Page 43 of Undercover Billionaire

She took another step, stopped as a light tune rang. “Lucky that didn’t happen five minutes from now,” she murmured as she grasped her phone. Only as her finger hovered over the silent button, the name flashed on the screen. She paused. Why was the Actor’s Association calling?

Perhaps it was about the officiant Drake hired. He didn’t say he secured one from his company, but it made sense. She connected the call. “This is Kaitlyn.”

"Good afternoon, Ms. Owens," the woman spoke in a no-nonsense tone. "I’m following up on our service. The Actors Association takes business very seriously, and we were disappointed we couldn’t fulfill your needs. Only we were confused after our actor returned to the office. You said he wasn't easy-going, but he said you didn't even talk to him."

A seed of apprehension sparked, simmering confusion in her chest. "What do you mean he returned to the office?"

"He came back after you turned him away.” The woman didn’t hesitate. “He’s already on another job."

"That can’t be the same man." More silence, as the apprehension ignited into unmistakable dread. "Even though he didn’t meet my specifications, I kept him. Drake Alexander is my actor."

"Who?”

"Drake Alexander," Kaitlyn said slowly. “The actor you sent.”

"We do not employ an actor by that name," the woman sniffed. “Leroy was assigned to your case."

This couldn’t be happening.Perhaps Drake had a stage name, like some authors had pen names. She described his physical characteristics, yet the woman denied her once more, "We do not have anyone with that description. Leroy is thin and small, mostly bald.”

Kaitlyn opened her mouth, but no words came out. Yet her mind raced, as the description pinged a memory, of a man standing outside her door, the morning after the storm. He’d said he was there for her, but Drake had distracted her with a kiss, and then an unlikely excuse.

Only what if the distraction had been for a purpose? What if Drake knew the man was the real actor? As confusion turned to clarity, suspicion to reality, the truth burned with undeniable starkness. Drake was not an actor.

And if he wasn’t an actor…

Who was he?

"I’m so sorry. I have to go." Kaitlyn hung up the phone without a word more, as her heart slammed against her chest, stealing the breath from her lungs. She emerged into a packed room, decorated in white chiffon, cut crystal chandeliers and a thousand dreams. Her mother gave the cue, and suddenly she was gliding on a rose petal-covered aisle, scented by lavender and wildflowers, with Canon in D Major playing in the background. She did not hear a single note, however, as one person captured her entire focus, the man who had stolen her heart, the stranger who waited for her at the end of the path.

She did not walk down the aisle.She ran.Drake stood under a gardenia-lined canopy, tall, proud and breathtaking in a full tuxedo. In seconds she reached him, as his woodsy scent overtook her, the power of the towering man engulfing her. She stared at him, and he at her, as his smile faded. Like a darkening sky before a storm, his expression transformed from happiness to concern to suspicion. She grasped his arm and pulled.

For a second, he stood fast, but then he followed her lead while the guests watched in astonishment. They burst into the bridal suite, surrounded by mirrored reflections, jacquard plush seating and gleaming silver adornments. Kaitlyn locked the door behind them, then pivoted. There were a million things she could say, a thousand questions to ask and a hundred accusations he deserved. In the end, a single question emerged, “Who are you?”

He did not ask what she meant. Did not deny the truth that no longer needed to be said. Instead, understanding transformed his features, as he straightened into a man so different than the assistant or even the actor-for-hire he portrayed. It was all the confirmation she needed.

The man she loved was an imposter.

"I can explain."

"Who are you?" She stood taller, glared. “I deserve to know.”

Drake – or whoever he was – didn't hesitate. "My name is Cameron Drake. I run a multibillion-dollar law firm in New York, and before this week I hadn't acted since my award-winning second grade performance in Little Red Riding Hood. I'm pretty well known in my field, and even a bit outside of it, which is why so many people recognized me."

Oh. My. Goodness.He was famous?Words were an impossible feat, as he pressed on, "I was driving home from a business trip when the storm made it too dangerous to remain on the road. I needed shelter and saw your shop from the street. When you mistook me for your actor, something compelled me to go along with it, to pretend to be the actor you thought I was.”

He glanced away. “I should have told you. There were a hundred times I almost did. Yet the thought of leaving became more and more difficult until I finally realized what my heart had been telling me since the moment we met.” He paused, breathed out. A thousand forevers passed. "I love you."

“What?” she breathed. It couldn't be true. This man was a billionaire who led a national juggernaut. He was a celebrity, known around the world. Beyond their differences, they had only met a few days ago. It was impossible.

And yet somehow she believed it.

He loved her. Despite everything that had happened, everything thatwashappening, it was going to be all right. They were going to be all right, because…

She loved him, too.

For so long she had fought it, but she could no longer challenge fate's will. Her love was instinctual, elemental, beyondsubstantial. His identity did not change what she loved about him. He was still a good man, kind, brave and compassionate, the man with whom she had fallen in love. There was only one thing left to say, "I love you, too."

For a moment, Drake – Cameron – did not say anything. In the next, he was moving toward her. She did not think as she jumped into the arms of the man she knew so well, if not his name, the true person. Neither his name nor his profession mattered. It didn’t matter how big his bank account was or how many people read about him on the Internet. She loved him.

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