Love, Lies, and Spies

Tracy Carroll was the personal assistant to my boss, Colin Booth.To keep their affair under wraps and make his relationship with Tracy seem more "legitimate", Colin had me sign a three-year fake marriage agreement.According to the deal, Tracy and I would live together as husband and wife for the next three years. On paper, we were married, but in reality, it was more like being roommates. We had to stay out of each other's business, keep our finances separate, and go our own ways once the contract expired.To sweeten the deal, Colin even gave us a nicely decorated apartment—just over a thousand square feet, with two bedrooms, a living room, and a dining area.The idea was simple: Tracy and I were married, but we would live separate lives and see other people.Of course, Colin also offered a little incentive—45 thousand in cash, paid yearly, as compensation for my "lost youth".Only a fool would turn down that kind of money.Everybody got what they wanted. Colin got to keep his

We all followed behind Tracy and headed into the conference room.The moment we stepped inside, Colin started yelling at us without warning. He laid into everyone with a harsh scolding, and we were all left blinking at each other, completely confused.From what we could gather, an out-of-town order had fallen through. Apparently, someone in the company had messed up, and it cost us the deal.It had something to do with our reputation. Word was, someone had too much to drink and started running their mouth, saying all kinds of nonsense about the company. The client ended up thinking that the company was a total mess.In the end, they backed out. The contract we were supposed to sign next week was cancelled.We were all exchanging looks, each of us wondering who the idiot was.After Colin finally cooled off, he got down to business. The meeting turned to what we were going to do about it, and eventually, Colin said he'd handle the negotiations himself next week.The meeting last

"Damn it! Damn it!!"I slammed my phone down and swore out loud.What the hell was going on here?!Was I dealing with twins? Why would they pretend to be the same person?This couldn't be some kind of split personality—no way. A person with a split personality couldn't appear in two places at the same time.Or… did I run into something supernatural? Could the Tracy who was supposedly away on business in Joselton be the real one, and the woman I was with last night… wasn't even human?Or maybe neither of them was human?Damn it.I didn't even bother to wash my face. I just threw on whatever clothes I could grab and went straight downstairs. The sun was shining, but I couldn't shake the frustration bubbling inside me.What now? The Tracy in Joselton was coming home tonight… Should I go back too?I found a coffee shop and sat there by myself all afternoon, stewing in my thoughts.Then, out of nowhere, an unfamiliar number lit up my phone screen."Hello, is this Brady?" A woman

The sudden sight scared me out of my wits. I rushed to find a mirror and pulled my bottom eyelid down to check my own eye.Thankfully, everything looked normal.But my coworker was not having it. He started cursing under his breath, clearly panicking, and shot up from his seat, ready to head straight to the hospital.Right then, my phone rang. It was a call from Tracy.I picked up, and her familiar voice came through the line. "Hey, Honey, where are you? It's the weekend and you're not home. Are you out with some other woman?"I said quickly, "Oh, I'm on my way back. Mrs. Booth called me into the office for some extra work."I hung up and hurried home.When I walked through the door, Tracy was in the living room wearing her pajamas, slicing up some fruit.Something clicked in my mind. I casually pulled out my phone and dialed a number. A second later, the ringtone echoed from inside the living room.Tracy paused, holding half a slice of apple, and looked at me."Sorry, wrong

The two Tracys locked eyes.The second one, holding a takeout box, was clearly startled. With a sharp gasp, she took two steps back, and the box fell with a loud thud.Were they twins? They looked exactly alike!So, it was the Tracy by the door who had signed the agreement with my boss?"I told you to stay home! Who told you to come here?" the Tracy on the bed scolded.The Tracy by the door pouted like a child caught in trouble, but she didn't speak.She shot me a glare. "Brady, I'm warning you: Don't you even think about making a move on my sister!"Oh, so they were twins!One was named Tracy, the other Tracie.The pronunciation was the same, but the spelling was different.After giving a simple explanation, they began to explain the accident.The authorities had already concluded that Rachel had been driving under the influence. She was in the emergency room now, in serious condition, and the alcohol test showed she'd had quite a bit to drink. After they managed to stabili