She Catfished Him With My Face

The day the Sterling family came to honor an old marriage agreement, my adopted younger sister suddenly confessed. "I used Sophie's photo to date a scholarship kid online. He's coming here today to propose, and someone that low is the kind of person I deserve. "Mom, Dad, I don't deserve the Sterling marriage. Send me away." Her eyes swam with tears. She looked stubborn and self-sacrificing, the perfect brave little martyr. My parents, who'd always favored Ava, made their decision immediately. They pointed at me, standing off to the side, watching the whole performance. "Ava grew up with us. She understands our world better than you do. She's the one who should marry into the Sterling family. "Since she used your photo for that online relationship, you can marry the poor boy in her place." I was about to refuse when translucent lines of text appeared in the air in front of me. [No! Don't hand the hero over to that awful sister! The scholarship kid is actually the Sterling heir in disguise! The Sterling guy showing up today is only from a side branch!] [Exactly! He pretended to be poor because he wanted someone who'd love him for himself, and now she's giving him away with her own hands? The villain will absolutely say yes. Her type grabs everything.] [Don't panic! He's never met the villain. He only came because of the photo. A few days around her and he'll know something's wrong, and then she's finished. Everybody watch closely so we can help.] I stared at the floating comments for three seconds. So that was the story. I changed my mind, and lifted my chin a little. "Fine. If he's poor, he's poor. I'll marry him." Chapter 1 "And don't think we're playing favorites," Mom said, in the patient, reasonable voice she saved for me. "You lived out in the country for all those years. The Sterlings are so far above us. It wouldn't suit you." Then she registered what I'd just said. Her eyes widened. "Wait. You agreed to marry him?" I nodded obediently. Dad looked just as stunned. "You're not going to fight Ava for the Sterling engagement?" I answered like the sensible daughter they'd always wanted. "No. I'm the older sister and she's the younger one. I shouldn't have been fighting her for anything in the first place." The two of them let out a long breath. They'd clearly braced for me to tear the house down the way I always had. Ever since I'd been found and brought home, we'd fought constantly. Little arguments every few days, screaming matches every week, and every one of them was me measuring myself against Ava. If my allowance wasn't enough, I fought about it. If my room was bad, I fought about it. If there was nothing I liked on the dinner table, I fought about that too. Mom and Dad told me to be the bigger person, over and over, until they finally just sighed and said I thought too highly of myself. What nobody let themselves remember was that Ava's allowance was five thousand dollars a month. Mine was fifty. Ava had the master suite with the best light in the house. I had the empty housekeeper's room on the first floor. The table was buried in seafood every night because Ava loved it, and I have a severe seafood allergy. Every fight, every scene, all I'd ever wanted was for them to be a little fair. I'd never once wanted to take something of Ava's. But now I'd changed my mind. The floating comments called me the villain. They said I grabbed at everything. Fine. This time I'd grab something worth having, and let them all watch. The comments were still scrolling like mad. [She said yes! The villain actually said yes! Has she lost it? She's coming for our hero now?] [It's fine, it's fine. He doesn't love her. She'll marry him and rot in that house alone. The second he finds out the truth he'll drop her.] [Everybody watch. The hero's about to walk in, and he'll know right away that our girl is the one he's meant to have.] I followed the comments' cue and looked toward the door. Sure enough, the butler was showing a young man in. His shirt had been washed so many times it had gone white. The cuffs were frayed. His trousers ran a little short, showing his ankles. But his face was almost unfair. Deep-set features, a high brow, a back held perfectly straight. There was a quiet, well-bred elegance in him that the clothes couldn't explain. "Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster. My name's Luke Hayes. I'm Sophie's boyfriend." The comments boiled over. [Oh my God, he's gorgeous! He and our girl were made for each other!] [This is killing me. His real name is Sebastian Sterling. He only changed it to hide who he is. Don't actually believe he's a scholarship kid!] [Tell him! Tell him you're the one he was talking to, not Sophie!] However frantic they got, Ava couldn't see a word of it. Mom moved Ava