Stay plain. Stay hidden. Stay beneath Lena.
Simone understood.
That night, for the first time in years, she used the internet freely and searched Cameron Vance.
What she found stole her breath.
Cameron wasn’t merely attractive. He was devastating. Tall, broad-shouldered, composed, with dark intense eyes and long hair usually tied neatly back. In every photograph he looked powerful, stern, untouchable.
Then Simone watched footage taken after his accident.
He was being helped into a wheelchair outside a hospital, his face pale with pain.
A reporter shouted, “Mr. Vance, will you step down as CEO?”
Cameron’s cold gaze sliced through the camera. “No. I’ll be back in the office Monday.”
Even wounded, he looked dangerous.
Two weeks later, the wedding arrived.
The Harts had arranged a hotel suite for the brides to get ready. Lena’s side overflowed with champagne, stylists, and chaos. Simone’s side held only a simple white dress and a note telling her when to be ready.
Then Cameron’s assistant arrived.
Rachel Chen was elegant, composed, and kind-eyed. She offered to help Simone get styled, but Simone refused.
Rachel studied her disguise—the messy bun, the thick fake glasses, the shapeless clothes.
“What is Cameron Vance really like?” Simone asked before she left.
Rachel softened. “Smart. Demanding. Fair. He has no patience for lies. And he’s going through hell, but he refuses to let anyone see it.” She hesitated. “Whatever you’ve heard, don’t believe all of it. He’s a good man.”
The wedding took place at the Vance estate in Lake Forest, a mansion of stone and ivy overlooking Lake Michigan.
Inside, the ballroom glittered in white and gold. Two altars stood side by side for a double wedding—Lena marrying Brett Vance, Cameron’s stepbrother, and Simone marrying Cameron.
When Simone entered, all whispers seemed to follow her.
At the far altar, Cameron waited in a sleek black wheelchair, dressed in a tailored black tuxedo, long hair tied in a low bun. Even sitting down, he dominated the room.
He turned his head and saw her.
Their eyes met.
For a long moment, the world disappeared.
Then a faint smile touched his lips.
