Chapter 1Day before my arranged marriage, I texted both my online boyfriends:
"We're done. I'm getting married."
That night, my fiancé called. "My two best friends just got dumped. Cheer them up for me?"
Sure.
BIG MISTAKE.
They texted their girls on the spot.
Killian Blackwood—ruthless mafia boss:
[Babe, marry WHOEVER. But don't ghost me. I'll be your side piece.]
Xavier Reid—hot billionaire CEO:
[Please. I'm fucking desperate! Just take me back.]
Then—
MY phone buzzed.
All three guys stared at me.
My smile froze.
Oh fuck.
Their online girlfriend... was ME.
One fiancé. Two secret lovers. Three men. HELP!
...
"Isla, your phone's buzzing." Alessio nodded at my lap.
I snapped back to reality.
Alessio's two best friends sat across from me.
Both stared at their phones, waiting for their online girlfriends to text back.
"Bathroom. Be right back."
I grabbed my phone and bolted.
Inside the bathroom.
I stared at the two messages on my screen.
Killian: [Babe, marry whoever. But don't ghost me. I'll be your side piece.]
Xavier: [Please. I'm fucking desperate! Just take me back.]
Holy shit.
My two online boyfriends were Alessio's best friends.
Killian Blackwood. Mafia royalty.
Xavier Reid. Billionaire golden boy.
Yesterday, I texted them both: [It's over. Getting married tomorrow.]
Today, my fiancé dragged me here to cheer up his heartbroken besties.
What kind of insane love triangle was this?
Thank god I never sent them face pics.
Or I'd be exposed the second I walked in.
And that would've been beyond awkward.
I stood there for a few seconds.
Then forced myself to reply.
[My husband's the jealous type. No side pieces sorry ?]
[My man said thanks but no thanks. Stay off your knees.]
Hit send.
I powered off my phone immediately.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, a tall, broad figure stood in the hallway.
Alessio Holt. My arranged fiancé.
Head of the Holt empire. Richest guy in Manhattan. Hottest bachelor alive.
Every socialite in the city wanted him.
And somehow, he picked me.
My parents were over the moon. Told me to lock him down ASAP.
I used to hate the idea of an arranged marriage. That's why I went online.
But the second I saw Alessio? I'd already named our future kids.
Turns out arranged marriages are great when your fiancé was this ridiculously perfect
He pushed off the wall.
Walked over and took my hand.
"Let's get some air."
We headed up to the rooftop.
Night breeze hit his sharp jawline. He turned to me.
"So. What do you think of my boys?"
Oh fuck.
Does Alessio know?
I wasn't scared of him finding out I dated online.
I was scared of him finding out I dated TWO guys.
Who both happened to be his best friends.
"They're... they're cool." I tried to sound casual.
"They seem like players though. Didn't think they'd be this serious about some girl."
Alessio nodded.
"They're both dating for the first time. They're serious about it."
"Oh..." Guess this slut didn't realize they were that innocent.
Alessio looked at me calmly.
"Have you dated anyone before?"
"I..."
I kept my face neutral.
Inside? Full panic mode.
Does he have a thing about virgins or something?
Should I come clean?
Or just... lie?
Alessio saw me hesitate and cut me off.
"Forget it. Past is past."
"Isla, I know this is an arranged marriage. But I'm taking it seriously."
"I'll be faithful. Can you?"
I thought guys like Alessio—guys at the top—treated marriage like a business deal.
Didn't expect him to be this real about it.
I nodded. Hard.
"Yes."
His lips curved up. Just a little. Starlight caught in his dark eyes.
I froze for a second.
Started imagining our future.
Rich. Powerful. Gorgeous. Loyal.
And judging by the way he looked at me, he'd probably spoil his wife rotten.
I hit the jackpot.
Just then, his phone rang.
Killian's voice came through.
"Yo, boss. You and your girl good? You've been gone forever."
Xavier grabbed the phone.
"Get back here! We figured something out."
"Yeah." Alessio hung up, took my hand and led me back to the private room.
The second we walked in—
I saw it.
Killian and Xavier's phones. Side by side on the table.
Both open to their chat logs with their online girlfriend.
Their faces looked grim.
Killian spoke first.
"Yo, Isla. Come look at this."
"Me and Xavier? We've been talking to the SAME girl. We got played."
Xavier frowned.
"Good thing we compared the details just now."
"Or we'd still be in the dark."
Chapter 2
Oh shit.
I knew I'd get caught eventually. Just didn't think it'd be THIS fast.
Thank god I used a burner account to chat with them.
"No way."
I acted shocked. Brain racing.
"Sounds like you guys got catfished. Probably some dude in his mom's basement."
"You didn't lose money or anything, right?"
"Just cut your losses. Block her and move on."
Killian and Xavier both shot that down immediately.
Killian: "Money? I don't care about money. I'd rather she rob me than play with my feelings."
Xavier: "Right? She's my first love. And some bitch just played me like a fiddle. We have to find her!"
Alessio's fingers started swiping through the chat logs.
"Let me see who managed to bag both of you."
My heart jumped into my throat.
Please don't notice anything. Please.
Alessio clicked on the girl's profile. Started scrolling through her posts.
Oh fuck.
I suddenly remembered—I posted a pic of my nails on that account.
If Alessio sees that, I'm done.
I can't even hold his hand after that without feeling guilty.
I quickly tapped his arm.
"Babe, tell the waiter to bring another bottle? I'll talk to them."
"Sure." His attention shifted.
He got up to flag down a server.
Killian shivered.
"Damn, Isla. You've got our boy whipped already."
Xavier grinned.
"You lucked out, girl. Alessio's like... Husband Material™. Literally went to Husband School."