behind her and pointed at me, a little nervous now. "Luke, right? Sophie's over there." When Luke turned to look at me, the comments started wailing. [It's over. He recognized the face from the photos. He has no idea the girl he was talking to is standing right here!] [Have faith in him. He's brilliant, he'll figure it out. Our girl is so good, he'll see the villain isn't the one he loves!] [Right. He's not shallow enough to fall for a face. He only loves our girl.] But I was looking at the red creeping up Luke's ears, and I raised an eyebrow. The comments were doing an extraordinary amount of wishful thinking. Because from where I stood, this so-called hero looked a great deal like a man who was in love with my face. Chapter 2 I wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. Ignoring the stream of insults in the comments, I walked straight over and hooked my arm through Luke's. "Luke. You really came here to marry me?" Every muscle in his body locked up, and the "Yes" he managed sounded like it had been dragged out of his throat. He was so nervous he didn't know what to do with his hands, and I couldn't help laughing. Ava leaned out from behind Mom, and there was something delicately vicious in her voice. "So Sophie really does have a thing for scholarship kids. You two actually suit each other." The good wishes were so backhanded that even Mom and Dad caught it. Mom, terrified that Ava would set me off when I'd finally been agreeable for once, tugged at her arm. Ava took the hint and offered an explanation she didn't bother to mean. "Sorry, Sophie. I'm just jealous that you've found a relationship of your own." She leaned on "your own" like she was underlining it. I understood her perfectly. She was showing off. Because her thinking matched the comments exactly. Even if she didn't want the scholarship kid, he'd recognize her sooner or later. And I was nothing but a thief. My smile thinned a little, and my hand tightened on Luke's arm. He felt the change in me. His brow creased, and without making anything of it, he stepped half a pace forward and put himself between me and my sister. Ava only gave a cold little laugh and turned to watch the door, waiting for the Sterlings. When Miles Sterling walked in, Ava practically threw herself at him. He wore a tailored suit and a watch worth more than most people make in a year. He looked exactly like what people picture when they hear the words old money. The comments groaned. [Why is our girl so excited about Miles? This is wrong!] [Miles is from a side branch and he's a spoiled brat. He has nothing to do with Sterling Holdings. Turn around and look at the hero!] [If somebody doesn't fix this soon, the villain is going to walk off with everything!] [Wait, look. I think Miles just recognized him! Say it now, say who he really is, and she'll turn around!] I looked up. Miles crossed the room with a serious expression, opened his mouth to say something, and then Luke gave the smallest shake of his head. Miles stopped as if somebody had nailed his shoes to the floor. Ava had been watching him too closely to miss it. She looked at Luke, then back at Miles. "Miles, do you know him?" Luke spoke first, before Miles could say anything he shouldn't. "Mr. Sterling and I have met once." The disdain in Ava's eyes deepened, and she made sure her meaning landed. "Really? Well, Miles is a Sterling. Plenty of people would love to get close to him. Miles, you're too polite for your own good." Miles cut her off, visibly uncomfortable. "That's enough. Richard, Diane, weren't we here to talk about the engagement?" Ava sulked at being interrupted, then brightened the moment she heard the word. Mom and Dad were smiling too. "We'll set the engagement party for the eighteenth of next month," Dad said. "We've already reserved the largest ballroom at the Grand Peninsula." "Everyone who matters in this city will get an invitation," Mom added. "Neither family is going to be embarrassed." Ava's eyes slid over to me, where I'd been standing quietly all this time. "Mom, Dad, what about Sophie's engagement party?" Mom and Dad glanced at me, then at the plainly dressed young man beside me, and their patience thinned. "Your sister came home late and she doesn't know many people. We'll use that restaurant on the north side. Three tables should cover it. "You don't mind, do you?" The comments filled up with laughter. [The villain got exactly what she deserved. Three tables in some diner! Our girl absolutely destroyed her!] [The hero didn't even speak up for her. He must think she doesn't deserve anything better either.] I glanced at Luke. His head was down. