The Stand-In Heiress

In my third year of playing the surrogate for my fiancé’s "girl-bro," she finally returned. The moment Harper saw me, she let out a cold, condescending scoff. "Carter, is this really your taste? She’s my replacement? Does she have half my chill? How could a painted doll like her ever be one of the guys?" Carter’s brow furrowed immediately. "Harper, watch your mouth. Chloe is my fiancée, and we’re getting married soon. She’s nothing like you—she was never meant to be my 'bro.'" My expression darkened on the spot. If I’m a man, why the hell couldn't I be his bro? Hearing me mutter that I was a guy, Carter pointed at my chest, exasperated. "Chloe, are you out of your mind? If you’re a man, what are those?" I looked down at the soft curves of my chest, completely dazed. Wait... hadn't my parents spent my entire life telling me I was a man? "Carter, can't you see she's totally nuts? She’s not even in your league." While Carter and I were locked in a staring contest, Harper stepped up, her face twisted with irritation. I seized the moment and spoke up. "Miss Miller is totally right. I’m not in Carter’s league, and I don't deserve to be your stand-in. I'll take my leave now." With a casual wave, I turned on my heel and walked out like a boss. By the time they snapped out of it, I had already vanished into thin air. When I got home, I told my parents that Carter was actually in love with me. They practically wept tears of joy. "Really? Carter actually fell for you?!" Seeing the greedy excitement in their eyes, I frowned. "Why are you so happy? I’m a man, and Carter is a man too!" Hearing this, my parents sighed with sheer exhaustion. "Chloe, what kind of psychotic episode are you having now? How on earth are you a man?" I looked down at my hourglass figure again. Sure, I looked like a woman, but wasn't I supposed to be a man? If I wasn't, why had they drilled it into my head since childhood: ‘Chloe, you’re the only man in this household. You have to carry this family, do you hear me?’ They were the ones who brainwashed me into believing I was the son. They even screamed at me whenever I sat down to pee. Now that I had finally accepted being a man just like they wanted, why were they pissed off? Humans really are impossible to please. Thinking of this, I scoffed coldly. "Whatever. I’m not marrying Carter." I turned around and headed straight to my bedroom. I was planning on taking a nap, but Carter’s call blew up my phone. I hit decline without hesitation. A few minutes later, my parents rushed in with their own phone, looking panicked. "Answer it right now!" Seeing their terrified expressions, I didn’t need to guess who was on the line. I frowned, taking the phone. "What do you want?" "Get over to the downtown VIP lounge. That commercial project your parents have been begging for? I’ll hand it over to the Vance family." "Promise?" "Hurry your ass over here." I knew Carter was a man of his word, so I happily threw on some clothes and headed out. The moment I stepped into the private room, I saw it was packed with his usual clique. A huge banner hung across the wall: 【Welcome Back to Our Bro, Harper!】 "Haven't seen you guys in years, but none of you forgot our pact, right?" Harper smirked arrogantly at the crowd. The guys chimed in eagerly. "Of course not!" "Good. So it's settled—no ditching your bros just because you got yourself a girl." As she spoke, Harper's gaze locked onto Carter's face. Those words were meant entirely for him. Before Carter could even reply, I kicked the door open, completely ruining the mood. "Well, well. If it isn't my replacement 'girl-bro.' Didn't you swear you’d never marry Carter, Miss Vance? Regretting it now? Typical woman—always saying one thing and meaning another." The next second, I stepped forward and ripped Harper’s top clean off. Staring at her lacy bra, I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Aren't you supposed to be his bro? Why do you have boobs? And why are you wearing lace lingerie? I thought only women wore this crap.""Chloe Vance, you’ve gone too far!" The guys who worshiped Harper immediately exploded, yelling at me in outrage. Looking at them, you’d think they wanted to tear me apart with their bare teeth. I completely ignored them and kept my eyes on Carter. The moment our eyes met, he stood up and walked toward me. In an instant, the room went dead silent. Carter seemed thoroughly satisfied with their reaction. He turned to me with an amused smile. "Happy now?" I shrugged. "If your little precious gets upset, it's totally my bad." Seeing this, Carter immediately started apologizing to me, every word putting his devotion and obsession on full display. I was already used to it, but everyone else in the room looked like their jaws were about to drop through the floor. They had always assumed I was just Harper’s cheap knockoff. Yet here Carter was, acting like I was his entire world. "Carter, did you forget Chloe is just a business arrangement?" someone couldn't help blurt out. "You and Harper are the match made in heaven!" Carter laughed dismissively. "Stop messing around. Harper and I are just good friends. Right, Harper?" He looked straight at Harper as he spoke. His eyes held zero romantic interest. Pure, platonic indifference. I could practically hear Harper’s heart shattering into tiny pieces. