Chapter 1

My best friend, Chloe, had always been obsessed with romantic dramas, convinced she'd marry a handsome, rich man one day.

To my surprise, she actually hooked up with a billionaire.

Their whirlwind romance led to a quick wedding.

She called me after the wedding:

"I'm all alone in this mansion, it's so boring. Come live with me!"

Her husband, Alex, also chimed in:

"I'm too busy with work to keep Chloe company. Please, come stay with her."

I agreed.

Excitedly, I dragged my suitcase to their mansion, a wide smile on my face as I addressed the butler:

"I'm Chloe, your lady's best friend! She invited me to move in!"

The butler, Mr. Hayes, looked bewildered.

"Chloe? Who's that? Mr. Vance has always been single."

1

My smile froze solid, shattering into a million pieces.

"You're very funny," I forced a laugh.

"Chloe! Alex Vance's wife!"

"I even shared a toast with you at their wedding. Don't tell me you're playing games."

Mr. Hayes stared at me, his face devoid of emotion.

"I have no time for games. There's no Chloe here. Only Mr. Vance and I live in this house. If you keep causing trouble, I'll call the police."

With that, he moved to close the gate.

"Hey! Don't!"

Panic flared in my chest. I grabbed the iron gate, fumbling for my phone with my free hand.

"I have proof! How can you forget such a huge wedding? Are you losing your memory?"

I quickly opened Ins, scrolling through my saved posts for the wedding live stream replay.

I remembered taking screenshots and sending them to Chloe, tears of envy streaming down my face.

But the moment I clicked the link, a pop-up appeared:

[This content has been deleted or does not exist.]

A frantic buzz filled my head.

No way.

I clicked on several news articles from my browser bookmarks, refusing to believe it.

"Billionaire Spends a Billion to Marry a Cinderella", "Chloe: The Girl Kissed by God."

Every single link, the moment I clicked it, was dead!

"How... how could this be? It worked last night..."

Mr. Hayes watched my every move with cold eyes.

"Miss Miller, it's illegal to spread fake news or manipulate photos. Are you that desperate to snag a rich guy?"

"I'm not making it up!"

I roared, my fingers trembling as I switched to SnapChat.

"I have chat logs! Look! She just messaged me a minute ago!"

On the screen, Chloe's selfie avatar and our conversation box were crystal clear.

[Babe, I just put on my face mask... Mr. Hayes will let you in...]

"You wait! I'm calling her right now!"

My voice cracked, almost a shriek. "When she comes down to get me, you'll be out of a job tomorrow!"

The next second, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in my ear:

"We're sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and dial again..."

I froze.

Not in service?

I glanced at my SnapChat screen again. She was just talking to me a second ago!

A chilling dread slithered up my spine, coiling around my heart.

SnapChat instant replies, but a dead phone line? What kind of messed-up situation was this?

Mr. Hayes's gaze was unwavering, without a hint of surprise.

He looked at me with utter contempt, as if I were garbage.

"Get lost. If you don't leave now, I'll have security throw you down the hill."

Bang!

The courtyard gate slammed shut with a heavy thud.

I stood under the scorching sun, but my entire body felt like it had plunged into an ice bath.

What in the world was going on?

Chloe was clearly in there, so why was Mr. Hayes denying it?

Why had all the news articles vanished from the internet?

Could it be... something happened to Chloe?

The world of the super-rich is a deep, dark place. Was Alex keeping Chloe under house arrest, pretending to be single, and erasing every trace of her existence?

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought, a tidal wave of fear and righteous fury crashing over me.

No, I couldn't leave!

If I left, she'd truly be alone and helpless!

I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached, then dragged my suitcase and sat right in the middle of the iron gate.

I refused to believe Alex wouldn't come out!

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, a black Maybach slowly approached.

I recognized it – it was the very car Alex had driven to pick Chloe up for their wedding.

A surge of reckless impulse coursed through me. I lunged forward, spreading my arms wide, blocking the front of the car!

"Alex! Get out here! Where have you hidden Chloe?!"

The driver's face went white with shock. He was about to get out and yell at me.

But the rear window slowly rolled down.

It was none other than my best friend's newlywed husband, Alex.

I rushed to his window, shouting furiously.

"Mr. Vance! Mr. Hayes says you're single, and that there's no such person as Chloe!"

"We even FaceTimed when you and Chloe were vacationing in Hawaii half a month ago! What's going on?!"

Alex's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"Chloe? Hawaii?"

I saw him about to play innocent and was ready to explode.

But the next second, he gestured to Mr. Hayes to open the grand gate.

"Since you're here, come in and explain yourself. I, too, am quite curious to know... where exactly this 'Mrs. Vance' you speak of is."

2

The moment the gate opened, I didn't even wait for Alex to get out of the car. I dragged my suitcase and charged straight into the mansion.

Mr. Hayes tried to block my path, but I shoved him aside with a force I didn't know I possessed.

"Don't touch me!"

I navigated through the living room like I owned the place, heading straight for the second floor.

I knew the layout of this mansion intimately!

On their wedding day, I'd been with Chloe in the master bedroom on the second floor.

"Chloe! Come out!"

I kicked the door open.

I burst in, my gaze frantically sweeping the room.

Nothing.

No Chloe.

Not even... a single trace of a woman living here.

"How could this be..."

Refusing to believe it, I tore open the walk-in closet door, almost ripping it off its hinges.

"The closet! Yes! The walk-in closet!"

I remembered it clearly!

On their wedding day, behind this door were two entire walls filled with Hermes bags!

I even remembered screaming with delight while holding a Himalayan Birkin, and Chloe had laughed, offering to get me one.

Whoosh—

The closet door swung open violently.

My hand froze, suspended in the barren air.

Empty.

Only a few dark, custom-made suits hung there, stark and alone.

No Hermes.

No Chanel.

"Impossible... This is impossible..."

I sank to the floor, my hands frantically searching the wooden planks at the bottom of the closet, desperately trying to find even a single long strand of hair, or an earring.

But there was nothing.

The place was as clean as a display home.

Alex leaned against the doorframe, his voice flat.

"Had enough, Miss Miller?"

I sat slumped on the floor, my mind a churning vortex of disbelief and terror.

Was this really some kind of elaborate scam?

Was the Alex that Chloe met a fake?

But... this mansion was real!

Could a con artist be that resourceful, renting a billionaire's mansion just to put on a show?

And if it was a scam, why was the real Alex still living here now that Chloe was gone?

"I don't believe it!"

I scrambled to my feet, pointing at Alex.

"You're the imposter! You've hidden everything, haven't you?"

"I'm calling the police! I have video proof! You two were on your honeymoon in Hawaii just half a month ago!"

Alex looked at me as if I were a wild animal, utterly beyond reason.

He pulled out his phone and dialed 91