A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity
Victorine Lieske
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Sneak Peek: A Deception of Massive Proportion
Chapter 1
Victorine’s T-shirt Shop
About the Author
Copyright © 2020 by Victorine E. Lieske
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Victorine E. Lieske
P.O.Box 493
Scottsbluff, NE 69363-0493
www.victorinelieske.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Chapter 1
A tune played, and somewhere in the back of Dani’s mind, she recognized it. It was a song she liked. Wait. It was her ringtone.
Her phone was ringing, and she needed to answer it. She rolled over and regretted it when her head felt like it split open. Ouch. What had happened last night? She hadn’t had anything other than soda to drink, had she? She wracked her brain, trying to remember.
She’d been out with Victoria and Steph. They’d had some fun, but she hadn’t had alcohol. Right? Because she knew better. Alcohol and she didn’t mix well. And she definitely didn’t need another fiasco like last time.
The tune stopped. Had she not found her phone yet? Maybe it would help if she opened her eyes. She squinted in the morning light. Then she blinked. Then panic hit.
This wasn’t her room.
Where was she? She wildly scanned the walls, looking for a clue as to where she was. It looked like a hotel room. A really fancy hotel room. With a deck and a…beach view? Had she gone somewhere last night?
Then recognition dawned on her, and she moaned. Yes. Victoria had convinced her they needed a girls’ night out. They’d taken her father’s jet to the Cayman Islands and booked a room at her favorite resort, the Diamond Oasis. Or, rather, the Billionaire Club. At least, that’s what her friends all called it.
But where had Victoria and Steph gone? Her phone rang again, and this time she spotted it on the desk across the room amid a mess of cosmetics. She stood and instantly regretted the decision when lightning zapped around in her head.
The music kept going, and she knew she had to answer. She staggered across the room and picked up her phone in the pink, diamond-studded case. Why was her makeup all over the desk? It looked like a child had come in and played with it, ruining everything.
Her muscles tensed as she looked at who was calling. It was her father’s assistant, Shelby. She gritted her teeth.
Seriously? She wanted to throw the phone, but it would only keep ringing, so she slid the bar and answered. “Hello?”
“What kind of drugs did you do last night?” Her words came out clipped. Mean. Accusatory. Like always.
Dani loathed everything about Shelby, and this didn’t help at all. “I didn’t do drugs last night. All I had was a Dr. Pepper.”
“Then maybe you can explain why I’m watching a video of you making a fool of yourself.”
Shelby’s words caused her mouth to dry, and her hands shook. “What?”
“You haven’t seen it? Heavens, girl, what is wrong with you?”
Dani might have been offended at that question if she’d been paying any attention, but she barely heard it. Her throat constricted, and she couldn’t get any air in her lungs. She hung up the phone, too distraught to deal with Shelby. And that’s when she caught her reflection in the mirror.
She gasped and clutched at her throat. Lipstick covered her mouth like a mad clown, a long line of it stretching out to the side, making her look like a serial killer. The rest of her face was a mess of mascara, eyeshadow, and blush, but not always in the right places. What the heck happened last night?
Dani ran to the bathroom, suddenly sick to her stomach. After retching and tossing up everything she’d eaten in the last week, she sat on the bathroom floor and put her head in her hands. Shelby had said there was a video.
How could that be? She swore she hadn’t taken anything. Even when Victoria had insisted, Dani had refused any alcohol. Right? Or had they worn her down? A deep foreboding filled her as she grabbed her phone and searched her name.
And that’s when she saw it. A thirty-minute video Victoria and Steph had taped of her obviously drunk. They giggled and encouraged her to make a tutorial about putting on makeup. Then Victoria asked her about Rafael. Dani froze as she watched herself spill the terrible details of what happened between her and Rafael Scavo.
Dani grew sick and threw up again. How did this happen? They must have convinced her to drink. Stupid. She was so adamant she was never going to do that again. How could they have done this to her? She’d trusted them.
She couldn’t breathe. This was so much worse than last time. Thirty minutes of her embarrassing herself, telling the world her secrets, and it already had over a million views. Her friends did this to her. Friends? Yeah, right. She’d been so naive. She didn’t have friends.
Shaking, Dani forced herself up and rummaged through her things until she found her makeup remover. It took fifteen minutes to get the junk off, and another half-hour to shower and make herself look halfway decent.
Her expensive makeup was totally ruined, so she couldn’t put any on. She hoped the large sunglasses she had would conceal that fact.
