Chapter 3

3

I was part of that "inferior" group of average people.

The only reason he endured my presence and praised my "talent" was because of my sister.

He didn't want the sister of the campus legend to be a failure.

He was good, though.

In two years, he had helped me secure the top spot in my class and a fast-track to grad school.

After finishing a problem, he dazed off while looking at me again. I tilted my head to an angle that made me look more like Juno.

His gaze was intense, completely at odds with his cold demeanor.

The silence was shattered by a loud pounding on my door.

I knew it was Jace.

Silas asked who it was. I told him it was just a neighbor complaining about parking.

He started to get up to check, but I practically pinned him down to keep him from moving.

When I opened the door, I was met with Jace's furious, shadowed face.

He sneered. "Taking your time, huh? Who's in there? Someone you're hiding?"

He pushed past me like a wolf marking his territory.

Silas, hearing the commotion, walked out of the bedroom.

The two men locked eyes.

Jace let out a sharp, angry laugh.

My skin crawled. I took a quiet step back.

Silas pulled me behind him. "Jace, where are your manners? This is breaking and entering."

Jace tried to grab my arm, but Silas blocked him.

Jace gripped Silas's wrist, his voice dripping with venom. "I'm looking for my girlfriend. What's it to you?"

Silas looked back at me. "Do you like him?"

I instinctively prepared my tragic smile.

But then I remembered―I wasn't a stand-in anymore. I didn't owe Jace anything.

I bit my lip and hid further behind Silas.

"I don't know him. He's making things up."

Jace looked like he wanted to murder someone. His eyes were actually turning red. "Jade, get over here. We need to talk."

Being a stand-in wasn't exactly something people bragged about.

I was betting that Jace wouldn't dare reveal the truth in front of Silas, who also loved my sister.

And Silas was a man of integrity; he had never explicitly told me I was a replacement.

As far as anyone knew, Silas and I were clean. Jace wouldn't suspect a thing.

I stood my ground. "I have nothing to say to you."

I grabbed Silas's sleeve and whimpered, "Silas, he's scaring me. Should we call the police?"

Jace's face went blacker than coal. He let out a dark chuckle.

His dangerous gaze landed on me.

"You little schemer. You told me I was the only one you loved. Was that all a lie?"

He looked ready to kill Silas first and then me.

I acted confused. "Why are you so angry? Don't you remember what you said when I told you that?"

Back then, he had laughed in my face, telling me my lines were outdated.

He had warned me never to say those things while wearing my sister's face because it felt "wrong."

Jace clearly remembered. He looked momentarily caught off guard.

I stood tall for a second before shrinking back behind Silas again.

Silas seemed satisfied with my performance. He squeezed my hand to comfort me.

Then he looked Jace in the eye. "Please leave."

Suddenly, my phone rang. Both men looked at the screen.

I had Fulton's name saved as his full name.

I scrambled to decline the call, but my finger slipped and hit "answer."

"I'm outside your building."

"Come down."

He hung up.

His voice was quiet, but it felt like a thunderclap in the room.

I was trapped between two men, and a third was waiting downstairs.

I was dead.

But maybe there was a way out.

Fulton's voice had sounded weird today―heavy and tired.

Maybe they hadn't recognized it.

I looked at my phone and acted panicked, grabbing my bag.

The sudden shift left both men stunned.

As I tried to leave, Jace blocked my path. "Where are you going in such a rush?"

I forced myself to cry on command and pushed him. "Let me go! My dad is in trouble!"

Jace immediately softened. "Don't cry. I'll go with you."

"No! Just get out of the way!"

Jace insisted on coming along, so I turned to Silas for help.

Silas stared at me with his dark, unreadable eyes for a few seconds before stepping in to hold Jace back.

I didn't know if he had seen Fulton's name on my screen, but since he was helping me, I could worry about that later.

Right now, I had to deal with my "Sugar Daddy."

I hurried into Fulton's car, gasping for air. "I'm so sorry! About the other night, I―"

"Sign it."

I froze.

Fulton had his eyes closed. His long lashes cast shadows over his tired, bruised eyes.

He looked fragile and exhausted.

I looked at the documents next to him.

If I signed, two downtown penthouses and three luxury cars would be mine.

There was also a check.

It was blank.

He was telling me to write my own price.

My voice trembled. "What is this for?"

"Juno is coming back next month."

He opened his eyes and looked at me with zero emotion. "It's time to settle the bill."