Kissing my best friend's fiancé.

I took a deep breath. I kept my back perfectly straight as the weight of the custom emerald silk gown pressed down on me. A delicate, handcrafted dark lace mask covered the top half of my face, leaving only my lips visible. It concealed me from everyone in the room. I glanced down at the ring on my left hand—a multi-million dollar diamond engagement ring. I frowned at it. _“Please, Julie. You’re the only one who can do this.”_ Clara’s frantic, tearful voice echoed in my mind from three hours ago. Clara, my sweet and innocent college best friend, had been caught in a sudden emergency and had to slip out of the city undetected. But missing tonight’s exclusive Vance Masquerade Gala, where she was supposed to be publicly announced with her powerful fiancé, would cause a massive scandal. She begged me. And out of loyalty, I stepped into the trap. I wore Clara’s identical gown, her mask, and her ring. All I had to do was stand there and play the quiet, submissive fiancée for an hour, then leave. It was that simple. Except for one thing: Clara’s fiancé was Lucian Vance. My face stayed cold as I watched him cut through the crowd. Lucian was the crown prince of the city’s most ruthless empire. Devastatingly handsome, like a devil. He had been my sworn enemy since childhood. For three generations, our families had torn each other apart in corporate war. We loathed each other to our bones. And right now, speaking of the devil, he was walking straight toward me. As he got closer, a waiter passed with a silver tray of champagne. Lucian didn’t look at him. His eyes were locked on me through his black mask. He grabbed a glass, downed it, and kept coming. My phone buzzed in my black purse. I pulled it out and exhaled in relief at the message on the screen. _“Julie, I finally made it to the gala! The family emergency is cleared. I found a matching emerald gown and the exact duplicate lace mask from the car. I’m on the floor right now. You’re free... slip out the back so we don’t get caught!”_ I closed my phone. A small, victorious smile touched my lips. The swap was over. I’d stood in as Clara’s body double for the last hour and kept the media from noticing she was gone. Now I just had to leave before Clara’s cold fiancé, Lucian Vance, noticed the switch. I hated him to my bones. Avoiding him should’ve been the easiest part of the night. I turned toward the private service exit, ready to disappear into the shadows. I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me. Suddenly, a heavy hand shot out from a dark alcove. Before I could scream, a thick linen napkin was slammed over my mouth and nose. A sweet, chemical scent flooded my lungs. I thrashed, my heels kicking wildly as I clawed at the grip pinning me to a solid chest. My vision blurred. The chandeliers spun into a haze. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard muffled voices. "Is this the Vance girl? The fiancée?" "Yeah. Look at the dress and mask. Richard’s orders. Get her to suite 809. Lucian’s drink was spiked ten minutes ago. Lock them in that room and they handle the rest." I felt the whole world crashing down on me, regret seized my fading consciousness as I realized the weight of my good act. No, I screamed in my head. _I’m not Clara. You have the wrong girl._ I hated him and would never want him to touch a hair of me. But the words died in my throat as the drug shut me down. Darkness took me. A freezing jolt snapped me awake. My eyes flew open to pitch-black darkness. My fingers sank into the plush fabric of a king-sized mattress. My head throbbed from the drug. I scrambled back, my torn emerald gown disheveled against the silk sheets as I realized I was locked in a luxurious hotel room, Suite 809. Then I heard heavy, erratic breathing from the shadows at the foot of the bed. "Who’s there?" I managed through my blurry vision. My voice shook. A tall silhouette rose from the dark. Its broad shoulders blocked the city lights coming through the glass balcony doors. It was Lucian Vance. His tux jacket was gone, his white shirt undone, his chest rising with shallow, desperate breaths. The drug his Uncle Richard put in his drink hadn’t made him weak. It had set his blood on fire. It burned away his control and turned the possessiveness he always hid into something wild and dangerous. His eyes were wide, locked on me in the emerald gown. In his delirium, he only saw his enemy wearing his fiancée’s clothes. "Julie..." Lucian’s voice was rough and low, sending terror straight down my spine. "Lucian, stop! Something is wrong with you — you’ve been drugged!" I screamed, struggling to roll off the mattress. He didn’t hear me. He lunged. His body pinned me down into the silk sheets. His hands locked around my wrists over my head. His heat burned through my dress. "You wore the crown, Sterling," he whispered against my lips. His breath was hot. "But you’re in my trap tonight. And I’m never letting you go." My weak body was defenseless against him. Before I could curse him, his mouth crashed down on mine. We crossed a line of ruinous sin.