Capítulo 176: Ch 176 - Doppelganger!
Of course, Alex didn't believe her.
How could he not recognize his own girlfriend? Although he couldn't figure out why she didn't seem to know him, he refused to give up.
He said assertively, "Debbie, why don't you recognize me? I'm Alex."
"Alex?" Leona looked surprised. She looked curiously at him as he blushed. She really couldn't remember ever meeting this young man before.
He said, "Have you forgotten the day that we had vegetable risotto together on the edge of Ramsey Lake, and then you bought rotten fruits for me? Or when you tried to help me repay Mr. Morgan's money by going to work in that restaurant? Then do you remember we went for treatment together on Harmony Island, and then we came back and lived together in the villa? Have you forgotten all these things?" He was desperately trying to remind her of their life together.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I don't remember any of that." She shook her head. She didn't understand why the strange man in front of her was acting as if he was in love with her.
"Don't punish me like this, Debbie. I know that I treated you badly. Are you punishing me because I didn't protect you? Beat me, yell at me but please don't pretend to not know me. I really can't live without you," he begged her. He thought that she must be pretending not to know him. His heart felt like it was being cut in two.
"I'm not pretending that I don't know you. I really don't remember you," Leona said. She was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with this strange man.
"Debbie, I beg you not to punish me anymore," Alex pleaded.
Then he suddenly remembered the necklace that he had given her and that she had always regarded as a treasure. She had written about it many times in her diary and said that she would never take it off. He was positive that she would be wearing it right then. He said, "Actually, I have a way to prove that you're my girlfriend, Debbie. I gave you the necklace that you're wearing right now. Show it to me."
"My necklace?" Leona was stunned. She reached under her top and pulled out the necklace that she always wore. Looking at Alex, she asked, "Did you buy this necklace for me?"
Alex was surprised when he saw the necklace that she pulled out. Although it was also a diamond necklace, it was square, and the one that he had given her was a diamond shape.
Her bodyguard stared in wonder at Alex and said, "Hey, what are you talking about? Our boss bought that necklace for her. Are you trying to claim that you bought it?"
"No way. It's impossible—" Alex started to say.
He thought to himself, "Debbie would never take off the necklace I gave her. Maybe this girl in front of me really isn't her."
His heart was breaking with the terrible thought that he hadn't found her after all.
"Miss Marvel, let's go. This guy is crazy." The bodyguard pushed Alex aside and went over to Leona.
"Debbie, don't leave," Alex begged. He wasn't ready to give up on the idea that this girl could be Debbie, but Lindsey stood in front of him, blocking him from getting close to her.
"Alex, calm down," she said. "My sister really isn't your girlfriend. I understand that you must miss your girlfriend terribly." She was concerned for Alex. She continued, "I'm going to take my sister home now. Take care of yourself, and I'll come to check on you soon."
Lindsey then took Leona's arm and led her out of the gate along with two bodyguards.
One of the bodyguards was laughing, "Hey, it's so funny that that guy was pretending to be Miss Marvel's boyfriend."
The other said, "I reckon that he's been watching too much reality TV and thinking it's all true. He thought that if he pretended to be stupid, the rich lady would like him."
"Yeah, but his acting skills were so bad. He must have thought we were all idiots to fall for that" replied the first one.
Everyone watching assumed that Alex fancied Leona and was trying to get her to fall for him with his performance. They all looked at him with contempt, mumbled criticism, and then left.
After Leona and Lindsey had gone, Alex was heartbroken. He stood where he was and cried, "Debbie, Debbie, don't you love me anymore?"
Nelly suddenly approached him and said to him with a sneer, "You idiot. I thought you were poor but kind-hearted. I didn't expect you to be such a shameless scumbag."
"I'm not," he replied angrily.
"I wouldn't blame you, though. You saw that Miss Marvel is beautiful and that she's from a wealthy family. I'm not surprised you put on that little performance to try to win her over. Anyone would want to be part of that family if they could," she replied.
"Nonsense, I'm sure that she really is my girlfriend. Anyway, I'm from a wealthy family myself. I don't need to trick myself into someone else's family," he retorted angrily.
She still didn't believe him. She said, "You're crazy. Miss Marvel told you clearly that she doesn't know you at all. Yet you're still arguing about it, and now you're trying to tell me that you come from a super-rich family yourself. If you can give me five thousand dollars right now, I might believe you. Go on, prove yourself."
Alex didn't respond.
Nelly sneered and said, "Ha, if you really were rich, it wouldn't be a problem at all. If I'm right, and it's all make-believe, you better give up on your daydreams and come and sell pancakes with me."
She pulled him into the food truck, and he started helping her to cook pancakes. But he couldn't stop thinking about Debbie. He was sure it was her, but he knew that he had to let it go for now. He knew that she had gone home with Lindsey.
**
Lindsey was sitting with Leona in her room, and they were discussing what had just happened. She was confused and had a lot of questions for her sister.
She took her hand and asked, "Leona, do you really know that guy, Alex?"
