My Mirror Image

Chapter 64

Candice felt a sting in her lips and the slight taste of blood on her tongue, realizing she had hurt her

own lips.

As Alex relaxed his hold, she instinctively turned her head away, causing her nightgown to slip and

vaguely expose her collarbone and a large area of her skin. Alex smiled scornfully as he looked down

and took in the scenery.

“What’s the matter?” He mocked, returning to his former nonchalant tone. “Are you upset because I

didn’t acknowledge you as my other half?”

He let go of Candice and sat back down on the couch before she could answer, “When did I say that

you were my girlfriend?” He asked blankly, “You’re giving yourself way too much credit.”

His statements made it apparent that he thought she was imagining things, and now she was reaping

the consequences.

The abrupt ring of a phone shattered the silence,

Alex gave it a quick glance and picked up the call.

Candice, standing nearby, could faintly make out Sonia’s playful voice from the

other end.

His warm response to Sonia stood in stark contrast to his icy treatment of Candice.

This interaction led Candice to the painful realization that this man was capable of being gentle and

considerate with other women but never with her.

Candice stood frozen until he called out her name.

She looked up and saw him still absorbed in his conversation, his brow wrinkled ever so slightly.

“She’s not here,” he nonchalantly stated. “I’m not sure.”

Not wanting to stay on and interrupt him after realizing he was chatting with Sonia, she moved across

the room and opened the balcony door.

The day–to–night temperature changes in Stugan were particularly extreme.

When she left the room, the cold immediately engulfed her.

It was then that she received an unexpected call from Dean Schmidt, the head of

Dean’s tone was grave as he requested, “Ms. Renault, could you please come to the nursing home

tomorrow if you’re available?”

Candice, taken aback, responded with concern, “What’s going on with my grandpa?”

He detailed his worries, “Mr. Sundance’s recent actions are concerning. He’s been making frequent

bank visits and talking about earning money. We’re worried he might be the target of a scam. Could

you visit him tomorrow to check on him?”

Once the call ended, Candice remained on the balcony, deep in thought.

She contemplated calling Joe, but given the late hour, she figured he was likely asleep.

Instead, she decided to contact her mother, whom she seldom spoke to.

Yvonne, who had left Candice’s father when Candice was just ten, re–entered her life when she was

twenty–two.

She had made an effort to reconnect, waiting for her daughter daily on her way to work with homemade

meals and expressing remorse for leaving her.

Candice had come to truly believe in her mother’s enduring love for her.

Instead of Yvonne, a gruff–voiced man answered the call, rudely questioning, Who’s this?”

Candice felt increasingly uneasy with this as she asked, “Is Yvonne there?”

The man’s demeanor soured at the mention of Yvonne’s name, asking disdainfully, “Why are you

asking for that bitch?”

Following a loud thud, as if he had stumbled into something, he erupted in anger, “That bitch bore a

money pit and dares to ask me for money!”

He cursed and raved for a little longer before abruptly hanging up the phone.

Left holding her phone, Candice stood frozen on the balcony, lost in thought, until the cold breeze

brought her back to reality. She slowly went back into the room. Alex had left, most likely to his own

room.

The next morning, she reached out to Joe.

The call was quickly connected, but she felt a sense of weariness upon hearing his voice.

Candice was in a difficult position, contemplating whether to advise her grandfather to stop financially

supporting her mother.

However, she knew the complexities involved, where Yvonne was his daughter and Peach was his

granddaughter. Adding to this was Joe’s poor health. If he found out that the money he was providing

for Peach’s treatment was being wasted on gambling by that man, then…

Joe, noticing the awkward silence, finally broke it by asking, “What’s wrong?”

Candice pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling conflicted and overwhelmed. After briefly hesitating,

she said, “I’ve been quite busy lately and really missed you.”

The old man chuckled at her response.

Their conversation continued about some trivial matters until Candice eventually touched on the topic,

“Have you been giving money to Mom lately?”

There was a moment of hesitation from Joe before he confessed, “They’re facing difficulties; I’m just

lending a hand.”

Recognizing his good intentions, Candice chose not to probe any deeper.

Later that day, as she was heading to a meeting and took the elevator down, she unexpectedly

encountered Alex and Nina.

Despite her hesitation, Candice still stepped into the elevator.

She stood off to the side, agitated by the problems plaguing her family.

Nina, seizing the chance to provoke her, sneered, “Look who’s actually coming to work today, Ms.

Renault. I thought you were going to resign.”

Frustrated, Candice frowned. Raising her head, she noticed Alex standing beside Nina.

Her fingers tensed slightly before she replied calmly, “I made a mistake yesterday and have already

apologized to Mr. Elysian.“!

Nina let out a scornful laugh, while Alex remained stoic, not even bothering to look at her.

Candice lowered her head, hiding her emotions. Her thoughts were consumed by her family’s troubles,

leaving her distracted.

Upon exiting the hotel, she nearly tripped on the stairs, accidentally bumping into Alex.

He gave her a cold glance, cautioning, “If you can’t get your emotions in check,

Nina gloated at the side.

Candice bit her lip, apologizing, “I’m sorry. I will quickly adjust.”

He said nothing and walked to the parking lot.

Candice, standing momentarily to rub her temples in distress, eventually hurried to catch up with them.

But today, Nina seems to have even more schemes up her sleeve to make life difficult for Candice.

Upon reaching the office, Nina tasked Candice with fetching coffee from a distant shop.

Candice frowned, objecting, “That shop is too far. It’ll take an hour just to drive there and back.”

Nina, visibly annoyed, turned to Alex and insisted, “I only drink coffee from that shop.”

Alex, unfazed, instructed Candice, “Just go get it.”

Candice stood still for a while before she complied and set out for the coffee.

Caught in morning traffic, it took her ninety minutes to return. Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Upon asking at the reception, she discovered that Alex, Nina, and Charles had already left for a field

trip related to market research.

Sitting in the pantry with the now–cold coffee, she calmly sent a message to her boss, checking if he

needed her to join them at the field trip location.