😏.

Now I feel that he shouldn't have kissed me because he is back to ignoring me!

Maybe he is either mad that he couldn't resist or there is something else.

But the thing is, even I am ignoring him...a little bit because that kiss really made everything very awkward even though we are married but this marriage was just for our companies. We were not supposed to be involve with each other emotionally or physically, even though it was not mentioned in the contract but there were some rules that I made for myself and I definitely broke that...I mean he broke that.

It's been four days since he last talked to me and since four days, I have been dreaming about that kiss only; I could still feel it. Not that I am complaining but that was one of the best feelings in the world.

Do I want to kiss him again? Of course.

I told Josh and Nyle about that kiss and they had such a blank expression on their face and then they suddenly started bombarding me with questions like, "Did he initiate it?" "How did it feel?" Or "Was it slow or rough?"

Seriously?

Who asks such types of questions?!

My friends are crazy!

Their questions made me feel so embarrassed that I was literally red and then they again started their drama that, "Thera is falling in love."

I am not falling in love!...Or maybe I am? No, no, I am not falling in love!

When he can make a fuss about a kiss, I don't know what will happen if I fall in love with him and confess it.

But even if I fall in love with him, will he ever love me back?

"You are worthless!", My father's voice echoed in my ears and tears started forming in my eyes.

"You are nothing but a burden", my brother told me and a tear rolled down my eyes.

"We have to buy you medicines just because you don't fall more sick and then we will have to admit you in a hospital and pay the bills; they are so expensive these days", my mother said to me and more tears started falling.

"Stop wasting the money. You just waste my money and nothing else. You are good for nothing", father scolded.

"Such low marks?! What will everyone say?! Why can't you be like your brother and stop being a disgrace", he shouted.

"Sometimes it seems that God sent you in our life just to take revenge on his. You are a punishment for us", mom said.

"What are you so happy about? Stop smiling", I was told.

"You don't deserve this family's name! You are not worth it", everyone said.

"Can't you speak more softly and stop being so rude! Your father will be ashamed to call you his daughter", mom told me and I was a crying mess already.

"What's the point of sending you to school, you don't even study properly and just waste your father's money."

How can someone fall in love with me? Why would anyone love a someone who is worthless?

I can never expect Isaac to love me and it would be better if I don't fall in love with him either.

At around 10 at night, I walked to Isaac's door with the thought of making him talk to me.

I knocked twice but got no response so, I cautiously opened the door to find the room empty.

He must be in his study.

I was about to close the door, but something on the nightstand caught my attention. A photo frame.

Why didn't I see this before?

And being the curious person I am, I went over to it and picked it up.

It was Isaac's picture, he looked like a teenager with his arms wrapped around a girl's shoulder of his age.

I gasped looking at the girl's image. For a moment I thought it was me but when I looked closer I realised it was someone else who looked like me.

Same hair, same eyes, same shape of face, was she my doppelganger?!

Who's she? Is she...Serah?

She didn't look exactly like me but for a moment anyone can mistake her for me.

Taking the photo frame, I went to Isaac's study and on entering it, as usual he was working.

The moment he saw me he shifted his attention back to his laptop but then something might struck him because he immediately snapped his head towards me and got up.

"Where did you find that frame from?"

"I went to look for you and I found it in your room", I explained.

"Is she--", I couldn't complete my sentence because he snatched that frame from my hand and looked at it carefully.

"Is she Serah?", I finally asked.

Ignoring my question he turned around and going over to his desk, he kept that frame in the drawer.

"She looks like me", I said softly walking over to him.

"Please, tell me...is she Serah?", I asked again and he finally turned towards me.

"Yes", his voice barely a whisper.

"And why does she looks like me? Do you know? For a moment I thought it was me."

He lowered his gaze refusing to answer me.

And then like a lightning bolt, it struck me, "Is she the reason you married me?! Because I look like her?"

His eyes met mine and a storm of emotions swirled inside them.

"You have to tell me, Isaac! Till when will you keep it a secret. I know merging the company was not your only purpose, please", I pleaded.

As if he realised something, his expression changed into an angry one making me scared though I didn't show it.

He walked closer and gripped both of my wrists, he looked at me as if he could see right through my soul.

"And what about all those secrets that are buried inside you", he spoke making me shudder under his intense gaze, "Because I know you are not the Thera Mallay, the world knows you to be."

A shiver ran down my spine, "Wha-t are you...talking about?"

He smirked evilly, "You know very well what I am talking about, Larisa Madison."

My brain and body froze. How the hell did he get to know about it?!

"Am I right, Larisa?"

"Don't call me that!", I snapped.

