The Billionaire's Sweet Revenge

"I have a very bad feeling about this." Unease settled over Adrianna Olsen as she wrung her hands against her stomach, staring up at the airport's flight departure screens. "They've delayed the flight. Again." She glanced down at her identical twin sister sitting in the wheelchair and shook her head. "I think you should find another flight, Valerie. Something must be wrong with the plane." Valerie was only five minutes older than Adrianna, but the twin's new diagnosis of Lyme disease had caused Val to age quickly. Her once vibrant blue eyes were now dull with dark circles underneath, which today she hid behind sunglasses even though it was evening. Her fragile face now faded. Even her blonde hair didn't look as silky or shiny. To think that not even a year ago, Valerie had been a high paid super-model in New York City. Now she could hardly walk by herself from her bed to the wheelchair most mornings. Val shook her head. "No. This is normal for an international flight. Besides, I can't put this flight off any longer. The doctor in Venice is a specialist and has been working on a cure for my disease. He's so popular, his patients are booked months in advance." She reached up and clasped Adrianna's hand. "If he has a cure for Lyme disease, I need to get it. I can't live my life as an invalid, Anna. I just can't." Kneeling beside the wheelchair, Adrianna’s heart wrenched with helplessness. Valerie still looked fashionable today wearing a red and white sleeveless tweed dress from Chanel, and matching high-heel patent leather pumps from Louis Vuitton. As always, her hair curled around her head in a style that fit her personality. Val would always portray a very chic woman. "You're not going to live your life in a wheelchair." Adrianna squeezed her hand. "We'll wait in the airport for as long as it takes." She glanced at Gate C-14, now crowded with passengers anxiously waiting just as they were. One passenger in particular, caught Adrianna's attention. It wasn't the double-D breasted redhead hanging on the man like drapery, it was the gorgeous man himself that stood out. He ran his fingers through his jet-black hair, pushing it away from his face. His dark gray suit jacket was flung over his shoulder as he held the collar with his finger. The white silk shirt—opened at the throat to display a muscular neck—molded to his muscles whenever he moved, and his matching gray slacks did the same to his sculptured legs. When he turned away from Adrianna, it was hard not to check out his backside since the material stretch nicely across that part of his body, too. Was he a model? She definitely pictured him half-dressed on the cover of a romance novel, holding a scantily-clad woman in his arms as he gazed down at her, hungrily. However, Adrianna thought he looked more like an international playboy. She'd bet money he wore the finest designer clothes, too. She'd seen some of Val's former boyfriends wear clothes like what he had on now, but they never looked as yummy. He turned and his attention swung toward Adrianna. Quickly, she dropped her gaze before he caught her gawking. It was hard not to stare at someone whose very appearance screamed of his s*x appeal. "Oh, no. Look who's here," Val grumbled. Adrianna snapped her focus back to her sister. "Who?" "Do you see that man over there? The one who resembles a Greek God?" Adrianna's face flamed. Had her sister noticed her gawking too? Cautiously, she peeked in his direction. Thankfully, he was looking away this time. "Uh, yes." "I know you don't know who he is," Val continued, "but he's a big name in the modeling world—a fashion designer." "What?" Adrianna blinked with wide eyes. "He's gay?" Val snorted a laugh. "No, he's definitely not gay. And I suppose, he's not really a designer, either. He'ss actually the sponsor. Most models I know refer to him as a fashion mogul. He's from Italy, and so is his sister, who is the actual designer. Gabriele Marcelli funded his sister, and her line became very popular. They're one of the wealthiest families in Italy. I'd heard somewhere that he's part of the royal family." Adrianna scratched her head as she studied the redhead. "That's his sister? Why is she hanging on him like they're lovers?" "That's not his sister. She's probably Gabriele's latest discovery. You see, he's the one who hires the models who work for his sister." Adrianna glanced down at Val. "Why didn't he ever hire you?" Val shrugged as a frown claimed her expression. "Probably because our paths never connected. Not only does he run his family's winery, he travels all over the country looking for models. I even heard he might own a soccer team." She sighed