Chapter 1

When I walked out of the company building, I saw another Richard.

He was heading into a café with a group of people.

It was strange.

Didn’t Richard say he was going to stay home all day and not go anywhere?

I was about to call out to him.

Suddenly, a message popped up on Facebook.

Richard. “Some ingredients in the fridge have expired. Should I throw them away?”

I was surprised. “Now?”

“Yeah.”

I looked up and glanced at the Richard in front of me.

Then I checked Facebook.

So, I asked the above question.

The answer was obvious.

One of them is the real Richard.

I lowered my hat and sat down in the corner.

Soon, I overheard Richard’s group of friends talking about me.

“Deep, are you really going to mess with Sarah like this?”

“You’re amazing,” one of his friends said with amusement,

“When you’re tired of dating, you get your twin brother to take over.

Aren’t you worried Sarah will find out?”

Richard kicked his legs back, unconcerned.

“She won’t find out.”

“Why?”

“Sarah is just a devoted fool.

She chased after me for three months, then I pretended to be poor, and she obediently handed over all her salary for me to play with cars and run a band. What else can you call that, if not a simp?

“You expect a devoted fool to notice anything?”

Everyone laughed heartily.

“So she still doesn’t know that you’re actually the second heir to Rain Group, with so much wealth you can’t even spend it all?”

Richard smiled knowingly.

“I’m just afraid that if she finds out, she’ll stick to me even more.”

“Then why don’t you break up with her directly?”

“Break up? How can I keep bothering Emma then?”

“Oh—so you still can’t forget your ex-girlfriend.”

Everyone teased him.

“Looks like you still love Emma the most in the end.”

“I mean it,” Richard didn’t deny, “Can Sarah Lee compare to Emma?”

They laughed for a bit, and someone asked.

“By the way, how did you convince your brother?

“He’s usually so strict and rigid. He doesn’t seem like someone who would agree to this.”

Richard answered.

“I just told him I was pretending to be poor to date a young girl, and if it gets exposed, it would harm the company’s reputation.”

“No wonder. Your brother only cares about the company’s interests.”

“So when are you going to ditch Sarah?”

“Soon.”

Richard lazily said,

“When Emma comes back to me, I’ll dump Sarah.”

“Do you think you can get rid of her? She’s like gum stuck to you.”

“Just get my brother to do it. He’s the best at this kind of cold-blooded thing.”

“Do you trust your brother that much?”

Richard smiled confidently.

“Of course. My brother, he’s been alive for over twenty years and never touched a woman. He’s probably given up on love.”

Really?

I lowered my eyes and touched the fresh hickey on my neck.

Richard’s change, I had actually noticed.

He liked playing with cars and the band, always carefree.

But half a month ago,

his character suddenly became much quieter.

He no longer rushed out every day, coming back drunk at night.

Sometimes, I even saw him holding a book and reading it seriously.

This was absurd.

Richard had never touched a book before.

I told him, “You’ve changed.”

He just asked me back. “Isn’t that good?”

It’s not bad.

In fact, it’s best.

Because I’m a total face person.

I don’t care what Richard becomes as long as his face stays the same.

I like him purely because of his face.

Everything else about him, I feel indifferent.

If he’s more settled down, that’s even better for me.

So, I deliberately ignored his changes, trying to convince myself it was nothing.

Richard’s brother, what’s his name again?

Oh, right, Howard Adams.

The supposedly rigid and serious perfect heir.

I came home holding a bag of grapes.

Dinner was already prepared.

“Today, I made your favorite ribs,” Howard said.

“You made them yourself?”

“Of course.”

I heard Howard started managing the family business right after graduation.

Compared to his younger brother’s carefree attitude,

he was the real proud son of the heavens.

But those clean, long fingers, now, for this massive lie, he was the one cooking and cleaning.

I stared at him for a long time.

Howard asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Have you been working out recently?”

“Why do you ask?” He was still alert.

“Your arm muscles seem tighter than before.”

He instinctively pulled back his arm. “Just lifted some weights casually.”

“Good. Muscles are a man’s best wealth.”

He seemed a little helpless. “But you said before, honesty is the best gift of a man.”

“Are you being honest?”

Howard fell silent.

I smiled and playfully shoved a peeled grape into his mouth.

He ate it without realizing it.

Howard forgot.

His brother was allergic to grapes.

It wasn’t the first time that Howard had slipped up.

Last night, I had drunk too much and playfully begged him for affection. Howard remained still.

I got angry and asked, “What’s going on with you recently? You won’t even let me touch you.”

“You just got over a cold, you can’t handle much.”

“Can’t even meet the basic needs of your girlfriend, what use are you to me?”

“Be good, just wait a little longer.”

“Wait for what? Break up, I’ll go find someone who’s in better shape.”

“No way!” He instinctively rejected, pulling me into his arms from behind.

