The Stand-In Boyfriend​

I was the stand-in boyfriend for a billionaire's daughter. My brother was the arm candy for an A-list starlet. Our plan was simple: get the cash and get out. But before we could secure the money, we both got dumped. We had no choice but to pack our bags and vanish into the night. Two years later, the starlet found my brother. I was watching the drama unfold from the sidelines when a hand smacked me on the back of the head. "You run, fine," she said. "But you take my dog with you?" 01 The moment Celeste Zhao walked through the door of the apartment, my brother, Liam, was shoving an iPad in my face, frantically trying to pick out a birthday gift for her. The buzz of the downstairs lock echoed up the stairwell, and Liam tossed the tablet aside. "Hide. Now. She hates it when anyone else is here." I quickly contorted my six-foot frame into a question mark and crammed myself under the bed. A second later, Liam, who had been all business, transformed. He spread his arms like a lovesick puppy, ready to embrace the returning queen. "You're back!" Celeste, however, was in no mood. She shoved him away, her face a mask of impatience. "This has your fingerprints all over it, doesn't it? Leaking that story about Julian being born out of wedlock!" she snapped. "His gallery just opened. This kind of scandal could ruin him! If you have a problem, take it out on me! Why would you go after him?" A flush of red crept into Liam’s eyes. "You think I did that?" Celeste threw her purse down in a rage. "It happened right after you went to his gallery and saw him. He said you were the only person he told!" Liam opened his mouth to protest, but Celeste’s assistant rushed in. "We can't get ahold of Mr. Ashworth." Celeste, who had just picked up a glass of water, slammed it back down on the table. She shot Liam a look of pure ice and turned to leave. "Celeste, it wasn't me, I swear," Liam pleaded, his voice cracking. She scoffed. "You threw a fit last week just because I supported his gallery. If it wasn't you, who was it?" Liam sniffled, a single tear falling and darkening the leather of his shoe. "Can you go tomorrow? Today is your…" "Shut up. Just stop," she cut him off, her voice dripping with disgust. "I can't believe you're this kind of person." Without another glance, she slammed the door behind her. "Did you ever… feel anything for me at all?" Liam yelled, wrenching the door open and shouting at her retreating back. The click-clack of her heels paused for a few seconds. There was no reply, only the sound of a car engine roaring to life and speeding away. Liam retrieved the iPad, rubbed his nose, and collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Well," he sighed, "at least I don't have to spend money on her birthday this year." I poked my head out from under the bed and gave him a thumbs-up. "That was some Oscar-worthy stuff, bro. For a second there, I almost believed you were actually in love with her." He kicked at me playfully. "Julian is your girl's childhood sweetheart." "Hey, I didn't hurt him!" I protested. "And you think I did?" "What are you saying?" My voice trembled slightly. "We need to get some money together and run," Liam said, his eyes now hard and serious. "Why?" "Last week at the gallery, Julian told me he was going to 'choose' between our two lovely patrons. I called him a shameless bastard, and now this shitstorm lands on my head." He sat up, his voice low and urgent. "He’s Celeste’s great unrequited love, and he's your Chloe's childhood friend. You know what Chloe is like. If she thinks you've wronged her precious Julian, you won't live to see next week." That was all I needed to hear. I scrambled out from under the bed and started pulling on my shoes. "Okay, okay, say no more. Let’s figure out how much cash we can pull out. We need to go. Now." 02 Liam and I are twins. He studied acting in college; I majored in economics. He was the trophy boyfriend for Celeste Zhao, the reigning queen of the box office. She spotted him at an audition during his senior year and basically whisked him away. I was the stand-in for Chloe Vance, the billionaire heiress. She cornered me in a parking garage after a job interview and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. We grew up in an orphanage. This insane luck, this life of unimaginable wealth, all came down to one thing: we both looked like a guy named Julian Ashworth. For three years, money was never an issue. Celeste, being a celebrity, was obsessed with her public image. Everything had to be perfect. Chloe