heavily. "It was never the right time with him. Never meant to be, I guess." The catch in Val's voice made Adrianna's heart twist. Apparently, Val had wanted to model for him and his sister. Adrianna couldn't imagine having the world at her feet one moment only to have it ripped away by a weakening disease the next. "Do you think he knows you?" Adrianna asked. "I doubt it. But it's too late for me now." "Never say never, Val." She squeezed her sister's shoulder. The buzz of Val's cell phone made Adrianna jump. Her sister reached in her purse and pulled it out. As she talked, Adrianna walked a few steps away as if she studied a rack of magazines just outside the gift shop. Instead, she peeked over the rack to look at the man who was the center of attraction in the midst of the waiting passengers. Gabriele Marcelli was absolutely—hands down—the most handsome man Adrianna had ever encountered in her twenty-five years. Many of Val's boyfriends had been lookers, but nothing like Gabriele. The woman with the boob-job gazed up at him and pouted as she batted her eyes. Gabriele's eyebrow lifted, but he didn't crack a smile as he spoke to her. The redhead threw up her hands and stormed away, walking to the window as she peered outside into the shadows quickly blending into the night. Mr. Hottie sauntered to a wall and leaned against it, folding his arms across his massive chest. Adrianna released a dreamy sigh. What would it feel like to be held in his arms and lay her head against his muscular frame while he stroked her lovingly with his large hands? Only in my dreams. Since Adrianna had always been a bookworm, she hadn't met a lot of people or seen the world as her sister had. Adrianna was satisfied with her job working in the library at the college where she attended as she tried to earn her Masters Degree. She'd met a lot of men, but she'd never been as outgoing as her sister. Never had she successfully flirted with a man, either. Although she and Val were identical twins, Adrianna never felt that she was as pretty as Valerie, either. Even in their younger years, her picture-perfect mother always told Adrianna of her disappointments because Adrianna never wanted to be like Val. It hurt to know Val was the flawless daughter; the daughter her single mother doted upon constantly. Adrianna could never measure up. But then, she never wanted to. "Yes, Doctor. I understand." Val's voice trembled. Adrianna pulled away from the magazine rack and hurried back to her sister just as she stuffed her cell back into her clutch purse. Val dabbed her fingers underneath her glasses and withdrew moist fingertips. "Val? What's wrong?" She knelt beside her twin. "That was Doctor Cassano's office. An emergency has come up and he has to postpone our meeting for another month." "What?" Adrianna's voice lifted in anger. "You've got to be kidding me. He can't just expect you to reschedule when you're a couple of continents away. Does he realize you have already purchased a plane ticket? It's not ike you can get a refund." Val nodded. "Yes, he realizes this. He's a highly recommended doctor, Anna. I have no other choice but to bide my time until he can see me." Adrianna waited for her sister to say more, but she sat silently in the wheelchair, her head turned toward the window. Val might be used to spending thousands of dollars and flushing it down the drain, but Adrianna wasn't. How could Val get her money back, also Adrianna needed to get refunded, too, since she was accompanying her sister? This was just ridiculous! The plain and simple truth was, she was screwed. So was Val. Adrianna took her sister's cold hand. "What are you going to do?" "We'll go back to my apartment and wait another month." "Are you kidding? You've spent a lot of money on airfare, limo fees, and the five-star hotel in Venice. And you're going to turn your back on that and go home?" Adrianna shook her head. "And I won't be able to buy another ticket next month to travel with you. The fall semester will be starting up soon. I won't have the money for another plane ticket." Val finally turned her head and looked at Adrianna. Nodding, Val took a deep breath. "Alright then…the only other thing to do is leave on the plane now and stay in Venice for a month." A shapely eyebrow lifted above the sunglasses. "You won't have to be at school for almost six weeks. You can stay with me.k" Adrianna chuckled and shook her head. "As much as the idea is tempting, you forget that I have a job." Valerie frowned. "Can't you take off a month? They love you. They'll understand the predicament we're in." Adrianna rose to her feet, her heartbeat accelerated. Just the thought of spending a whole month