Seraphina Hanover and I were both stolen children. When her family—the Hanovers, titans of industry—finally found her, she clung to my wrist, her grip like iron. "I want him as my brother," she declared. "I'll protect him for the rest of my life." But as the years passed, I didn't want to be her brother anymore. I was desperately in love with her. "That's not on the table," Seraphina told me, her voice gentle but firm. The burgeoning love became a torment I couldn't bear, so I left, tearing myself away from the only home I’d ever known. Five years later, we met again. My boss, Mr. Wallace, shoved me into the seat next to her. "You're a dead ringer for the guy on Seraphina Hanover's lock screen," he hissed in my ear. "She's been searching for him like a madwoman." "This is your shot. The look-alike gambit? You were made for it." I shook my head so frantically my neck ached, wishing the ground would swallow me whole. "No, seriously, this is a bad idea. She's not into my type." 1 I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined I’d run into Seraphina Hanover like this. I was with my boss, Wallace, at a dinner for potential investors. He’d told me there was a billionaire investor, notoriously hard to please, and that I was the only one who could crack her. He’d even dangled a promotion and a hefty raise. I thought he valued my negotiation skills. I didn't realize he was planning on pimping me out. The moment we stepped into the private dining room, he pointed at the back of a woman seated at the head of the table, his eyes glinting with manic opportunity. "That's her. Tonight's deal hinges on you, Sam." "I've done my homework," he continued in a low whisper. "You look exactly like the man on her phone's lock screen. This look-alike gambit is a sure thing." Even from behind, I knew her instantly. Seraphina Hanover. The youngest heir to the Hanover fortune. And my sister, in name only. I started backing away, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Absolutely not, boss. She's not interested in me. I… I suddenly have a stomach ache. I have to go. Don't try to stop me." But Wallace's hand shot out, faster than my escape attempt. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward Seraphina, his voice a conspiratorial hiss. "What are you running for? How do you know it won't work if you don't even try?" "I've got the inside scoop. Miss Hanover is famous for being an ice queen. Men have been throwing themselves at her for years, and she doesn't even bat an eye." "It was her best friend, Chloe, who spilled the beans one night when she was drunk. She said, 'You idiots don't know the first thing about getting her attention. If you want to give her a gift, give her the man on her lock screen. Seraphina’s been looking for him for years, even calling his name in her sleep.'" "If you weren't his spitting image, you wouldn't be getting this golden opportunity. Now, go seal this deal for us." For a man who only drank herbal wellness teas and never worked out, Wallace had a grip like a vise. He propelled me forward and shoved me into the chair to Seraphina’s left. He clamped a hand on my shoulder, his face plastered with a salesman’s smile as he presented me to her like a prize. "Miss Hanover, this is our company's rising star, Sam Cole." "He may be young, but his talent is off the charts. He's the one who's closed all our toughest projects." My heart leaped into my throat. I cursed myself for not checking my horoscope this morning. My eyes, betraying my will, darted toward the woman I had spent five years trying to forget. Her face was still as captivating as ever, a single glance enough to undo me completely. Framed by a pair of elegant, gold-rimmed glasses, she exuded an air of controlled power, a quiet intensity that was both ascetic and alluring. My resolve crumbled in an instant. As I wrestled with how to greet her after all this time, Seraphina's assistant, a severe-looking woman to her right, shot to her feet and rounded on me. "Mr. Wallace, what is the meaning of this?" she snapped. "Are you unaware of Miss Hanover's rules? No man sits next to her. Especially not one who's clearly had work done to look like… him." "Are you that desperate to be a substitute? Get out!" 2 I had, in fact, had plastic surgery. I’d also changed my name. I used to be Leo Hanover. After leaving the Hanover family, I found my birth parents. Now, I was Sam Cole. No wonder she didn't react when she heard my name. She sat there like an unfeeling statue, letting her assistant swat away the flies buzzing around her, not even gracing me with a glance. Her assistant, however, scrutinized my face as if inspecting a cheap forgery. "You've had work done on your face, haven't you, Mr. Cole?" "I studied medicine. I can spot a surgeon's work a mile away." "Unfortunately for you, you've all miscalculated. The boy in Miss Hanover's heart can't be replaced by some cheap imitation." "What kind of 'one that got away' can be so easily substituted?" "Not only does Miss Hanover not entertain look-alikes, she finds the very idea repulsive. You've walked right into a minefield. Now, are you going to leave, or do I have to have you thrown out?" I felt like I was sitting on a bed of nails. Why did everyone keep calling me Seraphina's long-lost love? If only that were true. In her eyes, I was, and would always be, just her little brother. The truth is, Seraphina and I share no blood. We were both kidnapped as children and spent three years together in the hands of our captors, relying on each other to survive. When I was beaten, she would shield me with her own body, taking the searing lash of the whip for me. When she was burning with fever, I'd stay up all night, changing the cool cloth on her forehead. When we were starving, we’d find a single packet of instant noodles; she’d give me the noodles and drink the broth herself. We lived in a place that was no better than a pigsty. One night, a snake bit me. Without a moment's hesitation, Seraphina knelt, pressed her lips to the wound on my foot, and sucked out the venom. "Am I going to die, Sera?" I’d sobbed. She held me tight. "I won't let you die." Then, her wealthy family found her. I cowered in a corner, convinced our time together was over. But Seraphina grabbed my hand, her grip unyielding, and