Die Milliardärs-Fake-Verlobte hatte ein tödliches Geheimnis

Chapter 1: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead Three years ago, I attended my own funeral. I stood across the street beneath a black umbrella, watching rain fall over the cemetery while my family mourned Elena Carter, the daughter everyone believed had died at twenty-four. My mother was crying, and my father stood beside her, looking completely devastated. The woman they were burying was me. I was alive, but I couldn't approach them. I couldn't tell my mother I was still breathing or hold my father's hand. So I turned away and disappeared into the rain. Three years earlier, I had been driving home when I noticed a vehicle following me. It stayed behind me through several turns, and when I accelerated, it accelerated too. Then it struck my car. My vehicle crashed through a roadside barrier and plunged down a steep slope. I remember shattered glass, twisting metal, and then darkness. When I woke up, I was in a private medical facility far from New York. My arm was broken, several ribs were fractured, and my face was covered with deep cuts. Then Lucas came. He told me he had found me trapped inside the wreckage and pulled me out before the car caught fire. He also discovered that someone had deliberately caused the accident. Someone had wanted me dead. The police had already declared Elena Carter dead, and Lucas believed that was the only reason I was still alive. He helped me create a new identity and warned me never to return to New York. For three years, I listened. I became Emily Hayes and built a quiet life far away from my past. Then, six months ago, someone began asking questions about me at the clinic where I received treatment. They wanted to know where I had come from and whether I had any connection to New York. I immediately contacted Lucas, but he didn't answer. Instead, I received a message from an unknown number with a photograph of the road where my accident happened. They know you're alive. Don't stay where you are. I had no choice. I returned to New York and found a job at Blackwood Global Holdings, hoping to earn enough money to disappear again. For six months, I kept my head down. Until my supervisor appeared beside my desk. “Miss Hayes, Mr. Blackwood wants to see you.” My stomach tightened. Adrian Blackwood was the company's billionaire CEO. Minutes later, I stood inside his office. He studied me silently before sliding a photograph across his desk. My blood ran cold. It was Elena Carter. Me. Before the accident. “Do you recognize her?” he asked. I forced myself to remain calm. “She was in the news. She died in an accident.” “You look remarkably similar to her.” “People can look alike.” He said nothing for a moment before opening another file. “Someone has been using your identity to access private information.” My heart raced. “Is someone investigating me?” “Possibly.” “Why?” “I'm trying to find out.” Then he leaned back. “I have a proposition for you.” “What kind?” “I want you to pretend to be my fiancée.” I stared at him. “Your fiancée?” “Yes.” “I don't think that's appropriate.” “You haven't heard the terms.” He pushed a contract toward me. “Take it home. Read it before you decide.” I picked it up. “How long do I have?” “Until tomorrow.” I turned toward the door, but his voice stopped me. “Miss Hayes.” I looked back. “Whatever happened three years ago, be careful who you trust.” My fingers tightened around the contract. “I always am.” I left the office with one terrifying thought. I had spent three years running from my past, and now Adrian Blackwood was asking me to walk straight into danger.