I was simultaneously moonlighting as a sugar baby for two billionaire brothers. The older brother preferred sultry and seductive, so I showed up in lace lingerie and a bunny tail. The younger brother preferred innocent and pure, so I catered to his tastes with oversized white dress shirts and black thigh-highs. Because of my top-tier professional skills, I had never been caught. Until one day, I got sloppy, and a paparazzo managed to snap a few photos. The hashtag "Vance Brothers Suspected of Sharing the Same Kept Woman" skyrocketed to the top of the trending charts. When the younger brother came storming up to the front door, absolutely furious, I was currently sitting on his older brother's lap, acting cute and trying to coax him for a new bag. 1 The other girls in my sugar baby networking group felt incredibly sorry for me. They knew I was the kept woman of Liam Vance, the second son of the Vance family, but that Liam never, ever touched me physically. "Chloe is so gorgeous, why did she have to end up with a prude like Liam Vance?" "I heard Liam is saving himself for his first love, so he refuses to touch Chloe." "Poor Chloe, living like a widow at such a young age. How is she supposed to survive this?" As I listened to them gossip, I grabbed two tissues and dabbed at nonexistent tears. It was true; Liam never laid a finger on me. He paid me $10,000 a month, and his only requirements were that I eat dinner with him, go for drives, and chat. This kind of lifestyle was honestly comfortable as hell. Because I had so much free time, I decided to take on another gig and found myself a second sugar daddy. Since moonlighting like this was a severe violation of professional ethics, I could only do it secretly. I didn't dare let the other girls know. Right now, Harper was hugging me sympathetically. "Chloe, being deprived for so long is bad for your health. Why don't you find a new sponsor?" "What about Arthur Vance, the older brother? He controls billions in assets, he's unmarried, single, and super hot. Why don't you go try your luck with him?" "Give it a rest," another girl nearby chimed in to warn me. "I heard Arthur Vance already has a kept woman. She's just incredibly mysterious; nobody knows who she is yet." "Don't go wading into those muddy waters." I took a massive gulp of my drink, not daring to say a single word. Right at that moment, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Arthur Vance. "Wait for me at the penthouse tonight." I obediently replied with an "Okay." To tell you the truth, that mysterious sugar baby Arthur Vance was keeping... was also me. 2 Arthur was completely different from his younger brother. He was wild and unrestrained. His entire body seemed to radiate an endless, inexhaustible physical energy, and he absolutely loved tormenting me in bed. After walking into the penthouse, I took off my black trench coat, revealing the sexy fox lingerie set underneath. I even specifically accessorized with a fluffy pair of animal ears on a headband. Arthur was clearly very receptive to this. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, his eyes instantly darkened, and even his breathing grew heavier. He unbuttoned his dress shirt with one hand, slowly pulled off his leather belt, and waved me over. "Come here. Sit." I obediently sat on his lap, hugging his arm and acting spoiled. "I made this headband myself. Do you like it?" His scorching hot palm pressed tightly against my short skirt, his voice raspy: "I love it." I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around his neck, using my softest, sweetest voice: "I saw a new limited-edition bag yesterday." "Mhm. Buy it." Arthur's tone was dismissive, but the grip of his hand was strong. He squeezed my waist rhythmically, his fingertips slowly tracing circles on my skin. As our lips tangled together, he roughly yanked off my fox tail. He tilted my chin up, leaned close to my ear, and whispered: "Is my little fox illiterate?" "What?" I looked at him, confused, and blinked. The corner of his mouth curled into a smirk, and his hand moved to the zipper of my skirt: "I want to do a full investigation of my little fox's academic credentials. Does that sound good?" In a haze of scorching, suffocating heat, Arthur held me on his lap. He was in a great mood today. Seeing how turned on he was, I took the chance to ask: "I want to buy a condo downtown." "I'll buy you one tomorrow." He glared at me in dissatisfaction, increasing the pressure of his hands, making me let out a soft whimper of pain. "Little gold digger, stop thinking about money and focus on me," he reminded me in a hoarse voice. Honestly, I didn't want to be this money-hungry either. Arthur was incredibly good to me. Whether it was material things or emotional affection, he thoroughly satisfied me. I was dangerously close to actually falling in love with him. But that was the day I discovered the truth about this world. It turned out that the world I was living in was