CHAPTER 1: “THE SWITCH”

Rain hammered against the windows of the speeding taxi, blurring the city lights into streaks of gold and blue. Su Panni tightened her grip on her phone, her pulse racing as her sister’s last frantic words echoed in her ear.

“Just go to my place—please! I’ll explain later!”

Explain later.

That was always Su Annie’s line, a promise that never came with answers.

The taxi swerved through traffic, cutting through a storm that seemed determined to rip the night apart. Panni’s reflection in the window looked like a stranger—perfect makeup, curled hair, the expensive cream blazer Annie shoved at her earlier. She looked nothing like the exhausted, practical woman she truly was.

She looked like her twin.

But no amount of makeup could hide the dread clawing at her stomach.

“This is the address, miss.” The driver stopped in front of an upscale private restaurant, the kind reserved for politicians, billionaires, and people who didn’t work three part-time jobs to survive.

Panni stepped out into the storm’s assault. A valet rushed forward, umbrella in hand, clearly expecting someone important. She walked beneath it, shoulders tight, heart thundering. Her heels clicked sharply against marble tiles as she entered the lobby.

Warm light. Soft violin music. A receptionist who greeted her with a perfectly practiced smile.

“Miss Su? You’re expected. This way.”

Expected.

Her sister had set this up.

Panni’s steps felt heavier with every stride down the private corridor. Rainwater slid from her coat, each droplet cold against her skin. She reached the final door just as the receptionist bowed and disappeared.

Panni exhaled once—shaky, uncertain—then pushed the door open.

And froze.

A single man sat inside the private dining room, framed by the amber light of a chandelier. He didn’t look up immediately; he didn’t need to. His presence filled the space even in silence.

Jinyan Lu.

CEO of Lu Corporation.

Power wrapped in precision; elegance sharpened into steel.

Panni had seen him in magazines, on television, across news headlines—but seeing him in person was different. His expression was calm, but his posture radiated command. When he finally raised his gaze toward her, the impact was immediate.

Cold. Intelligent. Assessing.

“You’re late,” he said—no greeting, no warmth.

Panni swallowed. “I—I’m sorry. The storm—”

“Storms are predictable. Being unprepared is not.” He closed the file in front of him. “Sit.”

The word wasn’t a request. It was a decision already made.

Panni moved stiffly into the chair opposite him, her pulse ringing in her ears. She had walked into the wrong room, the wrong meeting, the wrong life.

He opened the file again. “We will begin with the terms.”

“The… terms?” Panni whispered.

“For the marriage.”

Her breath stopped.

Marriage.

Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs. This wasn’t a business meeting. This wasn’t a misunderstanding that could be excused.

Her sister—her reckless, impossible sister—had thrown her into a contract marriage negotiation with Jinyan Lu.

Panni felt the floor tilt beneath her.

“There must be some mistake—”

“There is no mistake,” he cut in, his tone smooth but unyielding. “You agreed to the meeting. You agreed to the arrangement.”

Agreed?

Her sister must have made the agreement.

But Annie wasn’t here.

Panni’s voice came out barely audible. “Can you… tell me why you need this?”

“It isn’t why I need it.” His jaw tightened, the first flicker of emotion breaking through. “It’s why I must honor it.”

He slid a contract toward her with deliberate precision.

“My grandmother’s last wish.” His eyes lowered briefly. A shadow crossed his expression, one she couldn’t decipher. “She wanted to see me settled, with someone who could stand beside me. I intend to fulfill that, regardless of circumstance.”

Panni didn’t move. She couldn’t.

“I believe,” he continued, “that you are capable of handling this role. And I have no interest in sentimentality. This marriage would be mutually beneficial.”

Panni stared at the contract.

Rules. Conditions. Boundaries.

No emotional involvement.

No public scandals.

No lies.

Her vision blurred. She had already violated the last one.

“Miss Su,” Jinyan said quietly, “is something the matter?”

Everything.

Everything was the matter.

But Panni straightened, trying to keep her voice steady.

“What if… I’m not the woman you think I am?”

He leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. “Explain.”

Panic clawed up her throat. If she told the truth, her sister would be ruined. Destroyed. The Lu family wouldn’t simply shrug off the deception.

Panni forced a faint smile. “I only meant… I’m not confident whether I meet your expectations.”

A heavy silence fell.

Then, unexpectedly, his gaze softened by a fraction—barely enough to notice.

“Confidence can be learned,” he said. “Integrity cannot. And despite arriving late, you still came. That alone suggests you’re willing to uphold commitments.”

Panni bit her lip. If only he knew.

Jinyan tapped the contract lightly. “If you have concerns, voice them.”

She had a thousand. But none she could safely reveal.

Instead, she found herself asking the question she dreaded:

“What exactly… would be expected of me?”

His answer was calm. “To be my wife in name. To accompany me publicly. To maintain privacy. To uphold my grandmother’s trust.”

“Nothing more?”

“Nothing more,” he echoed—but his eyes lingered on her a moment too long, as if searching for something he couldn’t name.

The rain intensified outside. Thunder rumbled like an omen.

Panni looked down at the contract again. Every path ahead of her looked dangerous—but only one could protect the people she loved.

Her hand trembled as she lifted the pen.

Jinyan watched her closely, unreadable.

With a breath that shook her entire body, Su Panni signed the contract—stealing her sister’s place, her name, and a future that didn’t belong to her.

When she lifted her eyes, Jinyan’s expression had shifted—approval mixed with a hint of something darker.

“Welcome to the arrangement,” he said softly.

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed violently in her pocket.

A single message.

From an unknown number.

“You shouldn’t have signed that. You’re not Su Annie.”

Panni’s blood ran cold.