Chapter 1

I’ve always had a bit of a gender identity crisis—deep down, I’ve always identified as one of the boys.

So when Xavier Sinclair, the billionaire heir to the Sinclair empire, offered me $20,000 a month to be a paid stand-in for his first love, I agreed without a single second of hesitation.

Being a lookalike replacement? Please, that’s the easiest job on earth.

Three years later, Xavier fell head over heels in love with me.

Thinking about how handsome and ridiculously rich he was, I figured marrying him was basically securing a platinum meal ticket for the rest of my life.

So, once again, I agreed to his proposal without hesitation.

But on the eve of our wedding, his first love, Chloe Benson, who had fled the country years ago, suddenly returned.

At her welcome-back party, everyone was playing a game of "Never Have I Ever."

Chloe had one too many drinks and deliberately leaned her entire body against Xavier.

Even while visibly drunk, she didn't forget to cast a provocative glance my way.

"Never have I ever... known what Xavier is like when he kisses..."

Chloe paused on purpose, leaving the sentence hanging.

Everyone’s eyes instantly locked onto me.

I just let out an interested "Oh," eagerly urging her on with a face full of excitement.

"Don’t stop there! Spill the tea! I actually need to take some notes."

The moment those words left my mouth, the entire room froze.

The smug grin on Chloe’s face shattered. She didn't even know how to respond.

Xavier’s forehead creased with pure irritation.

"Avery, what the hell are you talking about?"

I blinked innocently.

"She was talking about how you kiss."

I pointed at Chloe, my eyes shining with anticipation.

"She wasn't finished. How is Xavier when he kisses?"

Chloe went stiff.

The ultimate weapon she thought she had against me turned out to have absolutely zero splash damage.

Seeing her hesitate, I couldn't help but nudge her.

"Come on, spill! Is there some secret technique I don't know about yet?"

Someone in the corner couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

Xavier completely lost his cool, too.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a low, defeated chuckle.

"Are you seriously trying to trade notes with her right here, right now?"

I nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Why not?"

Xavier turned his head and snapped at Chloe.

"And you, can you stop making jokes about this kind of stuff?"

I smiled secretly.

Over the past three years, I had been the most dedicated stand-in employee ever.

I had a naturally boisterous personality, living by the motto: "We're bros, so don't be strangers."

With my internal "bro-identity," playing this role was a walk in the park.

When Xavier was taking a shower, I’d barged in just to yell, "Yo, taking a shower, bro?"

When Xavier was in the restroom, I’d slide a pack of flushable wet wipes under the door. "You got a lot of hair down there, right? Use this, it gets it squeaky clean."

When Xavier was sleeping, I’d slap his butt. "Flip over, bro, don't suffocate your own junk."

This intense exposure therapy had directly resulted in Xavier’s current biggest pet peeve: people having no boundaries and digging into his private business.

But I could tell that because it was Chloe who brought it up, he chose to tolerate it instead of completely losing his temper.

Ignoring Chloe’s incredibly sour expression, I folded down one of my fingers.

"Come on, next round! Keep it going!"

Chloe refused to accept defeat. When it was her turn again, she said proudly,

"Never have I ever... been a natural C-cup. If you don't believe me, you can feel for yourself."

As she spoke, she unbuttoned the top of her shirt and pushed her chest out.

Xavier didn’t actually reach out, but he swept a critical glance over her.

"Looks decent. Did you get a cheap boob job while you were abroad?"

Chloe playfully punched his shoulder, laughing with forced sweetness.

"Screw you! I’m all natural!"

With that, Chloe pointedly looked at my flat chest.

"Avery, don't force yourself. Just accept defeat and take a shot."

Xavier tried to smooth things over with a laugh.

"Babe, don't feel insecure. Chloe and I are purely platonic. With you watching, I wouldn't dare touch anyway!"

Hearing this, Chloe’s red lips curled into a triumphant smirk.

The next second, I punched Xavier hard in the chest.

"You really are a careless blockhead. You don't even know your own childhood bestie's cup size."

My eyes slowly scanned Chloe’s chest.

My intense, evaluating gaze made her shiver.

"By my professional estimation, she just has a wide ribcage. Her actual cup size isn't that big."

"I'm a solid 32B on a good day. That still counts as a B-cup, so I don't lose."

Xavier was stunned for a moment. Then, he buried his face in the crook of my neck, his shoulders shaking as he muffled his laughter.

"You really hate losing, don't you? Haha!"

Seeing our intimacy, the smile on Chloe’s face completely froze.

Before Xavier could finish his sentence, I locked my arm around his neck in a playful chokehold.

"What? You got a problem with that?"

I applied a bit of pressure, and he laughingly begged for mercy.

Chloe's smile turned even stiffer.

I smirked. Over the three years she was abroad, I had watched countless videos of her.

I knew her body measurements like the back of my hand.

To look and act more like her back then, I had put in an insane amount of effort.

Otherwise, I would have felt guilty taking that $20,000 monthly paycheck.

Perhaps the fact that everyone else at the table was subconsciously siding with me triggered Chloe’s survival instincts.

The next day, Chloe went behind my back and created a new Snapchat group chat.