actually a smutty romance novel. The two Vance brothers were the male leads, and their shared "first love" was the female lead. And I was just the temporary female side character acting as a placeholder after the first love left. When the first love returned to the States, the two brothers would fight over her, getting violently jealous. Because the first love hated me, the brothers would find various ways to imprison me, torture me, and eventually lock me in a psychiatric ward until I went insane. The story ended with the three of them living shamelessly and happily ever after together. As for the minor side character, me? I died a miserable, tragic death in the dead of winter. Once I learned the truth, I immediately snapped out of my romantic delusions and focused entirely on grabbing as much cash as possible. The first love wasn't due back in the country for another year anyway. I'd just work a little harder, hold down two jobs, and once I saved enough money, I'd run away. Right now, the tension in the room was skyrocketing, but my phone started ringing at the absolute worst possible time. Ring after ring, like a grim reaper demanding my soul. Arthur released his grip in annoyance, signaling me to deal with it quickly. I was just about to silence it when I saw a massive wall of texts from Harper. "Chloe, you absolute bitch! How could you hide this from me for so long?!" "We're both sugar babies! What gives you the right to work two jobs and make double the money?!" "And here I was feeling sorry for you! Turns out you're living better than any of us!" I slowly typed a single "?". She replied immediately: "Stop playing dumb! I know Arthur Vance's mysterious kept woman is YOU." Arthur was sitting right next to me, his shirt already off, waiting for me. I didn't have the time to ask her how she found out. I could only beg her: "Keep it a secret for me! I'll explain everything later!" "Too late. Everyone knows." A terrible premonition suddenly washed over me. My heart jumped into my throat. The next second, she forwarded me a trending topic from Twitter. The hashtag glaring back at me was: "Vance Brothers Suspected of Sharing the Same Kept Woman." 3 My hand was trembling violently as I clicked on the link. There were two photos attached. The first one showed me eating dinner with Liam. He was feeding me a bite of food, wiping my mouth, and looking at me with eyes so full of affection you could pull strings from them. The second one was far more explicit. It was me and Arthur making out on an outdoor balcony. I was dressed in my little bunny outfit at the time. Those goddamn, unethical paparazzi! Invading my privacy and completely ruining my hustle! Harper was still messaging me: "Do the brothers know about this yet?" "No," I replied honestly. Harper: "Are you insane?! I highly advise you to run for your life immediately." "Arthur might not have seen the news yet, but my guy told me Liam definitely knows." At the exact same moment, Liam sent me a text message. It contained just one simple word: "Excellent." I shuddered in terror, tears almost springing to my eyes. Liam looked gentle and easygoing on the surface, but when he got angry, he was absolutely terrifying. Beside me, Arthur was getting impatient. With a long arm, he scooped me back into his embrace. "Are you done dealing with that? If you're done, it's my time now." He grabbed my hand, guiding it from his thick pecs down his torso, letting me feel his rock-hard eight-pack abs, stopping right at his V-line. "Chloe, help me take this off," he coaxed me in a raspy, seductive voice. But in a life-or-death crisis, who the hell has the mood for this?! I gritted my teeth and pulled my hand back. "Arthur, not tonight." "I just got a message. My little sister is sick with a high fever. I have to go back and take care of her." I pushed him away, grabbed my black trench coat off the rack, and threw it on. "Next time. We'll do it next time." Arthur gave me a look, forcibly suppressed his physical urges, and grabbed his car keys. "I'll drive you." "No need," I was just about to refuse when the doorbell suddenly rang. From outside the door came Liam's voice. It was impossible to tell if he was happy or angry. "Arthur, are you home?" 4 The moment I heard Liam's voice, I was so terrified I dove behind the sofa. Arthur opened the door. Liam's tone was freezing cold, cutting straight to the chase: "Arthur, do you know Chloe?" "I do. You can call her your sister-in-law." Arthur crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "What, you know her too?" The corners of Liam's mouth curled into a mocking smirk. "I do. You can call her your sister-in-law." The room suddenly fell dead silent. So silent my heart was literally quivering in my chest. Arthur looked baffled. "What the hell are you talking about?" "Haven't you checked the trending news?" Liam quickly tapped his phone screen a few times and shoved it in front of Arthur's face. "To put it simply, the sugar baby I'm