The Greens had always lived under a microscope. Their empire was too vast, too influential, and too famous for privacy to be anything more than an illusion. Every gala, every business move, even the color of their outfits often made the news. Yet, somehow, no one, not even the swarm of reporters or the army of spies planted by rival families, had ever whispered a single rumor about Sofia Green being in a relationship.
So when Robert's phone rang, and the words "Your boyfriend is here" echoed through the polished confines of the private suite, Sofia nearly collapsed.
Boyfriend?
Her pulse quickened. If presenting herself to her parents already felt like navigating a minefield, facing someone who supposedly had intimate ties with the previous Sofia could be a nightmare. She had barely adjusted to her new reality, and now she had to impersonate a role she didn't even know existed.
Her thoughts spiraled until the clear chime of the elevator sliced through the room. The metallic doors slid apart, and a tall figure stepped into the golden-lit hallway.
Chad.
He was the type of man who commanded attention the moment he entered a room. Broad shouldered, with the posture of someone who had built himself from discipline rather than chance, he carried the scent of luxury cologne that clung faintly to the air. His dark hair was neatly styled, slick but not overdone, and his chiseled jawline looked like it had been sculpted to perfection. His suit was a masterpiece in itself. A tailored midnight blue with subtle silver pinstripes, accentuating his frame. His steel gray eyes scanned the space, sharp and deliberate, the kind of gaze that could both disarm and intimidate in equal measure.
Sofia instantly recognized him. Not because of any memory that belonged to the Sofia Green she now embodied, but because she had seen his face in news articles, press conferences, and media highlights, in her past life. Chad was one of the organization heads who had partnered with the Greens on countless occasions. A man with influence. A man who, apparently, was hers.
"Chad," Robert said warmly, as though welcoming a son-in-law. "I'll give you two some privacy."
Marie gave Sofia one last glance, half concerned, half calculating, before she followed her husband out of the room.
The silence that lingered after their departure was thick. Sofia forced herself to meet Chad's eyes, but her nerves betrayed her. She could feel her palms growing damp.
"It's been three days," Chad said, his voice smooth yet edged with restrained emotion. "I missed you."
Sofia's throat tightened. She scrambled for words, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound casual. "I… missed you too."
Chad stepped closer, his movements slow, deliberate, like a predator closing the distance to its prey. His hand lifted gently, brushing against a strand of her midnight-black hair, twirling it lazily between his fingers. The gesture should have felt familiar, comforting. Instead, Sofia's skin prickled, her heart racing with discomfort.
"You've been acting different," Chad said, narrowing his gaze as though studying her. "Almost like… you're not yourself."
Sofia's lips curled into a forced smile. "I've just been… tired. You know how overwhelming things can get."
He seemed to accept that, though doubt still flickered behind his eyes. Leaning closer, his hand slid from her hair to the curve of her cheek, his thumb brushing across her skin. Sofia's breath caught in her chest.
Then, without warning, he kissed her.
The contact jolted her. Heat rushed to her cheeks, her heart thundered in her chest, and for a fleeting moment, she felt an intoxicating warmth wash over her. But just as quickly, reality cut through the haze.
Alex.
She couldn't betray what she felt for him, not even in this borrowed body.
With sudden resolve, she pulled back, her lips trembling. "Chad… I… "
But before she could finish, he studied her again, confusion knitting his brow.
The situation was not going to get any easier.
---
Elsewhere, beneath the suffocating veil of night, silence ruled a forgotten alley. The air was damp, carrying the stench of oil and decay, with only a single flickering streetlight above casting fractured shadows against the graffiti stained brick walls. Rats scurried in the darkness, and a faint dripping sound echoed from somewhere deep within the narrow passage.
Two figures stood at opposite ends of the alley, their presence a stark contrast against the gloom.
Maya Durn, dressed in a fitted black trench coat, her hair neatly tied back, exuded both elegance and venom. Her eyes glimmered with restrained fury as she broke the silence.
"I told you not to hurt Alex," she hissed, her voice sharp but low. "You couldn't follow the simplest instruction. And the driver? Did you really have to make such a mess?"
The man across from her chuckled, a dark, guttural sound that resonated through the alley.
Cub.
He was a beast of a man, standing nearly six and a half feet tall, with a frame that suggested years of brutal work and merciless battles. His skin bore scars. One across his cheek, another disappearing beneath his collar, displayed as trophies of past violence. His eyes were a chilling, pale blue, so light they almost looked inhuman under the dim glow. His head was shaved, his jawline thick and roughened by stubble, giving him the look of a predator who thrived on chaos.
The gun at his side gleamed faintly, but it wasn't the weapon that was most intimidating. It was his smile. A cruel, knowing smirk that never quite reached his eyes.
"Relax, Maya," Cub said, his voice deep, booming like distant thunder. "The driver was going to complicate things. I had to take him out. And your puppy? I didn't hit him that hard. He'll live."
"You don't get it!" Maya snapped, her temper cracking through her carefully controlled demeanor. "The entire thing looks like an assassination now. You've raised suspicion where there shouldn't have been any."
Cub tilted his head, amused. "Suspicion or not, the girl is dead. That's what you paid me for."
From beneath his coat, Maya pulled out a leather satchel. She opened it just enough for the dim light to catch the stacks of crisp bills inside. "Ten thousand dollars. Take it. Consider it's bonus,even though you don't deserve it."
He stepped forward, his boots echoing against the pavement as he snatched the satchel from her hand. Peeking inside, his smirk widened. "All this for one guy that may never love you."
Maya's eyes hardened, her voice a venomous whisper. "That's where you're wrong. Alex needs someone now. Someone to comfort him, guide him, be there for him. Elena is gone, and I will be the one to fill that void. Anyone who gets too close to him, or too close to the truth, will suffer the same fate as Elena."
Cub chuckled again, slinging the satchel over his shoulder. "Whatever you say. I've got other clients to meet. You need me again, you know how to reach me."
With that, he disappeared into the shadows, his hulking figure swallowed by the alley's darkness, leaving Maya alone under the dim, flickering light.
For a brief moment, she allowed herself to savor the thought of victory. But another thought enveloped her mind
"Alex. I have to be there when he wakes up."
Maya proceeded to make her way out of the alley way, hoping that everything she planned would go smoothly.