Catfished the Billionaire

used fake, heavily edited pictures to online date. When I dumped him, my billionaire ex flew across the country and camped outside my apartment for a month to find me. Tonight, I went downstairs in my pajamas to throw out the trash, and he grabbed my arm.

Hey, chubby, he demanded, shoving my own picture in my face. "Have you seen this gorgeous girl?"

Chapter 1

Dusk. I dragged myself downstairs in my slippers, my hair a messy bird's nest, hauling a bag of garbage. I walked down the sidewalk. Someone kept calling out from behind.

"Hey, chubby. Hey, chubby up ahead."

I frowned, the muscles in my forehead pulling tight. I couldn't take it anymore.

I slammed the garbage bag onto the concrete, planted my hands on my hips, and spun around to fire back. "Who are you calling chubby? Do you even know how to speak to a human being?"

"What's wrong with being chubby? Did I crush your lawn or block your oxygen? You call me chubby, well I'll call you"

A short stack, a bald creep, a greasy old man with a beer belly! I locked and loaded my vocabulary, narrowing my eyes, ready for a full-frontal assault.

He stood about six-foot-two. Lean, muscular build. No target there.

I checked his hair. Thick, dark, and perfectly styled. No target there either. I took a step closer, scanning his face.

The guy wore a sleek black hoodie. His buzz cut was sharp, his skin clear and pale. His features were dangerously flawless.

My stomach dropped.

Holy crap. It was Dominicmy online ex-boyfriend. How did he look even hotter than his photos?

Wait. No. How the hell did he track me down here?

My feet rooted to the concrete. A chubby little boy jogged up beside us, panting heavily. He stopped right between us and pointed at his chest.

"Miss, my brother is calling me. I'm I'm chubby."

My cheeks burned like they were on fire, my throat felt stuffed with cotton, and I couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Dominic tilted his chin, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Why the silence? Keep going. What were you going to call me?"

The bravado drained from my spine. "A a total hottie, obviously."

"Hmm. Good taste." He gave me a look that said you better believe it, then shoved his phone in my face. "Have you seen this girl around?"

The screen displayed my heavily photoshopped picture. A perfectly sculpted nose, slender arms, a long swan-like neck, and massive, glittering eyes. The difference between that picture and the real me was a twenty-thousand dollar plastic surgery bill and about twenty pounds of fat.

I didn't speak.

Dominic tapped his long, lean fingers against the phone case. "Hey. You spacing out?"

I swallowed hard, forcing a blank look onto my face. I shook my head. "Don't know her. Never seen her in my life."

"Weird. Your voice sounds exactly like hers. And your face" He pulled the phone back, his dark eyes locking onto my face for two excruciating seconds. "You kind of look like her, too."

My pulse slammed against my eardrums. "Sorry, my dad's going into labor. Gotta run!" I grabbed the trash bag and sprinted all the way back to my apartment like my life depended on it.

I slammed the door, threw the deadbolt, and collapsed onto the couch. Minutes passed, but my chest still heaved. I never thought Dominic would actually show up at my door. When I dumped him, he was ice cold.

Our breakup went exactly like this:

[We're done. Let's break up.]

[Wow.]

[I'm serious.]

[K.]

Ice cold. Like he wasn't the same guy who called me baby every night until my stomach fluttered. I jabbed the block button on my screen. The cold light from the phone reflected on my burning face, and my stomach felt like I'd swallowed a block of ice.

It was just online dating. He never took it seriously. At least, that was what I thought at the time.

I never expected him to pull a massive stunt and track me all the way down to my neighborhood.

I chewed my lip, then quietly pulled his contact out of the blocked list. The second I unblocked him, my phone buzzed.

[Baby, I miss you.]

He probably didn't expect the message to actually go through. A heartbeat later, he deleted it. Then came the next text.

[Heh. Finally decided to unblock me?]

Chapter 2

He dropped a pin. It was a coffee shop just a few blocks away.

[Let's meet.]

I fired back without hesitation.

[No.]

[Breakups happen face-to-face.]

[Not happening. Go home.]

He didn't back down.

[Meet me. I don't buy that you can look at my face and say the words 'we're done.']

I paused, thinking about it. Honestly, he was probably right. But that was way too narcissistic. Shameless, I muttered under my breath.

[Then I definitely can't see you. Go back. I already have a new boyfriend. Stop bothering me.]

He shot back a question mark. The chat box hung on the typing indicator for a long time before a new message popped up.

