The Billionaire's Stolen Match

A hundred grand. Delete the account and stop embarrassing yourself.

My roommate stole my identity and bought out my online boyfriend for cash.

She smirked and flicked a screenshot across the table at me.

Her: [Do you like me more online, or in real life?]

Him: [In real life, obviously. Funnier, cuter. And let's be honest way prettier.]

So I deleted the account. Swallowed it whole.

Then I sat there and got angrier by the minute, until I finally caved and dumped the whole thing onto some anonymous vent line. Paid by the minute, spill to a stranger, never see them again.

The person on the other end listened to all of it. Every humiliating word.

And then, instead of a single kind syllable, they sent:

Him: [Damn. You are a doormat, aren't you.]

Me: ?

And later I'd learn the stranger roasting me the one my roommate was terrified of was the real Ludlow heir. Two years after that, he'd sign away his billions, marry into my family, and take my last name.

Chapter 1

The day I finally worked up the nerve to meet my online boyfriend in person, he mistook my roommate for me.

I've been a pushover my whole life. Got into college, fell for a guy online. Took me months to even get that far.

I panicked and stepped forward to explain.

He frowned, took Portia's hand, and tucked her behind him like I was a threat.

"Can I help you?" he said.

I opened my mouth. Then I caught Portia's look the one that said don't.

And the pushover in me took over. I ground my teeth and muttered it.

"Sorry. Just passing through."

We were both in pink that day, Portia and me.

Mine was $49.9, clearance, grabbed off some liquidation site.

Hers was this season's Chanel. Five figures. More than four years of my tuition.

Shame he only saw hers.

They stood there talking, easy, like they'd known each other for years, the breeze lifting her hair. He reached up and smoothed it back for her, gentle, focused, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Just standing there, the two of them looked like a scene out of a drama.

Right. That was the day I found out my online boyfriend was Chase.

Campus heartthrob. Good-looking, old money. He did suit her better.

My nose stung. I turned and fled.

Chase didn't message me once the whole afternoon.

Because he was with her. The entire time.

I didn't know why Portia was pretending to be me, and I didn't know where Chase stood. But somebody had to clear this up.

I typed and deleted for ages before I finally sent something careful.

Me: [Babe, I came by today. I didn't see you?]

A big red exclamation mark popped up.

Not Delivered.

He'd blocked me.

My brain went to white noise. Nothing left in it.

Right on cue, Portia came back humming, clearly in a great mood.

I leaned out, not brave enough to accuse her, just easing into it.

"So, um did you maybe mix up which boyfriend was yours?"

She stared at me. Then she laughed through her nose.

Pulled out her phone. Showed me the two of them, message by message.

The first line: [Don't use that old account anymore. Delete it.]

The second: [Do you like me more online, or in real life?]

His reply: [In real life, obviously. Funnier, cuter. And let's be honest way prettier.]

Me: "..."

Every ounce of fight drained out of me. I had nothing.

Portia watched my face soak it in, that little half-smile curling.

"Between you and me who do you really think he'd pick?" She tilted her head. "Do yourself a favor. Stop embarrassing yourself."

Chapter 2

"A hundred grand. Delete the account, and I never want to hear about this again. Understood?"

Head down, stomach in a knot, I said okay.

A hundred grand for some shallow online boyfriend. Honestly? Good trade.

Except the more I sat with it, the more it burned. The more it hurt.

So I found a local vent line and let it out. Buried under my blanket, crying and typing at the same time.

The other end didn't cut in once. I figured they were really listening. Getting ready to say something kind.

Instead, when I finished, out of nowhere:

Him: [Damn. You are a doormat, aren't you.]

I couldn't cry after that. I was just furious.

Excuse me who's the paying customer here?

I fired a question mark at him.

Me: [Remember your place.]

Him: [Sorry, hon. So how'd the two of you meet?]

This guy seemed like a mess.

But right now he was the only person I could talk to. And I was paying for it.

Chase and I met on the campus forum. He'd posted some coding question. I answered it without thinking much.

Next thing I knew, he'd added me. One thing led to another, and we got close.

Online, I played the part of a sunny, outgoing, good-vibes-only girl.

In real life I'm a doormat.

Found something in my noodles once that wasn't food and didn't dare say a word paid with a stone face, then let the owner grab my phone and type his own five-star review.

Delivery got dropped at the wrong address and I hiked all the way over to get it myself, too scared to report the guy in case he showed up at my door.

Couldn't cross rich people like Portia one word from her and I'd get expelled.

