Chapter 1

"Julian, are you really going to marry Audrey, the one who poses nude for a living?"

Liam Reynolds' voice on the phone was dripping with undisguised contempt.

Julian's voice was cold and rational, like a blade dipped in ice.

"It's just a formality. Once Brandon Scott marries Lyla, I'll give Audrey a sum of money and send her away."

So, he loved my own sister.

He thought I was standing outside the studio, unable to hear anything.

He thought the suit jacket he'd draped over my bare shoulders was a symbol of love and protection.

He didn't know I already had the key to a private island and a perpetually loyal lover in my account.

Nor did he know I was patiently counting down the days until his performance ended.

Audrey POV

"Ms. Hayes, the transfer of your private island is complete," Mr. Davies, my private butler, said over the transatlantic call. "The island is secluded. No communication devices can track your location."

"Additionally, your custom-designed family and companion service is ready. You paid a hefty sum for it. They've been implanted with the most advanced emotional programs. They will love you unconditionally and with absolute loyalty."

I stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking at my reflection in the glass, and softly agreed.

"In thirty days, I'll finish tying up all loose ends here and arrive on the island on schedule."

Hanging up the phone, I turned and walked back to the circular platform in the center of the art studio.

This was Julian's private studio.

The air was filled with a mix of turpentine and a sophisticated woody scent.

I untied the thin silk robe I was wearing, letting it fall to my ankles, exposing myself completely under the bright overhead lights.

I am a nude model.

In this field, it's a profession accompanied by countless prejudices, condescension, and filthy speculation.

But Julian Vance was an exception.

He was one of the city's most influential and wealthy figures, and also a gifted sculptor and painter.

He once took off his expensive, high-end tailored suit, draped it over my bare, trembling shoulders, and in front of countless media flashes, kissed my collarbone and said,

"In my eyes, you are the purest art in the world, my only muse."

"Cold?"

A deep, mellow male voice interrupted my thoughts.

Julian walked towards me, palette in hand. His fingertip, stained with a bit of warm paint, gently brushed against the small of my back.

His gaze was focused and adoring, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

"Just ten more minutes, and this painting will be finished. For next month's exhibition, I want the whole world to know how beautiful my wife, Audrey, is."

Wife.

Hearing that word, my heart didn't flutter with the usual sweetness. Instead, a bone-chilling coldness washed over me.

I quietly lowered my gaze, remaining silent.

Ten minutes later, Julian put down his paintbrush, picked up a cashmere blanket, and wrapped me snugly in it. He gently pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"I'm going to wash my hands. After that, I'll take you to try on wedding dresses."

Watching him walk into the bathroom, I noticed his phone casually placed next to the easel.

The screen was lit, showing an ongoing FaceTime call with his friend, Liam.

I took a step closer. Liam's voice, a mix of teasing and pity, came clearly through the speaker.

"Julian, are you really going to marry Audrey, the one who poses nude for a living? Are you crazy? How could the Vance family ever let a nude model marry into the family?"

Amidst the sound of running water from the bathroom, Julian's cold, rational voice came through his Bluetooth headset and reached my ears.

"It's just a formality. Brandon Scott dislikes Audrey's profession and absolutely refuses to marry her, but his family is pressuring him not to break the engagement. If I don't 'steal' Audrey's fiancée status, how can Brandon be free to marry Lyla?"

Liam sighed.

"You're something else. Just to let Lyla marry the man she loves, you, the heir to the Vance empire, are willing to humble yourself to pursue a nude model, even putting on this sickening act of being deeply in love and calling her your muse. Aren't you afraid of getting trapped for life?"

The water stopped running. Julian's voice held a trace of barely suppressed tenderness, but it wasn't for me.

"As long as Lyla gets what she wants, everything I do is worth it. Once Lyla and Brandon are married, I'll give Audrey a sum of money and send her away."

Boom.

I felt all the blood in my body freeze instantly, and even breathing sent a tearing pain through me.

It turned out that all his respect, favoritism, and protection for me over the past seven years had been nothing but lies.

He pulled me out of the mire and put me on a pedestal, not because he loved me, but just to make way for my own sister, Lyla.

What a grand and understated love.

For Lyla's happiness, he was willing to get his hands dirty, to embrace a "nude model" whom he fundamentally looked down on.

I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted blood, forcing myself to turn around.

There was no one here who loved me anymore.

It's okay. In thirty days, I'll go to that deserted island, where I'll have a lover who will never betray me.