[I can be the side piece.]

[I'm serious. Leave me alone.]

The second the message sent, I slammed the block button. One more word from him, and I knew I'd cave.

[I'm serious, too.]

That sentence sat alone in Dominic's chat box, accompanied only by the red failed-to-send alert.

I tossed my phone aside and dug a small hand mirror out from between the couch cushions, staring blankly at my reflection. Just an average face. Not shockingly ugly, but definitely not stopping traffic either.

I sighed heavily, slamming the mirror face-down on the couch. My fingers mindlessly pinched the soft roll of flesh spilling over the waistband of my jeans, zoning out. I was five-foot-three and a hundred and thirty pounds. Some people called me curvy; others just called me fat.

Either way, I wasn't skinny. An average face paired with a less-than-perfect body. If it weren't for my god-tier Photoshop skills, I never would have crossed paths with Dominic in this lifetime. I knew that in my bones.

Girls might buy into the whole inner beauty crap, but guys didn't buy it for a second. I needed to stop entertaining the idea of meeting him and humiliating myself.

After giving myself a mental pep talk, I hid out in my apartment for two days, assuming Dominic would have packed up and left by now. It was only a three-month online fling. I even told him I had a new boyfriend. There was no way he was still hung up on me.

But I was wrong. He hadn't left at all. Not only did he stick around, but he also started staking out the neighborhood entrance like it was his job.

He even snuck into the neighborhood's gossip centerthe stay-at-home moms' lawn partiesjust to ask around. And as luck would have it, my mom was a proud member of that exact suburban gossip squad.

That evening, hauling groceries back to the apartment, I froze. Dominic and that chubby little boy, Jude, were sitting on either side of my mom, the three of them happily snacking together.

My eyes nearly popped out of my skull. My breath hitched, the air turning thin. What the hell is going on! How did he find my mother?

I clamped my jaw shut, desperately trying to invent a reason to drag my mom away.

Then Dominic tapped his phone screen alive and looked at my mom dead serious. "Ma'am, do you recognize her?"

Jude pointed a chubby finger at the screen. "Ma'am, that's my mommy. She disappeared. I miss my mommy so much."

A massive question mark exploded in my brain. What? Are you kidding me? Instant motherhood?

"I've seen everyone in this neighborhood. Let me take a look for you." My mom squinted, leaning in to study the screen intently in the evening light.

My stomach dropped to my knees.

It was over. Other people might not recognize me, but my own mother would spot me in a heartbeat. My cover was blown!

"I don't recognize her, but this girl looks"

Before my mom could finish the sentence, I lunged from behind and clamped my hand over her mouth. "Mom, what nonsense are you talking about!"

I forced a laugh, looking at Dominic. "Sorry about that, every mom looks at her daughter through a thick filter. This girl is way too gorgeous, how could I possibly be"

Chapter 3

Mid-sentence, I froze. "Wait, Mom, what did you just say?"

"You have no manners." My mom smacked my hand away hard. "I said this girl is gorgeous. What's wrong with that?"

I choked on my own spit. This was the pinnacle of Photoshopwhen your own flesh and blood mother couldn't even recognize you.

"No, nothing, it's fine." I lunged forward, hooking my arm through hers and dragging her away. "Mom, you forgot, Dad's going into labor. We have to get home right now."

Before her brain could process the absurdity of that statement, I had already hauled her halfway down the sidewalk. She stumbled along, her brows knitted together. "What is wrong with you today? If you're this bored, go get a job."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I couldn't let her get anywhere near Dominic again. Otherwise, my cover would be blown for good. After a beat of hesitation, I decided to start a rumor.

Sorry, Dominic.

I glanced left and right, tightening my grip on her arm and dropping my voice into a harsh whisper. "Mom, that guy has been sneaking around our neighborhood for days. He drags that kid around and refuses to leave."

"He's obviously bad news. I just don't want you getting mixed up with some shady creep."

"Really?" My mom looked skeptical. "No way. A guy that handsome? How could he be a bad person?"

"I heard he's completely broke. He just prowls around nice neighborhoods, trying to trap a sugar mama to be a stepmom for his kid."

My mom let out a massive sigh of relief. "Oh, then were perfectly safe. It's not like we have any money."

"What do you mean? Don't you and your husband still have your retirement funds, ma'am?"

"How did you know that?"

I replied instinctively, but the second the words left my mouth, my brain short-circuited. Wait. That was a guy's voice.

