Chapter 1
THE CONTRACT
“You’ll become whatever I need you to be. For seven days. No questions, no limits. Can you handle that?”
Arianne didn’t flinch. She’d heard worse.
The man on the other end of the table was all shadows—sharp suit, darker eyes, a voice that could crack glass or melt it. Damian Voss didn’t blink often. He didn’t need to. His presence did the watching for him.
“I don’t break character,” she replied, brushing a lock of hair from her face. “And I don’t fall in love.”
That part was a lie.
The rooftop restaurant they sat in had no name—just glass, height, and silence. It overlooked the city like a god that didn’t care. But Arianne cared. She noticed the way his fingers tapped against the contract, like he was unsure. Or like he was too sure, and that was even worse.
Seven days.
Seven roles.
One man.
No strings.
She looked down at the folder in front of her. It wasn’t a typical acting gig. No scripts. No cameras. Just her, him, and the fantasy he was paying to build.
“Day one starts tomorrow,” Damian said, rising to his feet. “You’ll be escorted to the estate at noon. From that moment on, you’ll be her.”
Her.
Whoever that was.
Arianne slid the contract into her purse. She didn’t ask how much he was paying—she already knew the number. Enough to vanish after this. Enough to forget her real name for a while longer.
But as Damian turned to leave, something in her shifted. A flicker. A warning. Maybe it was the way he paused, mid-step, like he had more to say. Or maybe it was how the air felt heavier suddenly, as if something unseen had entered the room with him.
“This isn’t a game, Ms. Cole,” he said without looking back. “You don’t play with desire unless you’re ready to be undone by it.”
Then he was gone.
And Arianne sat alone, clutching the contract of her next performance… not knowing this role might be the one that destroys her.
