Chapter 1

On the day Horizon Enterprises finally went public, I was buried under work until the dead of night.

After taking a shower and finally picking up my phone, my SnapChat began blowing up. Over ninety-nine missed calls and spam from a rehab group chat I hadn't opened in five years.

Liam, five years ago when your legs were crushed, we lived in the same rehab center and took such good care of you. Now that Chase is getting married, you don’t even show up

Legs healed, so you forgot your brothers Not even answering calls Ungrateful bastard!

Everyone in the group was coming at my throat.

Only then did I realize Chase Miller was getting married tomorrow, and they’d been blowing up my phone all day.

Back then, I was brooding and kept to myself in rehab. They had always treated me like trash. Brothers What a joke.

Without a second thought, I typed back Sorry, I'm out of town on business tomorrow. Won't make it.

Business A DoorDash delivery boy on a business trip You’re just dropping off takeout, bro. Stop acting like a CEO. Hilarious.

I glanced at the mocking texts and shrugged it off. But just as I was about to lock my screen, Chase posted

I get it, Liam. The woman you couldn’t get back then is marrying me tomorrow. You're too scared to show up. I understand.

After all, what kind of man wants to watch the love of his life walk down the aisle with someone else Hahaha...

I frowned and tapped a single question mark into the chat.

Since when did I have an unrequited love

Come on, Liam. When your family picked you up five years ago, you confessed to Dr. Adams and got rejected. Heard you almost jumped off the roof.

No shame in it, bro. Who hasn't lost their mind over a woman when they were young

Chase followed up by dropping an electronic wedding invitation. Here's the hotel address.

I tapped the link. The moment the bride's picture loaded, my body went cold. The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the carpet.

Chase’s bride had the exact same face as my fiancée.

I snatched the phone back up and zoomed in on every inch of the invitation.

My heart dropped into a bottomless pit.

Chloe Adams, the woman who had just met my family a few days ago, was walking down the aisle tomorrow. As another man’s bride.

Liam disappeared again He's probably crying in a closet seeing Dr. Adams get married.

Hahaha! He was suicidal over her back then. Don't push him too hard, guys, or he might actually jump off a roof this time.

Besides, she left the medical field to inherit a fortune. She’s the female CEO of Horizon Enterprises now! A DoorDash loser like him isn't even in her league.

Snapping out of my daze, I was about to confront Chase, but he beat me to it

Guys, don't be so harsh. We shared a room once. Life can’t be easy for Liam driving food deliveries in the rain. Once he gets here, I'll ask my wife to hook him up with a decent job.

Cleaning the corporate bathrooms or something. Better than running around in the cold, right

Be grateful, Liam. Horizon Enterprises is a billion-dollar public company. Even a janitor job there is hard to come by.

To them, I wasn't even a human being. I was a stray dog waiting for scraps.

Sure, I replied. I'll be counting on you to introduce me tomorrow.

I tossed the phone onto the nightstand.

The running water in the bathroom stopped.

Chloe stepped out, wrapped in a plush robe. She walked up to me and stood on her tiptoes, gently tousling my damp hair.

Why didn’t you blow-dry your hair again You’ll catch a cold.

She turned toward the bathroom to grab the hair dryer, but I caught her wrist.

I have a late meeting. Heading to the study.

Chloe’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. She must have caught the chill in my voice. Normally, I would have pulled her into my lap on the couch.

Is it that urgent Not even time to dry your hair

When I nodded, she didn’t push. Don't work too late, sweetie. You know it breaks my heart when you overwork yourself.

She leaned in, kissed the corner of my lips, and whispered, By the way, I can't come to the auction with you tomorrow. Sarah is going through a nasty breakup and taking it hard. I promised I'd stay at her place for a couple of days. Remember to eat properly while I'm away, okay

I didn't answer. I pulled my hand from hers and walked straight out of the bedroom.

Sitting in the study, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

I had known Chloe for five years, and we had been officially together for two. Everyone around me said she was completely devoted to me, cooking my meals from scratch and catering to my every need.

Unless I was traveling for business, we spent almost twenty-four hours a day together.

And now, she was getting married to another man. It made our engagement party from last week look like an absolute farce.

I sat in the dark all night.

At five-thirty in the morning, the roar of an engine came from the front driveway. Chloe had left.

At eight, I got dressed and headed for the wedding venue.

The moment I pulled up to the luxury hotel, I saw a massive red carpet stretching from the entrance, flanked by a giant photo of the couple.

The banner above it screamed Congratulations to the Beautiful CEO of Horizon Enterprises and Mr. Chase Miller on Their Grand Wedding!

Chase stood next to the photo, a groom’s boutonnière pinned to his lapel, surrounded by a group of flattering sycophants.

Chase, man, congrats! You actually bagged the CEO of Horizon Enterprises! You're set for life!

Don't forget your boys when you're rolling in billions!

What do you mean 'when' He’s set right now! Once the ceremony is done and the papers are signed tomorrow, Horizon Enterprises belongs to him!

The flatteries got thicker by the second, and Chase was grinning from ear to ear.

Don't worry, boys. Chloe and I will take good care of you all.

Looking at her face on the banner, my mind drifted back three years.

That was the first time we met after she quit her job at the rehab clinic.

She had applied to be my personal secretary, switching careers entirely.

Out of gratitude for her help three years prior, I made an exception and hired her.

At first, she was completely lost in the corporate world, awkward and timid. I had my best executives train her step by step.

Even so, her performance was mediocre at best. But she worked hard, never made excuses, and took criticism well. She was pleasant to have around, so I overlooked her flaws.

She stayed by my side for three years.

Who would have guessed that my little secretary—who had just become my fiancée—was parading around town using my identity as the CEO to run a massive con!