The Woman They Could Never Replace

William Lloyd has never gotten over me, and to Gabriel Zeller, I'm the sister he's always doted on. But I have ambitions of my own, just like the unforgettable first love in every romance novel. So I leave the country to study abroad. At the airport, William and Gabriel promise they'll wait for me to come home. Nine years later, I finally return. They've kept their promise. They've just found someone to take my place while I was gone. "The real Zeller heiress is back. You're nothing but a kept woman, so know your place." "A replacement will always be a replacement. Have some dignity and leave." They shower me with affection and give her nothing but the cold shoulder, but I can still see the hesitation in their eyes. Then, on my wedding day, we get word that she's been in a car accident. William leaves me at the altar, and Gabriel gets up from the family table and walks out too. "I'm sorry, Noelle. I finally understand how I feel. She was never anyone's replacement." It doesn't matter to me. Being someone's unforgettable love or someone's kept woman was never what I wanted. I'm the future head of the Zeller family, and I have my own goals. Chapter 1 The night before our wedding, William Lloyd went back to the rental apartment. I had been back for two years, and it had been just as long since he drove away the woman he'd kept as my replacement. Somehow, that tiny apartment had become the only place he could find any comfort. By the time I found him, he was already drunk. William Lloyd, heir to Lloyd Group, lay asleep on a narrow bed made of plywood in the cramped basement, the corners of his eyes red. The moment he saw me, he pressed me against the doorframe and kissed me passionately. "Rachel, you're shameless. We agreed we wouldn't cross that line, and you actually drugged me? I was saving my first time for Noelle. Rachel, remember your place. You're just Noelle's replacement. Don't ever think you can take her place." I fell silent for a moment, then slapped him hard across the face. I grabbed his chin and made him look at me. His eyes cleared a little. "William, take a good look at me. I'm Noelle Zeller. I came back two years ago. And the woman you were keeping? Weren't you the one who drove her away?" I thought back to the day I returned home. My assistant, Vincent Webb, took my luggage and asked without thinking, "Ms. Gilliam, are we heading to your favorite restaurant again?" I froze for a second. "Who's Ms. Gilliam?" From that day on, the name Rachel Gilliam seemed to follow me everywhere. Gina Brooks, one of the maids, told me Rachel and I looked a lot alike, but that was where the resemblance ended. Rachel never put on airs. She didn't wear elaborate gowns or like going to formal dinners. She was always saying, "Once I save up 50 million dollars, I'm going out to hire some male escorts. In our line of work, the one thing you never do is catch feelings." She was carefree, lively, and fun to be around. Everyone seemed to like her, from the butler and driver to the maids. I heard Rachel hadn't made a scene when William and my brother, Gabriel Zeller, kicked her out. She had simply cried in silence all night. By morning, she had cried so hard that she hyperventilated and developed respiratory alkalosis, and the butler had to take her to the hospital. William gave her the 50 million dollars she had always dreamed of. He also told her, "It's up to you whether you keep the baby. It only happened once between us. I was drunk, and I mistook you for Noelle." After that, Rachel did exactly what she had always said she would. She disappeared completely from William and Gabriel's lives. William seemed to have sobered up a little. He quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Noelle. Rachel was around me for so long that I just reacted out of habit. You heard what I said. I never fell for her. I always reminded her that she was only your replacement." A replacement? So he could sleep with her and still claim he was in love with me? I picked up a glass of cold water and threw it in his face. "Are you sober now, my fiancé? Take a good look at me. I'm not your kept woman. I'm the heir to the Zeller family. We grew up together, and our marriage is a business arrangement. The wedding is tomorrow. Don't forget." I opened the door, and the biting night air hit me. Gabriel was standing right outside, blocking my way and glaring at me like he had come to demand answers. "Gabriel," I started, but before I could finish, he slapped me across the face. "Rachel is missing, Noelle. Did you do this? Are you really that jealous? You couldn't stand to have her around?" Chapter 2 I went to Delmora to study abroad when I was 18 and stayed there for nine years. Back then, everyone in Kensford knew how much Gabriel doted on me, and William, my childhood friend, was just as devoted. Before I left, they both swore they would wait for me. "Noelle, make sure you video call us often." "We'll wait for you to come back. You'll always be our little princess." Watching William and Gabriel secretly wipe away tears, I couldn't help laughing. "Okay, okay, stop crying. You're embarrassing yourselves! Just wait until I come back with my PhD!" But that same year, they began sponsoring a poor local student as my replacement. After that, our chats grew quieter and quieter. They used to put so much thought into my birthday gifts every year. Eventually, all I got was a birthday wish by email. Every year when I came home, they covered their tracks so well that I never once found any sign of the woman they were keeping. For my 19th birthday, I came back early because I wanted to surprise them. Instead, I found a room in William's house furnished exactly like mine. When I asked him about it, he pushed me onto the bed and kissed me. "Why are you even asking? You know why. I missed you so much, babe, so