Chapter 1

1.

To marry Julian Sinclair, I invented a new life for myself.

I transformed myself from the daughter of a trailer park drunk into a debutante with a European education.

But even a liar can have a true heart. I worked my ass off, just to feel like I deserved to stand by his side.

And I made it. I married into one of the wealthiest families on the East Coast and stepped into the high society I’d only ever dreamed of.

I thought if I just worked hard enough, made myself polished and perfect enough, we could last forever.

That fantasy shattered the night the man I knew as calm and controlled beat his business partner’s nose crooked in a private club―all for a barmaid who never even finished high school.

To smooth things over, I arranged to meet that partner at the same club.

When I came back from touching up my makeup, I heard voices from the next room.

"Julian, your 'perfect' little wife is busy cleaning up your mess. Tsk, what a devoted little thing. It's almost touching, watching her try so hard to play the part of a socialite for you."

"Come on, we all know you only married that lying bitch to dodge the arranged marriage your mother set up."

"She really thinks a Chanel dress and a few words in French can wash the dirt from her skin? She's from the wrong side of the tracks, and it shows."

Then I heard Julian's soft laugh, laced with a contempt I'd never heard before.

He knew. He’d known all along I was playing a part.

Which meant he was playing one, too.

…

I stood frozen outside the door, my heart a hollow ache in my chest.

"I heard her deadbeat dad just got out of prison. Let's make a bet. I say three months before he tracks her down for money. That's when Mrs. Sinclair's carefully crafted image is gonna come crashing down."

"I'll bet a month!" I recognized the voice of his friend, Preston. "Her story about studying abroad was a nice touch, but you can't hide the stench of poverty. You ever see her cut a steak at a Michelin restaurant? It’s like she’s sawing through a two-by-four."

Julian's voice was flat, detached.

"I'll give her a year. Lilia's got too much pride. To protect her lie, she'll find a way to pay him off, keep him out of sight for a while."

He paused, and I could hear the gentle clinking of ice in his glass.

"My mother was hell-bent on me marrying that Thorne family heiress. I needed an out. Then Lilia appeared. Her background is shit, but she's smart. I needed someone smart to deal with my control-freak mother. Let them fight it out, and I'm free."

"Besides," he added, "watching her try so hard to imitate us is… amusing."

My blood ran cold.

He knew everything.

All my hard work, my desperate efforts to be worthy of him, were just a game to him. A little show for his entertainment.

A burst of laughter came from the room.

Then Julian shushed them.

Through the crack in the door, I saw a girl curled up on the sofa behind him, covered by his custom-tailored suit jacket.

The girl stirred, and Julian immediately signaled for everyone to be quiet.

"Don't wake her up. Ruby was working the late shift at the bar. She's exhausted."

Preston clicked his tongue. "Julian, she’s a nobody from some backwater town. What do you even see in her?"

Julian propped his chin on his hand, his gaze softening as he watched the sleeping girl. It was a look I’d never seen on him before.

"Unlike Lilia's calculated elegance, I prefer something real. A thirty-dollar t-shirt looks good on her. That genuine, unpretentious spirit… it’s what draws me in."

The girl, Ruby, rolled over and woke up.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up in a panic.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I fell asleep…"

She carefully folded the jacket and handed it back to Julian.

"Mr. Sinclair, thank you again for helping with my brother's surgery bills. I promise I'll pay you back…"

"Don't worry about it."

"No, I have to. I don't want to owe anyone anything."

She bit her lip, her eyes fixed on him with a stubborn resolve.

Julian's lips curved into a smile, and he reached out to gently tap the tip of her nose.

"Alright, alright, you win. How about you come work for me as my executive assistant? A hundred thousand a year."

Ruby's eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed.

"But… I never finished high school. I don't know anything…"

"Your education doesn't matter. You're smart. You'll be great."

She hesitated for only a second before nodding.

A sharp pain shot through my chest.

Executive Assistant to the President of the Sinclair Group. That used to be my job.

The official job posting explicitly stated an Ivy League Master's was the minimum requirement.

My background was a lie, but my degree and my abilities were real.

To get that job, I’d pulled all-nighters for a week straight to prepare.

Julian had a branch in Paris and traveled there often.

So I wouldn't seem unprofessional, I studied French and business etiquette relentlessly, listening to lessons during my daily commute.

And now I knew. All of that effort meant nothing to him.

For the first time, I understood that you didn't have to be exceptional to stand by his side. You just had to be "real."

Julian gently tucked a stray strand of the girl's messy hair behind her ear.

"As long as it's you, my assistant doesn't need a degree."