It was like my words had struck a nerve, and he kissed me fiercely, his hand moving downward...

Chapter 2

Dazed, I looked up at him. His calm eyes hid a sense of reckless abandon.

It was as if... he was overturning his own moral boundaries.

Howard didn’t know.

Such a one-sided act of pleasing me was never something his younger brother, Richard, would do.

That kind of look had never appeared in Richard’s eyes.

The following week, I maintained this kind of relationship with Howard. Whenever I needed him, he would come to satisfy me. But we still never crossed the final line.

That night, I went to bed early. Around 9 PM, Howard’s phone rang.

Thinking I was asleep, he picked it up in the living room.

The bedroom door wasn’t closed properly.

“Bro,” Richard’s voice drifted in.

“Can you do me a favor and help me break up with Sarah?”

Howard didn’t respond.

Half of his body was sitting in the shadows, exuding a quiet but imposing presence. This was the real him.

The version of him without any pretenses.

“Bro, please. If not, Emma will keep crying.”

“Richard, do you really think this is right for Sarah?”

“What right and wrong, she’s just someone to mess with, to irritate Emma. Now Emma is upset, of course, I need to break up with her.”

“I can’t do this for you. You should go apologize to her yourself.”

“Don’t…”

Richard sensed his older brother’s anger and hesitated.

“Bro, have you thought about what will happen if Sarah tries to kill herself?”

“What?”

“She loves me so much. What if, after finding out the truth, she jumps off a building? If something happens, we’ll all be finished.”

“She’s not like that.”

“But what if? Who will take responsibility for that? That’s a human life!”

Richard, ever the smooth talker, continued, “Anyway, I’m counting on you, bro, hurry up and break up with her. I’m going to calm Emma down now.”

I had been watching this unfold with great interest.

The bedroom door suddenly opened.

Howard stood in the doorway.

His tall shadow loomed over me.

“Did you hear everything?”

At this point, it was pointless to hide it anymore.

I smiled and nodded, “I heard everything.”

“Not surprised?”

“Nope.”

“Seems like you’ve known for a while.”

“No, not long. Just about a week.”

Despite my best efforts to appear calm, Howard had already noticed.

What kind of person is he? A genius who took over the family business in his twenties.

He could see through my changes and tests.

We had both been playing along for a week, one not asking, the other not telling.

Until this phone call came, and we could no longer hide it.

“I apologize on behalf of Richard.”

“No need. I wasn’t really that fond of him anyway.”

Howard seemed slightly surprised.

But he didn’t ask further, only saying, “How much has he spent on you during this time? I’ll compensate you ten times.”

“Sure, I’ll send you my account number.”

Soon, I received a notification for a transfer.

It was much more than ten times.

But I didn’t just want that.

“Howard, I have one more request.”

“What is it?”

“How about we try?”

Howard froze.

It seemed like he couldn’t believe his ears.

I calmly took off my coat.

The dim light cast shadows that outlined my curves.

I couldn’t see his expression, but I knew his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Put your clothes back on, you’ll catch a cold...”

I walked up and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“Stop talking so much.

“Really don’t want to try?

“Just with Howard’s identity.”

Under my seduction, Howard’s eyes once again showed that same look.

The calm madness.

It was as though he wanted to tear down all moral boundaries and order.

At first, I took the initiative.

He said nothing, only looking at me with that dark gaze.

Until I leaned in close to his ear, sweetly calling his name.

“Howard.”

The next second, he was on top of me.

Now that he had control, his nature changed completely.

He became like a ruler, like a beast.

He no longer hid the difference between him and Richard.

As he stripped off his outer jacket, his muscular arms were exposed.

I couldn’t resist, tears of pain flowed from my eyes, and I begged for mercy.

Howard gently comforted me.

But his pace didn’t slow down, it only increased.

I felt a little dazed.

So this is what it could be like.

How miserable I had been with Richard.

After struggling until midnight, Howard carried me to the shower.

At that moment, my phone rang again.

Howard was a little impatient, “Who is it?”

“Bro, it’s me, why do you sound like that?”

“Get to the point.”

“I just wanted to ask, have you broken up with Sarah?”

Howard replied indifferently, “Yeah.”

“Did... she cry?”

Richard, realizing how strange his question sounded, explained.

“I imagined it. If you break up with her, she will cry. For some reason, that picture made me feel guilty. If you haven’t broken up with her yet... well, maybe wait a little longer.”

At this moment, Howard wasn’t paying attention to him.

He responded impatiently, “I’ll talk to you later.”

And hung up.

In the bathroom, the mood between us grew even more intimate.

Howard hugged me from behind and asked, “Who am I?”

“Howard.”

“Who do you like the most?”

“Howard.”

“Good girl, you’re mine.”

However...

Neither of us realized, Howard had been too hasty earlier and hadn’t properly ended the call.

The phone call was still connected.

“What are you two doing?”