Couldn't cross service staff either corner a desperate person and who knows what they'll do.

And now someone had taken my boyfriend and I couldn't even make a sound.

I clamped a hand over my mouth so I wouldn't sob out loud.

Him: [...]

Him: [No offense, but I've never seen anyone this spineless. You could've just told him you're his girlfriend. What's the worst that happens?]

That lit the fuse.

Me: [My roommate is the daughter of the Ludlow Group chairman. So no, I couldn't.]

Besides Chase probably knew something was off. Looking at their chat, even if I'd explained, he'd have gone along with it anyway. Might've even been relieved to trade the plain-faced girl who didn't match the profile.

Not worth it. I'd call the hundred grand a settlement.

It took him a while to answer.

Him: [You got played, sweetheart. The chairman doesn't have a daughter.]

I blinked.

Me: [She said so herself. Not biological. Secret kid, maybe?]

Something about that seemed to genuinely break him.

He fired off a string of voice notes.

I didn't dare play them out loud, so I hit transcribe.

He went off the chairman, then the mistress, then Portia, one after another.

It got pretty vile, honestly. Whatever the grudge was, it ran deep.

Then one last line.

Him: [Relax. I finish what I start. I'll get you your justice.]

And the doormat in me flared right back up.

Me: [No no no no, please do NOT get me hurt! I'll throw in another $200, just delete this, pretend I was never here, I'm begging you!!!]

Him: [Tch. Pathetic.]

Chapter 3

After that day, I never brought it up again.

Portia was pleased with how well I knew my place.

She even started tossing me the desserts they'd bought on their dates.

A flat-out insult, handed over with a smile.

I choked out a thank-you.

Though they did look expensive. I told myself to call it compensation for emotional damages.

A month or so went by. Portia started coming home earlier and earlier, and the smile slid off her face for good.

I couldn't be bothered to guess whether they'd broken up. Not my problem.

Then, as I was heading out one day, she stopped me. Her tone was off.

"Tonight. Chase is taking the whole dorm to dinner. You're coming."

My eyes went wide. I pointed at my own chest.

"Me?"

Was she okay?

Her face soured another notch. It came out as an order.

"I said come, so come. Stop asking questions. His dormmates will be there too." Then a warning. "And keep your mouth shut."

I nodded. "Got it."

Chase booked out a five-star hotel for the meal.

I kept my head down and worked through my lobster, shrinking myself as small as I could go.

But one stare kept landing on me.

At some point the whole table went quiet.

I looked up, blank.

Everyone was looking at me, each with a different expression.

The one I felt most came from a blond.

Not literally golden just a shock of blond hair over a sharp, insolent face, watching me with a half-smile that didn't quite reach anywhere kind.

My chest jumped.

Portia's face stiffened. She forced a smile.

"Jasper. You're not into Tessa, are you?"

The man's brow creased. The temperature dropped off his face in an instant.

"Who's your brother? The mistress's daughter thinks she gets to call me family?"

Portia went white, swaying like the insult had knocked something loose.

Chase took her hand, his own face going cold. "Jasper, that's low. You agreed to come to this dinner to smooth things over. Why say something like that?"

Jasper let out a soft scoff. "Who's smoothing anything over with her? I didn't come for her."

Chase paused. Then, slowly, his eyes came to me.

"You know... Portia's roommate?"

"Sure I do."

A lazy grin spread across his face, his gaze sliding back and forth between me and Portia.

"I'm the one who comforted her when someone stole her boyfriend, after all."

One sentence.

Both women lost their heads.

Lucky for me, the topic moved on fast. Chase didn't seem to suspect anything.

On the way out, Jasper made a point of adding me on his phone. He leaned in and dropped his voice to a whisper.

"After I stuck up for you? Don't go blocking me this time."

I couldn't help glaring at him. "You call that sticking up for me?"

Who knew what Portia would pull now.

From the outside, this angle him bent close to my ear would read like we were something. Close. Intimate.

I turned, and both Chase and Portia had complicated things going on in their eyes.

Chase's gaze snagged on my bag for a second.

The little fox charm hanging off it.

I'd taken a photo of it for him once, back when.

Quietly, I unclipped it.

Back at the dorm, Portia rounded on me right away.

"Tessa. What did you say to Jasper? How do you even know him?"

I thought fast.

She was clearly scared of him.

If she got the idea that Jasper and I were close, maybe she'd finally think twice before coming after me.

And honestly? Watching her squirm today was the best I'd felt in weeks.

I straightened my spine and cleared my throat.