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. "It's fine. As long as I'm with Luke, I don't care what the engagement party looks like." Luke finally looked up. I smiled at him and gave his left hand a little swing. He stared at me, lost for a moment, and then something settled in his face, like he'd made a decision. "Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster. I won't let her be humiliated. I'll give her the best I have." Ava covered her mouth and laughed, not hiding the mockery at all. "You're such a good man, Luke. Sophie, you're so lucky. I hope you have an unforgettable engagement party in your little diner." Chapter 3 I didn't let Ava's mockery bother me. I took Luke's hand and pulled him upstairs. "My sister always talks like that. Don't take it personally." He was looking around my small, bare room, and when he heard me, something like pain crossed his face. "Is this how it always is here? You always the one giving way?" I smiled, and it came out bitter. "I wouldn't call it giving way. Mom and Dad just like Ava better. Even when I fight, I don't win much." The ache in his eyes deepened. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" I didn't answer. The comments answered for me. [Oh, come on. Now the villain's playing the victim. Don't fall for it, she's just working you!] [When does this awful woman finally get written out? I'm losing my mind. Can he please figure out she isn't his girlfriend and tear her apart already?] They were going to be disappointed. Over the next few days, Luke didn't tear me apart. If anything, we got closer. The account he'd been chatting with had already been handed down to me, along with everything else Ava didn't want. He came to see me every day and took me out on his little electric scooter. Ava laughed at that scooter every time she saw it. Today was no exception. She stood in the doorway watching Luke hand me the helmet, rolled her eyes where she thought I couldn't see, and then raised her voice. "You two are so in love, Sophie. Romance on the back of a scooter. How sweet. "You're not planning to turn up to your engagement on that thing too, are you?" Then she turned to Miles and made a point of it. "Miles, I'm not as boy-crazy as my sister. If you're picking me up, it had better be a Maybach at minimum, or I'm not getting in." She didn't notice the very strange expression that crossed his face. I couldn't be bothered to answer her. I climbed onto the back of the scooter and wrapped my arms around Luke's lean waist. I leaned against his back and said it quietly. "You don't have to come get me every time. I can meet you somewhere." He was silent for a moment. "Sophie. Am I embarrassing you?" The comments went eerily quiet. [Why is the hero asking her that like he's begging? That was so weird.] [Okay, I'm scared to say this out loud, but doesn't it feel like he's actually falling for the villain?] [No. No. He belongs with our girl. It's only because he doesn't know she got swapped out!] I wasn't reading them. I shook my head against his back. "I just think it's hard on you, coming all this way every day. I don't want you exhausted, and I don't want you sitting there while my family laughs at you." The dullness in his eyes lit up all at once. He looked at me and made the promise one word at a time. "Sophie, don't worry. Marry me, and I'll never let you lose." The comments came apart again. [Wait, what? Did the hero just confess to the villain?] [Wake up! Our girl is standing right there watching you!] [I'm a bad person, but I actually ship him with the villain.] [You'd ship anything. She's a schemer, she doesn't deserve him.] None of their squabbling touched me. I was about to answer Luke when Ava let out a sharp little laugh behind us, and I couldn't tell whether it was bitterness or contempt. "Big words from a broke nobody." Chapter 4 Ava came over with a cup of coffee and tipped it down the front of Luke's shirt. "Oh no. I'm so sorry." Her mouth apologized. Her face didn't. "That shirt can't have been expensive, right? I'll replace it. Will twenty cover it?" She pulled a twenty out of her wallet and dropped it on the floor. Luke wiped his sleeve without any expression at all. "Don't bother." Ava shrugged. "Well, aren't you gracious." As she turned away, she muttered, "No self-respect." It wasn't loud. Luke and I both heard it perfectly. I stepped into her path, frowning. "Apologize." Ava froze. I'd been so agreeable for so long that she clearly hadn't expected me to lose my temper. But she'd never thought much of me, and she thought even less of Luke, so an apology was never happening. She snorted. "What did I say that wasn't true? Luke has no self-respect." Mom and Dad heard us arguing in the doorway and came hurrying over. Their first words were for me. "Sophie, what are you causing now?" I was used to them deciding I was wrong before they had a single fact. Luke wasn't. His face went cold. "Ava has insulted me over and over. Do the