CEO's Passion: Love by Mistake

Chapter 1693

Chapter 1693 Substitute

Natalie knew how she felt at this moment.

After all, if she were in their shoes, she wouldn't feel good either.

Imagine someone who had never had a good attitude toward themselves, and then one day, they suddenly said they've fallen in love with her. Naturally, the person being loved would have mixed feelings.

“Joyce, please calm down, alright? Let me explain everything to you carefully.” Natalie rubbed her temples and tried to soothe her.

Joyce took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “Alright, you speak, and I'll listen.”

“Actually, I really didn't lie to you. Stanley truly loves you. When I found out, I couldn't believe it either, but that's the truth. I know that the Stanley you know from us has not been good to you, so when you hear him say he loves you now, it's natural for you to think it's impossible and feel a mix of emotions. Honestly, when I found out, I have mixed feelings, too.”

“When did you find out? And how can you be sure that he...” Joyce bit her lip, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

But after a moment, she took a deep breath and said the words that followed, “He loves me?”

“I didn't know for long either, just about half a month at most,” Natalie's lips twitched, and then she continued, “I didn't know it at first, and I even thought that Stanley was in love with me.”

“You?” Joyce's eyes widened, surprised by these words.

Natalie knew that she had no memories of her past with Stanley, so naturally, she was unaware of his previous feelings for her.

Natalie knew how she felt at this moment.

After all, if she were in their shoes, she wouldn't feel good either.

No wonder they were surprised.

“Yes, it's me,” Natalie said awkwardly, nodding her head. “But rather than saying Stanley loves me, it's more accurate to say that he sees me as your substitute.”

“S-Substitute?” Joyce's mouth twitched, once again astonished.

“How could you be my substitute?” She didn't understand and couldn't comprehend.

Natalie smiled and said, “Indeed, I'm your substitute. Stanley had always thought that the person he loved was me, but it wasn't. The person he has always loved is you. It's just that he couldn't distinguish it himself and couldn't see through it.”

The more she listened, the more confused Joyce became. She furrowed her brows and said, “Nat, stop teasing me. I've read about body doubles before. A body double should be two people who look alike, so that one can replace the other. But you and I don't look alike at all. You're so beautiful, and although I'm quite pretty too, I'm nowhere near as stunning as you. So how could you be my body double? Stanley must need to get his eyes checked.”

Natalie couldn't help but laugh at her words, “When I mentioned a substitute, I wasn't referring to someone who looks similar, but rather someone with a similar personality.”

“Personality?” Joyce raised her eyebrows, vaguely guessing something in his heart.

Natalie nodded, “Yes, personality. I don't know if you still remember your own personality from before, but in short, my past personality was very similar to yours. That's why I said Stanley treated me as your substitute, and the person he has always loved is you.”

“So that's how it is.” Joyce lowered her eyelids.

Natalie continued, “Stanley is a person whose character tends to be extreme. In the past, he always believed that the Rivers family was responsible for his parents' death, so he harbored resentment towards the Rivers family and you. As a result, he couldn't see through his own heart and didn't realize that the person he loved was you. My past personality was very similar to yours, and since I'm not you, he subconsciously gravitated toward me, thinking I was the one he liked. But in reality, the person he truly wanted to be close to was you. He just didn't understand his own feelings.”

“I understand.” Joyce bit her lip.

Upon hearing Natalie's words, she had already understood everything.

Throughout his life, the person Stanley Quinn had always loved, or rather, the one he had loved from beginning to end, was her. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

It was only because of his hatred that he didn't realize he loved her, even going so far as to hurt her.

“Why not sooner?” Joyce suddenly murmured.

Natalie blinked in confusion, “Joyce, what did you say?”