I made the room look like yours." Looking back now, it was obvious someone had been living there. All those matching things I thought were just for William and me? There had actually been three of everything. While I was overseas writing him letter after letter, he was falling asleep with my replacement in his arms. It wasn't until I finished my studies and came home to marry William that they finally drove her away, only to regret it afterward. William heard the commotion and came out of the apartment. "What? Gabriel, who are you saying is missing? Rachel? How could she be missing? Didn't we hire a whole security team to watch her around the clock?" Then something seemed to click. He grabbed my wrist, his brow furrowing. "It was you, wasn't it? Noelle, you did this! We're getting married tomorrow, and you were afraid Rachel would show up and steal me away at the wedding, so you had her kidnapped, didn't you? "We were apart for a few years, and this is what you've become? You're not the Noelle I remember anymore." Gabriel said nothing. He snatched the car keys from my hand. "My car broke down. Take a cab home." Then he and William split up and launched a massive citywide search for Rachel. William was practically dragged to the wedding by his parents, Bernard Lloyd and Helen Barnes. Bernard and Helen smiled at me. "Noelle, we've watched you grow up. You and William have been close since you were kids. He's just infatuated with Rachel right now, so don't take it to heart." "Just go through with the wedding. You have your whole lives ahead of you. He'll come around eventually." William looked at me with undisguised disgust. "Disgusting," he said quietly. I thought back to when I was 20. William had spent nearly six months working himself to exhaustion at one of Lloyd Group's branches. He put in so much overtime that he landed in the ER, just so he could buy me a one-of-a-kind ring at an auction. When he came to pick me up at the airport, he took my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world and slipped a ring worth more than 100 million dollars onto my ring finger. I teased him by trying to take it off, but he hooked a finger around mine. "Don't take it off. You're wearing my ring, so you're mine now. Ms. Zeller, who else would you marry but me?" Gabriel slung an arm around William's shoulders and joked, "Hey, Noelle is my baby sister. I've spent 20 years treating her like the most precious person in the world. If you ever hurt her, you'll have me to answer to." Gabriel had once told me that no matter who I married, he would always be there for me. He promised he would protect me for the rest of my life. But now, as William and I went to toast our families at their table, Gabriel slammed his glass down. "Noelle, Rachel was in a car accident. She's in the hospital, and she could die. My biggest regret is that I spoiled you all these years and turned you into the person you are now. If I'd known you'd grow up to be this vicious, I should've strangled you when you were a child!" He shot William a look and stood up. "We can't keep making the same mistake. The doctor said Rachel might not make it through the night. I have to go see her." And just like that, my fiancé and my own brother walked out on me at my wedding. Chapter 3 Whispers spread through the reception hall. "Wait, this is really Ms. Zeller's wedding? I thought her brother and fiancé doted on her." "This is so humiliating. If I were her, I'd jump off a building." "That's hilarious. That's what she gets for always throwing her weight around." I called William and Gabriel, but they only gave me a few rushed explanations before hanging up. "I'm sorry, Noelle. Let's call off the wedding." "It took us until now to realize that Rachel was never anyone's replacement. She's her own person." "This is your fault. It's all your fault. None of this would've happened if you hadn't come back." I simply turned to Dad. "Dad, does your promise still stand?" He nodded. I took a deep breath, smiled, and made the rounds alone, raising my glass at every table. William and Gabriel were right about one thing. I had changed. Nine years away had toughened me up. I was no longer the pampered Zeller heiress I used to be. Mom always said I was the most capable of the Zeller children. I was smarter and more decisive than Gabriel or any of Dad's illegitimate children. Soon enough, I'd be the one to take over Zeller Group. My marriage to William had been arranged between the Lloyd and Zeller families years ago, and Dad had made me a promise. Once William and I had been married for a year, he would transfer 30% of Zeller Group's shares to me. With the 21% I already owned, I would have a controlling stake in Zeller Group. Once that happened, I could leave William and kick Gabriel out while I was at it. William came back late that night, smelling strongly of antiseptic. He lay down beside me. I felt the mattress dip under his weight and turned toward him, meeting his dazed, devastated eyes. "Noelle, Rachel is dead." Then he started crying, and there was nothing fake about his grief. "Noelle, I hate you. You disgust me. How could you be so cruel? What did Rachel ever do to deserve this? Gabriel and I didn't even get to see her one last time. "She was always so afraid of pain, and neither of us was there. Do you know how scared she must've been? Her friend said she kept calling my name at the end. "She said she hated me, that she'd never forgive me, and that she hoped I'd go to hell. And she was pregnant with my child. How could you do this?" Once he was done crying, William grabbed my wrist and pinned me to the bed, leaning in close. The smell of antiseptic and alcohol filled the space between us. "Do you want to marry me that badly? I heard what happened. Gabriel and I walked out, and you still went ahead with the wedding. Are you that desperate? You'd