Chapter 2

The thug froze for a second, then whipped a hand across the other man's face. "You think you can say Butch's name? You want to die?"

As he spoke, he raised a foot to kick me.

Butch grabbed his arm and squinted. "You know me?"

Thinking he'd recognized me, I quickly shouted, "I'm Ray Whitney's sister, Lisa! Let me go right now!"

"Because if he finds out, he won't let you off!"

Butch was startled for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Little brat, of all the people to impersonate, you pick our boss's sister? You must be tired of living!"

"Just now at dinner your boyfriend called you Lisa Sanchez, plain as day! You think I'm deaf?"

I quickly explained, "I really am Lisa! I changed my surname to Sanchez because my parents divorced and I took my mother's name."

"If you don't believe me, look at the screensaver on my phone! It's a photo of me and my three older brothers!"

Butch had been my eldest brother's right-hand man back in the day. There was no way he didn't know my mother's surname.

But he just spat on the floor. "The boss's parents love each other. There's no way they got divorced!"

"You dare spout any more nonsense, and see if I don't rip your mouth open!"

I sucked in a cold breath, and only then did I remember: to keep the stock price from swinging, my mother had always hidden the divorce from the outside world.

I never imagined it would end up sinking me now.

Just then the thug handed my phone to Butch.

My hope flared up again. Once he saw the screensaver, me surrounded by my three older brothers, he'd have to recognize me.

But Butch held the phone up, waved it back and forth comparing it to my face, then suddenly sneered.

"I actually fell for your tricks, letting you play me again and again!"

"You really think I'll believe you just because you photoshopped a few pictures?"

"Our boss's sister is round and chubby, with a blessed little face. A net-celebrity pinhead chin like yours dares to impersonate her?"

I choked on my words.

It was true, I used to weigh close to two hundred pounds, but after the college entrance exams my mom sent me off to a weight-loss camp.

Now I was only ninety-five pounds, plus makeup and beauty filters.

Nothing used to make me happier than people saying I'd gotten thinner. Now I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I was about to explain again when a heavily made-up woman leaned in beside him. "Butch, could this little slut be a woman the boss keeps on the side?"

"If you touch her and the boss comes down on you, what then?"

Butch slapped the woman across the face. "Bullshit! The boss doesn't touch women!"

"It's too late even if she pays up now! Shameless sluts like her are what I hate most!"

As he spoke, he yanked off his belt and swung it at my face.

I was scared out of my wits. "I really am Ray Whitney's sister! If you dare touch me, my three brothers won't forgive you!"

But the belt still came down across my face.

"You dare impersonate the boss's sister? Even the king of heaven couldn't save you now!"

I curled up in the corner, my face smeared with blood, drowning in despair.

Just then someone outside shouted, "Butch! The boss is here! Says he wants to hold his birthday party at our place! He's looking for you!"

Butch lit up. "Really? I'd better make a good showing this time!"

Then he kicked me in disgust. "Lock this bitch up first! Don't spoil the boss's mood!"

With that, he hurried his men out of the private room.

I gave a start. Could my eldest brother really be here?