"What?!" Ann exclaimed the moment Grace told her what Brad had said. Brad had finally left with Tae-Joon after they had exchanged contacts. He had told her to call him when she made up her mind as he wasn't going to be around for more than a week.
"You heard me right," Grace told her. They were alone in Ann's office since most of the staff had closed for the day and had gone home before Grace returned.
"No. This can't be happening. There's absolutely no way this is happening. I finally get a chance to meet my maternal family, who I had no idea of their existence, and I'm stuck in your body? Living your life?" Ann asked angrily, not knowing who to be mad at.
"I didn't ask for this either, so don't come raising your voice at me thinking I'm enjoying the situation! I'm the one whose family had chased away from her own home! I'm the one who had to listen to my sister say she preferred this you to me! I'm the one who had to sit down in the midst of people I considered as my friends and listen to them speak ill of me! I'm the one whose fucking like is screwed! So don't you dare raise your voice at me. What was so great about your life until this happened anyway?" Grace asked before breaking down into a sob.
Ann glanced at her in surprise. She hadn't realized how much emotional turmoil Grace was passing through because of the situation.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Ann said, walking over to give Grace a hug.
"Why is this happening to me? I need my life back! Everything is just so screwed," Grace said, sobbing against Ann's body. She had needed to let off some steam and probably yell at someone, and she was grateful Ann had given her a chance to.
"Everything will be fine. We just have to figure out a way out of this mess," Ann said, patting her back gently.
"How can everything be fine? Things can't be fine. It's actually becoming worse," Grace said, thinking about Brad. She was probably supposed to tell Ann she had brushed lips with him drunkenly.
"My grandmother, I need to see her," Ann said with a sad frown.
"There is no way you can do that," Grace told her wearily as she started pacing around the office.
"What if I say I need a vacation and put you in charge of things?" Ann asked.
"And what will you tell Brad is the reason you're going in my place?" Grace asked, lifting her perfectly shaped brow.
"Well, we could tell him the truth," Ann suggested with a shrug.
"And why would he believe you? Is there like a proof?" Grace asked.
"Well, I don't know. I just want to meet them. I'm curious about so many things. I have so many questions I want to ask them," Ann said in frustration.
"I will go," Grace said after a brief pause.
"What? You can't!" Ann exclaimed almost immediately.
"Why not?" Grace asked, lifting a brow and pursing her lips.
"First of all, you're obviously not me, so going over there isn't right. My grandmother wants to meet her granddaughter and not a stranger. And second of all, you can't go too far from your family," Ann reminded her.
"First of all, it is 'secondly.' There's no such thing as 'second of all,'" Grace corrected with a smirk.
"There is. And if peradventure there wasn't, I just added it to my vocabulary," Ann said, lifting her chin and crossing her hand over her chest.
"Don't speak such disastrous English with my mouth. Save it for when you return to your own body. Now back to the subject," Grace said and used her hands to indicate that Ann should keep shut and listen.
"I've given it a thought... My parents want me out of your life. I have nowhere to go, not because I don't have money, but because I have no idea on where to go or what to do with my life if I leave here. Your grandmother wants to see you. I could go over there pretending to be you and introduce you to her via the phone. That way, she gets to see your body and know you. We could even talk on Skype, so you see her," Grace suggested.
"But this would mean you'll be far away from everything and everyone you know. You're the only one I have," Ann said with a frown. How was she to explain the state of things to Chairman Jiang?
"This is the only way. Think about it," Grace said before excusing herself to go finish up some paperwork.
Ann sat down in her office chair and buried her face in her hand. She knew what Grace had suggested did make sense, but she couldn't get past the fact that Grace would be meeting her family first. She had no idea what Grace would be expecting from them since she knew next to nothing about them.
Ann stood up and carried her bag. She decided to go home and have a talk with Chairman Jiang about it. She was going to listen to whatever decision he suggested.
"You're leaving?" Grace asked when she raised her head from signing some documents and saw Ann walking away with her bag. She made a mental note to teach Ann how to sign her signature before traveling with Brad. She was leaving with Brad, and nothing was going to stop her unless she returned to her body overnight.
"Let's continue tomorrow. I need to rest and think about it properly," Ann said before turning to leave.
Ann stopped and decided to add something, "Please try not to get drunk or go home with a stranger tonight," She added and then walked away.
********
"So it really wasn't him?" Mrs. Jiang asked no one in particular as she watched Tae-joon's press conference on TV with her husband.
"Hello! I'm Brad Carter. Not that I owe anyone an explanation for what I did, but I'm just here to clear the air. I was the one in that photo and not CEO Wang Tae-Joon. How can anyone even think he was the one when I'm better looking with a better fashion sense?" Brad asked with a wink making the reporters giggle and the male reporters smile.
"Are you both by chance twins or merely doppelgangers?" One of the reporters asked.
"Doppelgangers, I would say, since I'm not from this way, and no one ever told me anything about having a twin unless, of course, you want to tell me something I don't know," Brad said, making them laugh once more.
"Who was the lady with you?" One of the reporters asked.
"Not that I owe you an explanation, but the lady with me happened to be my cousin and not a love interest. I'm only here to clear the air on the misunderstanding, and I hope I've been able to do so. Thank you very much," Brad said and stepped off the stage, leaving Tae-Joon to finish up by himself.
"Cousin? Didn't you say she is an orphan and has no family?" Mrs. Jiang was asking her husband when Ann walked into the house. She looked at the screen and could guess what was going on.
"I guess you've seen that it was all a misunderstanding," Ann said, going to sit with them after dropping a kiss on her mother's cheek.
"So she has a family? She should go to them already before she causes more trouble for you. But why does he look so much like Wang Tae-Joon?" Mrs. Jiang asked with a frown.
"They're probably just doppelgangers. And Ann only just found out about the existence of her maternal family yesterday," Ann said for Chairman Jiang's benefit.
"Good for her. She can leave now," Mrs. Jiang said with a smirk.
"Dad, if you're not too busy, I would love to discuss business with you before dinner," Ann said to Chairman Jiang before leaving them and going to her bedroom.
"She wants to do what?" Chairman Jiang asked Ann a few minutes later when he was alone with her in his study.
"I think this whole thing is taking its toll on her, and she just needs a change of environment," Ann said.
"You think she should go?" Chairman Jiang asked, watching Ann closely.
"Even though she is an adult, your decision is the most important. We could just tell her you're aware about the swap, and you can ask her not to leave," Ann suggested.
"That won't be necessary. Just as you have said, Grace is a big girl. I'm sure she can take care of herself. She can go if she wants to, but I will like to have a talk with your cousin first," Chairman Jiang said before rising up to leave for the dining.
"She really can go?" Ann asked to be sure.
"Yes, she can. And maybe we can work out something for you to pay them a brief visit too, maybe sometime later, so that you get to see them yourself. I'm sure this isn't easy on you either," Chairman Jiang said with a gentle smile before walking away.