Chapter 1

I ended up being taken by a mafia boss, while my bestie, Joanna Frost, was forced to marry a top business elite.

On the day of the mafia boss's family dinner, Joanna Frost and I stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Turned out, the mafia boss and the business elite were brothers.

Charles Sterling and Edward Sterling were always busy making money, while Joanna and I were busy spending it.

Everything was perfectly fine until the Sterling family's adopted daughter, Vivian Grace, returned home from overseas.

Even the servants knew Vivian was the one that neither Charles nor Edward could ever win over, their ultimate unattainable muse.

Joanna leaned in, her voice low and anxious, "I scraped up some cash at the last minute. Think we should make a break for it?"

I shot her a mischievous grin. "Lucky for us, I've been hoarding jewelry. We could run together."

But it was only when I walked through the jet bridge at the boarding gate that I realized I was actually boarding Charles's private jet.

Charles shot me a wicked grin. "Well, sweetheart, what am I supposed to do with you now?"

*****

"Joanna, why'd you go messing with my stuff without asking?" Edward's voice sliced through the air.

"I'm sorry. I really thought it was a present for me. I had no idea you got it for Vivian," Joanna stammered, voice trembling.

Even from nearly twenty feet away, I could hear Joanna and her husband, Edward Sterling, going at it.

"Vivian is my sister. Normally, I let you do whatever, but don't even think about pulling anything shady with her," Edward warned.

"Edward, you really don't trust me, and you're only this harsh because of her," Joanna whimpered, voice cracking.

Edward just replied, voice chilly and flat as ever.

Joanna looked all pitiful, quietly sniffling in the corner.

I was craning my neck to catch more gossip when suddenly, the door opened, and Edward stepped out.

"Uh, hi, good evening," I managed, giving a sheepish little wave.

Edward's trademark polite smile instantly reappeared, as if flipping a switch. "Hi, Lucia. Good evening."

*****

I tiptoed in and shut the door, trying not to make a sound. "Joanna, seriously, what was that about? I could hear you two fighting from halfway across the house."

Without missing a beat, I pulled her down onto the sofa, dying to gossip.

Joanna dropped the helpless act in a blink and put on her usual unimpressed face, loaded with disdain.

"See? Typical scumbag. I barely poked him, and he showed his true colors right away," Joanna snorted.

I stared at Joanna, dumbfounded. "Seriously? You knew, too?"

"Of course. Even the lady who scoops the cat litter knows that Vivian Grace is coming home," Joanna snarked, eyes rolling.

I smacked the table, getting hyped. "She's literally their first crush."

Joanna gave another eye roll. "Yeah, the kind they nearly went to war over."

We traded a drama-filled, knowing glance.

Joanna scooted over, acting all sneaky, and whispered, "I managed to scrape up some cash at the last minute. Should we bail?"

I shot her a secretive smile. "This is why you keep me around. Luckily, I've been stockpiling jewelry. We're running together."

Joanna shot me a long, dramatic look. "So, you're really going to bail on your legendary tough guy husband, just for me?"

"Pfft." I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Does Charles seriously think I'm clueless? The only reason he went crazy chasing me was that I looked a little like Vivian.

"Now that Vivian is back, what am I supposed to be, his standby replacement waiting to get tossed aside?"

We made up our minds in a heartbeat.

That night, Joanna and I pulled an all-nighter, channeling our old college days when we'd cram for group projects. We whipped up a plan that looked foolproof, straight out of our wildest dreams.

All we needed now was the last push.

Not going to lie, I totally outdid myself this time.

Just picturing every step of that detailed, airtight escape made me snort-laugh under the covers. I couldn't help myself.

Honestly, as long as I got to chill with Joanna, eating, drinking, gossiping about everything under the sun, life was already perfect.

Back then, Charles Sterling just showed up suddenly, decided I was his, snatched me up, and dragged me straight to this ridiculous family dinner.

As if that wasn't enough, I caught one of his guys whispering, "She seriously looks just like Miss Grace."

That was it. It totally dawned on me. I was just the stand-in.

I was literally a happy homebody who just wanted to chill and play games. Why did fate always have to mess with me like this?

I was in full badass mode, refusing to give in even if it killed me.

But then, at that crazy family dinner, I spotted Joanna, my bestie since forever.

It'd been half a year since her folks basically sold her off to the top business elite, and I hadn't heard a single word from her until now.

"Oh my god, I missed you so much. It was torture not knowing where you were." I bawled.

With everyone staring at us like we'd lost our minds, Joanna and I just clung to each other and ugly-cried for real.

That was when I realized that the mysterious mafia boss Charles was Edward's actual blood brother. One ruled the shadows, the other shone in the spotlight of the business world.

Seriously, they couldn't be more legit as siblings.

I whipped around and shot Charles my cutest grin. "I've made up my mind. I'm sticking around."

*****

Charles teased, his voice playful, "Hey, what's got you grinning and drooling in your sleep?"

Half-awake, I could barely process that the mafia boss was back, probably fresh from some big-time job only he could pull off.

He leaned in close and gently wiped the corner of my mouth.

Half asleep, I mumbled, "That's great."

I was still wrapped up in the sweet dream of escaping to freedom with Joanna.

Half-awake, I felt a warm body settle next to me.

Strong arms, with practiced ease, pulled me into a familiar embrace.

Oh well, I sighed to myself, letting it go. I would just enjoy the good life a little longer before I made my escape.