Chapter 1

After my sister moved abroad, the three men who were obsessed with her turned to me to be her stand-in.

The billionaire CEO bought me penthouses and luxury cars. The rebellious playboy held me close while singing love songs. The cold-blooded genius guided me through my thesis and prestigious competitions.

I knew their kindness was never meant for me. It was all for my sister.

I didn't let myself catch feelings. I simply worked hard at being a professional substitute until the day my sister returned to the States.

The moment she landed, I vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, they were the ones who couldn't let go.

1

I was my sister's shadow.

After Juno left for London, the first person to hunt me down was Fulton Price.

He took a drag from his cigarette and tossed a contract at me like it was a piece of trash.

"Sign it," he said, his voice cold. "I don't want to be the reason you're forced to drop out of college."

I signed it without a second thought.

The next was Jace Wylde.

He pulled up to the diner where I worked in a flashy orange Lamborghini and dragged me out.

He gripped my chin, staring at my face for a long time before muttering, "You really do look just like her."

"Do you want me to be her replacement?" I asked plainly.

He chuckled, a dark glint in his eyes. "That works."

The third was Silas Sterling.

He never explicitly used the word "stand-in."

But after Juno left, he mentored me through my research and competitions, often dazing off while staring at my face.

When people asked how I managed to land the most unreachable guy on campus, I had a simple answer.

"My face."

It was all thanks to my sister's face.

Aside from our looks, Juno and I were nothing alike.

She was bold, radiant, and a force of nature.

I was her polar opposite―a soft, manipulative little thing with a voice like honey.

To be a better substitute, I tried to mimic her every move.

The men weren't satisfied.

Fulton sneered, calling my acting clumsy and boring.

Jace laughed until he cried, thanking me for being the "discount version" that provided him with so much entertainment.

Silas would just stare at me in silence for a few seconds before calling me disgusting.

I decided to rethink my strategy.

The stand-in market was getting competitive, and if I didn't upgrade my skills, my face alone wouldn't be enough.

I noticed other girls were already getting plastic surgery to look like my sister.

After a night of deep thought, I had an epiphany.

They loved Juno and wanted her to love them back, but Juno was a career-driven queen who didn't care for romance.

Me? I'd been a heartbreaker since I was twelve, and I knew exactly how to make men spin in circles.

If they were missing love, I would give them a masterpiece of it.

Now, it's my second year as their shadow.

Fulton called me over while I was at Jace's place, helping him level up in a video game.

"Where are you?" Fulton asked.

Jace was too immersed in the game to look my way, so I answered honestly. "Playing games at a friend's house."

Fulton hung up and sent me an address.

It was a newly opened art gallery.

I rolled my eyes.

Who goes to see art in the middle of the night?

What a total―

My phone buzzed with a notification.

"Venmo: You received $15,000 from Fulton Price."

What a total masterpiece of an art connoisseur! Only a true genius would appreciate art at this hour.

Just as I was celebrating, Jace pulled me into his lap.

"Who was that?" he asked carelessly.

"My dad won the lottery," I lied. "He wants me to come home and celebrate."

Jace clearly didn't believe me, but he didn't press the issue. He kept his arm around me until the round ended.

He wasn't easy to fool, though. As I headed for the door to put on my shoes, he spoke up.

"Is it Silas?"

I had the most overlap with Silas at school, so it made sense for Jace to suspect him.

I nodded smoothly. "There's an issue with the lab data. I didn't want you to overthink it, so I lied."

He gave me a half-smile. "Why bother lying? Do you think I actually care?"

I bit my lip, putting on my best heartbroken expression. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

I turned and left before he could say another word.

When I first asked him if he wanted a stand-in, it was for one reason.

He was hot.

He was as wild as his name, and every inch of him hit my aesthetic perfectly.

But honestly, after two years, even a face like that gets old.

Plus, I was getting exhausted.

At first, they were respectful and didn't call me much. Our meetings never lasted more than thirty minutes.

Maybe I was too good at my job, because lately, they were becoming increasingly clingy.

With graduation approaching, managing my schedule was becoming a nightmare.

I decided I'd stop playing with Jace after this season ended.

My Uber dropped me off, and I saw the CEO standing tall under a dim streetlight.

I immediately plastered a sweet smile on my face.

I threw myself into his arms and used my softest, most high-pitched voice.

"I missed you so much! Did you miss me too, baby?"

He looked down at me, his fingers tracing my features in the air. For a moment, the cold corporate machine showed a flicker of human emotion.

"Very much," he said seriously.

"You mean you miss my sister," I added silently in my head.

Fulton seemed like the hardest to handle, but he was actually the easiest.

I clung to him, rubbing my face against his chest. He didn't pull away, but when I tried to grab his hand, he flinched.

Every billionaire has a quirk, and Fulton's was famous.

He hated being touched, especially skin-to-skin contact. He was always covered up and had a collection of gloves at home.

It took me two years just to get him to let me hug him through his clothes.

Yet, I had seen him holding Juno's hand, carefully tending to a small scratch she had gotten.

I stepped back obediently and hooked my arm over his sleeve. "So, why the sudden late-night gallery visit?"