Chapter 4Thirty Days of Stranger

Vivian’s birthday banquet was on Wednesday.

I arrived at the hotel early to help her double-check the guest list.

Just as dinner was about to start, a sudden hush fell over the entrance.

I followed everyone’s eyes toward the doorway.

Bianca had arrived.

Connor was clinging to her arm, sharp in a light ivory suit, with a pink diamond pendant flashing painfully bright at his chest.

Behind me, someone lowered their voice.

"Isn't that the pink diamond from the auction last week? The one Miss Bennett went into a bidding war to get?"

"I thought she bought that as a present for her husband?"

"Everyone did! She’s famous for spoiling him. Who else would she buy a pink diamond for besides Elliot Morgan?"

"Then who is that wearing it on his…?"

The sentence trailed off, unfinished.

That was the moment I realized the rest of the world had assumed the pink diamond was meant for me.

The eyes of the surrounding crowd turned toward me, thick with awkward sympathy.

Vivian's face darkened on the spot.

She walked straight over, her cold gaze locked onto Connor.

"Bianca, if you were bringing an extra guest, why didn't you mention it ahead of time?" she said, "Seating for today is fully reserved. There aren't any extra chairs."

Connor instantly let go of Bianca's arm.

"Mrs. Bennett, I'm so sorry, this is my fault," he said, his eyes welling up with tears as he looked over at Bianca, "I should just leave before I ruin your mood."

Bianca grabbed his arm and yanked him right back.

"It's just pulling up an extra chair," she snapped, "Is that really necessary?"

Vivian let out a cold laugh and signaled the head server over.

A few minutes later, the staff actually carried over an extra chair.

It was made of old, worn wood, with a chunk of paint peeled right off the backrest.

Plunked down amid a sea of velvet dining chairs, it stood out like a sore thumb.

"Mr. Harper, sorry for the inconvenience," the head server said.

The entire hall fell completely silent.

All the color drained straight out of Connor's face.

Bianca caught the insult immediately.

Her face darkened with anger as she grabbed Connor by the arm and stormed out.

Vivian was shaking with rage, so I stepped forward to support her arm.

After the banquet wrapped up, I drove her back to the family villa.

The car had been moving for a long time before she finally spoke up.

"Connor Harper was Bianca's high school boyfriend.

"The moment I laid eyes on him back then, I knew that boy was bad news. But at Bianca's age, once she set her mind on someone, nobody could talk sense into her."

After high school graduation, Vivian had made arrangements to send Bianca abroad for college.

Panicking, Connor had tried to set a trap for Bianca, attempting to force her into marriage. Vivian had anticipated his scheme and played security footage right in front of everyone, exposing his trickery to Bianca once and for all.

Shortly after that, Bianca went abroad.

I stared out the window, feeling oddly calm inside.

Vivian reached over and gently patted my hand.

When we reached the villa, she retrieved a vintage timepiece from the safe.

"This belongs to the Bennetts’ son-in-law," she said, strapping it onto my wrist herself, "I should’ve given this to you years ago. Consider it long overdue."

The text stream in my vision blew up instantly.

[Are you serious?! The main guy lost his girlfriend for ten whole years, and now the stand-in gets to wear the heirloom watch meant for him?!]

[Lol, he actually accepted it! Just because you look like the main guy doesn't mean you're actually part of the Bennetts!]

[Just wait till the real female lead gets back! The very first thing she'll do is strip that watch right off his wrist and give it back to the main guy!]

I brushed my thumb over the cold surface of the watch face.

Just two days left.

The second I got back into the car, my phone rang. It was from the nursing home.

"Mr. Morgan! Your grandmother suddenly collapsed! She's been rushed to emergency!"

…

I raced straight to the hospital. The doctor told me that while her condition had stabilized for the moment, she needed emergency surgery as soon as possible.

"Our surgical team isn't confident in handling a case this complex," the doctor explained, "Your best option is to contact Dr. Carter's team—the ones who performed her surgery three years ago."

It hit me right then that I didn't even have Dr. Carter's contact info.

Three years ago, Bianca had handled every single detail, from reaching out to the specialists to setting up the procedure.

I had only ever focused on staying by my grandmother's bedside.

I turned around and sped straight back to the villa.

Bianca and Connor were sitting in the living room watching TV.

"Grandma needs emergency surgery," I said, walking right up to her, "I need you to use your authority as Bianca to reach out to Dr. Carter's team from three years ago."

Bianca blinked, startled for a second, then immediately pulled out her phone.

"What's his full name?"

"Dr. Carter. That's all I remember."

She began scrolling through her contacts while I quickly briefed her on my grandmother's condition.