Chapter One

Holly waited for the ax to fall on a sunny patio, surrounded by smiling faces.

I guess there are worse places for life to take a nosedive off a cliff.

Beneath the white linen tablecloth, her leg jiggled with agitation. She stopped the telltale movement and tried to pull herself together. It didn’t help at all that the tight, unfamiliar dress she wore turned her deep, calming breath into a shallow inhale.

What am I doing here?

This meeting was way too far outside her comfort zone to work.

But if I fail, everything falls apart.

She closed her eyes, wishing for her usual glasses and not these contacts that stung. She was caught between a rock and a hard place with no way out. All because of her sister.

Lillian has a plan.

She had to believe her twin had something up her sleeve. Why else would she run away in the middle of the night, leaving her only sibling behind to face their father’s wrath?

Despite the warmth of the sun, a shiver ran down her spine. Her father had been in fine form last night when he’d discovered Lillian’s absence. The twins had long ago learned to avoid John Abbott whenever they could. The man might be a business mogul to rival any other, but when it came to family, all he cared about was what his daughters could do for him.

But this time he’s pushed Lillian too far.

Because it wasn’t just their father Lillian was running from. It was her fiancé as well.

“Can I get you anything to drink, miss?” the waiter asked, appearing by her side.

Holly forced a smile. “Thanks, but I’m waiting on someone. I’m fine with water until he arrives.”

The waiter nodded and refilled her glass before moving on to the next table. How she wished leaving with him was an option.

Instead, she sat in borrowed clothes she hated and waited to meet a man she dreaded.

Who buys a wife in this day and age?

The answer, it appeared, was Julian Worth. The billionaire CEO had built his empire from the ground up. The man had a knack for predicting the market and the skill had made him several fortunes at least. What he lacked, however, was the blue blood that would make him accepted in the highest circles of New York’s elite.

Blood that flowed in her veins.

The plan had been a simple one. Combine two massive corporations under the banner of one by joining two families. Julian would get the connections being attached to the Abbott name would provide and in turn, the Abbotts would have a new son-in-law who turned everything he touched to gold.

Something they sorely needed.

And therein lies the problem.

If this were just an issue of John marrying off her elder sister without her consent, then the solution would be easy. They’d pack up their lives, say goodbye to their father, and strike out alone. But this wasn’t just about Lillian.

While they spun a good tale, the company was struggling. They never seemed to have enough cash flow, and if nothing changed soon, they were going to cut some jobs. The idea of her grandparents’ legacy floundering tore her heart. And doing a round of layoffs? Her grandfather would roll in his grave.

All those jobs are on the line.

Which was why she was here.

Julian was set to meet his future wife today and with Lillian off doing whatever the hell she was up to, Holly was left with a choice. Either they confessed that Julian’s fiancé didn’t want him and called the whole thing off, letting their company collapse even further at the expense of their employees. Or they tried to buy some time while they looked for Lillian. John made his view of the decision utterly clear.

And Lillian just happened to have a double.

I always wanted to be Lillian, right?

Obviously, she should have been more careful what she wished for.

Lillian would never have left her without a damn good reason, and if there was one person in the world Holly trusted, it was her sister. So today she could pretend and buy Lillian some time to fix this for all of them if that’s what her sister needed.

At least, in theory.

Sighing, she fished her compact out of her purse and checked the mirror for the tenth time since she’d sat down. Lillian might be her identical twin, but they’d still found ways to differentiate themselves. Today, all that had been erased. Her blond hair was now expertly curled to mimic Lillian’s style, rather than her usual straight locks that brushed her shoulders. Under the table, her feet were squished into sky-high heels she prayed didn’t cause her to break an ankle before the day was done.

Even the tight, cobalt-blue dress was far more brilliant than she was used to. She’d walked into the restaurant with a designer bag on her arm and sunglasses shading her blue eyes that were just a slightly different hue than Lillian’s. Heads had turned as she’d followed her server through the small patio ringed by trimmed hedges for privacy.

That’s one thing I could get used to.

For the first time, she wondered if she’d done too good a job escaping her father’s notice. In hiding from him, had she hidden from everyone else, too?

Now in her borrowed clothes, there was no sticking to the sidelines and the shadows. Here she was on display.

Lillian would love this. She’d view it as her due. Channel her.

Even if she’d never in her life been able to pull off a convincing impression of Lillian. Her sister’s vibrant personality was just too dissimilar from her own. Now that all needed to change.

Just take it a minute at a time. Get through this brunch and then regroup.

Easier said than done.

Even with her doing her best not to fidget, her fingers drifted to her necklace. It was a simple gold chain with a letter on it. She had one with an H, and Lillian had one with an L. For today’s charade, she’d taken her sister’s, and it was unsettling to feel the unfamiliar shape. Still, the habit calmed her nerves enough to stay in her seat.

Holly had just checked her watch again when the laughter at the table in front of her died. Glancing at the four women seated there, she realized they’d all shifted to stare at the door.

Curious, Holly glanced in the same direction.

And cursed her sister all over again.

A man strode forward like he’d just stepped out of her naughtiest fantasy.

He was tall, walking with an innate confidence she could never mimic. His jet-black suit wrapped around a honed body that made her fingers itch to touch him. Was his body as rock-hard as it appeared?

But it was his face that chased all logical thought from her brain. He looked like a fallen angel with his wavy black hair framing a chiseled jaw. Dark eyes locked on hers, sending electricity shooting across her skin as he approached. There was nothing hesitant in his appraising stare.

This had to be Julian Worth. Her sister’s future husband.

Be Lillian. Be Lillian.

Her sister wouldn’t drool at his approach. She also wouldn’t have lost the power of speech at the mere sight of him. No, Lillian would be sharpening her claws, ready to take the man down a peg.

But I’m not her.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Beneath the table, her leg jiggled again. Her mind was blank, and Julian was only two tables away now.

He moves like a shark.

Gliding through the minnows around him as he zeroed in on his prey.

There’s only one way to respond to a bully.

Not that she ever chose to stand up to them. But Lillian would.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she reached up to take off her sunglasses and the limited protection they offered. Lillian would never cower, so neither could she. Not if she was going to play this part convincingly.

She arched a brow as he approached and made no other move.

Was it her imagination or did his lips twitch in response?

Finally, he closed the last of the distance between them and stopped by her chair.

“Lillian Abbott, I presume,” he said, holding out his hand.

She rose to her feet, noting that even with her wearing her sister’s heels, this man towered over her.

Was everything about him designed to intimidate me?

Because it was freaking working.

“Julian Worth,” she replied.

The one man who could doom or save them all.