was different. As the sole heir to her father’s fortune, she was a volatile, beautiful storm. Anyone who crossed her learned to regret it. Deeply. We thought this life could go on forever. But things had changed. Julian, the man who had once proudly refused any financial support from Celeste, was back. Life abroad had beaten him down, and he was done struggling. He had returned to choose between the A-list starlet and the billionaire's daughter, securing a life of comfort for himself. "He told me at the gallery," Liam said, his voice tight, "that all he had to do was snap his fingers, and Celeste would give him every resource she had. And that she'd tell me to get lost. Looks like he was right. I don’t care if I get kicked out, but Chloe… Chloe isn’t so forgiving. What if she decides to just… toss us both in the river?" I shuddered, remembering the last time Chloe got angry. Some guy had called me a gold digger. She’d found him, tied a bungee cord to his ankles, and had her men make him "jump" off a bridge all night. The next day, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, muttering nonsense. And I was just a stand-in for Julian. If Julian decided to come after me next… what chance did I have? He was her real childhood friend. Go. We had to go. Immediately. The plan was set. We would each go home, grab our cards, and run. 03 I had just about finished packing my duffel bag when the front door opened. A figure slammed into my arms from behind, a whisper tickling my ear. "Going somewhere so late, darling?" The scent of gin hung in the air around her. She was drunk. Even after four years together, and as much as I hated her drinking, I never dared to get angry with her. "I was just about to come find you." She seemed to be in a good mood, her eyes crinkling as she burrowed into my chest and kicked the door shut. "What do you want me to wear tonight?" My heart hammered against my ribs. "You look beautiful in anything." Chloe’s mother died when she was young, and her father was a notorious philanderer who brought a revolving door of women home. She grew up believing all men were the same. But once, after running away, she’d met a little boy who wiped away her tears. She said he was the first person to ever do that for her. That boy, I was sure, was Julian. Tonight, she was unusually forward. The moment I sat down, she was on my lap, a wicked smile playing on her lips as she tore open the front of her dress… Liam and I were different. He and Celeste had a connection of the mind, something artistic. My connection with Chloe was… more physical. Afterward, a familiar sadness settled over me. As she lay with her head on my arm, her hair soft against my skin, I stroked it gently. The words slipped out before I could stop them. "Do you love me?" She stiffened. In the dark, I saw her luminous eyes stare at the ceiling for a moment before fluttering shut. The only reply was the steady rhythm of her breathing. You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep. But tonight, I needed an answer. "What am I to you?" I rolled over, trapping her beneath me, my lips finding hers. One hand tangled in her hair, the other fumbled with the silk of the nightgown she’d just put on. "Leo, you're crossing a line." Her voice was cold, sharp. She shoved me away and got out of bed, slipping into her slippers. "You should get some rest. I'm going to sleep upstairs." The woman who had been whispering in my ear moments ago was now a complete stranger. "Does this relationship always have to be a secret? I don't want to hide like this anymore," I said, my voice raw. "Oh?" She glanced at me, her expression one of utter indifference. "Then leave. Break up with me." I stared at her, speechless. "Hmph. I'm not exactly short on men," she said, tossing the words over her shoulder as she walked out and headed upstairs. 04 What was I to her? A poor kid from an orphanage who happened to resemble her childhood friend. A man kept in the shadows, a secret she could never bring into the light. I knew my place. I didn't even have a ticket to the world of high-society marriage. And yet, tonight, I had to ask. I wiped the moisture from the corner of my eye and let out a long breath. In a way, it was a relief. Buddy, Chloe's little mutt she'd found on the street, hopped onto the bed. He was my dog, really; I’d raised him from a pup. He looked at me with his big, dumb, droopy eyes as if he understood my pain. I had to take him with me. Cradling Buddy in one arm and grabbing my bag with the other, I tiptoed down the stairs and out