Mistletoe Miracle

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The following morning, Serenity woke up to the silence of her tiny apartment. The air, usually thick with the low-grade anxiety of overdue bills, felt strangely light. On her nightstand, her phone—a five-year-old model with a cracked screen—buzzed with relentless urgency.

It was Brandt, Evan Sterling’s assistant.

9:03 AM: (Text) Good morning, Ms. Chase. As per Mr. Sterling’s instruction, please confirm receipt of the initial briefing documents. The first installment of your retainer has been digitally transferred and should be instantly accessible.

9:03 AM: (Attachment) SterlingCorp_HeliosTech_MergerBriefing.pdf

9:03 AM: (Attachment) Key_Family_Names_and_Biographies.docx

9:03 AM: (Attachment) Corporate_Calendar_Next_2_Weeks.xlsx

Serenity stared at the screen. The notification from her bank was also there: a five-figure deposit that made her knees weak, confirming the absurdity of the previous night. She felt the crushing shame of taking the money, but it was quickly overshadowed by the profound relief it offered for her father’s care.

She had a job to do, a performance to deliver for her father’s peace.

9:05 AM: (Text) Received, Brandt. Thank you. I’m starting my preparation now.

9:06 AM: (Text) Excellent. Please prepare for a fitting at 4:00 PM today. Mr. Sterling prefers you attend the Sterling Corp Anniversary Gala on Friday dressed to a specific standard. The location details for the fitting are attached.

9:07 AM: (Text) I… I can’t. I have the double shift at work today.

Serenity held her breath, waiting for the inevitable withdrawal of the "mutually beneficial retainer".

9:08 AM: (Text) Your shift was cancelled and compensated. Mr. Sterling assumes full control of your schedule for the duration of this arrangement. He requires your full, undivided commitment to the narrative. See you at four.

He wasn't asking; he was commanding. He had purchased her time, her commitment, and the right to transform her. Serenity put the phone down, her stomach tight. She was now fully immersed in the high-stakes, high-wire act Evan had described.

The fitting location wasn't a*****e; it was a sleek, minimalist Manhattan penthouse repurposed as a styling studio. A kind but formidable woman named Giselle greeted her.

“Ms. Chase,” Giselle said, circling Serenity once, her gaze sharp and analytical. “Evan was… succinct. He said to curate a presence that is ‘genuine, sophisticated, and utterly disarming’. We’re aiming for the ‘sweet girl next door’ who happens to hold a Master’s in Art History. The anti-Talia Vance.” Serenity looked confused, but nodded regardless.

For the next two hours, Serenity was introduced to a wardrobe that represented several years of her waitress salary. She tried on dresses that felt like silk water, shoes that were architectural feats, and jewelry that sparkled like miniature constellations. It wasn’t about being flashy; it was about being refined.

But the garment that defined the transformation was the charcoal-gray cashmere blazer.

“Try this on,” Giselle instructed, holding up a blazer in a rich, dark charcoal—the exact shade of the sweater Evan wore.

Serenity slipped into it. The texture, the one she’d only felt on a customer’s sleeve, was luxurious and weighty. The cut was precise and flawless, immediately giving her posture a structural authority she’d never known. She looked in the mirror and saw a stranger: poised, powerful, and utterly out of place.

“Now, that,” Giselle murmured, stepping back. “That is the armor of stability. You look like you could negotiate a hostile merger one minute, and volunteer at a soup kitchen the next.”

Serenity touched the fine, soft cashmere. It wasn't cheap. It was expensive, and it was the costume of her deception.

That evening, back in her apartment, Serenity sat on her worn sofa, a mug of instant coffee cooling beside her. She ignored the mountain of bills on her counter and opened the briefing materials. She had to become the person Evan wanted her to be.

She dove into the world of Sterling Corp.

Helios Tech: A renewable energy start-up Evan was acquiring, a move he was making to demonstrate corporate responsibility to his grandmother.

The Grandmother, Eleanor: A matriarch described as "a hawk" with "old-fashioned" values, who believed stability was the key to legacy. Serenity had to convince her that Evan had a ‘genuine’ partner who valued quiet things.

The Merger Valuation: $4.2 Billion.

Serenity spent her night learning the language of billions. She studied names, read financial summaries, and memorized the talking points on Helios Tech’s green energy impact.

At 11:30 PM, her phone rang. It wasn't Brandt. Serenity furrowed her brows and ignored the call because she typically didn’t answer unknown numbers. However, no sooner did she put the phone down to continue studying for her new role did her phone rang again. She ignored it onc more, but it called again.

“Ugh…” Serenity grumbled and answered this time around. “Hello?”

“Serenity? It’s Leo.”

“I’m sorry, who?” Serenity was confused.

“I’m Evan’s best friend.”

“Oh… Um, hi, Leo. Evan’s mentioned you,” Serenity said, her voice dropping to a professional whisper. He is one of the key players on the family list.

“Look, I need to talk to you about Evan,” Leo said, his voice low and frantic. “He just told me he cancelled Talia, and that you’re the ‘replacement.’ I’m confused. I paid the agency for Talia. Who are you?”

Serenity’s blood ran cold. Talia? Agency? This was the second time she heard the name Talia.

“I… I’m Serenity Chase,” she stammered, pulling the charcoal blazer tighter around her shoulders. “I met Evan through my father. He—he set up the date.”

“No, no, that’s not right,” Leo insisted. “Evan hired Talia through a discreet agency. She was supposed to be a caricature, a gold-digger, a deterrent for his grandmother. He was paying her to pretend to be his fiancée to secure his inheritance. He paid the agency ten thousand dollars. You were never supposed to be the actual date! You were supposed to be the perfect, expensive lie.”

The two opposing lies that built their arrangement suddenly collided with a devastating impact.

Serenity was thunderstruck. Evan wasn't paying her to be a stable partner for his family. He was paying her to be a high-level imposter to secure his billion-dollar inheritance. Her father's well-meaning pilgrimage had delivered her directly into a corporate trap.

She wasn't the sweet girl he had to pretend to love; she was the masterful, brilliantly calculated deception he had hired and paid for.

“Leo,” Serenity whispered, her voice barely audible. “Did you say ten thousand dollars was for the actress?”

“Yes! A two-week retainer,” Leo confirmed. “But you told him you weren’t doing it for the money. Evan said you have ‘beautiful audacity’.”

Serenity closed her eyes, clutching the cashmere. She hadn't been honest either. She had accepted the money, telling herself it was kindness. But Evan’s ‘kindness’ was a cold, business transaction. She was a tool, a means to an end.

He’s examining me. The look in his eyes wasn’t flattering; it was analytical.

“Serenity? Are you there?”

“I’m here,” Serenity said, her voice now sharp and clear. She was still utterly confused as to where such a mix-up had happened, but she couldn’t change it now. Either her father made a mistake and set her up with the wrong person, Evan lied to her from the get-go, or she made the mistake and met the wrong person. However, it didn’t matter anymore. She stood up, the authority of the borrowed blazer giving her a sudden, fierce backbone.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Leo. But all I know is that my father set me up with a date, and I met Evan. Whatever agreement you, this agency, and Evan had has nothing to do with me.”

“But it does. Because you’re not the one Evan paid for!” Leo shouted.

“I’m sorry, Leo, but the fact of the matter is, he did pay, and now I’ll do what Evan needs me to do. So, you can tell Evan that the replacement is ready. I’ll see him at the Gala on Friday.”

The desperation of a selfless daughter had just solidified into the cold resolve of a professional imposter. She had taken his money, and now, she would deliver the performance of her life.