"Well. He's, um. Kind of pursuing me."

Portia couldn't believe it. "What?"

I did my best to look put-upon.

Chapter 4

"Ugh, the thing is, I knew him before that whole online-boyfriend mess. The second he heard I was single again, he was all didn't want to miss his shot, can't shake him off, you know how it is. Bit of a headache, really."

"Heh"

A thin, mocking laugh crackled out of my phone.

I froze.

Portia's face darkened. "You're on the phone with him?"

I had no idea when the call had even connected!

All I could do was fake a bashful little retreat and scurry somewhere private.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I was just messing with her, or she'll make my life hell and anyway, this whole thing started because of you, so shouldn't you take responsibility?"

I'd started out guilty. By the end I was practically indignant.

He went quiet for a moment. Then he laughed.

"What's the rush? I never said I wouldn't take responsibility."

"So. Starting tomorrow, we date for real. Since I'm pursuing you and all."

Me: ???

He didn't give me the chance to say no. Just hung up.

The strange part?

Chase added me too.

Him: [Hi. I'm Portia's boyfriend.]

Him: [There's some misunderstanding between Jasper and Portia. Could you help smooth things over between them?]

Looks like he really had fallen for her.

I tugged the corner of my mouth into something and typed back. Me: [I'll try.]

Chase: [Thanks. I appreciate it.]

Chase: [Can I ask that little fox charm of yours. Where'd you get it?]

I used to work part-time at a restaurant. A man almost assaulted me there.

Shaking, I called my mom.

She gave me a whole speech about dressing more conservatively. Not drawing attention. Learning to back down. Not picking fights with people.

Something heavy and useless settled over me.

Walking past a bookstore, I saw the fox.

It made me think of the old fable the fox that borrows the tiger's menace, struts through the forest, and everything scatters, never realizing they're running from the tiger behind it, not the fox.

I wanted to be like that. Clever. Sly.

Except I didn't have a tiger to borrow.

Chase asking about it now maybe he was just surprised I had one too.

I typed: [Street stall. There are tons of them, same design. You like it?]

He didn't write back.

Next day, after class, Jasper actually showed up to take me on our "date."

In my eyes he was a live wire that could spark at any second.

"What is it you actually want?"

He shrugged. "Just don't like seeing people I can't stand have it easy."

Something occurred to him, and he grinned, bright and gossipy.

"Bet Portia's a nervous wreck right now, isn't she?"

She'd actually squeezed out a smile and said good morning to me that day.

Her chairman's-daughter title was fake. Her boyfriend was fake.

And now there was a stepbrother holding all of it over her head.

Anyone would be on edge.

Some petty, warm little thing glowed in my chest.

I said, big about it, "Come on. Dinner's on me today."

Not a flicker of embarrassment from him. If anything, he'd been waiting for exactly that line.

He slung an arm across my shoulders. "Let's go!"

Over the next month, I finally figured out why he kept circling back to me.

He was mooching meals.

He'd already planned out what we were eating tomorrow.

By the time we hit the campus gate, I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Hey. Aren't you the Ludlow heir? How are you broke enough to be living off my money?"

The air went still.

Blond hair fell across his eyes, hiding whatever was in them. He gave a faint smile.

Chapter 5

"My dad cheated. I blew up at him, got cut off and kicked out. Why do you think I'm running a vent line for cash?"

His voice came low and rough, scraped raw, something heavy hanging around him.

Just like that, I went soft. My own voice dropped.

"Hey it's fine. Dinner's on me, Portia's money covers it anyway... don't be upset."

As I turned, out of the corner of my eye, I caught the corner of his mouth twitch up.

Right then an e-bike shot past, close enough to clip my sleeve.

I flinched back and my heel came down on nothing.

Jasper caught me. His face went tight.

"You okay?"

I blinked, dazed, and shook my head.

His jaw locked. His whole expression curdled, and he lunged to go after the guy.

"You little punk, in a rush to get yourself killed? Get back here and pay up, you owe her an apology!"

It startled me and I grabbed his arm. "I'm fine, really, let it go, let it go!"

He wouldn't hear it, mouth as vicious as ever, cursing nonstop.

All I could think was that the guy might circle back and mow us down out of spite.

So my brain short-circuited, and I went up on my toes and covered his mouth with mine.

For a second neither of us moved. Just the warmth of him, that faint citrus, his breath gone still against my mouth.

Jasper stalled out. His eyes blew wide.

I watched the color bleed all the way through his face.

And not far off, Chase stood there, face like a storm, eyes locked on the two of us