Lisa stared at the closed door Cassian had just walked out of, then down at the extravagant dress that fit her too well.
"Don't embarrass yourself?" she echoed mockingly. "What am I, his PR intern?"
She flopped back on the velvet armchair behind her, then quickly sat up again.
"Nope. Can't wrinkle the dress. Apparently, fabric here costs more than rent."
She'd barely had an hour to adjust to the fact that she was no longer Lisa from Seoul, but Selène Montclair, fiancée of a fictional corporate prince with the emotional range of a toaster.
Still, if there was one thing she'd learned from every cliché drama she ever hate-watched, it was this:
Play the part, or get written out.
—
By evening, the Montclair estate was lit up like a gala premiere. Every chandelier, every antique mirror, every polished corner of the sprawling mansion whispered: "You don't belong here."
Lisa stood at the top of the staircase, hands sweaty in silk gloves, hair curled and pinned by no less than three maids who clearly hated small talk.
From below, she spotted Cassian waiting in the entry hall — flawless, statuesque, terrifying.
He looked up. Their eyes met.
And for a moment, Lisa didn't breathe.
Not because he was handsome (he was), or because she was nervous (she was), but because…
He doesn't know I'm not her.
And if he finds out? What happens to me?
—
She descended the stairs slowly, careful not to trip and become the evening's tragic headline: Heiress Dies, Drowns in Her Own Drama.
Cassian didn't offer his hand. Of course not.
"You're on time. Shocking," he said without looking at her.
"I figured I'd try something new today," Lisa replied. "Like punctuality. And pretending to be someone I'm not."
He turned to her then, sharp eyes narrowing just slightly.
"You've been… different lately."
Lisa blinked. Then smiled sweetly.
"That's because I'm evolving. Like a Pokémon. Soon I'll start breathing fire."
Cassian said nothing, but something about the corner of his mouth… twitched.
Was that almost… a smirk?
Before she could confirm, he turned and gestured toward the hallway.
"The engagement dinner awaits. Don't forget: tonight, you are Selène Montclair."
Lisa squared her shoulders, raised her chin, and followed.
No, she thought. Tonight, I'm whoever I need to be… to survive this chapter.