keeping and the sugar baby you're keeping... are the exact same person." The air in the room froze solid once again. I have no idea what they said to each other after that. I stealthily crept toward the back door of the penthouse and escaped. I needed to get as far away from these two psychopaths as quickly as possible. Once I was out the door, I sprinted down the street, my mind racing as I calculated my future. Even though the promised designer bag and the condo vanished today, the savings I had hoarded over the past year still amounted to a few million dollars. It was enough to cover living expenses for me and the girls at the orphanage for the next few years. It was just a shame. I really wanted to hoard a little more. Seeing that I was getting further and further away from the penthouse, and no one was chasing me, I finally relaxed. I viciously kicked a pebble on the side of the road. "Those two idiots! If they had just been more careful, they wouldn't have dragged me down with them!" Just as the words left my mouth, my neck suddenly felt cold. An icy hand hooked its fingers under my necklace. Liam appeared right in front of me. He stepped toward me, forcing me to back up several steps until my back hit a streetlamp pole. His tone was cold and thin, carrying a trace of cruel amusement. "Chloe. My brother is easy to fool, and I'm easy to appease. Is playing both of us brothers at the same time really fun for you?" I tried to run in the other direction. But over there, Arthur—wearing a white dress shirt, his neck bearing the red scratch marks I had just left on him—was walking toward me step by step. His expression was dark and unreadable. He looked down, rolling up his shirt sleeves, and quietly blocked my only escape route. "Chloe, I highly suggest you explain exactly what the hell is going on here." With nowhere left to run, I leaned weakly against the streetlamp. My palms were sweating from pure terror, but I forced my face to remain perfectly calm. "I was just working two jobs, wasn't I?" "When you guys hired me, neither of you said I couldn't freelance on the side." Liam looked like he was about to laugh from sheer rage. He reached out to grab my wrist. "Do I really need to spell that out for you?! Isn't that just basic professional ethics?!" But he never got to touch me. Arthur's lips were pressed tightly together. He intercepted Liam's hand and gave me a long, deep look. His gaze was so freezing and intense I didn't dare meet his eyes. I just dropped my head, staring at our long shadows cast by the streetlamp. Liam was about to say something else when his phone suddenly rang. It was the first love, Mia. The street was completely silent, and the voice on the other end of the line was crystal clear in my ears. "Liam, I'm back in the States. I just landed." "I tried calling Arthur too, but he's not answering. Could you do me a favor and let him know?" Oh, wow. The first love returned a whole year earlier than she did in the original plot. Liam was completely absorbed in the phone call. Seeing my chance, I bolted away from him. He was too busy talking on the phone; by the time he realized he wanted to chase me, it was too late. As for the other guy, I quickly glanced back over my shoulder. He was still standing in the exact same spot, his head tilted slightly, his right hand slowly tracing the red scratch mark on his neck. The streetlamp cast a thin shadow beneath his eyelashes, making his already complex expression look even darker and more unpredictable. From the looks of it, he had absolutely no intention of chasing me. Makes sense. The first love is back. Who has the time or energy to deal with a fake replacement? I figured as long as I avoided running into Mia and causing any conflicts, I probably wouldn't end up with the horrific, tragic ending written in the original book. By the time I got back to the orphanage, it was 10:00 PM. The younger girls had all gone to sleep. I put the cash I had withdrawn into a thick envelope and handed it to the orphanage director, who was like a mother to me. This was a private orphanage that took in abandoned baby girls. Some had severe illnesses, some came from destitute families, and some were simply dumped here because they were born girls. For as long as I can remember, I had lived at this orphanage. The director was my mother, and the mother of all the children here. