Chapter 1

I Became the Cruel CEO's Wife, But I Have a First Love Who Looks Just Like Him

Everyone knows I bear a striking resemblance to Adrian's late wife, Ava. They think I'm just her replacement. What they don't realize is that Adrian himself looks uncannily like the boy I fell for years ago.

The difference is, the boy I loved was gentle and refined. Adrian, on the other hand, often radiates a volatile, tyrannical aura.

One day, he killed my first love. Little did he know that even a docile puppet can bare its claws.

0

I had barely reached the entrance of Adrian's office when a body covered in a white sheet was carried out. A crowd of people knelt outside.

Inside, Adrian was drunk, half-lying on an intricately carved chair. His brows were furrowed, eyes tightly shut.

Shards of porcelain cups and jade plates littered the floor. As I stepped in, a blue and gold vase suddenly shattered at my feet, its fragments cutting my arm.

I cried out in pain, clutching my hand as crimson blood seeped through my fingers and dripped onto the floor.

The sight of blood on the ground made me dizzy. I looked up to see Adrian beckoning me.

"Aria, come here."

I had grown all too familiar with that name.

I obediently walked over. He stroked my head like one would pet an animal.

His palm was warm, but I didn't dare lower my guard. For some reason, the hand resting on my head always made me uneasy.

The next moment, pain shot through my scalp as I was forced to meet his cold, dark eyes. "Who gave you permission to wear Ava's hairpin?"

He yanked out the pin and glared at me coldly.

Even after a year, facing those eyes still filled me with fear.

They were the eyes of a lone wolf - a flash of red in the vast desert, locking onto its prey.

I knew he disliked seeing fear in my expression, so I skillfully put on the gentle smile I had practiced countless times. "My dear, you've had too much to drink. Do I need permission to wear my own accessories?"

His eyes lowered, long thick lashes hiding his expression.

After a long moment, he burst into laughter, wrapping an arm around my waist and burying his face in my chest. "Aria can wear whatever she likes, as long as she never leaves me..."

Ava... that was his late wife's name.

My name is also Aria, but written with a different character meaning "distant."

0