Leona shook her head and looked at her anxiously. She said, "No, I don't remember him at all." She thought for a moment, and then said, "Do you think I knew him before I lost my memory? Maybe I did, and I've just forgotten about him now."
Lindsey laughed a little awkwardly and said, "No way. You've been living with me and Dad since before you lost your memory. You've never had a boyfriend at all, so you can't be his girlfriend."
"Yes, that's true. Although I lost my memory, you and Dad know everything about my past. If he was my boyfriend, you would know about him," Leona said, trying to reassure herself.
"Leona, do you remember that I told you that when I rented an apartment in New York, I was attacked by the lettings manager and was saved by a guy who I called a hero? The hero who saved me was Alex." Lindsay became a bit emotional when she recalled that moment.
Leona replied, "Really? Then he's a good man." She noticed that when Lindsey talked about Alex, she had a twinkle in her eyes, and her expression was full of happiness. She asked her in a low voice, "Lindsey, do you like him?"
"Um." Lindsey blushed as she looked at her shyly and said, "What are you saying? Of course not, don't talk nonsense."
Leona smiled and said, "Ha ha, I think it's you that's talking nonsense, right?" Then she suddenly remembered something and her smile faded. She looked at Lindsey and said sympathetically, "It's a pity that you may have to marry Mr. Drake. You don't really want to, do you?"
"No," Lindsey replied and frowned. Two tears slid down her cheeks.
Leona said sympathetically, "If you don't want to marry him, you should tell him."
"No, don't worry about me. I don't want to get married, but I'm sure it will be okay. The Drakes are the wealthiest people in Washington, D.C. It will be so good for our family. I don't think I can refuse." Her sad smile was so beautiful that Leona was moved. She loved her sister dearly but didn't agree with her on this.
She took a pendant out from the drawer of the bedside table. It was a jade pendant in the shape of a phoenix and was transparent but changed from green to white in the sunlight. It was the piece of jewelry that Carla Stonehill had given Debbie that day in the hospital.
Leona put the pendant against her chest and gently rubbed it. She said to Lindsey, "I really love this jade pendant, and I'm very attached to it. Why doesn't Dad let me wear it?"
Lindsey replied with a faint smile, "Didn't he say that it was made by an expert when you were born? You have to keep it by your bed, and it will protect you. If you wear it, the aura will be lessened."
"Really? I'm not sure I believe that," Leona said suspiciously.
"Don't think about it too much. You know that Dad and I would never do anything to harm you," Lindsey comforted her. Then, she took out her cell phone and said, "Let's watch the show together."
**
After his busy day, Alex returned to his rental room and lay in bed. His mind kept playing over what had happened that afternoon with Leona. He couldn't work out if she really was Debbie.
He felt like he was going mad. Despite everything, he was still sure that Leona and Debbie were the same person.
He thought, "Debbie and I have known each other for so long, and we were so close. Of course, I would recognize her anywhere. How could I be wrong? I Just don't believe it. And I don't believe that two people could look so similar."
He began to check information about the Marvel family in Washington on his cell phone. They were the owners of the world-famous Marvel Business Corporation, and it meant that they were one of the top five wealthiest families in the city. This meant that they were also one of the most powerful.
These facts were irrelevant to Alex. He didn't care how wealthy the Marvels were. There was only one person that he had any interest in, and that was Debbie.
He discovered that the Marvel family owned a mansion in the exclusive gated community of Arlington Heights. He decided that he would go there to wait for Debbie and try to talk to her again. He felt that as long as he demonstrated sincerity and determination, she would surely be moved and would forgive him.
With this plan in mind, he started to calm down, and he told himself that he should feel happy. At least he now knew where Debbie was and that she was safe and well. He pulled the comforter over his head and quickly fell asleep.
**
Over the following weeks, Alex went every day to work on the pancake food truck, but he also spent several hours each day waiting for Debbie at the gates of Arlington Heights. Although he had not seen her, he did inquire with the security guard of the community, who confirmed that Leona Marvel did live there. He decided that he would wait for her as long as he needed to.
One particular day, Alex and Nelly were working on the pancake food truck in front of the Kennedy Center. During the morning, they had done well, but in the afternoon, the weather became colder, and it looked as if it was going to rain. The number of tourists dwindled. At four-thirty that afternoon, Alex said to Nelly, "Business is really slow now, you'll be fine on your own. I'm going to go." He removed his apron and hat and prepared to leave.
Nelly knew that Alex was planning to go back to wait for Debbie at Arlington Heights, and she said coldly, "It's not time for you to go yet. If you leave now, I'll deduct fifty dollars from your pay."
But Alex didn't want to miss the chance of seeing Debbie again for the sake of fifty dollars. He said, "That's fine. I'm sorry, but I'm going." Then, he left.
Watching Alex walk away, Nelly murmured, "Alex, you loser. You're still chasing after Miss Marvel. Off you go, back to your daydream."
When she sat back down in the food cart, she felt very lonely.
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