My Mirror Image

Chapter 95

Candice, looking unwell, nodded slowly in response to Sonia. “I’ve got things to handle here.”

Her voice was hoarse, betraying her fatigue.

Sonia’s gaze became wary. She forced a strained smile, asking, “How come you didn’t join us?”

Candice lacked the energy to deal with Sonia and took a sip of her tea, answering, “I’m here on

personal

matters. I’m on leave.”

“Is that so?” Sonia responded with a skeptical chuckle, then turned to Alex and asked, “Have you

wrapped up your business?”

Alex, unfazed, sipped his tea.

“Not yet.”

Sonia’s expression soured slightly.

Greg, sensing the tension, lightened the mood. “What’s the matter, Sonia? Not a fan of Noxville?”

Sonia quickly dismissed the notion with a wave, then admitted, “I think the climate here doesn’t agree

with me. I’ve developed some allergies.”

Greg sympathetically responded, “Oh no! You need to take care of that.”

Candice stayed quiet, almost blending into the background. She barely touched her food.

Meanwhile, Sonia and Greg struck up a rapport, their conversation flowing easily.

Out of the blue, Sonia turned to Alex, probing, “Is what Greg is saying true?”

Alex remained silent, his brows knitted, evidently in a foul mood. Sonia had to call his name

several times before he looked up.

Taken aback by his cold expression, Sonia cautiously asked, “Is something wrong?”

Greg set down his fork and regarded his friend, offering reassurance, “Don’t read too much into it. My

dad’s words aren’t always to be taken to heart. You know how he is.”

Sonia bit her lip, probing further, “What happened?”

With no forthcoming response from Greg, Sonia turned toward Candice.

“Candice…”

Her question was cut short by the ring of Candice’s phone.

Joe was calling.

The urgent tone of the ring caused Candice’s heart to race, a sense of foreboding creeping over her.

She

excused herself to take the call outside the hotel.

“Candy.” Joe was slightly breathless with a faint cough. “Are you in Noxville?”

Candice bypassed his question, asking instead, “Has mom reached out to you?”

Holding her forehead, she sighed. “It’s a complicated situation here. I’ll explain once I’m back.”

+15 BONOS

Joe fell silent for a moment before he said, “No matter what she does, she’s still your mother.”

At his words, Candie’s hand tensed.

“Peach is still your sister, even if she’s a half–sibling. Remember, it was your father who cheated first.”

“Grandpa!” Candice interjected sharply, unwilling to linger on the topic of her parents‘ divorce.

After a brief pause, she softened her voice. “What did she say to you? That I’m not paying for Peach’s

medical

bills, or that I got the police involved with Ivor?”

Joe, sensing her distress, spoke more softly. “I was against your mother’s decision to marry that man.

She

made her choice, and now she faces the consequences. But Peach is innocent in all this. If you can

help,

please do.”

He added kindly, “You’ve always had a big heart.”

The old man began coughing again.

Candice remained quiet, then asked, “How have you been feeling?”

“Same old issues. I had to use the nebulizer the day before yesterday,” Joe answered casually.

She replied, “I’m dealing with things here in Noxville. I’ve agreed to give her ten thousand monthly, but

that’s

my limit.”

Last night there was rain, and today was cloudy. The air was humid, and it made Candice

uncomfortable.

She looked at the gathering dark clouds, her expression bitter, and divulged, “She had tricked

both of us.”

Joe, perhaps perceiving her granddaughter’s sadness, fell silent for a moment before concluding the

call.

Standing at the door, phone in hand, Candice was lost in thought.

Returning to the private room, she nearly collided with a waiter exiting.

Through the slightly ajar door, she caught Sonia’s voice, filled with disbelief. “No way, how could

Candice’s

mom do that to her?”

Candice paused at the door, Greg’s empathetic words ringing in her ears. “If I had parents like that, I

don’t

think I could have coped as she has.”

Her hand tightened into a fist, a bitter smile forming on her lips, where her struggles and feelings

seemed to be

merely subjects of sympathy and gossip for others.

She lingered at the door momentarily, then quietly walked away.

+15 BONOS

Greg was about to continue when Alex’s icy intervention cut him off.

“Greg, that’s enough,” Alex said sharply, his face stern.

Realizing his mistake, Greg mimed, sealing his lips, and muttered, “Sorry, my mistake.”

Alex’s gaze unintentionally swept toward the door.

Glancing at his photte, Greg noted, “Ms. Renault’s been away for quite a while, hasn’t she?”

Alex, his expression unreadable, stood and grabbed his phone, ready to leave.

Sonia called after him. “Where are you headed?”

He paused briefly and said, “To the restroom.”

Candice, having reached the hotel lobby, remembered she had left her bag in the private room. She

considered asking a waiter to fetch it but was worried they might mistake her for a fraud.

Her bag, containing crucial documents and bank cards, necessitated her return to the room. NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.

As she rounded the corner, Candice unexpectedly encountered Alex exiting the room.

She briefly met his eyes before quickly averting her gaze, her mood dampened by being a topic of

mockery.

But after just a few steps, Alex’s icy, sarcastic voice reached her. “Does Aether Corporation pay you too

much?”

Candice halted and faced him.

With a scoff, Alex continued, “Do you enjoy being a walking ATM for others? Playing the role of

generous giver?

Every word from him felt like a slap in the face; it was so painful that it left her breathless.

However, he was not wholly incorrect.

Visibly shaken, Candice stood in silence.

Alex’s eyes briefly lingered on the scratch on her hand from Yvonne, his expression darkening

momentarily before he remarked coldly, “You look rather pathetic. Are you attempting to elicit sympathy

from others?”

His tone was detached and cold.

Candice felt as if her strength was being slowly drained; breathing itself felt like a struggle.

Sympathy? She pondered who would genuinely sympathize with her? Who would understand her

plight? Who could possibly relate to her? Her suffering was entirely her own fault.