The CEO’s Substitute Lover

“If my dad had really threatened you, wouldn’t you be afraid now?”

“Thank God my mum finally got away, Lilian, I haven’t settled this score with your dad yet, you better stay out of this.”

Lilian Drye slid to the floor and cried out in pain.

Tredan Davi and Woodrow looked at each other, what was to be done about the situation?

Tredan Davi shook his head and gestured for Woodrow to stay put.

So the two of them sat on the sofa while Lilian Drye sat on the carpet opposite and buried her head in tears.

Lilian Drye, not seeing the two of them, lifted her tear-stained face, crawled over to the sofa, and pulled at Tredan Davi’s sleeve, “Tredan, please, marry me, I’ll be very good, I know you like to be gentle and quiet, I will learn how to behave, I’ll change, I’ll change everything, just please, don’t abandon me, don’t break the engagement with me .”

Tredan Davi sighed softly, “Lilian, get up and freshen up, look at you now, where is that dignified lady? Don’t disgrace yourself, you know everything in your heart, why don’t you face it?”

“How do you expect me to face it? I’ve loved you since I was a child, and I knew from a young age that the person I was going to marry was you. Yes, I didn’t dare to accompany you abroad when I was five, but how do you make a five-year-old take on the burden of leaving her home to serve another little child? I’m also a spoiled brat, right? Why should a prince still be a prince while the young lady becomes a maid? I regret that I let Octavia take advantage of me because of my lack of courage.” Lilian Drye said as she cried.

“But then you came back home, and weren’t we good too? You were fond of me too weren’t you? Have you forgotten the joy and beautiful relationship we once had? Have you forgotten the vows we once made? I asked you to wait for me for a year, just a year, and we would get married when I came back from my studies. But Tredan, twenty years of our relationship is no match for the two years you had with Octavia Gills? Tredan, we’re the perfect match, the right match for each other!”

Tredan Davi gently pulled back his sleeve: “Lilian, it’s time for you to wake up. There is no high or low in love, and it cannot be measured by money. Octavia never told me she was your double back then, I found out for myself. I don’t have twenty years of affection for you because those twenty years of affection I gave to the little girl who was with me during my darkest moments was not you. Seriously speaking, it’s you who is Octavia’s double!”

She wiped the tears from her eyes and stared hard at Tredan Davi, “Tredan Davi, you will regret this, I will make you regret it, I will make you remember me for the rest of your life. If I’m not happy, you can’t be happy, no one can be happy!”

As she said this, she suddenly slashed her left wrist.

Tredan Davi and Woodrow sensed something was wrong and saw a flash of the knife and a long gash had appeared on Lilian Drye’s left wrist, bleeding profusely.

Lilian Drye made a second cut and Woodrow grabbed her hand.

“Tredan, get the gauze!”

The two men grabbed the knife from Lilian Drye’s hand and scrambled to bandage the wound as Woodrow picked up Lilian Drye and headed out.

“Tredan, drive, take her to the hospital!”

Tredan Davi stumbled on his feet, he had a 6 pm flight to Japan.

But people’s lives were at stake, and he couldn’t remain indifferent.

Autumn in Osaka is beautiful, Octavia Gills lived in an old neighborhood with old sycamore trees on both sides of the road, and at this time of the year, a thick layer of fallen leaves accumulated on the ground. In the evening it was as beautiful as a painting.

It was late in the day and the street lights were on, so Octavia Gills took her time walking home, slowly moving through the leaves on the street.

At lunchtime, Gar had a video call with her and learned that the boy had actually got a job, a job writing stories, which Octavia Gills found amusing, but was also happy for her brother.

In this world, so many people who are not doing what they like, who are not using what they have learned, and only those who have experienced this know the pain and understand. They are making a living, but are not living.

Gar proudly tells her that he got into Steam Games, a public company owned by Woodrow and that he didn’t get in through the back door, he only found out after he got in, and that Woodrow even complimented him on it, and told him not to tell anyone they knew each other.

That boy, he’s really grown up.

Octavia Gills knew about Steam, of course. When I was with Tredan Davi, I heard him mention that Steam was the brainchild of Tredan Davi and Woodrow. I didn’t realize it was already launched, and I’m so happy for him.

It’s been over six months since he, and Lilian Drye, got married, right?

Since arriving in Japan, she has treated herself like a hunchback, not listening to or reading all the news from home, and Gar and Domino have a tacit agreement not to relay any news about Tredan Davi.

To her, Tredan Davi was the three-year-old, little boy. She had nothing to do with the buxom, handsome man of last year who was either overbearing and cranky or gentle and awkward. He had nothing to do with reality, and she had nothing to do with Lilian Drye’s Tredan Davi. She loves her little Tredan, and it has nothing to do with anyone else.

Her love is only in her heart and has nothing to do with people.

Octavia Gills smiles as she looks at the pale glow of the streetlights, and it feels good too. So be it, she is living in her little corner of the world and just silently wishing him well.

She didn’t mention Woodrow and Tredan Davi to the company, and I’m sure they didn’t know she happened to be here.

She doesn’t mind working with them, both for public and private purposes. In public, it was a good thing for both sides, it was mutually beneficial. In private, she would be happy to do her bit for their company, even though they wouldn’t know it.