Richard’s voice came from the phone.

It was trembling.

Howard and I were both stunned.

Chapter 3

This wasn’t how I had expected things to go.

Howard didn’t dodge the punch that Richard threw at him.

He took a solid punch.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he calmly said, “Continue.”

Richard didn’t hold back and landed two more punches.

I finally understood.

The so-called “leave it to me” meant letting Richard punch his frustration out?

As I watched Howard getting hurt, I stepped in to stop them.

“Enough. If you keep fighting in my house, both of you leave.”

Richard stopped.

His eyes were bloodshot as he looked at me, a mix of confusion and heartbreak in his gaze.

“Howard, go ahead. I need to talk to him alone.”

Howard refused.

I had no choice but to comfort him. “Don’t worry, some things only I can solve.”

Howard reluctantly left.

As the door closed behind him, no one saw, but I faintly smiled.

Yes.

Some things only I could handle.

Some oil could only be added by me.

Once he left, Richard immediately pulled me into his arms, unable to stop apologizing.

“Sarah, I’m sorry. I’m such a jerk. It’s all my fault, sorry…”

I gathered my emotions and squeezed out a few tears.

“Your brother…”

“What about my brother?”

“He used your information to threaten me, I had no choice!”

I had actually been planning for this day for a while.

I added fuel to the fire, sowing discord.

I had originally worried about whether the plan would succeed.

But seeing the way Richard threw punches earlier, I was confident.

Men are creatures driven by possessiveness.

Even if Richard didn’t love me that much, once he decided I was his, he wouldn’t allow anyone else to touch me.

Not even his own brother.

As for Howard—

I had never trusted him from the start.

A person who only cared about company reputation.

Someone who would lie for his brother.

Why should I believe he would be on my side?

So, from the very beginning, I had planned it all.

The man, I intended to take full advantage of.

The money, I was going to get back.

Selling him out? No hesitation.

It can only be said that neither of the two brothers was innocent.

After I vented my grievances, Richard’s anger reached its peak.

By this time, it was 6.30 in the morning.

I hadn’t slept all night.

But I wasn’t tired at all; in fact, I was excited.

Richard stormed out, heading to confront Howard.

Finally, the room was quiet.

I pulled out my hidden suitcase and removed the SIM card.

Feeling light, I boarded the high-speed train back to my hometown.

This was all part of the plan.

I had already decided a week earlier to quit my job.

I had long wanted to return home.

Before, I couldn’t bear to leave Richard’s face behind.

Now, I had finally achieved my goal.

The train was headed towards the direction where the sun rose.

The thought that I’d never have to see these two men again made me smile.

Three months back home passed in a peaceful yet happy routine.

My high school best friend worked at the same company as me.

The benefit was that we could hang out together.

The downside? There were no downsides.

Before Christmas, the company organized a team-building event.

My best friend, Gigi, brought me some gossip.

“This team-building event is officially for the new boss’s welcome party.”

“New boss? What new boss?”

“Our company recently got some investment, and I heard it’s from a boss in Sydney.”

Sydney.

That familiar place made my eyelids twitch.

But there were too many entrepreneurs in Sydney, so it couldn’t be a coincidence.

Gigi muttered, “Does our company really have that much potential? Even a boss from Sydney is interested in us?”

The day of the team-building event.

Gigi and I sat in a corner of the restaurant.

I told her about the tangled romance I had in Sydney.

Gigi clicked her tongue.

“It seems like your love life is more like paying to chase a celebrity.”

“There’s still a difference,” I tilted my head, thinking. “I can touch and sleep with them, but I can’t do that with a celebrity.”

“Pfft…”

She was curious again.

“Don’t you have any photos? I want to see what kind of handsome guy would make you go for both brothers.”

“Deleted everything on the day I left.”

The two brothers from the Adams family were very low-key.

There were no photos of them online, no information.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been tricked by Richard’s poor act for months.

Gigi expressed her regret.

“You really should get over that whole ‘looks’ thing.”

“I promise, I’ve cured it! I no longer like handsome guys!”

“Really? Ten o’clock to your left, there’s a suited guy who seems like your type.”

“Where??”

I quickly turned my head, realizing Gigi might be messing with me.

But…

There was indeed a handsome guy.

“See? I didn’t lie to you. I wanted to tell you earlier…”

It was a very familiar face.

Wearing frameless glasses, his hair perfectly styled.

It was Howard.

Today, Howard didn’t need to pretend to be anyone.

He just had to be himself—someone everyone wanted to please.

But why was he here?

I froze for a moment.

At that moment, Howard suddenly turned his head and looked towards us.

I quickly turned my neck back, breaking into a cold sweat.

Gigi was busy with a group chat.

“I asked in the small group, and that’s the new boss who invested in our company. Oh my god, he’s so handsome.”

“What’s his name? Let me see.”

“His name is Howard.”