"Why? Isn't that your name, Larisa?"

"That's not my name! My name's Thera, Thera Mallay!"

"Lie; you have been lying about yourself for past seven years. You have been running your company on a false name, unbelievable, Larisa."

"Please stop it! I don't...like that name, please don't call me that."

"That's because you never heard me call you that. And believe me when I say that from now onwards I am going to call you that only."

I already had tears in my eyes, seven years, for seven years no one has been able to find this but this man, he did it in almost four months, Wow.

"How?", I questioned him, "how did you find about it? I did everything to hide it."

"I think it is going to be a long conversation, we must sit down, shouldn't we?", He smirked.

I had to obey him as he dragged me towards the couch and seated me there while sitting beside me.

"What are you crying for?", He asked noticing my tears that were falling down my cheeks.

A look of concern flashed across his face and he leaned in and wiped away my tears with his thumb.

"Oh, God!", He mumbled to himself.

"Larisa...stop crying."

Sniffing, I wiped away my tears and lowered my gaze. If he knows it now then I don't know what will happen.

"Look at me", he said but I kept looking at the floor.

He slowly grabbed my neck and turned my head towards him, lifting my chin with his fingers.

"I am not going to expose this to the media", he finally said, his voice was gentle and relief washed over me.

My eyes met his and I could see that he was not lying.

"Thank you", I muttered.

"But why did you do all this?"

"First you tell me, how did you find about this?"

He sighed, "I have been suspecting you since the day I came to invite you to my parent's house, how nervous you got about talking about your parents. And if your parents had been dead, you could have admitted it easily but...they are alive.

After we got married, the day you were arguing with Joshia in your office, I overheard your conversation."

"But that was just a normal conversation."

He smirked, "That's where you are wrong. It was not a normal conversation. The great Thera Mallay or I should say the great Thera Mallay Grayson, one of the most 'humble' person was refusing to meet someone who has been trying to reach her for so many years. Isn't that striking?"

I mentally face slammed myself for my stupidness.

"They were your parents, right?", He asked and I slowly nodded.

"And that girl, Emmeline was--"

"My niece", I completed; there was nothing else to hide.

"And you knew that."

"Not initially but when she told me her full name and when I asked about her parent's name, I realised that she was my niece. That's why our eyes were so similar."

"Yeah...I figured it out."

"And now...why did you change your identity?", he questioned.

"To be honest my reason to change ny identity is not a huge one, it was not that big that I ran from my home and that's why I am not telling you."

"You think I will laugh at your reason?"

"Maybe..."

"Just stop the drama and tell me."

"I was tired, I was tired of my family. Of the constant taunts about how worthless I was, how I was such a burden to them and how I was wasting their precious money. Six years, till six years I kept hearing the same things again and again and I was not a stupid 12 year old girl to ignore their words. At the age of fifteen, I decided that few years later, I will run away. The only reason I was surviving with them was for financial support."

Isaac was looking at me curiously and I continued, "It's not like I was treated like a maid but I wasn't treated like their daughter either. They looked after me, not because they cared but because they didn't want me to fall sick very much that I end up in the hospital and then they will have to pay the bills. I had a house to live in and food to eat but I never got that attention.

When I was finally enrolled in a college, as soon as the final exams ended, at the age of 20, I left a letter for them and ran from the hostel. I had already saved a lot of money so, I used that. Later, changed my whole identity, so, the cops or my family won't find me easily. Changed my look a bit, I had platinum blonde hair originally, I got it coloured, I used to wear spectacles, got them removed. And tried everything to be away from them. And then completed my studies while doing many part time jobs. Once the cops did find me but they can't force a 21 year old girl to go back home, I was old enough to take decision."

I paused because Isaac was looking at me blankly.

"What?", I asked him.

"You got to be kidding me?!"

I rolled my eyes, "I am not. I hate my family. Money, money, money. All they cared about was money. And I was always the one who used to waste their so called hard earned money.

But what is my net worth right now? $50 billion, 6th richest person in the world. They would have learned their lesson by now."

"What did you write in that letter that you left?"

"I wrote that I am not dying(not that they care about) and I might come back...on this day exactly after seven years."

"You said you will go back?"

"I said, I might, that's why I wrote that word might in double inverted commas."

"So, you are not going back?"

"Of course not."

"And when is that date?"

I sighed, "Just a month later; 20th July."

"Isn't that your birthday?"

"Yes."

He leaned back on the couch rubbing his temples as if all this information was too much for him to take, "God! I married a crazy woman. You ran away at the age of 20 and at the age of almost 28 you are the sixth richest person in the world. Unbelievable!"

Unbelievable.