and I found myself comparing my looks with the woman named Juliette whose picture I saw on the internet.
"This is really weird. How come I look so much like her? Is this really possible?"
"Except the hair," I sighed as I held a few strands of my hair and twirled it in between my finger.
"Well, I think there's more to it. Not just my face but even my height, body type, and features matches with the woman. So, is it true that seven face alike really exists?" I found it incredulous.
But as weird it was, there was the proof before me and I found myself questioning more to my own existence.
This is so frustrating.
As I was lost thinking about it all over and over again, the doorbell snapped me out of my thinking state and hurriedly I went up to get the door when my phone rang.
"Hello?"
"What are you up to?" it was Alex on the other end and I heard the doorbell once again. Holding the phone next to my ear I walked up to get the door.
"Who is it?" he asked as I got near the door. I assumed he had heard the doorbell through the phone.
"I don't know let me see," I said and used the camera peephole viewer to look out. As I recognized the person from the camera I replied back to Alex, "Oh it's the maid," I said and opened the door allowing the entrance to my apartment.
"Maid? It's already noon. Is she showing up now? At this time of the day? What type of servant is she?" I could imagine the scowl on his face to which I laughed out loud.
"No, she is on time. Actually, she went out to get some grocery," I replied and watched the maid got inside closing the door and walking towards the kitchen room to keep the things that she had brought.
"Oh, I see" he replied.
"So? What are you up to?" he asked and I took a seat on my couch sprawling my legs on the coffee table.
"Nothing much. I have a charity function to attend tomorrow. I'm just thinking of what to wear and about a good speech to deliver," I sighed as I saw the maid cleaning the kitchen counter where I had previously scattered the coffee powder.
"Please clean it properly," I smiled at her when she narrowed her gaze at me and carried on cleaning the counter.
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked and I shook my head no but then remembered I was on the phone and answered: "Oh no, I was talking to my maid."
"Oh," he replied.
"Is she not doing her work properly? Shall I replac-"
"No! No! You don't have to. Actually," I laughed as I saw her scowling while washing the coffee mug "I'm the one who is causing trouble to her."
"I see. Well, good luck to her then," he chuckled and I watched as she made her towards me and stared at my legs that was resting lazily on the coffee table. Raising my eyebrows and giving her an amused look I removed my legs giving her space to walk past but then I found myself in a playful mood as I kept the leg once again back on the table stopping her from going further.
"Is there any problem?" I asked batting my eyelashes innocently at her.
She stared down at me and rolling her eyes turned around and walked into my bedroom to do her work.
"I assume you are giving her a hard time," I heard him chuckling on the other end and I laughed aloud at it in reply.
"Well, I am happy she is keeping you entertained," he replied to which I just hummed in response.
"Not really. This all things are not really keeping me entertained these days," I sighed as I laid back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling.
"I can't understand anything and especially the g-"
"You are just thinking too much. The only guy you need to trust at the moment is me. I'm your fiance after all. We will be sharing our lives together and I hope you trust me enough to not let any outsider get in between us," he spoke up and I could hear the determination in his voice that brought a smile on my face.
"Of course," I replied.
"Now, I want you to get ready. I'm already on my way from my office to your apartment," he said and immediately I was up on my feet, horrified.
"What? Where?" I asked as I was ready to run up to the door but stopped when I heard his voice.
"Relax! I mean I'm halfway through my office work and I'll be out from here in less than thirty minutes and then I shall come to pick you up," he replied and as I realized what he meant I sat down on the couch holding my head.
"Oh," is what that came out of my mouth.
"Wait! Where are we going again?" I asked once I realized I never knew where we were going.
"To my dad's house," he said in a monotone.
"What?" and I was back on my feet "But why? Why all of a sudden?" I asked breathlessly as I thought about meeting his father after so many days.
"Relax! Why do you always get so hyped up whenever you meet my father? He is not a monster you know?" he chuckled at my reaction and I snorted at the end.
"I am not afraid. It's just that you never told me anything about this meeting and you are not even giving me proper timing to get ready," I spoke up as I ran past the maid to my bedroom and hurriedly pulled out my clothes from the closet.
"You don't really need to dress up. You look beautiful in whatever you wear and I'm sure you will pull out any dress you chose to wear pretty well. And my father lacks knowledge on fashion trends. So you don't need to worry much about it."
"Yeah. But still that doesn't mean I will show up ...you know... I want to look my best whenever I'm with you," I replied and as I said that a loud screeching sound was heard across the room and I looked at the source to find my maid scowling looking the ground.
"What is it?" Alex asked to which I replied, "It looks like she broke something."
"So why are we going to meet up your dad all of a sudden?" I asked as we made our way out of the car and towards the house entrance.
"Oh, he just called me today asking both of us to show up as quickly as we could. You know he is selling his company and his client is here. He wants us to meet his client. It's a big day for him cause finally he will be getting rid of that company which has caused nothing but loss to him," Alex said as he laced his hand with mine as we walked inside the house.
"So how did all of a sudden he found a buyer?" I couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know. Let's find out," he shrugged and as we walked towards the lawn where they were. There were three people in the middle of the lawn out of which I recognized his dad immediately and the other two were his clients, I assumed.
"Oh, there they are!" his dad smiled and stood up from the chair looking towards us. I waved at him and smiled at him but as soon as my eyes fell on the people with whom he was sitting my smile faded away as I recognized the person immediately.
"W-What?" I heard myself.
"What the-" Alex stopped in his tracks and I could feel his hands wrapping tightly around my waist as we looked at the man.
Mr. Zachary Sullivan.
"Mr. Sullivan meet my son Alex and his fiancée, Ms. Ivona Cernea," Alex's father introduced us to him even though he knew us and we knew him.
"And kids meet Mr. Zachary Udolf Sullivan. He is my client and he is here with his girlfriend Ms. Cristina Dimir," Alex's father introduced and as he said fiancée my eyes snapped up towards the woman. The woman smiled at us and I watched a smirk plastered up on Sullivan's face as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. The woman seemed to be caught off-guard as she looked down at his arm and then back at him, lovingly.
What is going on?
"Nice to meet you," is what Mr. Sullivan spoke up sounding sarcastic as ever as he smirked more at me for my reaction.