Chapter 2Who Are You Dating?

After a thousand last-minute instructions from my client, I got dressed to the nines and arrived at the galleria half an hour early to scope the place out.

I never expected to actually run into Julian Henderson himself.

He was lounging near the central fountain, one hand casually tucked in his pocket. A girl was chattering away at his side, and while he wasn't really listening, he wore a lazy, detached smile. The fact that he wasn't showing any sign of annoyance was a miracle in itself.

I just stood there, stunned.

Then his eyes found me, and the smile vanished from his face.

He muttered something under his breath. "Just my luck."

I heard him loud and clear but kept my expression neutral.

The girl beside him instinctively tightened her grip on his arm, glaring at me. "And who are you?"

When I didn't answer, she turned to Julian with a wounded look.

Julian sneered. "A charity case."

He wasn't wrong. If I wasn't broke, I wouldn't be here to meet a fake Julian Henderson.

I let out a small, dry laugh, my voice light. "To be hated by the great Julian Henderson… I must be doing something right."

His face instantly darkened. He crossed his arms, his words dripping with contempt. "Thea, what in this mall can you actually afford?"

"As long as you can afford it, that's all that matters," I replied with a breezy smile, gesturing to a luxury boutique nearby. "Didn't you buy me a purse from that very store once?"

The girl's eyes widened. "What's your relationship?"

What was our relationship? We were first loves.

And dating this spoiled prince was the single biggest mistake of my life.

Julian didn't say anything, and I wasn't about to embarrass myself further. I adjusted my bag and turned to leave.

"Thea." His voice was soft, but it carried the same arrogant, condescending tone it always had. "Which poor sucker did you trick into paying for your things this time?"

I turned back. "Don't worry, Julian. I haven't managed to trick anyone more generous than you yet."

Of course, the guy my client was tricking didn't count.

Julian had been coddled his entire life; he never bothered to hide his emotions. So I knew, right then, that he was in a very bad mood. Worried he'd ruin my upcoming meetup, I decided to placate him. "You were right before," I said softly. "Someone like me will never be happy. But as long as you're happy, that's what counts."

Honestly, I think the "nemesis" thing was one-sided. I never go out of my way to make enemies, especially not with a wealthy ex who used to be an open wallet.

But the spoiled boy who was once so hard to please was even less receptive now.

He curled his lip, his voice laced with venom. "Don't you go anywhere. I want to see what kind of trash you've managed to catch this time."

I froze.

I had no idea what kind of persona my client had created with this guy. What if it was some pure, innocent flower? My cover would be blown in seconds. Julian's personality was tailor-made for exposing lies; he'd tear me apart with a few pointed questions.

I swallowed my pride. "He's not as handsome as you, and he's not as rich. Julian, why do you have to humiliate me like this?"

The girl beside him nodded. "Yeah, Julian, let's just go."

Julian didn't even glance at her. He pulled a black card from his pocket. She took it, her entire demeanor shifting as she turned and walked away briskly. "Okay, I'm going shopping then. Text me if you need anything, Julian!"

"She's cute," I commented with a faint smile.

Julian ignored me but made no move to leave. He just stood there, staring down at me. That was him, though. Impulsive and willful.

I remembered a time he had a fever. I was frantic with worry, but he just lazily held my hand and whispered, "Want to see what 104 degrees feels like?"

My eyes went wide, and my face turned beet red. Not from embarrassment, but from sheer rage. "Are you sick in the head?"

He just smirked, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest.

In the end, we did try. And he ended up in the emergency room.

Such childish memories.

I lowered my gaze.

Julian's patience was wearing thin. He looked at me, a flicker of irritation in his eyes. "You didn't just make someone up, did you?"

I stayed silent.

His patience finally snapped. He answered a call from a friend. "Yeah, I'll be there in a bit." Then he shot me one last look, his eyes swimming with mockery. "Instead of carrying that cheap canvas tote, you should've just swallowed your pride and kept the bags I gave you."

With that, he turned and strode away, his long legs carrying him further and further from me.

I watched his tall figure recede. Even the way he walked was infuriatingly nonchalant.

After Julian and I broke up, I packed up every single luxury item he'd ever given me and shipped them back to his family's estate.

His only reply was a text with four words: [I don't want trash.]

Then he blocked me.

As for the gifts, a friend told me he threw them all in the dumpster outside his villa.

My phone buzzed incessantly.

N: [Hey, are you there yet?]

[Maybe we should meet in the coffee shop? I'll just tell him I'm waiting for him there?]

[Babe, please answer me!]

I took a deep breath, composing myself. [Okay, heading to the coffee shop now.]

I walked in and scanned the room.

I sent a text to my client: [Babe, bad news. Your Julian Henderson isn't here. Even worse news, there's only one handsome guy in the entire place.]

