?Chapter 1082:


    The woman nodded again and left the café with a spring in her step, almost skipping.


    Watching her disappear through the ss door, Ste felt an odd tightness rise in her throat.


    She went to the restroom to gather herself, then returned to the private room where Sharon was waiting.


    “Stay a little longer,” Sharon said. “Someone else just messaged. They cane in thirty minutes.”


    Ste shook her head. “No need. I’ve already made my choice.”


    Sharon blinked. “Who?”


    Hadn’t Ste just gone to the restroom? How could she have found someone in that short time?


    Ste zipped up her bag, not bothering to look up. “The woman who just left.”


    “What? But—” Sharon frowned.


    “She said she could drop to one hundred and ten pounds in five days,” Ste cut in.


    Sharon didn’t believe it. Losing fifteen pounds in five days was almost impossible. Even Ste wasn’t sure it could be done. That was exactly why she had given her five days. The forum was in ten.


    If the woman didn’te through, Ste would still have five more days to find a backup.


    Five dayster, Ste’s phone rang. It was the woman. They met again at the same quiet café, tucked away from the city’s noise. When Ste and Sharon saw her, they both froze. She had done it. She was now Ste’s exact weight, her hair cut and styled just like hers. From behind, they looked almost identical.


    “Wow,” Sharon whispered. “With her head down, no one could tell the difference.”


    Their faces weren’t identical. Ste’s eyes carried a cool, distant edge, while the woman’s were bright and unguarded, the kind seen in someone who hadn’t yet been broken by the world. Their overall aura was different too, but that could be fixed with training and time.


    For the next five days, Ste taught her everything—how to walk, how to sit, how to turn her head, even how to breathe. If they were going to do this, it had to be perfect.


    The woman was sharp. She took leave from university and threw herselfpletely into the role.


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    One afternoon, William dropped by Neb to see Ste. He spotted her from behind, her familiar silhouette standing by the window. Without thinking, he started toward her.


    But just before he reached out, something stopped him. He hesitated, then his voice came out low and cold. “Where’s Ste?”


    The woman froze. Slowly, she turned around, disappointment shing in her eyes. “Y-you could tell I wasn’t Ms. Russell? Just from my back?” Her voice trembled. Had all her training been for nothing?


    Before William could answer, Ste stepped out from the adjoining room. “You can go,” she said gently. “Don’t be upset. It’s normal that he noticed.”


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