My Beloved Has Risen from Death's Embrace novel Chapter 62

"Ugh," Xanthea sighed as she observed Isabella's exasperated demeanor, reminiscent of their past.

Both had attended the same high school, but their paths rarely crossed until a school dance competition placed them in direct rivalry. Xanthea had clinched the first prize, leaving Isabella with second place. That sparked a relentless imitation spree from Isabella.

Whatever Xanthea did, Isabella did too. If Xanthea joined the honors program, Isabella would switch to the honors as well. If Xanthea ran for student council, so would Isabella. Xanthea chose science? Isabella did the same. Then came the singing contests, advanced placement, and even topping the class—Isabella stopped at nothing, hiring a slew of tutors and sinking a fortune into extra lessons!

Eventually, Isabella even started mimicking Xanthea's style of dress, her way of speaking, and her personal likes, to the extent that their classmates joked about them being a couple, much to Xanthea's annoyance.

Whenever they met, Xanthea would scornfully call her a "copycat," but Isabella never ceased her mimicry. It wasn't until after the SATs, when Xanthea scored the top citywide and got into Crestwood Hall Academy, that she finally managed to shake Isabella off her trail.

What puzzled Xanthea was why Isabella, a childhood star with countless fans from her movie days, would ever feel compelled to imitate a relatively unknown like her. The one thing Isabella never copied, though, was Xanthea's crush on Matthew.

Back in her previous life, Matthew was Xanthea's world. So when Isabella replicated every other aspect of her life, Xanthea confronted her furiously, asking if she was going to claim Matthew too.

Isabella had scoffed, claiming she would never stoop so low, which, admittedly, was the one area where Isabella's taste proved superior.

"Rumor has it you're about to get engaged?"

"Word travels fast, huh?"

Xanthea was puzzled at how Isabella, even after years apart, seemed to know her every move. Was she still observing and imitating her from afar?