Chapter 1

At the gala, I pressed my wine glass against Lucas's bobbing Adam's apple.

"Why so quiet now, Mr. Seasons?" I teased.

Lucas tilted his head away from the brim of the glass, avoiding the spilling wine. "Please behave yourself, Ms. Wilson."

Back home, Lucas's cyborg knelt obediently at my feet to change my shoes.

I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.

He immediately offered his other cheek, his puppy-like eyes reflecting the ceiling light.

"Do you want symmetry, Mistress?" he asked, nuzzling my calf affectionately.

His wet, red tongue circled my palm.

I withdrew my hand uncomfortably.

He caught my wrist and pressed me against the cabinet.

"Does it have to be Lucas? Can't it be me, Mistress?"

"Even if you have my body, you'll never have my heart!"

The young man beneath me, bearing a striking resemblance to Lucas, had tears in his eyes and a defiant expression on his face.

That's right, this was Lucas's stand-in that I had found.

I had asked him to imitate Lucas's attitude towards me for authenticity.

But at that moment, I suddenly lost interest.

I got up swiftly, tossed him a check, and told him not to contact me again.

He scrambled to his feet, wiping his face haphazardly.

The silk robe slipped from his shoulder, revealing faint pink bite marks on his collarbone.

"Sister, I've remembered everything you taught me..." he said, his voice trembling as he knelt by the bed like a wet puppy.

He seemed about to say something to make me stay.

"How much do you want?" I rubbed my temples, seeing his shocked expression.

He was being so clingy and refusing to leave.

Could it be that he actually liked me, rather than the check not being enough?

He had indeed done well in every aspect.

But he had done too well, like a puppet on strings.

It made it hard for me not to feel disgusted when I was sober.

Not at him.

But at myself, for my dark desire for Lucas.

And... at Lucas, for his hot and cold treatment of me.

The young man, instead of naming his price as I had expected, clutched the check from the bed and rushed out of the room.

I let out a small sigh of relief.

As long as he didn't cling to me, it was fine.

Emma happened to come looking for me.

She first surveyed my expression.

Then her eyes darted to the messy bed sheets: "Wow, Olivia, you're ruthless. I almost drowned in that kid's tears at the door."

I wrapped the silk robe tighter around myself: "He was trying to imitate Lucas's cold face, and it annoyed me. But when he doesn't imitate, he doesn't look like him anymore. It's frustrating."

"You were the one who insisted on finding someone who looked like Lucas in the first place," Emma said.

She suddenly leaned in and poked my waist.

"What's this? Always restless for the unattainable?"

I shuddered sensitively at my lower back: "Get lost."

"Seriously," she lit a cigarette and held it between her lips, "what do you see in Lucas? He always has that deadpan expression."

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"There are just a few moments when I really like him, but most of the time, he's just... meh."

Emma suddenly slapped my thigh: "I got it! What you need is a Lucas-themed merchandise that you can beat up without talking back—"

"My brother said they're developing a cyborg project recently."

She mysteriously gave me an official website link.

"Why don't you try customizing a Lucas cyborg to bring home?"

I carefully read the content on the webpage several times.

Finally, I clicked the "Apply for Appointment" button.

A pop-up window informed me that I didn't have the qualification for testing.

Emma scratched her head awkwardly: "Ah, maybe it's not open to the public. Want me to put in a word with my brother?"

I threw the tablet back into her arms: "And let your brother know I want to create a cyborg of his best friend?"

"Wrong! It's a 24/7 on-call youthful version of CEO Lucas!"

I shook my head: "Forget it. I'll ask someone if I can buy a test qualification."

The late-night transfer notification sounded, and I smirked at the purchase agreement.

An encrypted clause flashed at the bottom of the agreement: This product is equipped with an emotional reflection system. If abnormal pain feedback is triggered, immediate destruction is recommended.