My neck cracked as I turned around stiffly, only to lock eyes with Dominic's highly amused face. "Because she told me, of course." He extended a long arm, handing over a small folding fan. "Ma'am, you dropped your fan."

"Oh my, what a sweet boy." My mom happily snatched the fan, completely ignoring the desperate SOS flashing in my eyes. "Mom's gonna head home now. You kids chat."

I shot Dominic a wide-eyed stare, whipped around, and booked it. "Mom, wait for me!"

Dominic's reflexes were lightning fast. He grabbed the hood of my sweatshirt, yanking me to a dead stop. "Get back here."

I spun back around, dragging my feet. "What?"

"I'm a shady creep? Completely broke?"

I averted my eyes, muttering under my breath. "Are you not? You stalk around our neighborhood all day, and you don't even live here."

"Who said I don't live here?" He rolled his eyes, whipping out his phone and pulling up a community group chat. "Look closely. I'm a proud resident of this neighborhood too, okay?"

Uh-oh. How the hell did he get into the HOA chat?

"And another thing." He raised a dark brow, dipping his head closer until he invaded my personal space. "Who told you I was broke?"

Actually, he told me that himself.

Back when we were dating online, he fed me a massive sob story about being a broke student surviving on part-time jobs. Besides taking cheap sponsorships on social media, he told me he did manual labor. He would disappear for hours at a time, then send me a pathetic, whiny voice memo:

[Baby, I just got off my shift. I'm so exhausted.]

[I don't have much money, baby. Are you going to be embarrassed of me?]

At first, I thought he was just messing around. Until he sent me a video of himself at the job site.

In the video, Dominic was shirtless, a heavy leather toolbelt slung low on his hips. Sweat slicked his chest, trailing down the hard lines of his muscles before disappearing into the frayed waistband of his low-slung jeans.

He effortlessly hoisted heavy timber with one hand, thick veins popping along his broad shoulders and tight forearms. When he turned, the twisting motion deepened the sharp shadows carving out his abs. That video was still saved in my favorites folder. I couldn't bring myself to delete it.

Chapter 4

How could I be embarrassed of him? I only hated that I didn't have the cash. If I were a trust-fund sugar mama, I would keep Dominic in a heartbeat. I'd pile heavy oak logs in the backyard and just sit in a lounge chair all day, watching him sweat and chop wood.

The thought made my eyes drift down to Dominic's waist. Even through the black fabric of his hoodie, the lean, hard power underneath was obvious.

My gaze was still glued to his waist when Dominic's long fingers snapped right in front of my face. "Hey. Why is your face totally red? What are you thinking about?"

I quickly jerked my gaze away. "Ahem. It's just really hot out today."

"Right." He clearly didn't buy it, but he let it drop. "So, who told you I was broke?"

"I figured it out myself."

"?" He looked down, scanning his own outfit from top to bottom. "And how exactly did you figure that out?"

I gave his clothes another look. I had to admit, they were actually all high-end designer brands.

"Oh, Armani." I jutted my chin out, stubbornly standing my ground. "I thought you were wearing some cheap flea market knockoff."

Dominic gave me a flat, utterly speechless look.

Right then, the chubby little boy came trotting over and threw his arms around Dominic's leg. "Daddy! Daddy!"

The hard lines of Dominic's face softened, and his tone dropped into a warm, gentle register. "What's up, Jude?"

I stiffened. "Your name is Jude?"

Back when we were dating online, Dominic mentioned Jude all the time. Gotta take Jude for a walk. Gotta feed Jude.

I honestly thought Jude was his golden retriever. He was his kid?!

The little boy clung to Dominic's arm and looked up at me. "Yeah. What's wrong, miss?"

"No, nothing." I waved my hands frantically. "I gotta go, I"

"I know, your dad is going into labor." Dominic easily scooped Jude up into his arms. "Sure. Run along."

"Uh-huh" The way he stared at me made me feel like a deadbeat abandoning my family. I turned and bolted, not daring to look back once.

Dominic disappeared for the next few days. I thought my whole disaster with him was finally over. I didn't expect another gorgeous guy to show up at my front door.

It was a normal afternoon. I was at the kitchen sink washing dishes when my mom suddenly burst into the room.

Her eyes were bright. "Your friend is here to see you! Go, go!"

My hands were dripping with soapy water. I gave her a weird look. "Which friend? Stella?"

"Tell her to wait two minutes, I need to finish these plates."