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud, while Harper forced an agonizing smile onto her face. "Of course... we're best friends. But your little fiancée seems to hate my guts." "Carter, don't forget—bros before hoes." As Harper spoke, she had already closed the distance between herself and Carter. She leaned in, deliberately pressing her chest against him. Unfortunately for her, Carter had seen it all. Seeing her act so cheap didn't turn him on; it only grossed him out. "Harper, put your clothes back on. Chloe was just messing around, but why are you acting like trash?" Hearing that, Harper forced a bitter laugh. "Hey, what’s your problem? Your fiancée wanted to check out my chest, so I gave her a show. What's wrong with that?" Seeing Harper try to turn my words back on me, I pushed it even further without an ounce of shame. "Can I see what's between your legs too, then? Up top you definitely look like a bro, but I’d really love to double-check down below." In that split second, I swear Harper looked ready to murder me. Come on, I thought. Lose your temper. Throw a fit and kick me out. But Harper had terrifying patience. She actually sucked it in and smiled sweetly at Carter. "He's seen it before. Why don't you ask him?" "Harper, cut the bullshit. When have I ever seen you naked?" Carter snapped at her coldly, then turned to me, his voice laced with panic. "Chloe, I swear to God, we’ve never done anything like that." The room was stunned once again. To them, I was just a corporate pawn. A stand-in. But now, Carter was treating me like fragile glass. And honestly, that was my biggest headache. I was a man—how was I supposed to break that to him? After debating it back and forth, I looked at Carter with utter seriousness. "Carter, I'm a man." "Enough! Chloe, how much longer are you going to torture me with this nonsense?!"Me? Torturing him? Talk about playing the victim. I guess three years really can change a person. I still remembered the day we met for our arranged marriage. He had looked down his nose at me, gripping my chin with sheer contempt. "To me, you're nothing more than a guy. Don't go catching feelings for me, understand?" "The only person in my heart is Harper." Those two lines had completely shattered whatever little hope I had in him. Back then, I had naively thought that since we were going to spend our lives together, maybe we could try to make it work. I had even hoped Carter could be the knight who rescued me from my suffocating family. Turns out, he was just like my parents. They all wanted me to be a man. So fine, I became the man they wanted. Why was he throwing a tantrum now, just like my parents? Men are so damn confusing. "Carter, I'm not torturing you. You’re the one who said Harper is the only one in your heart." "I'm literally doing you a favor here." I smiled, sliding the contract right in front of him. "I showed up like you asked. You're not going back on your word, are you, Mr. Hayes?" "You..." Carter stared at the contract, his patience snapping. "Aren't you afraid I'll actually end up with Harper?" "Whoa, leave me out of this," Harper piped up quickly, playing innocent. "Don't make it look like I'm the reason you two are fighting." Please. She was practically drooling at the thought of claiming him. I raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Drop the act. You’re dying to hop into bed with him right this second." "Why you—" "Fine!" Harper snapped, but before she could finish, Carter pulled her right into his arms. "We're heading to a hotel right now. Don't you dare regret this, Chloe." "Sign the contract first." I waved the paper right in his face. Seeing that I didn't give a single damn about his threats, Carter was genuinely enraged this time. With a furious stroke of his pen, he scribbled his signature across the page. "Thank you, Mr. Hayes. Can I swing by tomorrow to get the corporate stamp?" "Be my guest!" Once Carter agreed, I even made him call his secretary on speaker to confirm the instructions. Only after ticking every box did I tuck the contract away, completely satisfied. "Since you two are heading to a hotel, want me to book the suite for you?" I offered with a relaxed smile. Carter’s face was darker than a thundercloud. Right in front of me, he leaned down and kissed Harper on the lips. While they were tangled in an intense make-out session, I turned around to leave. Suddenly, Carter broke away and rushed over to block my path. "Do you really not care at all?!" "Carter, you've reminded me of our boundaries a million times. I've finally memorized them." "Chloe, I..." Carter opened his mouth, looking torn, but the words died in his throat. Because our girl-bro jumped right back into the spotlight. "Come on, Carter, let me ask you: what about Chloe is 'cool' or 'chill'? She's a manipulative, two-faced snake, and