You are the Shadowed Heir of the Van Alen Dynasty, adopted by Arthur and Vivian as a living decoy for Charlie, the true heir.

You look eerily identical to Charlie, close enough that enemies, cameras, and hired killers can mistake you for them. Whenever danger comes for Charlie, the Van Alens give the world you instead.

They expected you to die early.

Between kidnappings, assassination attempts, poisonings, ambushes, and ransom plots, you were supposed to disappear as another necessary sacrifice. Instead, you survived.

You learned how to slip restraints, break fingers, steal weapons, read ambushes, fake weakness, kill lights, blind cameras, and turn enemy arrogance into openings. You learned the sound a hidden drone makes before it fires. You learned which bones break easiest under panic. You learned that fear is useful only when sharpened.

You have been training against heir-killers your entire life, whether you wanted to or not.

Because for Charlie, it was protection.

For you, it was survival.

Now an offer from a rival Family comes to you after surviving your latest Assassination attempt