The Pretender (Love and Betrayal Series I)

Chapter 4

MARINA

Apartment 9:00 am

No, I shouldn't have let you in here, I muttered as I carefully shut the door behind me.

My aunt was hugging me when she asked me, "Marina, who are you not allowed to see?" She appeared concerned and gave me a look.

I stated it with some trepidation, but Adam had seen me.

Before I arrived, Auntie Emilia had already mastered all of the information. As a direct result of Marina disclosing everything to her aunt, the latter's fury increased significantly. Despite this, her aunt remained by her side.

I was unaware that my identical twin sister was caring less about me than she should have been. From the time I stepped foot in the Philippines, it appeared as though everything had been meticulously prepared by Mirana. However, because she is my sister, I shouldn't jump to any conclusions about her.

"What was it that you done exactly?" As she brought me a sip of water, she questioned me by asking, "Have you done anything that would lead me to mistrust you?"

"N-nothing," I murmured as I drank down some of the liquid. She gave me a look that indicated that she was not convinced by my response, but she did not pursue the matter any further.

She encircled my face with her hands and looked at me with a worried expression as she added, "You've already met him, Marina; I hope you're prepared for what you've done."

"I don't know why I agreed to it, and I don't know whether I'm ready for it," said the speaker. I responded while glancing out the window and said, "I can't say no to my twin."

She grabbed my shoulders in a hug and announced, "Marina, I'm here."

"You are so kind, aunt Emilia. Thank you so much."

"If I understand you well, Marina, I believe you'd also be interested in meeting Adam. Is that what you mean?" As we slid back into each other's embrace, she asked us some questions.

In reaction to her statement, I did little more than nod.

Since I was a young girl, Aunt Emilia has been aware of the sentiments I have for my cousin Adam. I filled her in on everything that had transpired ever since our mother and father had left us to fend for ourselves. Since we were young, Aunt Emilia has been a constant presence in our lives. We treat her as if she is our mother, and she treats us as if we are her children; this is one of the reasons why I adore her so much. She has been our protector throughout this entire time.

ADAM

Meanwhile, at the penthouse . . .

"I know it's her, I know it's her," the speaker repeated. The way that she pronounces my name, the way that she looks at me, the way that she touches me, and the way that she smells all disturb me, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. As I focused on what had transpired at the airport, the idea crossed my mind, "I'll find her no matter what it takes."

After I got out of the shower, I contacted Scott. I patiently waited for his reaction as I stood by the glass wall, looking out at the lights of the city.

In the second line, Adam received a response that simply stated, "Hello."

"I tracked her down.

"Who?" he inquired, bewildered by the question.

"Mirana, I saw her at the airport," said the person.

"Adam, you must be hallucinating; both of us are aware that Mirana passed away a long time ago." He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Please, Adam, let's get over it!"

"I'm not kidding, Scott." I did see her, and she even called me by my name when we were speaking. Mirana is still alive, Scott. She is still alive. I emphasized that "I am not lying to you; I am telling you the truth." "I am not trying to trick you," I said.

"Okay, Adam, but you need to show me some evidence before I'll trust you."

"You must have a lot of pals working for all of the different airport agencies, right? Find out whether there is a Mirana Vaughn Welch who made a reservation for a flight and arrived at this location today. I responded by stating, "That's my proof, and I also want to double-check whether I'm right." I was able to pick up on the sigh he let out, and it seemed as though I had already convinced him.

"All right, I'll get to it first thing in the morning tomorrow, but right now I have a lot of stuff to do, but I will absolutely get to it tomorrow. When that time comes, I will call you.

After we finished talking, I glanced over at my table and saw a picture of Mirana and I together.

"Mirana, why do you refuse to help me?"

FLASHBACK

"Adam, are you watching Game of Thrones once more?"

"My Darling, are you envious to the point of being green?" I couldn't help but giggle as I pulled her closer to me while simultaneously tightening my grip around her waist.

'No! She said, "I'm not," as she wrapped her arms around my neck and planted a passionate kiss on my neck, which resulted in a love bite. "I'm not," she added as she did this.

I snarled at her, "Sweetheart, you're making fun of me."

'No! "No, I'm not," her voice purred. I kissed her so passionately that she moaned my name till I finally pulled away.

She sighed in a very loud voice, "Ohhhh, Adam."

I told her, "I love you, Mirana," before planting a kiss on her forehead and wrapping my arms around her tightly.

She kissed me on the lips and then responded, "I love you too, Adam." "I love you too, Adam."

"Mirana, I can't wait to have you back in my life."