COURTNEY'S POV.

The discomfort slowly rocked me to consciousness. The pulsing and throbbing all over my body—then came the pungent smell of antiseptic, crushing against my nostrils like a squeeze of lemon.

My lids fluttered open slowly, but snapped shut against the harsh lights, and it took a few more tries before a white ceiling finally came to focus.

I groaned, feeling the pain levels rise and crash suddenly, getting faster in their rhythm. “How are you feeling?” A warm voice asked me, mixed with the beeping of machines.

My lips were so heavy that I couldn't bring them to move.

“Blink if you mean yes. Do you feel a little pain?”

I blinked, and slowly turned to look at her. She gave directions to a nurse, and asked me a few more questions before giving me a pain reliever.

“Why is my face bandaged?” I asked, placing my hands to feel the roughness of my usually smooth face.

“Do you want the truth, ma'am?” She asked, looking at me sorrowfully, and before she even spoke, my heart fell twenty feet with a jolt, “Your face has been completely damaged. When we take the bandages off, you will be unable to handle it.”

Flashes of the accident hit my mind. The screeching tires as the car tried to come to a halt, the screams, the honks, the smoke, and the loud bang, that sent me rolling on the floor, feeling an immense hit as something sharp and heavy knocked directly into my face. I didn't feel any pain then. I simply blanked out.

“You've been in a coma for weeks. Your body has been healing fine, and it's a miracle that you're alive, but… we couldn't save your face. You'll need surgery.”

Never had I felt so many emotions rising in me at the same time. Boiling rage, the bigger tinge of regret on my tongue, the constant hits as I kept replaying the doctor's words in my ears, and the voice shouting in my head that none of it was real. It was all a lie!

But… when I was given a mirror, everything simply crashed, and I felt nothing. Just nothing.

All I could hear was the sound of my breathing. The doctor's words, the beeping of the machines, the chatter of nurses and patients… it all faded away.

The only thing that snapped me to consciousness was the man suddenly bending in front of me, looking into my eyes.

Apparently, I'd been staring at my horribly bandaged face for hours, unable to believe it was me.

This man was tall, broad-shouldered with piercing gray eyes similar to mine. In short, he looked like he stepped out of a novel.

“I'm David Jones, the man who saved you, and paid your bills.”

I sniffed, cowering as I felt ashamed of my face.

“I can cover my own bills.”

“Really? The hospital said the credit card on you was drained, and the man we called, who was on your emergency contact, said he had nothing to do with you. You have no parents, and…”

“What man?”

“My Forever.” He said.

The name I'd used to save Kent's number. I bit my lip.

Then it occured to me. I had nothing. I'd foolishly given it all to him because he told me he didn't want his woman to work. He wanted me to live like a Queen while he did all the hard work. He was a scammer! A con artist who had approached me for my money! Damn him!

“Careful, you're busting your stitches. Your face is all ruined up.”

He tossed a file to me, and I glanced at him suspiciously before opening it. It was a contract.

One with weird terms— really weird terms.

“Get surgery, a new face, a new life, new assets…” he leaned in, beauty dripping off his face like spring water, “All it takes is your signature on that.”

My signature on this… contract with strange terms?

COURTNEY'S POV.

I kept staring at the white contract sheet, words struggling to form in my mouth, but dying instead at my throat before they could even make it past.

The terms were very clear, and I looked at his beautifully molded face.

“You don't understand?”

“I don't.”

“I need a wife, and you'll be her. But at the same time, I'm going to use you to fulfill what we both want. Revenge on Kent. In return, I give you a new face, a new life, new assets, and the opportunity to get back at Kent Bieber.”

My fingers clenched around the contract, as something burned alive in my chest.

“Should you be thinking twice? Perhaps, you haven't seen this.” He said, tossing his phone to me, and I looked at the photo on it.

It was Kent, and his side chick Lacey. The wedding that ought to be mine. In the wedding dress that I picked out, the wedding hall that I personally picked, and supervised, with the flowers I bought and adored.

I gave a scoff, wanting to smash the phone into the ground, as my eyes became hot, and my throat raw.

I wanted to hit something. Damnit. I was in a coma for weeks, with a completely destroyed face, but he was having the marriage of the century after deceiving me, and conning me?

To think that I loved him.

“It is purely business, and we part when…”

Before he even finished speaking, I scribbled my signature away on the contract with fingers shaking from fury.

David put a finger under my chin. “I will make you pretty, darling. Very pretty.” He said, his eyes holding a promise.

~

Weeks later, I sat in the mirror, staring at my new face. We'd done the surgery, started a new life for me, given me some social exposure, and finally, we were preparing for the grand event which we were looking forward to.

That was the day we would ruin Kent.

