LOGINOn the eve of the most anticipated wedding of the decade, glamorous socialite Brianna vanishes without a trace. To save her family from ruin and avoid the wrath of the ruthless CEO Alexander Vance, her sweet twin sister, Aria, is forced to step into her shoes. Aria expected a life of fake smiles and high-society secrets. What she didn't expect was Alexander—a cold man who instantly notices that his shallow fiancée has suddenly changed. As Alexander gets drawn to the warmth of his new bride, tension mounts and desire flares. How long can Aria keep up the lie when the billionaire's touch feels all too real?
View MorePlease, Aria! You're the only one who can save our family!"
Aria stared at her mother in utter disbelief. The opulent bridal suite of the Grand Regency Hotel felt suffocating, filled with the heavy scent of fresh white roses, expensive perfume, and pure, high-society panic. On the silk couch lay a pristine, custom-made designer wedding gown—left behind by its owner like a discarded shell. Brianna, Aria’s spoiled twin sister, was gone. "What do you mean she ran away?" Aria asked, her voice trembling with rising anxiety. "The ceremony starts in less than an hour! Hundreds of high-profile guests are waiting downstairs! She’s supposed to be marrying Alexander Vance today!" Alexander Vance. The name alone sent a chill down the spine of everyone in the city. He was the ruthless, cold-blooded billionaire CEO of Vance Enterprises. A powerful titan who held the city’s economy in the palm of his hand, he was known for his cold efficiency, immense wealth, and merciless nature. He was a man whom nobody dared to cross. "She left a brief note saying she couldn't marry a cold monster!" her stepfather spat, pacing back and forth across the plush carpet, sweating profusely. "If this wedding doesn't happen today, Alexander will ruin us! The loans, the family business, our home—everything we own will be liquidated by nightfall!" Her mother grabbed Aria’s trembling hands, hot tears streaming down her face as she pleaded desperately. "Aria, look at me. You have the exact same face, the exact same height, the same hair. No one will notice the difference! Just walk down that aisle, say 'I do,' and give us enough time to track Brianna down!" "No! Are you completely insane? That’s fraud!" Aria pulled back in horror. She had lived a quiet, modest life away from her family's superficial world. She was the hidden twin, the quiet sister kept in the shadows while Brianna enjoyed the luxury, fame, and spotlight. "If you don't step into that dress right now, we all go to prison for breach of contract!" her stepfather yelled, his eyes wide with terror. "Is that what you want? To see your family destroyed?" Aria felt a heavy knot form in her chest. She had always been the sacrificial lamb for her family, but this was taking it too far. Yet, looking at her mother's desperate eyes, her resolve began to crumble. Before she could utter another refusal, the heavy double doors of the suite burst open with a loud thud. A towering figure stepped into the room, radiating an overwhelming aura of dark authority and raw power. Tailored in a bespoke black tuxedo, Alexander Vance looked every bit the dangerous billionaire the media portrayed him to be. His sharp jawline was set in a cold, rigid line, and his piercing obsidian eyes swept across the panicked room before locking directly onto Aria. The air in the room instantly chilled, making it hard for anyone to breathe. "What is taking so long?" Alexander’s voice was deep, smooth, and laced with absolute control. "The guests are getting restless, and my patience is running remarkably thin." Her mother quickly pushed Aria forward, shielding the empty dressing area behind them. "N-Nothing, Alexander! Brianna was just... having a brief moment of anxiety about her gown!" Alexander took slow, deliberate steps toward them. Each heavy footstep felt like a countdown to doom. His intense gaze fixed entirely on Aria, studying her face with a terrifying sharpness. She felt completely frozen under his scrutiny. He stopped right in front of her. Reaching out, his long, warm fingers gently caught her chin, tilting her face up to meet his dark, piercing eyes. Aria held her breath, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs like a trapped bird. She waited for the inevitable moment when he would realize the truth—that she wasn't the arrogant, demanding Brianna. Alexander’s thumb brushed lightly over her lower lip, his gaze darkening with an unreadable emotion. "You're trembling, my dear," Alexander whispered, his voice dangerously low against her ear. "Are you really that afraid of me... or are you hiding something behind those innocent eyes?" Aria swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I'm just nervous, Alexander." A slow, mysterious smirk touched the corner of his lips, but his eyes remained deadly cold. "Good. A obedient bride is much easier to handle. Put on the veil. We have a wedding to finish."The morning sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Vance estate, casting a warm golden light over the breakfast table. Despite the successful counter-strike against Aegis Holdings, the air was still thick with the lingering threat of Dominic Vance's imminent return.Aria sat across from Alexander, sipping her coffee while browsing through the financial morning briefs on her tablet. Page after page praised the sudden rebound of Vance Financial's stock index, attributing the stability to the newly fortified merger between the Sterling Group and Vance Financial."The press is eating it up," Aria remarked, looking up at Alexander with a faint smile. "They're calling the Sterling trust buyback a brilliant defensive play."Alexander looked up from his cup, his dark obsidian eyes warm as he studied her. "It was a brilliant play. And the board members who were leaning toward Dominic are suddenly having second thoughts."Before Aria could reply, Marcus walked into the din
The dark velvet skies over Zurich were just beginning to brighten as the European financial exchanges opened. Inside Alexander’s private home study, the dim lights of multiple computer screens illuminated the room, casting a soft blue glow over Aria’s determined face.Sitting beside Alexander at the polished wooden desk, Aria watched the live market charts intently. Millions of dollars were shifting across global accounts in real-time, appearing as rapid fluctuations in red and green numbers."Aegis Holdings just submitted their first buy order," Marcus reported from the corner of the room, his fingers flying across his laptop keyboard. "They are attempting to absorb twelve thousand shares of Vance Financial through their Zurich proxy."Alexander leaned back in his leather executive chair, his expression calm, calculated, and dangerously poised. He glanced at Aria, a faint smirk touching his lips."Execute the Sterling trust counter-buy," Alexander commanded smoothly.Aria didn't
The atmosphere inside Alexander’s private office was suffocatingly tense. Heavy raindrops began to streak down the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, blurring the shimmering lights of the city skyline below.Aria stood by the glass coffee table, her eyes darting across the financial diagrams and flowcharts Marcus had spread out. The paper trail was intricate, a web of offshore accounts, shell corporations, and coded wire transfers designed to obscure a single entity's gradual accumulation of Vance Financial stock."Dominic Vance isn't just buying shares," Aria said softly, leaning down to trace a finger along one of the foreign bank routes. "He’s short-selling through third-party brokers while simultaneously buying up voting rights under dummy corporations. He’s deliberately trying to manipulate a panic before the next board vote."Alexander, who was leaned against the edge of his mahogany desk with his arms folded across his chest, looked at her with a blend of intense focus and admi
The boardroom fell into an uneasy, suffocating silence. The executive officers lowered their eyes, sensing the sudden, lethal shift in the air, though none of them dared to ask what was in the leather binder Marcus had handed to Alexander.Alexander slowly closed the folder. His face was an unreadable mask of cold stone, but Aria could see the subtle muscle ticking in his jaw. His knuckles were white against the dark leather."That will be all for today, gentlemen," Alexander commanded smoothly, his voice deep and icy. "The operations report for the next quarter will be reviewed by tomorrow morning. Dismissed."The executives didn't linger. They quickly gathered their files, offered brief nods of respect, and filed out of the room until only Alexander, Aria, and Marcus remained inside the massive suite.The moment the thick double doors clicked shut, Aria turned to Alexander, her hazel eyes filled with concern. She reached out, resting her soft hand over his tense forearm."Alexa


















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