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with a severe heart condition and needed emergency surgery. The surgery cost was astronomical. I emptied out all my savings, but it still wasn't enough. Driven to a dead end, that was when Liam Vance found me. 5 At the time, Liam stared at my face for a long while, smiling a very gentle, polite smile. "Chloe, you look exactly like the girl I love." "I have a business proposition for you. Are you interested?" The so-called "proposition" was for me to accompany him for meals and chat with him. He would pay me $10,000 a month, with a minimum contract of one year. I had absolutely no reason to refuse. That very day, his secretary handed me a comprehensive checklist. It detailed all of Mia's daily habits, her dietary restrictions, and her fashion style. The secretary strictly ordered me to memorize the list. I understood. Since I was playing a body double, I had to mimic the original perfectly. But during my very first dinner with Liam, I made a mistake. He had ordered a massive spread of food. During the meal, I picked up pieces of the assorted shrimp stir-fry a total of four times. Liam's expression slowly turned sour. He lifted my chin, pointing a long, elegant finger at the plate of shrimp, and said softly, "Chloe, your acting was bad today." "No matter how much she likes a dish, she would never, ever eat from it more than three times in a single meal." His tone was airy and light. "You acted out of character this time. I'm going to have to dock your pay." Three thousand dollars, gone just like that. My heart was practically bleeding. Later, the orphanage director suffered severe organ rejection after the surgery and needed expensive anti-rejection medication. It was another massive expense. I explained the situation to Liam and begged him for an advance on my salary. He smiled so hard his eyes curved into crescents, but his words were bone-chillingly cold. "Chloe, pushing your luck is a terrible habit. She would never do something like that." He refused to give me the money, but I desperately needed it. So, when Arthur Vance offered me $100,000 a month, I nodded enthusiastically and agreed instantly. In front of Arthur, there weren't nearly as many rules and restrictions. He never mentioned Mia, and I pretended I didn't know she existed. Right now, looking at the heavy envelope, the orphanage director refused to take it. "Chloe, the money you've given the orphanage over the years is more than enough. You even paid for my surgery! I absolutely cannot accept this money." I forced the envelope into her palm. "You have so many girls to take care of, please just keep it. Don't worry about me. I have plenty of savings of my own." "Also, Mom, I'm leaving." I gently hugged the director. "I'm moving to Chicago. I won't be back for a few years." In New York, the Vance brothers could easily ruin my life with a snap of their fingers. It was best if I got as far away as possible. I booked a flight leaving in three days. During these two days, neither of the Vance brothers reached out to me, but Harper brought them up. "The original first love really is treated differently than fake body doubles like us." "Did you see the fireworks over the Hudson River last night? They went on for over an hour, cost millions of dollars. I heard Arthur did it specifically to celebrate Mia moving back to the States." I suddenly remembered a conversation I had with Arthur not too long ago. I was lying exhausted against his chest. He was idly playing with my hair and asked me in a raspy voice, "Chloe, besides money, is there anything else you like?" I thought about it and answered, "Fireworks. The kind that light up half the sky." He didn't seem entirely satisfied with that answer. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, and after a long time, mumbled, "Okay. Next time, I'll put on a fireworks show over the Hudson River just for you." It's true what they say. Men are liars. He put on the fireworks show, alright, but it absolutely wasn't for me. "Chloe, are you listening?" On the other end of the line, Harper was still blabbering away. "Tonight, Liam is throwing a massive, ridiculously expensive welcome-home banquet for Mia." "Whatever she gets, you deserve too! Since you're moving to Chicago, your girls are throwing you a massive farewell party right now!" Harper sent me an address. Thinking that I wouldn't see her for a few years, I decided to go have one last get-together with her. But when I arrived, something felt wrong. Wasn't this farewell party a little too high-end? Weren't there a few too many people here? Amidst the clinking glasses and chatter, I spotted Mia wearing a blue, diamond-encrusted evening gown. Standing on either side of her were Liam and Arthur. All three of them turned and looked directly at me. My footsteps halted. I looked down and pulled out my phone. Exactly one second ago, Harper had sent me a text. "I sent you the wrong banquet hall name! The one in the front is Liam's welcome party for Mia. Whatever you do, DO NOT go in there! It'll be so awkward!" She sent a new location pin. "Come here. The girls are all waiting for you." "Don't be jealous of her fireworks show. I bought you sparklers!" I cursed Harper a thousand times in my head. I knew she was flaky, but I didn't know she was this flaky. I kept my head down, planning to back out of the room pretending nothing had happened, when Mia walked toward me. "Are you Chloe?" She held a wine glass, looking at me with a sweet, assessing smile.
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