"Husband School?" I thought he was joking.
Xavier nodded. Serious.
"Yeah. When he studied abroad, he took this whole course."
"It's only for heirs to old-money families."
Killian added.
"Most rich guys? They've got a wife at home and a rotation on the side."
"But the Holts don't play that. Every heir has to take the class."
"No cheating. No mistresses."
Xavier looked at Alessio like he was some kind of saint.
"Dude is the most loyal guy I know. Never dated anyone before you."
"When he commits, it's for life. Total marriage material."
My eyes lit up.
Holy shit. I hit the jackpot.
If I can lock down Alessio, I'll never have to worry about him screwing around.
Mrs. Holt. Secure.
Our wedding date was just set. Can't mess this up before I'm officially in.
I got lost in thought, trying to figure out how to handle this mess.
Xavier picked up his phone. About to FaceTime his online girl.
Killian freaked. Grabbed his wrist.
"Bro. Have some dignity. Ignore her. Don't text her."
While saying that, he hid his own phone behind his back and started typing like crazy.
[Babe, please talk to me. ?]
[You dont want your husband finding out about us, right?]
[Let me be your side piece and ill keep it a secret!]
[But there's one condition: no fourth guy.]
[If you're talking to someone else too, end it NOW.]
[I promise I'll be good ???]
Xavier snatched Killian's phone. Read the messages. Lost his shit.
"KILLIAN. You backstabbing piece of shit!"
"You're gonna be her side piece? You have no self-respect?"
"Does your family know you're out here doing this?"
"Fine. I'll be the side piece. You can be number four."
I was speechless.
Two lovesick idiots.
They kept arguing. Then both turned to me.
"Isla. You decide. Who's right?"
I tried to be the voice of reason.
"You guys are both great. Don't waste your time on one girl."
"Online relationships never work out anyway."
"You'll probably meet her and realize she's not even your type."
"Just let it go. Find someone better."
Killian and Xavier looked like I just unlocked a cheat code.
Killian's eyes went wide.
"Meet her? Isla, you're a genius. I should meet her in person."
"What if she sees I'm way better than her husband?"
"I could convince her to leave him and marry me instead."
Xavier lit up.
"Oh shit. Yeah. I'll meet her too. Show her I'm the best guy in her roster."
Chapter 3
Whatever. Can't talk sense into them.
Time to get the hell out before I say something stupid and blow my cover.
Alessio came back.
The waiter poured wine for Killian and Xavier.
They clinked glasses. Said they'd compete fair and square.
Before Alessio could sit down, I rubbed my forehead and leaned against his shoulder.
"I'm kinda dizzy. Can you take me home?"
"Yeah." He wrapped his arm around me.
Then told Killian and Xavier, "You guys drink. I'm taking Isla home."
Killian and Xavier waved.
"Night, dude. Night, Isla."
We got into the back of his Rolls-Royce.
He told the driver, "Tribeca."
That's where my townhouse is.
Alessio lives in a penthouse on Central Park South. Way more exclusive.
On the way, my mom called Alessio's phone.
"Alessio, is Isla with you? Her phone's off."
"Yeah, Mrs. Quinn, she's with me. Here." He handed me the phone.
"Mom? What's up?"
"Sweetie, the hotel finalized the menu for your dad's birthday dinner. Can you look it over? I'll send it to your phone."
"Sure."
I hesitated for three seconds.
If I turn my phone on and Alessio sees the texts from his boys, I'm screwed.
But I promised Mom. Don't want to leave her waiting.
I just need to be fast. Swipe away notifications before he sees.
Okay. I powered on my phone. Quickly dismissed the pop-up messages.
Scrolled through the menu Mom sent.
Marked the changes. Sent it back.
Done.
The car entered a tunnel.
My phone lit up with an incoming video call.
Killian.
I glanced at it and declined immediately.
Alessio heard the sound. His eyes flicked over.
Right before he could see the name on the screen, I leaned forward, and blocked the phone with my body.
"My mom butt-dialed me." I explained.
While jamming the power button. Hard.
If I'd known it'd be this messy, I would've hidden that burner account in a locked folder.
Alessio seemed to notice I was acting weird.
He was about to ask more questions.
So I pressed myself against him. Stared into his eyes.
"Alessio... your eyelashes are so long. Can I kiss you?"
Scared he'd say no, I added.
"I mean—it's kinda sudden."
"We can wait till after the wedding if you want..."
Before I could finish, his arm locked around my waist.
His lips were on mine.
His long lashes fluttered. Our breaths tangled together.
Something stirred in my chest that I'd never felt before.
He started out gentle.
Then he just pulled me onto his lap.
The cold, composed Alessio Holt slowly caught fire. Lost control.
Turns out he could be this intense.
When we finally stopped, I was gasping for air.
He held me against his chest. Both of us trying to breathe.
His lips brushed my ear. His hand traced my back.
Soothing. But also... hungry.
Our hearts pounding. So close.
Even later, when I was soaking in the bathtub at home, I was still thinking about that kiss.
My phone buzzed. Snapped me out of it.
I opened my burner account.
Killian and Xavier had been blowing it up.
Killian: [Babe babe babe, you've been ignoring me for two hours and six minutes. ? Say something.]
[I wanna meet you. Actually, there's something I never told you... my family is kinda loaded. Like, REALLY loaded.]
[Like, top 5 richest in Manhattan. Not tryna flex, but I can afford to marry you.]
Xavier: [Babe, let's finally meet IRL. Okay, fine, I'll come clean... I'm a low-key trust-fund kid.]
[Whatever you want, I can give you. Dump your fiancé and marry me.]
An idea hit me.
They want to meet in person?
Fine. I'll send someone else. Let them crash and burn.