"Oh, hush, it's not Stella. Just go out there and see!" My mom snatched the dish out of my hand and shoved me hard toward the door.

"I'll wash these! Hurry up! After all these years, a boy is finally here for you. Your true love has arrived!"

"True love?" I barely had time to wipe my wet hands on my jeans before my mom shoved me completely out of the kitchen. My momentum sent me stumbling forward, pitching right into a chest that smelled incredible and felt expensive.

I gasped, snapping my head up, and locked eyes with a striking gaze.

The guy was about five-foot-ten. He wore a crisp white button-down and tailored black slacks. His skin was so flawlessly pale it honestly made me feel ashamed to be a woman.

"Careful." His voice was deadpan. His pretty eyes narrowed, devoid of any warmth.

I scrambled backward, standing up straight. "Who are you?"

As I steadied myself, the guy took a deliberate step back. He didn't say a word. He just slowly, methodically brushed at the corner of his shirt where I had bumped him. A cold, disgusted look swept over my entire body.

Then, he let out a sharp, mocking scoff. His body language was so loud I could practically hear his thoughts broadcasting: "This? Really? This is her?"

Excuse me? What a total psycho.

The guy curled up one side of his mouth and extended his perfectly manicured fingers. The smell of his expensive cologne was thick and aggressive. "Hello. I'm Preston, Dominic's childhood friend."

My stomach dropped to the floor.

Chapter 5

Was he here to play justice warrior for his best bro?

"I don't know any Dominic." I ignored his outstretched hand. "What do you want?"

Preston crossed his arms, flashing a mock-sweet smile. "I just wanted to see what kind of woman made Dominic lose his damn mind."

I stared him down. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper right by my ear. "Drop the act. I know you're the one he was dating online."

I played dumb. "You're crazy. I have no idea what you're talking about."

The corners of his mouth curled into a sugar-sweet smile. "I get it. Honestly, if I looked like you, I wouldn't admit it either."

I stared at him for a long, silent moment. "Wow."

The air between us turned toxic, right as my mom bustled out of the kitchen. "Clara, where are your manners? Get your friend something to drink." My mom grabbed a cardigan and headed straight for the front door.

"You kids chat, I'm going for a walk." Before pulling the door shut, she shot me a wildly obvious wink.

I inhaled sharply, pressing my fingers hard against my temples.

My clueless mother. She practically skipped out of here thinking my true love had arrived. Plot twist: it was my romantic rival.

Yep.

Just a second ago, when Preston leaned in, his phone screen had lit up.

The lock screen was a picture of Dominic. He was in a basketball jersey, his face slick with sweat. His sharp Adam's apple was on full display, his hand casually pulling up the hem of his jersey to expose hard, sculpted abs.

Who the hell uses a thirst trap of their best bro as their lock screen?

I gave him another quick sweep, locking onto a few glaring details. A sheer layer of foundation. A subtle swipe of mascara. Crisp white socks deliberately styled to show off slender calves.

He was manicured down to the very last strand of hair. Breathing in his aggressive cologne, it clicked instantly.

Holy crap. My rival was a dude.

The second the door clicked shut behind my mom, Preston dropped the sweet act. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, looking down his nose at me. The tips of his expensive, custom leather shoes practically kicked against my scuffed, worn-out sneakers.

Sunlight slanted through the window, hitting his face and casting long shadows from his eyelashes. Honestly, he had a pretty face. But right now, looking at him just made my stomach turn.

Catching my stare, he let out a sharp scoff. "If Dominic is actually into this, his taste is complete garbage."

I flashed him a fake, sugary smile right back. "If his taste is so garbage, how come he still hasn't picked you?"

He tilted his chin up defensively. "Dominic loves me. He just hasn't realized it yet."

My jaw dropped, the heat draining from my face. "So you're saying he's in the closet and doesn't even know it?"

He rolled his eyes hard. "None of your damn business."

I nodded slowly. "Alright. Let's talk about my business, then. How did you know it was me?"

"It doesn't matter how I found out. The point is, if I can find you, Dominic can too."

"And? You drove all the way out here to give me a head start on hiding?"

"I'm not that nice. I just want you to know your place. I know Dominic better than anyone. He's a soft touch, and he cares about his pride."

"He'll definitely try to tell you he doesn't care about how you look, but we both know that's complete bullshit." He smirked at me. "Looks matter. I'm pretty sure you know that better than I do."

Honestly, I wasn't even that ugly. Just average. It was probably just because Dominic was so obscenely gorgeous that anyone would think I was out of his league.

