Swapped Destiny: Pampered By The Cold CEO

Chloe walked up the polished oak stairs, the sound of her flat shoes muted by the wool runner.

From the second-floor sitting room, Kanesha's voice drifted through the half-open door, honey-sweet and dripping with fake adoration.

"Of course I missed you, baby," Kanesha purred into her phone, her speakerphone turned on full blast. "I took care of everything. Chloe backed down like the coward she is. The spot next to you is officially mine."

From the speaker, Jaylon Holcomb's voice came through, smooth and carefully modulated, just like his movie trailers.

"You made the right move, Kanesha," Jaylon said softly. "Augustus Collins is a broken freak. You wouldn't have lasted a week under his rules. With me, you'll be on every red carpet in Los Angeles by next month. I'm introducing you to a Warner executive at the party on Friday."

"You're the best, Jaylon," Kanesha giggled, applying a thick layer of lavender cuticle oil to her nails. "I gave up a billionaire for you. You better treat me like a queen."

Chloe stepped into the doorway, leaning her shoulder against the frame. She folded her arms, watching Kanesha with a look of pure, detached amusement.

Jaylon's voice hesitated over the line when the Collins name was mentioned again. "Don't worry about Augustus. The man can't even stand in a crowded room without having a panic attack. You're safe with me."

"I'll see you tomorrow night at the hotel," Kanesha said, tapping the red button to end the call.

When she looked up and saw Chloe standing in the shadows, her smile vanished instantly. She slapped the phone face-down onto the velvet cushion beside her.

"What are you doing skulking around my door?" Kanesha snapped, sitting up straight. "Are you that desperate to hear a real man talk to his woman?"

Chloe walked slowly into the room, her footsteps steady and deliberate.

She stopped three feet away, looking down at Kanesha. Her expression was devoid of anger, showing only cold pity.

"Did you really think you won something today, Kanesha?" Chloe asked quietly.

Kanesha gave a sharp, mocking laugh. "I won Jaylon. The most desired man in Hollywood. What did you get? A paranoid lunatic who won't even let you breathe his air."

Chloe tilted her head, taking one step closer until she was towering over the chaise lounge.

"When you were scrolling through his private photos last night," Chloe whispered, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp register, "did you notice the surgical scar along his left lower ribcage?"

Kanesha froze, her fingers clutching the edge of her silk robe.

"He takes massive doses of synthetic hormones just to maintain that lean physique and keep his energy up for twelve-hour shoots," Chloe continued, her tone clinical and merciless. "The side effect is complete organ dysfunction. The man is entirely impotent."

Kanesha's face turned gray. "You're lying. You're just jealous because he chose me."

"He built a pristine image around being an old-fashioned gentleman who believes in waiting for marriage," Chloe said, watching Kanesha's eyes dart wildly. "It isn't virtue, Kanesha. It's a cover story to hide the fact that he physically can't perform, and that three separate male hedge fund managers in Manhattan pay his mortgage."

"Shut up!" Kanesha shrieked, springing up from the lounge. "Shut your mouth, Chloe! You're making this up because you got stuck with a cripple!"

"Believe whatever helps you sleep tonight," Chloe said calmly, adjusting the cuff of her sweater. "Your name is on his registry papers now. You're the one who has to spend every night pretending he's a prize."

Kanesha grabbed a heavy crystal perfume bottle from the side table and hurled it with all her strength.

Chloe stepped aside. The bottle shattered against the wooden floorboards, splashing strong tuberose scent and broken glass across the rug.

Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway, and Rhonda appeared in the doorway, her eyes flashing with fury. "What is going on in here? Kanesha, you have an audition taping tomorrow! Stop screaming!"

"Mom! She's making up disgusting lies about Jaylon!" Kanesha cried, throwing herself into Rhonda's arms with immediate, theatrical tears.

Rhonda glared at Chloe with open disgust. "Get to your room, Chloe. The Collins legal representative will be here at dawn. If you cause one more problem in this house, I'll have the police remove you myself."

Chloe didn't waste a single breath arguing. She turned on her heel and walked down the dim corridor to her small bedroom at the end of the hall.

She shut the door, turning the brass lock until it clicked into place.

The room was spartan: a twin bed, a single wardrobe, and an old oak desk beneath the window.

Chloe sat at the desk, unlocked the bottom drawer, and pulled out a thick, leather-bound notebook. She flipped through the pages, reviewing the handwritten diagrams of Collins Consolidated's offshore holding structures, board faction rivalries, and the pending regulatory filings for their renewable energy acquisitions.

Everything she had learned in her previous life was intact.

She picked up a red pen and drew a clean circle around the name Augustus Collins.

Downstairs, the front door slammed, followed by the rumble of an engine pulling out of the gravel driveway. Kanesha was rushing out into the night, desperate to confirm whether the horror story she had just heard was true.