If Domino were here, she would say she was stupid, it was a silly thing to do.

Octavia Gills smiled faintly and looked at the sky.

The air was fine, the weather was clear, and the stars up in the sky are visibly bright.

Eddison stood under the street lamp and watched the girl walking from afar.

Octavia Gills is stunningly beautiful, she is light as a chrysanthemum, a delight to the eye.

Today, she wore a simple long-sleeved white shirt, an ankle-length linen skirt, a pair of brogues, a canvas handbag on her shoulder, and a few books in her arms. Her hair was long and tied at the back of her head. Her whole image was as pure as spring water.

When he saw her, Eddison felt his heart being soothed, he felt peaceful, and he could not help but smile.

No one has ever made Eddison feel happy and content after seeing her.

Octavia Gills is the only one.

Octavia Gills walked on, thinking and smiling to herself, not noticing the young man standing under the streetlight, unaware as she was passing by.

Eddison smiled resentfully; nothing has changed at all, he still gets distracted when he sees her.

“Octavia,” Eddison called out.

Octavia Gills turned around, surprised to see Eddison standing under the lamppost, and beamed with delight, “Eddison!”

Seeing Octavia Gills happy to see him instantly made all of Eddison’s tiredness and apprehension disappear.

“I’ve come across the ocean to see you,” Eddison said with a smile and affection.

Octavia Gills giggled, “Still so good at talking.”

A question suddenly occurred to her, “Hey, how did you find me? How did you know I lived here?”

Eddison laughed, “Do you believe in fate? Do you believe that my heart is in the right place? It was my thoughts of you that guided me here.”

Octavia Gills laughed, “That’s a lot of bull!”

“Octavia Gills, I’m tired and hungry, can I have a bowl of rice,” Eddison said in mock condescension.

“No problem, no problem, come inside with me and I’ll cook some noodles for you.”

“Yes, yes, Octavia Gills, I knew you loved me.”

Octavia Gills only smiled, she has heard Eddison say these words explicitly a few times since they met, she was already immune to it and didn’t care about it.

Eddison ate two large bowls of shredded chicken noodles in one sitting, and Octavia Gills’ eyes widened as she said, “Eddison, how long has it been since you ate?”

“It’s been a long day, and the food on the plane was awful. Besides, I didn’t have time to eat because I wanted to see you as soon as I got off the plane. When I got to your doorstep you weren’t in yet. I thought I’d see you and you’d give me something to eat, and now you’re back.” Eddison even drank all the soup before putting the bowl down and burped comfortably.

“It’s so good, I’ve never had such good noodles before, Octavia you’re amazing, no, I’ll have to marry you if it means I get to eat noodles like this in the future.”

Octavia Gills laughed, “Prince Gu, you’re asking too little, taking someone as your wife for a bowl of noodles? How dare you think of that.”

Not seeing each other after a long time, and meeting in a foreign country, makes the distance between two people suddenly become much closer.

Octavia Gills didn’t care about Eddison’s affectionate words, in her mind, Eddison was just like that, and that’s why he was surrounded by so many girls.

It was late and Octavia Gills asked Eddison to stay in her rented house, which happened to have a small attic, so she settled Eddison in.

The next day, Octavia Gills took Eddison to her studio.

Eddison finally understood why Octavia Gills had wanted to come back to Japan after her painful experience. Everyone in the studio was as simple, pure, and sincere as Octavia Gills. They don’t even feel constrained or overwhelmed by strangers in any way.

The studio was very busy, since the anime film became a big hit in Asia, more and more people have come to them for anime, and as the business has grown, work has made them busy, but they all have that calm and elegant smile on their faces. It was nothing at all like the depressing and dull nature of the domestic companies and the legendary Japanese companies.

Eddison quickly became acquainted with the people in the studio. His second language at university was Japanese and although he was a bit rusty, he had no problem communicating with the people he met.

Octavia’s colleagues think he is Haruko’s boyfriend who is so polite and affectionate that Eddison deliberately refrained from explaining anything. Octavia Gills doesn’t explain anything either because she wasn’t aware of it.

The second son of the Davi Family, the vice-president of Group Davi, is now bumbling around the office serving tea and water to everyone.

Octavia Gills asked at the end of her shift, “Eddison, what the hell are you doing in Japan? I thought you were here for a meeting, why are you staying here? Where’s your business?”

Eddison said with a cheeky smile, “Octavia, are you hiring, can I stay as your assistant?”

“Are you kidding me, be serious.” Octavia Gills laughed and nudged him.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“I’m not kidding, I traveled across the seas just to see you, and I’m just going to stay with you, I’m just going to be with you, you can’t kick me out,” Eddison said seriously.

Octavia Gills was dumbfounded, “Eddison, you don’t have a fever, do you?”

Eddison frowned bitterly, “I’m just a bullshitter in your mind?”

Octavia Gills nodded, “Yes!”

“Octavia Gills, you’re being so rude, I’m hurt.”

Octavia Gills smiled and smacked his hand that was deliberately holding his chest, “Behave yourself.”

The two walked home along the leaf-covered path, walking very slowly.

“I would love to stay here for the rest of my life if I could keep walking like this.” Eddison took a step on the fallen leaves under her feet.