"We’re here, get out."

Ellie glanced at Jose’s body, her eyes still red from crying earlier. Jose was already out and motioned for Ellie to join him as he was about to close the door. Ben, the secretary, had also stepped out and was now holding the door open for his boss’s wife.

"Don’t cry like that again, Miss Ellie. You know, Mr. Ben can’t stand seeing anyone cry. Don’t make it a habit, okay?"

Ellie stayed silent, knowing that if she spoke, she’d probably break down in tears again.

"Are you two gonna stand there all day? Get inside before I shut the door!" Jose shouted from the villa’s entrance.

Ellie, holding the white heels she’d been wearing, now barefoot, hurried towards the villa. Ben was still locking up the car, trailing behind Ellie.

By the time Ellie reached the entrance, Jose was nowhere to be seen. She had no idea where he’d gone. She looked around the massive house, which was just a bit smaller than the Dehendra family's estate that housed three families. Ellie was in awe of the place, likely made from mahogany. The warm brown tones matched the scenery of the villa surrounded by trees, and even most of the furniture was brown.

"Does he like brown?" Ellie muttered to herself.

"It’s not Mr. Jose, Miss. It’s his friend—my friend too."

Ellie frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Uh... nothing. Forget I said anything." Ben realized he’d spoken out of turn. He shook his head, trying to drop the subject. "Please don’t ever try to learn anything about Mr. Jose’s friend or me, okay, Miss? In that electronic agreement Mr. Jose gave you, there’s a clause that says, ‘don’t meddle in each other’s business.’ Even though you didn’t sign it and Mr. Jose withdrew it, he still doesn’t want his secrets known by anyone, including you," Ben said earnestly.

Ellie nodded. "Alright... I’m not really into people knowing my secrets either. It’s embarrassing."

"Glad you get it, Miss."

Ben watched as Ellie walked ahead of him, still curious about who the real person behind this “Ellie” was—the woman his boss and friend Jose had married. Ellie seemed... not like Ellie.

"Maybe I should look into this," Ben thought with a deep, suspicious tone.

***

"Where are you going?"

Ellie, who was wandering around the house, froze at the sound of Jose’s cold voice. She didn’t say anything, just watched as Jose unbuttoned and hung up his tuxedo on a hanger.

"This is our room," Jose said, undoing two buttons on his white shirt.

Ellie was a bit startled by the guy’s straightforwardness. He had the long hair that was all the rage in Korea right now. But she tried not to say anything, feeling that talking to this weird guy wouldn’t do any good.

"We’re sharing a bed, so make sure to make tonight count."

Ellie tried to calm her racing heart. Jose was playing with her, pushing her buttons with these little teases.

"Don’t just stand there. Take a good look at this room. Memorize every inch of it so you don’t get lost later." After saying that, Jose walked out, taking a blue shirt with him as he left. As he walked, he slipped into his shirt.

He found Ben in the sleek, modern kitchen.

"Jose, don’t you think there’s something off about your new bride?" Ben asked, curious.

"Jose, have you noticed something weird about your bride?" Ben asked curiously.

Jose glanced at Ben, then replied, "Yeah, a lot of things actually."

Ben swirled the black coffee he’d been holding, tilting his head as if recalling something. "Don’t you think maybe Ellie isn’t Ellie, but someone else?"

"I’ve been thinking the same thing. Who changes in just a week? I’m pretty sure Ellie isn’t really Ellie."

"So, how are we gonna prove it? We need to figure this out ASAP before deciding whether to confront that two-faced family," Ben suggested.

"I’ve been testing her since earlier. From the start, I felt like she wasn’t Ellie, but someone else. The real Ellie is cunning, and sometimes she even knows how to get my attention in a way that makes me feel… things. She’s smooth-talking and seductive. But in the car, when I tried to provoke her, she started crying—and I didn’t even hit her!" Jose admitted.

"I’ll dig into it, but it might take a couple of days. I've got a lot on my plate with work and our other investigation that’s still ongoing."

"Alright, but make sure there are no slip-ups," Jose warned.

"Come on, you know who your best friend is," Ben chuckled.

These two were best friends who dropped the formalities when alone. But when around others, they kept up appearances as boss and employee so no one would know who they really were.

Jose stepped out after grabbing a cup of unsweetened tea from the coffee maker.

"Where are you headed?" Ben asked, watching Jose leave.

"I'll be back in a bit," Jose replied shortly.

He returned to the room he had prepared for their wedding night. Ellie was busy tidying up some furniture, making everything look neat.

She was doing it out of boredom, not knowing what else to do. Jose was increasingly convinced that the woman he married wasn’t Ellie but someone else entirely.

He just didn’t know who she was yet. But Jose didn’t want to rush things. Even if the girl with him wasn’t Ellie, he could still stick to his original plan of marrying Ellie, even if she wasn’t really her.

Jose approached Ellie, and his sudden arrival clearly startled her. "Ah!" Ellie yelled spontaneously. Her hands went limp, and she accidentally dropped the slightly worn heart-shaped box. Jose quickly caught the box and held it in his hand, frowning. "What right do you have to tidy up the stuff in this room?!" Jose asked in an angry tone.

Ellie looked down. "I'm sorry. The room was a bit messy and unkempt, so I tidied it up."