you're still coddling her?” “You guys are just an arranged match. If you let her control you now, your whole life is going to be miserable." Harper sneered at me. "Don't take it to heart, honey. A little kiss between best friends is no big deal. If you make a scene over this, you're going to lose Carter for good." "He's all yours." I left them with a sweet, cryptic smile and walked out into the night. When I got home, I slept like a baby. First thing the next morning, I met with Carter's secretary. Once the contract was officially stamped, I raced back to my family's firm to execute the deal. Right on cue, my parents started spamming my phone. "What the hell happened?! The tabloids are saying Carter checked into a hotel with Harper last night! Is that true?!""Let me tell you, Chloe, if you ruin this alliance with Carter, don't blame us for—" "Cut the crap," I interrupted coldly. "That mega-project you two failed to close for years? I just signed it. Our company’s market cap has officially surpassed the Hayes Group." "Wait... really?!" My father’s disbelieving gasp echoed through the speaker. I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. I always knew they never gave a damn about me—only the business. Ever since their health deteriorated, they had reluctantly handed the reins over to me, but they held me to standards ten times harsher than they ever held themselves. Even though I hit every milestone and broke profit records year after year, I had never once heard a word of praise. Whenever they needed to use me, they’d say: ‘You’re the man of this house. Step up and take responsibility.’ But the second they wanted to belittle me, they’d sneer: ‘Just a useless woman. What do you know?’ Those words came from my own flesh and blood. How sane was I supposed to turn out? "From now on, Carter can sleep with whoever he wants. The Vance family won't suffer either way. If you keep nagging me, I swear I’ll burn this entire company to the ground." "Okay, okay! We won't say another word!" Over the past few years, they had witnessed my ruthless streak. They knew my threats weren't empty, and they backed off immediately. Once I was sure they wouldn't harass me anymore, I hung up. To my surprise, Harper sent me a friend request on SnapChat. I accepted it. I wanted to see what kind of garbage she was planning to pull. Unsurprisingly, she went straight into the gutter. She sent me a short video of the two of them tangled in bed sheets, quickly unsent it, and then typed: 【Oops, wrong chat! I just wanted to ask—are you coming to pick Carter up?】 【Busy.】 I replied. I didn't look at my phone after that, but Harper spammed me with 99+ notifications. The girl was truly relentless. I skimmed through her messages without really caring. Her point was crystal clear. Summed up in one sentence: 【Carter is mine. Always has been, always will be.】 I sent back a thumbs-up emoji: 【Yup. Keep him.】 After that day, Carter didn't contact me once. Instead, he and Harper were spotted together everywhere in public. The rumors flew wild, with everyone speculating that our engagement was officially dead in the water. Reporters even asked Harper directly, and she just blushed demurely. "I’ll leave that decision to Carter." I knew Carter was waiting for me to crawl back and apologize. But why the hell would I apologize? I didn't love him. In three years, I had turned myself into the most powerful executive at Vance Group. Nobody could touch my position now. Why would I degrade myself for a man? Two weeks later, the day of our scheduled engagement party arrived. Carter finally deigned to call me. "Your parents are already here. You better hurry up." I was about to say, ‘The engagement is off,’ but he hung up before I could finish. Fine. I guess I'd have to break the news in person. The moment I walked into the grand ballroom, I saw Harper with her arms wrapped around Carter’s neck. "Hey, bestie... you're about to get engaged to that woman. Are you really going to abandon me forever?" "I’m pregnant with your baby now. You don't actually expect me to get an abortion, do you?" "I mean, I don't care, but your parents are dying for a grandchild." Harper looked at Carter with big, teary eyes. Carter looked like he was being torn in two on a torture rack. Seeing this ridiculous circus, I sighed, walked up to the stage, and snatched the microphone from the host's hand. "What's there to hesitate about? She’s carrying your child—you two should just get engaged right now!" "As for me, the little stand-in? It's about time I step down." My voice boomed through the speakers, echoing into every corner of the hall. Amidst the stunned silence of the high-society crowd, I gave Harper a polite, inviting gesture. "Well? Isn't our leading lady going to take the stage?" Harper’s eyes lit up, and she took a step forward. But Carter stepped right in front of her, cutting her off, and marched straight toward me. "Chloe Vance! Who the hell said you were a stand-in?! You’re the only one I love. You’ve never been a replacement for anyone!" Oh? Did I just get upgraded to the main character?