the door. Once outside, I sent Liam a text: I'm out. His reply was immediate: Airport in thirty. Can't fly. I've got the dog. Shit. Then it's the bus! Bus station, thirty minutes! Liam took one look at me with my bag and Buddy in my arms and gritted his teeth in frustration. I, on the other hand, was baffled by the sight of him with three enormous suitcases, looking like he was fleeing a natural disaster. "What on earth did you bring, man?" "She dumped me. Said she wanted every trace of me gone from her world. So I packed every trace of me." I stared at him. "Did you really have to bring a broom?" "I bought the broom." I was silent for a moment. "Fair enough. I got dumped, too. Chloe said she's not short on men." Liam patted my shoulder with a look of profound understanding. Then, with faces full of misery, we heaved his luggage into the storage compartment of the bus. The two of us and one dog crammed ourselves into a pair of seats on the stinking coach, and just like that, we slipped out of the city like thieves in the night. 05 Celeste Zhao spent the day fielding one call after another from brands canceling her contracts. The story of Julian’s illegitimate status had blown up, and public opinion was vicious. His gallery had been trashed. She had no choice but to bring him to her place, where, of course, the paparazzi were waiting. The photos were all over the internet by morning. Then, Liam had thrown his "tantrum" and run away. And every photographer she’d tracked down had confessed: Liam was the one who paid them to leak the story. "Celeste," her assistant whispered, "Liam took everything that was his. Should we…?" "Let him go. Ignore him," she snapped. Julian, a bandage on his forehead from the attack on his gallery, spoke in a low, wounded voice. "Celeste, thank you for helping me. But you should go find him. I would feel terrible if I came between you two." His eyes were dark and hollow, his voice heavy with sorrow. It only made Celeste more certain that what Liam had done was unforgivable. "Do you know who did it?" she asked. "When we met, I was trying to comfort him," Julian said, his gaze distant. "I told him not to be insecure. I said that he was just poor, whereas I was an illegitimate child whose father didn't love him and whose mother didn't want him. That he was better off than me. I suppose… someone with ill intentions must have overheard." Celeste’s heart clenched. What "someone"? The paparazzi she’d found had been clear: Liam paid them. She had held onto a sliver of doubt, but after hearing Julian’s account, that hope was extinguished. Julian watched her, his expression unreadable. He stood up. "Celeste, you should go look for him." He took a few steps and then swayed, pretending to lose his balance. Celeste rushed to his side. "Forget him. He can go wherever he wants. Are you okay?" At that exact moment, the tell-tale red dot of a camera's infrared sensor swept across the window. Years in the entertainment industry had made her hyper-aware of flashes and sensors. "Who's there!" Feigning instability, Julian collapsed against her shoulder. "I'm sorry." "It's okay. I'll handle it. You just focus on getting better," Celeste said, her voice softening as she patted his back. Within minutes, a new wave of headlines hit the web. A-List Starlet Celeste Zhao in Late-Night Embrace with Illegitimate Ashworth Heir A One-Night Stand, or a Love Affair Revealed? … The articles flooded Liam's phone. He sighed, his hand trembling slightly in the darkness of the bus. He pulled out the SIM card, snapped it in two, and tossed the pieces out the window. My phone was already clear. To make sure I wouldn't be tempted to look back, I did the same, ejecting my SIM and flinging it into the night. "Your dog chewed the handle off the window," Liam said, his jaw tight as he struggled to close it. "Now it's stuck open." Wind and dust swirled into the bus, coating our faces with a grime that might have been tears or might have been dew from the cold night air. And so we journeyed on, taking turns holding the dog and watching our old lives disappear behind us. When we finally got off the bus, we discovered our bank cards had been frozen. And so, to save what little cash we had left, we hitched rides on different rickety flatbeds until we reached the remote mountain town of Pine Creek. When we finally stumbled off the last truck, Liam's hair was a bird's nest, my face was streaked with dirt, and we both looked like we’d been dumpster diving for a living.

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