Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Impostor
Edward Stephens looked at her delicate brows and eyes, his expression calm and indifferent, "It’s up to people, there’s nothing good or bad about it."
His words sounded so dismissive!
Daisy Ginger hugged the flowers and pouted, "Anyway, you just don’t want to tell me."
"Some things are meaningless whether you know them or not," Edward Stephens led her outside, "besides, even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand."
"..." Was her intelligence being looked down upon?
Daisy Ginger said defiantly, "I’m actually very smart!"
Edward Stephens: "Yes, yes."
*
By the window on the second floor, Chloe Brooke picked up her phone and clicked a shot towards downstairs.
Ian Linton was drinking mushroom soup, heard the photo click, looked up, and saw Chloe Brooke holding the phone to her face, looking at the screen with a smitten look.
Her features were delicate, and making such an expression only added to her girlish charm, yet Ian Linton frowned slightly, retracting his gaze as if uncomfortable.
"Darling, look how well my idol matches with her husband," Chloe Brooke flaunted the candid photo she took in front of Ian Linton. Handsome man and beautiful woman, no special angles needed, the picture was stunning.
In the image, Daisy Ginger had her arm around Edward Stephens, looking up at him as if saying something, even through the image one could see the smile flowing at the corner of her eyes; Edward Stephens cradled a bouquet of roses, face warm and gentle, holding her as they waited for the traffic light.
Behind them were bustling cars and hurried people, neon lights and landscapes, all becoming their backdrop.
"No wonder she’s my idol, even with such poor quality, it still looks so beautiful."
Ian Linton responded gently, "Director Ginger is indeed outstanding in appearance."
Hearing her beloved agree, Chloe Brooke’s expression became slightly excited, much like a fan girl, "Director Ginger is young and beautiful, and talented. When I was in high school, countless boys had secret crushes on her. She always ranked first in exams, leaving the second place far behind... why is the gap between people so wide?"
Hearing Chloe Brooke praise Daisy Ginger, Ian Linton’s expression also softened slightly, he lowered his head, casually sipping his mushroom soup, and said softly, "She was excellent since childhood."
Chloe Brooke praised Daisy Ginger effusively, then sighed, "Mr. Stephens is also so handsome and charismatic."
Ian Linton’s eating paused slightly, his face’s smile becoming somewhat rigid.
Chloe Brooke didn’t see him, just holding her face, said, "Hero saving beauty, life and death commitment, if it were me, I wouldn’t marry anyone else either." In a dreamy tone she said, "Daisy Ginger waited for him for eight years, and he finally fulfilled his promise from eight years ago to come back and marry her... such a divine romance."
Ian Linton put down his utensils, speaking in a cold voice, "He doesn’t deserve her."
"...Ian?" Chloe Brooke was startled by his cold tone, coming back to her senses, she looked at him somewhat confused.
Ian Linton also realized his loss of composure, he took a breath, a hint of a smile appearing on his handsome face, saying to Chloe Brooke, "Are you praising other men in front of me hoping to make me jealous?"
"I..." Chloe Brooke, realizing what she said, saw the teasing on his face, blushing slightly, said shyly, "Ian, don’t think like that, how could I dare covet Director Ginger’s husband, I’m just longing for their love, that’s all. Besides, whether or not someone likes you, it’s not like you can’t tell."
She pouted a bit, looking a bit endearingly naive.
Ian Linton looked at her expression, his eyes briefly concentrating, then reached out and stroked her long hair, gently saying, "The stories of others may not be as perfect as they seem from the outside. There’s nothing to envy, do you also hope we separate for eight years and then get back together?"
Chloe Brooke grasped his hand, kissed the back of his hand, "I don’t want that, I want us to be together every day."
Ian Linton smiled at her, "Let’s eat."
He withdrew his gaze, the smile in his eyes disappearing when he looked down.
*
At night, Ian Linton sent Chloe Brooke home.
Chloe Brooke, in high heels, bent down to kiss Ian Linton on the face, then waved at him, "Ian, be careful on your way back."
Ian Linton responded, "You get some rest early."
Chloe Brooke smiled sweetly, nodded, and then skipped into the house.
Ian Linton withdrew his gaze, leaned back in the leather seat, lit a cigarette, and took a draw.
In the smoke, the man’s previously gentle look now appeared indifferent.
He squinted his eyes, recalling the image of Daisy Ginger he saw tonight, thinking of her clothing style today, her body curves, every smile...
No matter how pampered they are, no woman has the domineering aura that Daisy Ginger possesses. She’s like a light too harsh, stinging one’s corneas, yet one is reluctant to look away from her.
No matter how many "imitations" there are, her presence makes everything else feel dull and colorless.
Chloe Brooke is pretty, young, pampered and elegantly raised by the Brooke family, perhaps liking Daisy Ginger is why some of her habits and clothing styles tend to lean towards Daisy Ginger, that’s why he first noticed her.
However, when the "imitation" stands next to the original, the difference is immediately apparent.
Not as beautiful as Daisy Ginger, not as confident, not as pretty, and not possessing her aura.
It’s like a glass of wine diluted with too much water, bland and tasteless.
Ian Linton exhaled a puff of smoke slowly, slightly narrowing his eyes.
But then again, how could there possibly be a second Daisy Ginger in this world?
And such a Daisy Ginger ended up being squandered by a man like Edward Stephens.
Ian Linton extinguished his cigarette, leaned back in the leather seat, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes with a somber face.
The resentment in his heart felt like a raging fire, threatening to burn his insides to ashes if not suppressed by reason.
*
Ian Linton got engaged again.
When Daisy Ginger heard this news at a business banquet, she couldn’t help but be in a slight daze for a few seconds.
Once sobbing desolately at a bar about still being in love with Emily Ginger, now dressed to the nines with another woman by his side.
And the once-engaged, formerly pregnant Emily Ginger is now still in the psychiatric ward, crazily deluded.
She felt a slight discomfort, but also knew this feeling was irrational.
—Some people enter a relationship quickly, and withdraw just as quickly; some are slow to warm, and slow to leave.
But one couldn’t blame Ian Linton for leaving too quickly, could they?
It’s been several months, getting into a new relationship, confirming feelings, is a responsible approach.
Moreover, with Emily Ginger now a madwoman, who could blame him for finding someone new?
Cutting losses promptly, that’s the way of grown-ups.
Daisy Ginger self-consoled and soon stopped giving the matter any further thought.