Chapter 4 Playing The Part

• ARYA'S POV
• I thought my heart had stopped beating.
• The room felt suddenly smaller.
• The massive office, the glass walls, the endless skyline behind Logan all of it faded beneath the crushing weight of Ethan’s words.
• He saw me, does that mean it’s the end for me?
• My mind raced, flipping through every possible lie, every possible explanation, but none of them sounded believable enough to deceive him.
• Ethan leaned casually against the back of a chair like he had just dropped a bomb.
• “I could be mistaken,” he continued with a lazy shrug. “But the resemblance is… striking.”
• My eyes flickered as I looked at Logan to help out, but he stood like he had no clue on what was happening.
• He didn’t move.
• Didn’t blink.
• Didn’t even breathe differently.
• His grey eyes slid slowly back to me.
• “Is that true?” he asked like a clueless boyfriend.
• I swallowed.
• Think, Arya. Think.
• “Yes,” I said.
• The word slipped out before fear could stop it.
• Ethan’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.
• Logan’s gaze sharpened.
• “But,” I continued quickly, forcing calm into my voice, “it’s for the exact reason you think.”
• They both looked at me with shock.
• I turned to Logan and held into his arm.
• “I’m so sorry babe, my mom gambled a lot before she died, and she accumulated huge debts that I’ve been trying to pay off,” I said, sounding like a desperate girlfriend in trouble.
• “Marco came to remind me of the debt last night. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” I added, forcing tears down my cheeks.
• I looked up at Logan but the expression on his face was impossible to read.
• So I sobbed even harder.
• “Please don’t call off the engagement.” I cried.
• “I guess this is a couple’s matter. I’ll leave you two to it.” Ethan said as he stood up.
• The moment he walked out, I wiped the tears from my face.
• “Impressive.” I heard Logan say.
• “I was beginning to rethink my choice,” he continued with a faint smile, “but you’ve just proven me right.”
• I smiled.
• “All you have to do now is, get your things ready.” He said as he sat on his chair.
• “Someone would be taking you to my penthouse, when I get back I will brief you on everything you need to know.”
• I nodded.
• Shortly, I was escorted out and driven to his penthouse.
• ****
• The penthouse was nothing like I had imagined.
• It was worse.
• Or better… depending on how you looked at it.
• Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across an entire wall, revealing the city like it all belonged to him. Everything was glass, marble, and quiet luxury; the kind that didn’t need to prove anything because it already had.
• I stepped inside slowly, afraid my shoes might somehow be too cheap for the floors.
• A woman in a sleek black dress approached me with a kind smile.
• “Miss Thorne,” she said politely. “I’m Elena. I oversee the household. Mr. Vance asked that I assist you with settling in.”
• Household. I almost laughed.
• Right.
• Because of course Logan Vance didn’t just *live* somewhere. He *maintained a household*.
• “Your belongings?” she asked.
• I hesitated.
• “They’re… not much,” I admitted.
• “That won’t be a problem,” she said smoothly, as if she had expected that answer.
• Of course she had.
• Everyone here seemed to know things before I said them.
• “Mr. Vance also arranged a wardrobe for you,” Elena continued, gesturing toward a hallway.
• Wardrobe.
• My stomach tightened.
• I followed her.
• She opened double doors.
• And I stopped breathing.
• Clothes.
• Rows and rows of clothes.
• Designer dresses. Tailored suits. Shoes that probably cost more than my monthly rent. Jewelry displayed like museum pieces.
• Wait, but how did he know my size?
• “This is for you,” Elena said interrupting my thoughts.
• “For the engagement.”
• I stepped inside slowly, running my fingers over one of the dresses.
• Soft.
• Too soft.
• Like it didn’t belong in my world.
• “This is insane,” I whispered.
• “It’s necessary,” she corrected gently. “You’ll be seen everywhere with Mr. Vance. Appearances matter.”
• Appearances.
• Right.
• Fake fiancée.
• Fake life.
• I swallowed.
• “Thank you,” I said quietly.
• Elena gave a small nod. “Dinner will be prepared when Mr. Vance returns. If you need anything, I’ll be nearby.”
• Then she left me alone.
• Alone in a closet bigger than my entire apartment.
• I let out a slow breath and sank onto the edge of a velvet bench.
• “This is temporary,” I muttered to myself trying not to get carried away.
• Say it enough times and maybe it would feel true.
• My eyes drifted to the massive mirror in front of me.
• For a moment… I didn’t recognize the woman staring back.
• Same face.
• Same tired eyes.
• But now there was a diamond ring on her finger.
• A reminder.
• A contract.
• A lie.
• I clenched my hand slightly.
• “Don’t get used to this,” I whispered.
• This is exactly the type of life I've dreamed of for myself and I know getting carried away is so easy.
• I twirled in front of the mirror, smiling at the reflection of myself I see in the mirror.
• *****
• By the time Logan returned, night had already fallen.
• I heard his voice before I saw him; calm, giving instructions to someone over the phone.
• “…I want everything traced back six months. No assumptions. Just facts.”
• There was a pause before he continued.
• “No mistakes.”
• The call ended.
• Silence followed.
• Then his footsteps.
• I stepped out of the bedroom just as he loosened his tie.
• For a brief second, his eyes met mine.
• And something shifted.
• Not much.
• Just enough to make my pulse trip over itself.
• “You’ve settled in,” he said.
• It wasn’t a question.
• “Yes.”
• His gaze swept over me, assessing.
• Not inappropriate.
• Just… thorough.
• “You’ll need to get used to this quickly,” he added. “We don’t have time for adjustment.”
• “I figured,” I replied.
• A beat of silence passed before he broke it.
• “Ethan suspects something,” He said straight to the point.
• "I know." I responded softly.
• "So you have to do everything you can to change and make this look real, he's watching."
• “Great,” I muttered. “So we’re being watched already.”
• "It's not a big deal." He said unconcerned.
• Then he walked toward the bar and poured himself a drink.
• Only after taking a slow sip did he respond.
• "My brother is smarter than he looks, and pretty meticulous in his schemes, that's how he always successfully launders the company's funds "
• I still stood still as I listened to him.
• "Money doesn't just disappear you know,it moves."
• My mind immediately shifted gears.
• Accounts.
• Shell companies.
• Offshore transfers.
• Clean laundering.
• My territory.
• “You think he’s laundering through internal divisions?” I asked.
• “Yes.”
• “And you couldn’t prove it internally because…”
• “Because he has almost half the company's staffs on his side."
• I nodded slowly.
• "That explains it."
• “That’s where you come in.”
• I exhaled.
• "I need to take him and everyone in with him by surprise."
• “I’ll need full access,” I said. “Financial records, internal audits, transaction histories, everything.”
• “You’ll have it.”
• “And your brother?”
• A faint pause.
• “You need to get close to him.”
• I blinked. “Excuse me?”
• “If he trusts you,” Logan said, “he’ll make a mistake.”
• “And if he doesn’t?”
• Logan looked at me.
• Really looked this time.
• “Then he becomes dangerous.”
• A chill slid down my spine.
• “More dangerous than threatening me in your office?” I asked quietly.
• Something unreadable flickered in his eyes as he scoffed.
• “Yes.”
• That was not reassuring.
• At all.
• I took a breath.
• "You need to play your sister-in-law card well, cling to him like some dumb bitch or something."
• "Huh?"
• "Make him see you as clueless and stupid, and remember don't over do it, be real about it."
• Silence stretched between us again.
• Thicker this time.
• He set his glass down.
• “The gala is tomorrow night....