Chapter 1Her Fake Death Made Me Run Away With the Fortune

When Payne’s true love passed away, he completely fell apart.

His older brother practically “manufactured” me to be her perfect carbon copy. He dropped me right into Payne's life with one simple directive: Keep him happy, and I'll wire you ten million a month.

No matter how many times Payne screamed at me to get the hell out of his sight, I just sat there, watching him with quiet, unwavering devotion. Eventually, his walls crumbled, and he finally pulled me into his arms.

From that moment on, he treated me like absolute royalty. He spoiled me rotten, holding me like I was the most precious thing in his world.

But then came the ultimate plot twist. His unforgettable true love—the girl who was supposed to be six feet under—suddenly posted a live location tag from a beach in Hawaii.

That night, Payne completely lost his mind. He was so intensely aggressive with me it felt like he was going to tear my bones apart.

Every single wealthy elite in the city grabbed their popcorn, waiting to see how the pathetic little stand-in would have a massive, humiliating mental breakdown.

Instead, the very next morning, I walked straight into his brother's office, my face flushed, and asked, "Boss, does this count as a workplace injury? Do I get workers' comp?"

* * *

"Workers' compensation?"

Timmy's voice was frigid.

I scratched my cheek, keeping my voice small.

"Matthew was so aggressive last night. I don't have a single patch of good skin left, and it hurts to walk... Mr. Hayes, I can show you if you don't believe me—"

Timmy cut me off, his tone completely flat. "The money will be transferred to your account shortly."

My eyes immediately lit up. "Thank you, Mr. Hayes!"

I paused for a second before adding, "And about the severance package..."

"Severance package?" Timmy frowned, a flicker of confusion crossing his face right before his phone started ringing.

He answered it. After a long, heavy silence, his eyes narrowed sharply.

"She's still alive?"

He hung up the phone.

Timmy tapped his long fingers against the mahogany desk. He finally understood what I was asking for.

He looked at me and said, "Stay by his side for now. If it turns out he truly doesn't need you anymore, I will ensure you receive a very generous severance."

I secretly rolled my eyes.

Of course he wasn't going to need me anymore.

His one true love wasn't actually dead. Why on earth would he need a cheap knockoff?

But I kept my expression docile, nodded sweetly, and said, "Understood."

I turned to leave.

Timmy's flat voice echoed behind me.

"Do not get attached to things that don't belong to you."

My footsteps faltered.

He was warning me.

Just like everyone else in this city, he assumed I was going to have a massive mental breakdown. He probably thought I would go insane, maybe even try to hurt someone, fully embracing the role of the toxic, gold-digging substitute.

I let out a soft sigh. I really couldn't blame him for thinking that.

For the past three years, Matthew had been absolutely obsessed with me.

Recently, he had even started contacting wedding planners. If everything went according to plan, we would be signing the marriage papers very soon.

Unfortunately for me, the plan just crashed and burned.

Matthew's unforgettable, irreplaceable true love was alive.

My guaranteed spot as the wife of the second Hayes heir had just evaporated. Logically speaking, I should be absolutely losing my mind right now.

But over the last few years, I never once forgot my place.

The condescending affection I earned by mimicking another woman was never going to last.

The only thing that was real, the only thing that actually belonged to me, was the paycheck Timmy deposited into my bank account.

I turned back and gave Timmy a bright smile. "Don't worry, Mr. Hayes. For the salary you're paying me, I promise I won't disappoint you."

I pushed open the office doors and stepped out.

Only to run into someone I completely did not expect to see in the hallway.

Locking eyes with him, I froze entirely. "...Matthew?"

The breathtakingly handsome man stopped in his tracks. His dark eyes locked onto me like radar. "What are you doing here?"

I violently suppressed my panic, my brain working in absolute overdrive.

Matthew had absolutely no idea that I knew his brother.

He also had no idea that my entire relationship with him was a meticulously calculated setup orchestrated by Timmy himself.

Years ago, when Matthew's true love 'died', he completely lost his mind. He spent his days drinking himself into oblivion and street racing, causing a string of massive scandals. He was constantly on the front page of the tabloids, tanking the Hayes Corporation's stock prices.

As the CEO and head of the family, Timmy was irritated and running out of patience.

That was until someone mentioned to him that there was a girl working at a high-end club who looked slightly like the dead girl.

That girl was me.

Stacks of files and photos were dropped in front of me, and I learned quickly.

Since I was docile and incredibly easy to control, I was swiftly delivered to Matthew to act as an emotional pacifier.

Matthew honestly believed I was just a girl who coincidentally looked like his ex, and happened to be desperately, hopelessly in love with him.

Thanks to my relentless 'devotion', he eventually started to care about me.

If this secret got out—

Forget the workers' comp and the severance package.

I wouldn't even get my salary for this month!

I immediately clung to Matthew's arm, my voice soft and whiny.

"When I woke up, you were already gone, and your phone went straight to voicemail. I was so worried, so I came to ask your brother if he knew where you went. You aren't mad at me, are you, Matthew?"

Matthew paused, his tone indifferent. "He's busy running the corporation. Don't bother him with trivial things."

Seeing that he bought the lie, I discreetly let out a breath of relief and nodded obediently. "Okay. I won't do it again."

He gave a careless nod and pulled his arm out of my grip. "Go home."

"What about tonight? You promised we'd have a candlelight dinner." I pressed on. "I actually managed to get a reservation at that incredibly exclusive restaurant."

Matthew stopped. His long, elegant fingers reached out to stroke my cheek.

Exactly the way someone would pet a dog.

"Next time." He said.

Unsurprisingly, there probably wasn't going to be a next time.

But I still nodded like a perfect, obedient doll. "Okay."