in Venice, Italy, thrilled her beyond expectation. She'd never been anywhere, and now she was going to stay a whole month in such a beautiful country. How could she handle it? Most definitely, she would have a hard time returning home. "I suppose I could call my boss and see." Val motioned toward Adrianna's purse. "Call him now." Adrianna rolled her eyes. "At eight o'clock at night? No, I'll wait for tomorrow morning." "We'll have the best time." Val grasped Adrianna's hand. "It's been too long since we were able to spend some quality time together." "I have to agree with you." Adrianna nodded as her heart twisted. Of course, she didn't know how much longer they'd be able to have quality time. Not with her sister's disease that could be slowly killing her. Silence stretched between them for a few moments. Valerie rested her hands back in her lap as her gaze moved around the waiting area. Then it stopped. Adrianna glanced in that direction. Her sister was staring at the gorgeous Royal Italian hunk. Sorrow etched its way across Val's expression, which wrenched Adrianna's heart. Had her sister just wanted to model for their designer clothes? Or was it the actual man Val wished she'd been with? "Anna?" Val said softly. "There is one thing I need you to do for me during the flight." Adrianna switched her gaze to her sister. "What’s that?" Val tilted back her head to look at Adrianna. "I need you to be me." Confusion filled her and she shook her head. "I don't understand." "I don't want anyone seeing me in a wheelchair. I don't want anyone to know…" Val’s voice broke. "You look just like me, so you can pretend to be me." Her mouth lifted slightly. "Just like we did as children. We could do this again." The humor in the situation bubbled up Adrianna's throat and she chuckled. "Are you out of your ever-loving mind? That's never going to happen." She swiped a hand over her clothes--plain worn blue jeans, baggy green shirt, and athletic shoes on her feet. "I don't look anything like a model. Nobody would believe me." "Then we shall make them believe." Val took hold of Adrianna's hands again, pulling her down to kneel beside the wheelchair. "Oh, just think about it, Anna. This is your chance to do something you've only dreamed about. You'll get to see and experience things for the first time." She folded her arms. "And I won't take no for an answer." Adrianna peered deeply into her sister's blue eyes, wondering if the disease had made her go crazy. "My dear sister, there are so many things wrong with this idea. To begin with, what if I meet another model? I'm sure they'll ask me questions that I won't know how to answer." "You'll know." Val nodded and grinned. "You have been following my career long enough to know what's going on." Adrianna exhaled nosily as a groan came with it. She pushed her fingers through her thick hair, lifting the bulk off her forehead. Her heart hammered with the possibilities. True, she'd wondered what it would be like to be in her sister's shoes, but she never thought it would happen. She and Val were as different as night and day. "You're crazy, you know that?" "No, I'm actually thinking of someone else for a change." Her grin quickly disappeared and frown lines marred her face. "I've never really thought about anyone but myself. I've lived a very selfish life. Now it's time I thought of others. If you don't take this offer, you will be the crazy one." Val tugged on Adrianna's hand. "You deserve this for taking such good care of me. You've been by my side since my symptoms first appeared, and you've been my constant nursemaid. I want this trip to be relaxing for you. After all, that's what Venice is all about." She arched an eyebrow. "Please do this for me? For you?" Tears pricked Adrianna's eyes, yet excitement built in her chest. She wanted to. There were times in her life that she wanted to be spontaneous, but didn't dare. Now was her chance. She shook her head and chuckled. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this—as long as it's all right with my boss." A smile lit Val's face once again. "Oh, Anna! You won't regret it, I promise." She pulled her over to plant a kiss on Adrianna's cheek. "But, you'll not only need to look like me, you'll have to act like me." Adrianna released a hearty laugh. "You can't give a Zebra polka-dots, you know." "You can if you repaint him." "Huh?" "My dear Anna," Val said sweetly. "You'll wear my clothes and I'll teach you how to act, especially around other models. I'm sure you'll catch on quickly." "Oh, goodness…" Adrianna muttered as dread sunk in the pit of her stomach. She'd never done anything so devious before. Did she have the courage to do it now?