two of you really not care what's right and what's wrong?" Coming from someone their daughters' age, that was a hard thing to say. Mom and Dad's faces went from red to white, and then they turned on me anyway. "Look at the man you picked! He nickel-and-dimes everything, just like you!" I took Luke's hand and stood beside him. "Luke is good. You're the ones who can't see it." His fingers closed hard around mine. Mom and Dad were furious, and there was nothing they could do about it. I had no interest in wasting more time on them. I pulled Luke out to the scooter and had a proper look at the coffee soaking through his shirt. "I'll wash it when we get back." He shook his head. "Don't. It's not worth the trouble." "It is worth the trouble. Nothing to do with you is small to me." Luke went still. For a few seconds he seemed to be working through the sentence. Then he leaned in close, his ears red, and said it softly. "Thank you, Sophie. You're the loveliest girl I've ever met." The comments, quiet for a long stretch, put up a few lines. [I hate the villain, but the two of them are honestly kind of sweet.] [Same. Our girl went too far just now, and the parents are unbelievably biased. If the villain actually cared about them, imagine how much that would hurt.] [But he's supposed to be our girl's. She still shouldn't have taken him.] [Wasn't our girl the one who threw him away? Does anyone actually believe she's an innocent here? She turned her nose up at a scholarship kid and used her sister's photo so their parents would force the swap.] Exactly. Ava hadn't wanted him. I laid my cheek against Luke's back as the scooter pulled away and listened to his heart going too fast. My mouth curved. I'd taken what she threw out. She'd better not start wanting it back. Chapter 5 Ava and I had our engagement parties on the same day. Hers was with Miles at the Grand Peninsula on the south side, where Mom and Dad had printed over a hundred invitations for every powerful family they knew. Mine was in that small restaurant on the north side. Out of the way. Three tables. Mom and Dad wouldn't even come look at it. They just left me with one line. "There's nobody important on your side anyway. We'll stay with Ava first, and once we're finished there we'll come see you." It never occurred to them to wonder what Luke's family would think of a girl whose own parents skipped her engagement. I was used to it. Luke wasn't. His face darkened. He made one phone call, and staff arrived carrying garment bags. I ran my hand over the fabric and let my surprise show. "This has to be expensive. Luke, you don't have to spend money like this on me." He shook his head. "Sophie, I told you. I won't let you be humiliated." He gave the shabby little restaurant one cold look, took my hand, and walked me out to the car. The car drove straight to the Grand Peninsula. Mom, Dad, and Ava were at the entrance greeting guests. Miles stood off to one side, checking his watch, as though he were waiting for someone. The car stopped at the doors. Ava glanced over and came forward, assuming we were invited guests. Then she saw who it was, and her face fell. "Did you two rent a car to put on a show, Sophie? "Don't tell me nobody came to your engagement party, so you came here to see how it's done. "Only, Miles and I invited people who actually matter. I don't think we have a seat for you." She chattered on. Luke didn't spare her a glance. Miles came toward us fast, his face serious, and then, in front of everyone, he bowed. "Everyone's here, Mr. Sebastian." Luke nodded and took my hand to lead me toward the ballroom. Being ignored that completely turned Ava's face red with rage. "Sophie, what is this? Did you come here to wreck my party on purpose? "And Miles, why are you being so polite to that broke nobody?" Mom and Dad noticed the commotion and hurried over. "That's enough, Sophie," Dad snapped. "This is your sister's engagement party. There are guests everywhere. Don't make a spectacle of yourself." Luke swept a cold look over the pair of them and raised a hand. Hotel staff came at once. "I'm getting engaged today. Please show these people out. They have nothing to do with it." Ava burst out laughing, her face full of contempt. "Who exactly do you think you are? You want us thrown out? "Do you even know who owns the Grand Peninsula? It's a Sterling property. "I'm about to marry Miles, which makes me half a Sterling already. "Every guest here today is somebody. You only get to breathe the same air as these people because of my family, and you have the nerve to stand there and try to throw me out?" She was too worked up to notice that Miles had quietly put distance between them, in case any of it splashed on him. And the staff she was certain would never touch her already had her by both arms.