Chapter 2

"Sienna is really keeping it together."

"She's just faking it. Bet she's absolutely broken inside."

"Who told her to stoop so low and play the backup for her own sister? Seriously, it's pathetic."

*****

I trailed behind Dexter, listening to all that gossip, and honestly, I almost burst out laughing.

Heartbroken? Not even close.

Yeah, I was a stand-in, no doubt about it.

But nobody knew the real reason I took this gig. It wasn't because I was head over heels for Dexter.

Truth was, Dexter's mom paid me to be a professional stand-in—just to help her precious son recover from his heartbreak.

Dexter and my sister Olivia practically grew up side by side.

Back in our teens, I was crushing on Dexter, and he was busy chasing after Olivia.

Olivia was beautiful, sweet, and could sing, dance, and play piano like a pro. But her real talent? She had a knack for keeping a whole school of admirers hooked, reeling in talented guys left and right.

Two years ago, when Olivia saw her pool of admirers overflowing in our country, she dusted off her hands and announced she was heading abroad for school.

Dexter knew that with her gone, the competition for her attention would only get tougher, so he went all out. He dropped serious cash to rent out the most famous amusement park in Akata City and staged a legendary, fairy-tale proposal that shot straight to the top of social media trends.

Olivia had the whole universe in her heart. There was no way she'd settle down with just one guy before she'd had her fill of adventure.

With a gentle, apologetic smile, she turned Dexter down and chose to pursue her studies overseas.

Dexter totally lost it after that. He started drinking, racing his car like a maniac, and even got into fights.

His mom couldn't handle him, so she came to me, hoping I could step in for Olivia and help calm him down.

I was ready to say no, but the money she offered was just too good to pass up.

Ten grand a day—and five times that if it was a holiday.

If I'd hesitated even for a second, I'd be committing blasphemy against money.

So that was how I ended up as Olivia's professional double, and I'd been at it for two years straight.

Two years later, I'd saved nearly 3 million dollars. Sure, it was pocket change compared to Dexter, the trust fund prince, but hey—I was secretly loaded now.

Next on my agenda? Early retirement.

I had already stacked up enough cash, so that was one big reason checked off.

But to be real, the bigger reason was that Dexter was just way too much work—he was seriously high maintenance.

When he finally said yes to me, he wouldn't even let me get a word in before throwing it in my face that I was just Olivia's stand-in.

He looked at me like some kind of benevolent prince, making it seem like he was gifting me the chance of a lifetime.

"Didn't you say you liked me? Well, lucky you, here's your shot," he said.

Dexter gave me a cold look. "While Olivia's gone, you'll play her part and stay by my side."

I did my best to channel that lovesick version of myself from back in my teenage memories, acting totally head-over-heels for him—even though it all felt pretty forced.

I couldn't help but think this was just plain embarrassing.

Dexter lost his cool and flipped the whole table of food I'd cooked, glaring at me like I'd crossed some unforgivable line. "You're disgusting," he snapped.

He scoffed, "Olivia would never act like that. If you can't even manage to be a halfway convincing stand-in, don't bother sticking around."

Seriously, if that was what he wanted, why not just say so from the start?

So I started acting more like Olivia, showering him with sweet words and gentle concern—just being super sugary with my compliments.

Turns out, I was a pretty good actress. Dexter totally bought it, and he stopped staying out all night so much.

But lately, Olivia had been posting photos on Instagram with some hot foreign guy, and that had gotten Dexter all worked up again. He had been moody as hell.

He couldn't hold his liquor, but he still loved hitting the clubs. He was a total lightweight, but he just couldn't quit.

He'd get totally wasted and flat-out refuse to go home, dragging me to the amusement park entrance in the middle of the night just to brood over Olivia like some lovesick puppy.

This guy was honestly nuts.

By now, the amusement park was way past closing time.

Dexter sat there, staring at that pitch-black entrance for a solid ten minutes. I snuck a yawn, absentmindedly messing with the steering wheel, secretly weighing if I should just ditch him and head home to catch some sleep.

Not like I even want this job anymore. Maybe it was time I just fired my boss for real—sounds fair enough.

But before I could actually pull the trigger, Dexter suddenly broke the silence.

Out of nowhere, he asked, "Why did you go to Zlursonland?"

I froze for a second, but then it clicked.

He was really asking Olivia through me.

I took a breath, put on my best Olivia voice, and said in a soft, sweet tone, "Because I want to become better, so I can stand by your side without any doubts, Dexter."

Out of nowhere, his breath brushed against my ear.

Instinctively, I jerked my head aside.

At some point, Dexter had unbuckled his seatbelt and was leaning over, halfway across the console toward me.

The very eyes I'd obsessed over as a teen were staring right at me, glazed with drunkenness.

"So, you like me too, don't you?" he asked, his voice low and a little slurred.

I lowered my gaze, then flashed him a bashful smile. "Of course."

Dexter locked his eyes on me, staring in silence for what felt like ages.

"Liar," he murmured, voice soft and tinged with disappointment.

But then, his tone flipped, and a sly, almost malicious grin curled at his lips.

"And you, Sienna—do you still like me?" he asked, that smile carrying just a hint of mockery.

Honestly, how was I even supposed to answer that?