[Impossible! He said he's already there!] she replied frantically.

I sighed.

Just then, the one handsome guy stood up and started walking toward me. His eyes were almond-shaped, tilting up slightly at the corners, and a tiny beauty mark sat just beneath his left eye. He smiled, a gentle, warm expression that somehow radiated the charm of a cunning fox.

I instinctively took a step back.

He spoke, his voice a low, magnetic hum. "Thea."

My blood ran cold.

I looked down at my phone and furiously typed: [Your name isn't 'N,' is it? You didn't use my real name, did you?]

She replied instantly: [Uh, yeah. I was too scared to use my real name, and we were negotiating prices for the photos, so I just sent him yours. Sorry!]

[Wow.]

I shut off my phone, took another deep breath, and looked up at the handsome stranger. "Hi there."

Up close, he was even more striking. His features were exquisite without being feminine. A high-bridged nose, thin lips curved into a slight smile, and a single, sparkling stud in his left ear. He was far better looking than I had imagined. Stunning, even.

Wait a minute. Why would this guy need to use Julian's photos?

I gave a weak smile. "You look a little different from the photos you sent me."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall ever sending you any of my photos."

My face twitched.

This guy never even sent a picture, so how on earth did my client become so convinced he was Julian Henderson?!

"Oh, my mistake," I said through a clenched jaw, forcing another smile. "Would you mind if I used the restroom really quickly?"

"Of course," he said, his smile never wavering.

The second I was inside the restroom, I dialed "N."

The moment the call connected, I exploded. "I TOLD YOU, YOUR ONLINE BOYFRIEND IS NOT JULIAN HENDERSON! NOT JULIAN HENDERSON! But you wouldn't listen. I figured he was just a catfish, but it turns out HE NEVER EVEN SENT YOU A PHOTO! How in the hell did you decide he was Julian?!"

There was a long silence on the other end.

Finally, a stunned "Holy shit" echoed back.

It was a man's voice.

I froze.

"He's not Julian Henderson? How is that possible? Then who is he?" a torrent of panicked questions came pouring out.

"You're asking me?!" I practically screamed back. "Where did you even find this guy? This is so unprofessional!"

I thought I was dealing with some girl running a romance scam. Who knew it was a guy? No wonder he had to buy my voice notes.

"What does he look like? Describe him, quickly!" The guy on the phone sounded even more panicked than I was.

"He's actually really handsome, so you don't have to worry about that," I said.

Another silence.

After a long pause, his voice came back, devoid of all life. "He doesn't have a beauty mark under his eye, does he?"

"He does."

"AHHHHHHHHH! I'M SO DEAD!"

Right, now he's dead. Where was this fear when he was scamming money off the guy? If he had been scamming the real Julian, he really would be dead. Julian would have had him skinned alive.

A moment later, he asked mournfully, "So what do we do?"

"I'm curious," I said. "This guy seems a lot nicer than Julian. What made you think Julian was such a great catch anyway?"

"No, you don't understand. This guy—my brother—is way scarier than Julian. If Julian wanted to kill me, my grandma might step in. If my brother wants to kill me, no one will lift a finger to help!"

He started sobbing.

My eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

He was clearly in despair. "No wonder Julian said I was an idiot. Am I really that stupid?"

"So what now?" I asked. "Should I just make a run for it?"

"NO!" he yelped. "If you run, he'll investigate. He'll one hundred percent trace it back to me!"

I was speechless.

"You know what? Just take over my account," he said decisively. "Just pretend it's been you two talking this whole time. My brother's not bad-looking, and he's loaded—"

My jaw dropped.

Before I could answer, he started muttering to himself. "I never knew he'd be so generous in a relationship. Shit, why isn't he like this with my allowance?"

"Forget it," I said flatly.

Ever since breaking up with Julian, I'd learned one thing: what doesn't belong to you will never be yours. Especially not these wealthy young masters. Don't waste your time fantasizing.

Besides, if I actually got involved with this guy and Julian found out, who knows how he'd freak out.

No, wait. He'd probably just sneer at the guy: "Your taste is terrible, getting involved with a girl like Thea."

I sighed.

The guy on the phone wasn't happy. "Hey, doesn't your service include after-sales support?"

Wow. They really were related. That twisted logic was just like Julian's.

"I'm hanging up," I said.

"Fifty grand! I'll add another fifty!" he pleaded. "That's all my New Year's money! My brother can't find out!"

"One hundred."

"You're a loan shark! You know you can get plenty from my brother, and you're still trying to bleed me dry?"

"Then forget it," I said.

"DEAL!" he cried, defeated.

"What's your brother's name?" I asked.

"Sebastian Henderson."

My head shot up. "You mean Julian's cousin? The one who's always been abroad?"

"Yeah."