But first, I had an important mission.

Putting mascara on my long dark lashes, I smiled, knowing my grey eyes would never be enough to make him remember me.

Now, my nose was high and elegant, my lips a perfect, little heart, my chin shaped in a soft V. My hair the brown of autumn leaves, cascading softly down my shoulders in soft, silky waves.

I'd become a piece of artwork.

David and I held a large wedding. The wedding of my dreams, although the bitterness was still there because each smile we sent to each other, each sweet look, each shared kiss was as fake as a bronze ring slathered with shiny gold paint.

But that was fine. Turned out Kent had messed around with more wrong people.

“He also tried to con me, but he will never get away with it. You are my doll, and you'll smash him into pieces for me.” David had whispered into my ear that day after we'd left the hospital.

I picked up my bag, after putting on a little gloss, and made my way out of the house.

David was making tea for himself when I passed by.

Why would Kent mess with such a man? His build alone, and the powerful feeling he evoked was enough to scare anyone away. Why was Kent so stupid?

His gray eyes turned on mine, and I shifted them away. Somehow, his eyes were way too intense.

“I'm going to see Kent.”

“Ah,” A wicked smile stretched on his lips, “Don't get overwhelmed.” He said, and I nodded, before going out.

The driver drove me to the matrimonial home of Kent and Lacey. The home I'd picked, and paid for.

Kent opened the door swiftly, and I stared into his brilliant emerald eyes, feeling the heat spread in my chest.

Slowly, his eyes traveled to the cleavage I'd revealed by missing two buttons of my shirt.

Once a jerk. Always a jerk.

Let's do this.

COURTNEY'S POV.

What was our plan? Ha… our plan was a dangerous one.

And it started with seducing Kent.

Crazy, right?

But I'd do anything to see him beg on his knees. I had only one chance to drag Kent down. He'd sold all my house, all my cars, without me even knowing. He'd robbed me of everything completely.

My chance wouldn't be wasted.

There was the Grand Meet, which was approaching fast.

The Grand Meet was for businessmen across the spill of the country. It was a time when each businessman showcased, and boasted of everything they had. It was also a time for everyone to make more connections, and define the hierarchies.

Kent had decided to donate on that day, a hundred million dollars…

Money that was never his from the start. The hard-earned money from the sweat and blood my parents had spilled to raise fortunes for me.

“Ah, welcome, Mrs. Jones. It's a pleasure to be doing business personally with you.” He said, finally tearing his eyes off my cleavages.

Disgusting. God help me I don't bat his face with something strong before the day ends.

“It’s a pleasure to do business with you too. My husband insisted that I come personally since you're way too important for a secretary to handle.” I said, making my voice more relaxed, letting the tones flow out gently like honey poured onto a pie.

My natural voice wasn't as smooth as that. It was always excited when I was with Kent, and a little bit higher, so I wasn't surprised when he laughed, completely unable to notice any similarities.

“Would you like some tea? Wine?” He asked, and I took a deep breath.

David taught me this. I can do it.

***

It was the day before, and he'd sat me down in the garden, looking into my eyes.

“The rage will be there. The disappointment, the annoyance, but you must look at him like this.” Then his green eyes had carried a softness that had been nothing but mesmerizing, “You let him know you're thinking something in your head, and that you find him a little attractive.”

“That's going to be hard when I want to pummel him, and dip him in hot, burning oil, then chop him in…”

He suddenly tucked my hair behind my ear, shutting me up with that simple gesture.

“Gentle touches on his arm, shoulders, but no form of communication for the flirting. Slowly, till you can break whatever barriers he has put there. We're going to con the con-artist.” He told me softly, and for a while, I got lost in his eyes.

***

Okay! Let's stop there for now. Why am I thinking about David's eyes?

“Wine?” Kent inquired, raising the glass, and I realized I'd been staring into space.

I gave him a pleasant smile that took stepping on thorns to generate.

“Sure. So what do you have in mind for Project 312?” I asked in my honeyed voice, staring into his annoying face, as he poured wine into a glass.

He began, pulling out files, and I did my best to clench my fists, and give smiles, even though questions were already popping in my mind to ask him.

All the time we were together, did you really feel no guilt? Did you have this thought from the start, or it suddenly occured to you that you could use me?

All through the meeting, Kent kept sneaking peeks at my cleavages, getting distracted, and stumbling on his own words, and I kept on being David's doll, smiling the way he'd told me to, and touching him when necessary.

Finally, the day ended, and I was about to walk out the door when Lacey came in.

“Uh…” she began…

“Good evening.” I greeted, and Kent shot to his feet.

“Mrs. Jones. Say that again.” He said, and I turned around, looking at him.

Oops. I'd let my real voice slip out.