Taking my silence as a victory, Preston kept pushing. "I expect you to have some self-awareness and stay far away from him. Even if he comes looking for you, or feeds you a bunch of sweet lies."

"Sure thing."

Chapter 6

I agreed readily, immediately holding out my hand. "Hand it over."

Preston froze. "What?"

I curled my fingers in a 'gimme' motion. "The money. Aren't you supposed to throw a million bucks in my face and tell me to stay away from Dominic?"

"You've been talking all this trash, so it's time for the payoff. Where's the cash?"

Preston let out a breathy, irritated laugh. "A million bucks? Keep dreaming. I'm just telling you to know your place."

"If you don't want to listen, fine. Just don't go crying in a corner when he dumps you."

My jaw tightened, the polite restraint snapping.

"You can't even pull out a single check, so why the hell should I listen to you? Even if he dumps me tomorrow, tonight I still get to sleep with those eight-pack abs. I hit the jackpot, okay?"

"But hey, don't worry." I flashed Preston a sickly sweet smile. "The abs you'll never get to touch? I'll make sure to feel them up for you."

The conversation ended on that thoroughly toxic note. Preston shot me one last meaningful glare. "Just don't regret it."

That night, a DM popped up on my socials from a burner account.

[Clara, why did you and Dominic break up? Is it because you look nothing like your pictures? Are you actually ugly and fat in real life?]

A cold drop of sweat slid down my spine.

Dominic and I met on social media in the beginning. We both posted decent selfies and had a few thousand followersnothing crazy, just minor micro-influencer status. That was how we connected.

It went from casually liking each other's posts to talking all night long. It all happened naturally, but it caught me off guard. Because we were just online, I never went public with it.

Dominic respected my boundaries. He never posted my personal info, only vaguely mentioned on his feed that he was taken. So how could anyone possibly know we were together?

I tentatively replied with a single question mark. The other person never responded. But I quickly shoved the whole thing out of my brain, because it was time to start my new job.

Originally, I was doing just fine coasting at home, doing cheap brand deals on social media and taking on some freelance digital art commissions. But my mom couldn't stand watching me rot in my room all day. She pulled some strings and actually landed me an executive assistant job for a CEO. I figured the daily commute would help me lose some weight, so I took it.

Monday morning. I stepped into the massive corporate lobby, my feet aching instantly in a pair of heels I hadn't worn in years. But before I could even locate my desk, a chubby little boy launched himself at me, wrapping his arms tightly around my legs.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

I thought some kid had wandered away from his mom. I crouched down, gently patting his head. A soft, chubby face looked up at me, his eyes brimming with pitiful tears. "Mommy."

"Jude?" I gasped, taking a step back. "What are you doing here? I'm not your mommy. You've got the wrong person."

Jude just cried harder, digging his little fingers into my skirt. "No, I didn't! I went home and stared at the picture for a whole day and night! It's you, you're my mommy!"

The kid had a scarily good eye. While I scrambled to calm him down, sharp whispers erupted from the cubicles behind me.

"Isn't that the CEO's son? Why is he calling her mom?"

"Is that the CEO's wife?"

"She doesn't look like what I expected"

"Married young, huh? The boss is barely in his twenties, how is his kid this big?"

"I was wondering how a new hire walked straight into the EA position. It's just a little roleplay for the married couple."

"Are we all just props in their little game?"

My face fell. Fantastic. I hadn't even introduced myself at this new company yet, and my scandalous rumors were already flying everywhere.

"Jude, come here."

Chapter 7

That familiar voice made my entire body stiffen.

Talk about the devil. I looked up and locked eyes with Dominic. Unlike his usual casual streetwear, today he was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit. Total untouchable, high-power CEO energy.

Jude turned around and threw his arms around my neck. "No! I want to stay with Mommy."

Dominic shot me a quick glance. "Then you come too."

I bit the inside of my cheek. Two minutes later, I walked into the CEO's office with Jude clinging to my side like a koala.

Dominic glanced at Jude, then buried his gaze back into his monitor. "From now on, your job is to take care of Jude." He didn't even lift his head, just raised a finger and pointed. "That will be your desk."

I followed his finger and saw a lonely little desk shoved into the far corner of the room. Seriously, what kind of CEO shares an office with his EA?

Seeing me glued to the spot, Dominic stopped what he was doing and looked over. "What, not satisfied?"

"No." I silently carried Jude over and sat down