throw away every last bit of your pride just to be with me?" I didn't understand where this was coming from. I almost told him about the share transfer, but stopped myself before the words came out. Some plans only worked if they stayed secret, and one careless word could ruin everything. Until I actually had a controlling stake in the company, I couldn't risk everything just for a moment of satisfaction. William kept going. "But you still have to pay for what you did. I'll go through with the marriage, and we can live like any other rich couple. But you have to agree to one condition." I glanced at him. "What condition?" "You'll be Rachel's replacement." William twirled a strand of my hair around his finger. "Go get your hair straightened tomorrow, Noelle. Rachel didn't like curly hair. I used to make her copy everything about you. Your makeup, your hairstyle, even the little things you did. I was wrong to do that to her." His eyes reddened, and a tear slipped down his cheek. "You're not saying anything, so I'll take that as a yes." Moonlight spilled into the room as William kissed my forehead and reached behind me, undoing the clasp. "I can sleep with you tonight, but Noelle, I'm sorry. If I accidentally call you the wrong name, please forgive me." I almost laughed and gave him a flat look. "Did keeping a woman on the side fry your brain? If you want a replacement who'll quietly put up with whatever you do, go pay for one somewhere else. Don't come here looking for trouble with me." After that night, William never spent another night at home. He had a huge portrait of Rachel made and hung it in the most prominent spot in the house. He even kept a memorial plaque for her in our bedroom. He wanted me to look at it every day and remember the crime he believed I'd committed. Vincent told me William had bought the basement apartment where Rachel used to live and moved in. He was punishing himself too. I didn't object. All I had to do was put up with looking at her photo every day, and I wouldn't have to deal with a man who couldn't control his emotions. If living like this for a year was enough to secure my inheritance, I couldn't think of an easier way to get what I wanted. Chapter 4 William moved into the basement apartment to punish himself, while Gabriel left home and stayed away. Gabriel had once been the golden boy of the Zeller family. After that, he stopped caring about the business and quit attending social events. Before he left, his last words to me were, "Noelle, I'll make you pay for this. I'll send you to join Rachel." The maids and drivers must have caught wind of what happened. They started giving me strange looks, and their attitude toward me wasn't exactly friendly either. I had already told Gina that I was allergic to shellfish. When she served lobster bisque for the third time, I finally had enough and told her to pack her things and leave. Gina's eyes reddened as she said through tears, "Ms. Zeller, why do you have to act like you're better than everyone else? People make mistakes. You're taking away my job! It's already hard enough for people like us to get by. "Ms. Gilliam would never treat me like this. She used to cook with me in the kitchen, and she'd even let me borrow her clothes. No wonder Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Zeller don't like you." I was done listening to Gina's pointless accusations and was about to give her a final warning when William came home. It was our first wedding anniversary. It was also the first anniversary of Rachel's death. He had already told me he planned to come back and pay his respects to her, just to get under my skin. Without even asking what had happened, William sneered, "Throwing your weight around again, Ms. Zeller? I was wrong. Rachel was nothing like you. She was kind and easy to be around, while you've always acted like you're above everyone else. "Gabriel and I spoiled you rotten for over 20 years. We let you think you could do whatever you wanted and look down on everyone else. Why did Rachel have to die? Why wasn't it you?" I looked at William, and suddenly he seemed like a stranger. At six, he told me he would protect me forever. At 16, he chased away every boy who tried to get close to me. At 20, he swore he would never marry anyone but me. And now, at 29, he was asking why I wasn't the one who died. It felt like those memories belonged to another lifetime. William stared at the lobster bisque on the table and went still for a moment. He murmured, "Rachel loved lobster bisque, but I never let her eat it. One night, she snuck out to get some and ran into some creeps. I even yelled at her afterward." His voice caught. "Come on, Noelle. Please. Just have one bite, okay?" It was the first time William had begged me for anything since we got married. It was all because he wanted me to eat something I was severely allergic to just to satisfy his ridiculous fantasy. I scoffed. "No." He sighed softly. "You don't get a choice. Just one bite. I'll call my doctor. You'll be fine." His grip on my jaw was frighteningly strong, and the rich, buttery flavor of the lobster bisque filled my mouth. Right before I blacked out, Gabriel pushed the door open and pulled me into his arms, just like he had countless times when we were kids. But what he said next chilled me to the bone. He shot William a glare. "Were you really going to kill her like this? That would be letting her off way too easy." Then he looked at me. "Noelle, I'm not here to save you. I'm here to send you to hell. I found a witness who can testify that you caused Rachel's death. You're going to pay for her death with your life." The whole situation suddenly felt so absurd that I started laughing, my shoulders shaking. When I finally stopped, I asked, "How exactly are you going to charge me with murder when the person I supposedly killed is still alive?"