Chapter 474
This seemed to have provided Nancy with an opportunity to validate her statements. The deceased Stephanie was not the authentic 'Stephanie,' after all. The real Stephanie lost her memory in a car accident four years ago and was subsequently taken away by the organization.
"Steven, do you believe what Nancy said?" Joel inquired the same question I intended to ask.
He didn't answer. Instead, he just glanced at me. I felt overwhelmed with a profound lack of reassurance.
"Why are you sitting between my wife and me?" Steven asked after a long silence, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
I looked up without thinking, my eyes slightly puffy. I saw Steven kick Joel and reach out to hold me. "I want to sit next to Stephie."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Eason pursed his lips irritably and shook his head. He started imitating Steven, "I want to sit next to Stephie..."
Joel was forced to swap seats with Steven, who ended up in the middle seat.
"I couldn't help but wonder why the organization abruptly released Nancy, the parent character, and substituted Stephie with a new experimental subject.
"It seems they intend on retrieving the experimental subject 'Stephy,' releasing a new counterpart, and then... suspending operations temporarily, biding their time, and resuming operations when the time is right," Steven whispered.
Eason gave Steven a thumbs-up. "I think so too."
Steven tightened his grasp on my hand. "That means... Stephie will be in danger."
They would definitely use various methods to take me away.
I looked out the car window and said, "I think Nancy might be right. Stephanie may not really be Stephanie, but the one in her hands is Stephanie. Steven, the Stephanie you love may have never loved anyone else. She's still Stephanie."
If this was indeed the ending, then it was undeniably the best possible ending for Steven.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
"Stephie..." Steven tightened his grasp on my hand once more. I glanced at him with mixed feelings.
Nancy's car stopped in front of a villa nestled in the suburbs of Huma. It was at the top of a mountain, and the environment was absolutely stunning.
As I stepped out of the car, I caught sight of a figure standing on the second floor. She was wearing a white dress, and her long hair was fluttering in the wind. A sudden tightness gripped my heart, and my steps began to stiffen.
She didn't just resemble Stephanie; she was a replica. As she glanced in our direction, her gaze eventually locked onto me. Our eyes met, and at that moment, my heart began to race,
Clones and identical twins... Ha! What a fascinating experimental subject, indeed.
Steven was clearly astonished. He found himself inexplicably drawn, and without thinking, he stepped inside the yard.
Zion cursed in shock and turned to Eason. "Damn it... If I hadn't seen Stephanie's lifeless body with my own eyes, I'd probably think she's Stephanie herself."
Eason looked concerned. "Isn't it scary? If Stephanie's body weren't found and her DNA was a match, no one would believe that the real Stephanie was dead..."
If Michael hadn't laid eyes on Stephanie's lifeless body and had instead encountered this woman standing before him, he would most likely have been the first to wholeheartedly believe that Stephanie was alive. The mere contemplation of such an occurrence was truly chilling.
Was this the reason why Stephanie's body was placed in a glass display cabinet to be publicly viewed after her death? She didn't want to die in such a mysterious way, nor did she want to be easily replaced.
Eason whispered, "Was it Stephanie who planned everything? Could it be that she took her own life... No, she's probably the mastermind behind the serial murders, isn't she? What we discovered in the ruined building is"
"Shh!" Zion frowned and interrupted Eason's words.
Eason was stunned and didn't say anything else. Joel also looked up at the woman upstairs.
Nancy stood behind me and whispered, "She's Steven's Stephie... Hasn't this realization deeply unsettled you? Steven's Stephie should be pure in soul and body, not in love with Michael, let alone have a child with him..."
"Shut up!" I couldn't deny the fact that her words had provoked an intense fury within me, causing my emotions to spiral out of control. My entire body trembled uncontrollably. However, I was unable to counter her argument. I appeared to be furious.
"You're a defective product. If the organization desires to recycle you, you should discreetly disappear and return the perfect and unspoiled Stephanie to Steven. The organization will cease its activities globally, and Steven and Stephanie will pursue a secure life.
"This is the chance the organization is offering you... Sacrifice yourself and join us. The organization will release Steven and provide him with an untarnished and whole Stephanie," Nancy continued. The terms she offered me were extremely tempting.