Chapter 1

Tags: Substitute Romance, Clear-Headed Female Lead, Career-Driven, Return of the First Love, Subverting Tropes

After getting blacklisted by my agency, I became the substitute lover for Julian Vance, an elite billionaire tycoon.

Julian warned me coldly, "You are nothing more than a shadow. Don't catch feelings."

I understood completely. Following standard business protocol, I handed over a professional price sheet, clearly itemized:

"Five thousand to chat. Ten thousand to smile for your guests."

"If you need me to cry a river for you, since you're a VIP client, I'll give you a twenty percent discount."

Later, when his first love returned from abroad, Julian told me to "disappear for a while."

Without missing a beat, I pulled out a formal Work-from-Home request:

"During this period of emotional quarantine, my rate will be billed at triple pay."

When Julian Vance's first love went abroad, I stepped in as her stand-in, pulling in a cool million a month.

I was originally a D-list nobody in Hollywood, but I happened to share a seventy-percent facial resemblance with Claire Vance.

With full makeup, the difference was practically invisible. Throw in my intentional method acting, and as long as I kept my mouth shut, I was Claire Vance herself.

Julian demanded that I stay glued to his side wherever he went. Naturally, the tabloids quickly branded me as his latest plaything.

Some gossip rags even mockingly dubbed me "Claire 2.0."

I couldn't care less. Some people, however, couldn't sit still.

I was walking beside Julian, casually soaking in the stares around us, when a shrill woman's voice shrieked right at me:

"You little home-wrecking gold digger! How dare you show your face here again! You little tramp!"

A high-society matriarch raised her hand high to strike. Just as I was about to dodge, a thought flashed through my mind. I immediately ducked behind Julian.

*Slap!*

The blow landed squarely on Julian's cheek with a crisp, echoing crack.

I shrank my neck, trembling, eyes welling up with tears on cue. "Mrs. Vance, I don't know what I did wrong!"

"Mr. Vance told me to come, so I came! If you're upset, please take it out on me with words, but don't resort to violence! It would be terrible if you hurt Mr. Vance!"

My tone was a hundred-percent pitch-perfect imitation of Claire.

Hearing my voice, then catching sight of the tiny beauty mark by the corner of my eye, the older woman turned purple with rage. "Julian! You actually hired a cheap body double?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

"Mother, I listened to you and sent her abroad, but as for the rest of my life, you'd better keep your nose out of it."

"Otherwise, don't expect your monthly allowance to clear."

Hearing this, Mrs. Vance turned incandescent with fury, screaming at the top of her lungs as the private security guards escorted her out.

Only then did Julian turn to look down at me. "You moved pretty fast just now. Using me as a human shield, are we?"

"Julian... could you really bear to watch me get hit?"

My expression, tinged with fragile grievance, looked virtually indistinguishable from Claire's.

Julian froze for a second. Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode into his corner office.

I scoffed internally.

Even if I had a price list, I wasn't an idiot. I wasn't going to volunteer to take a physical hit for anyone!

You're the grand romantic martyr here, Julian. Take the slap yourself!

I headed over to the executive assistant pool, prepped the necessary briefing documents, and carried them into Julian's office.

He was leaning back in his leather chair, taking a call. His low, commanding voice matched the razor-sharp profile of an untouchable billionaire.

After quietly appreciating the eye candy for a moment, I waited as Julian hung up and looked up at me.

I gave him a polished, sweet smile. "Mr. Vance, here's the proposal from Galaxy Entertainment. You have a lunch meeting scheduled with Mr. Hayes today at noon."

"And at two in the afternoon, Mr. Vance Senior's private art gallery exhibition begins."

Julian glanced at the calendar and said in a clipped voice, "You're coming with me to lunch."

"I have other plans for lunch, unfortunately."

Galaxy Entertainment was Claire's former agency—and mine, too. Their CEO, Hayes, was a notoriously sleazy creep.

I had been blacklisted precisely because I refused to let him grope me. Cornered and broke, I had taken the gig playing Claire's substitute.

Before my refusal could hang in the air, my phone buzzed. A PayPal notification showed a fresh thirty-thousand-dollar deposit.

My eyes lit up, and I flipped my script instantly. "To be able to accompany you and expand my network, Mr. Vance? Nothing could make me happier!"

"Claire wouldn't be so openly obsessed with cash. You overacted. Deducting five thousand."

Hearing that, I instantly smoothed away my grin, tilted my head slightly, and curved my lips into a gentle pout. "Julian... you're bullying me again!"

The breathy, coquettish tone matched the precise tilt of my chin. Julian was momentarily captivated, staring at me in utter silence.

I stood there quietly, my peripheral vision catching the framed photograph on his desk. It was a shot of him and Claire together.

*Tsk.* She only moved to Europe, not outer space. Is buying a first-class plane ticket really that hard?

Still, he was my client, and the customer was always right.

At noon, I accompanied Julian into the private dining room as scheduled.

When Hayes from Galaxy Entertainment saw me walk in, a look of shock flickered across his face before he broke into a greasy grin. "Mr. Vance, what incredible luck you have!"

Julian merely gave a curt nod without saying a word. I stayed quietly, demurely behind him.

Once seated, the men toasted and drank, while I provided polite, airy small talk from the side.

Halfway through, I excused myself to the restroom. As I finished washing my hands and looked up at the mirror, a heavy shadow loomed behind me. I turned instinctively, only to find Hayes cornering me.

He stepped in entirely too close, slipping a sweaty palm onto my waist like a cold, venomous snake slithering up my spine.

My entire body went rigid. I whipped around and slapped him hard across the face!