stared down her parents. "I want him as my brother," she said, her voice shaking with stubborn resolve. "I'll protect him for the rest of my life." Her parents were hesitant. So she doubled down. "Then I'm not going either. Where he goes, I go. No one is separating us." Overjoyed and stunned, I became the adopted son of the prestigious Hanover family. Seraphina's beloved little brother. And she truly spoiled me. Still a girl herself, she patiently taught me to read and write. Every tutor her family hired for her, she insisted I join the lesson. She bought me the sharpest clothes, the coolest toys. She was always fixing my collar or styling my hair, transforming me from a grimy, scared little boy into a handsome, polished young man of eighteen. Everyone in our circle knew I was the boy Seraphina Hanover kept in the palm of her hand. "He's less an adopted son," they'd whisper behind our backs, "and more her future husband, groomed to perfection." At the time, those rumors sent a thrill through me. I didn't mind them at all. Because I was so in love with her. I wanted to grow up and marry her, so we could be together forever. But when I finally mustered the courage to confess, her answer shattered my world. "That's not a line we can cross, Leo. You'll always be my brother." Her words were like a bucket of ice water, drenching me to the soul. But I couldn't suppress the love that grew more intense with each passing day. You can't command your heart to stop feeling. I couldn't bear the thought of watching her marry someone else, of another man spending his life by her side. This unrequited love would eventually twist me into something ugly. My only choice was to leave. I thought that with distance, I could finally rein in the almost pathological possessiveness I felt for her. I never imagined that five years later, our reunion would be like this. Mistaken for some shameless stand-in by her own assistant. 3 I didn't dare say a word, terrified she'd recognize my voice. Honestly, this was for the best. She was exactly as the rumors described: aloof, untouchable, with a complete disdain for any man who tried to get close. She had loyal subordinates to enforce her boundaries. Taking a deep breath, I swallowed the lump in my throat and bolted faster than a rabbit. When I left five years ago, I'd sworn to never appear before her again. Because one look was all it took for my world to descend into chaos. I could never forget her. I could never stop loving her. A one-sided love is a war waged alone in the heart, and it's exhausting. It was better for us to go our separate ways, to never meet again. I found a nearby bar and started drinking, trying to drown the fire in my chest with whiskey. So many nights, I’d dreamt of her. In my dreams, I’d secretly kiss her, doing all the things I’d never dare to in reality. In my dreams, I was bold. In my dreams, Seraphina never pushed me away. She’d stroke my hair gently, letting me press her against any surface, in any room. Like the grand piano in the northeast corner of the living room. After we were brought to the Hanover estate, she loved to sit with me at that piano, her hands guiding mine over the keys. Those were beautiful times. In my dreams, I loved pinning her against that piano, removing her glasses, unbuttoning her silk blouse. A faint, knowing smile would play on her lips, lazy and uninhibited. She’d lean in, her breath warm against my ear, and whisper wickedly, "You want to kiss me? How badly?" "More than anything," I'd murmur back. And her voice, a low, seductive hum, would tempt me. "Then kiss me, Leo. I'm all yours." The dream blurred the lines of reality, giving me a courage I didn’t possess. I'd pull off my own tie and blindfold her with it, wild and unrestrained. "Don't move," I’d command. But every single time, just as my lips were about to touch hers, I would wake up. I’d hurl my pillow across the room in frustration, closing my eyes and trying desperately to recall the image of her in my dream, to will myself back into that moment. It never worked. Tonight, drunk and reckless, I did something stupid. I logged into an old, forgotten social media account. I hadn't touched it in years. It was a digital diary filled with all my forbidden feelings for Seraphina, a testament to the secret war I’d waged in my heart since I was a boy. I had tried to bury it, to never look back. But seeing her tonight had stirred up everything. My fingers moved on their own. [Everyone says I'm the one she can't forget, her ghost.] [If only that were true.] [But I'm the only one who knows the truth. To her, I can only ever be her brother.] I had no idea that this one small act was about to cause an earthquake. 4 Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Wallace. "Sam! Where are you? Get to a bar called 'Serendipity' right now!" "Seraphina Hanover is heading there as we speak! This is your last chance!" "She didn't get a good look at you before. Once she sees your face, you're in!" I was slumped over the bar, my head spinning. "Boss, please," I slurred. "Just let it go. Her assistant already warned me off. This whole look-alike thing is a bust." He wasn't listening. The man was obsessed. "What do you know? Even an ice queen melts if you're persistent enough! There's no such thing as an irreplaceable love, only a stand-in who doesn't try hard enough." "Once or twice, she might resist. But seven or eight times? Can she really stay immune?" "Trust me, I know women better than you do. When you can't have the real thing, even a picture is enough to quench the thirst." "And listen to this! Just after you left, Seraphina shot to her feet so fast she shattered her wine glass in her hand." "Her assistant asked what was wrong." "And Seraphina—her voice was trembling—she said, 'He's online. He's nearby.'" "Turns out her long-lost love just logged into an old account he hasn't touched in years and posted something." "She saw it, dropped everything, and personally tracked the location. It's a bar nearby." "She's on her way there now, ready to drag him back. Now, I'm betting this guy doesn't want to be found. Otherwise, why stay away for five years? And when she finds him and he refuses to go with her, that's your moment. That's when you swoop in."
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