A wave of chest pain rose as she packed her things. What would happen when she left the room? Would anyone recognize her? Would she be mobbed like last time?
Her heart began to race, and she took in a calming breath. She was fine. She’d dealt with the paparazzi her whole life, being the daughter of Samuel Jordan, the famous actor. They were always lurking around the corner, ready to jump out and snap a photo of her. But she’d never had any problems at the Billionaire Club. It was hidden away on Grand Cayman, and exclusive enough that the paparazzi couldn’t get in. And most of the clientele didn’t want to be bothered, so the likelihood of anyone approaching her was slim.
But eventually, she would have to go out into public.
Her phone rang again, this time with her father’s ringtone. Oh, crap. He only called when he was furious. She tossed the last of her things into her suitcase and zipped it shut. Then she answered her phone.
“Daddy?”
“How could you have done this again, Dani? I thought you’d learned your lesson. Where are you?”
Tears stung her eyes as she tried to blink them back. Why was it always her fault? Didn’t it even cross his mind that maybe someone had done this to her? Manipulated her until they got what they wanted? “It was Victoria,�
�� she said, lamely trying to explain what happened.
“Where are you?” he repeated. He didn’t even care what happened. All he wanted to do was call and yell.
“Grand Cayman.”
He swore, and she flinched. “This is unacceptable, Danica Marie.”
Oh, no. He was wielding her middle name. So not good. “I’m sorry,” she said, resorting to begging him for mercy. “It won’t happen again.” She knew it wouldn’t because she was never going to trust anyone for the rest of her life.
“I’m tired of this. I don’t know what to do with you.”
She knew what he should do. Hide her away for a while. Her mind started reeling. Why was she packing up and leaving? She was in the best hideaway spot she knew. She could stay at the Billionaire Club until the story blew over, and people didn’t care about it anymore.
The more she thought, the better she liked the idea. “Maybe I need a vacation.”
“Your whole life has been a vacation.” He sounded like he was outside. The wind whistled against the microphone.
“What does that mean?”
“You need to learn to stand on your own two feet. I’ve coddled you.”
Coddled her? What was he talking about? He was never around. Maybe the nanny pampered her. But not him. “Please, I just need a week or two—”
“Danica,” he said, his voice firm. “You have to get yourself out of this mess. I’m not going to do this any longer. It’s time you learned how to handle life.”
This sounded bad. She shifted her weight, staring out the glass patio door. Maybe she could tug on his heartstrings. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” she whispered, knowing that always got him to soften up.
“No. You can’t worm your way out of this. I’ve made up my mind. You’re cut off.”
What did he mean, cut off? Like, from everything? Her panic heightened, and she couldn’t breathe again. “What?”
“You’re on your own. I’m canceling your credit cards. No more using my private jet. I’m done enabling you.”
Was he insane? Her skin tingled and she grew dizzy. He was taking everything away from her. She was stranded. “How will I get home?” Her voice sounded small to her own ears, like she was a cartoon character.
“You’re going to have to get a job.”
Breathe. She needed air. But no matter how much she tried to force it, no air would come into her lungs. She couldn’t even think straight. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Daddy, I—”
“I’m sorry. I have to go. I hope you know I’m doing this for your own good. I love you. Good-bye.” Her father hung up, and she stood there, listening to a dead phone.
Dani gasped as her world crumbled around her. No credit cards? No jet? And now she was stranded in a foreign country? How could her father do this to her?
Could this day get any worse?
* * *
Gripping the wrench, Austin eased himself down the step, feeling like a grandpa even though he was only twenty-seven. The weather was gorgeous, as it always was in the Cayman Islands in May. The stone path that led to the other side of the resort took him by the swimming pool and hot tub, and past the beautiful garden area.
A twinge shot through his knee, and he slowed. It was stupid, really. He was one of the highest-paid football players in the NFL. He really should be able to handle a couple of stairs. But during practice he’d zigged when he should have zagged and ended up on the wrong side of 300 pounds of muscle. He’d torn his meniscus. Badly.
Kay, the owner of the resort, came around the corner. Her red hair was pulled back into a bun, even though some strands wouldn’t be tamed and stuck out at crazy angles. She looked at him and tsked. “Austin, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be resting. Recovering. Why are you on this side of the resort?”
“303 has a small leak in the pipe under the sink. Mrs. Fleming was going to file a formal complaint, but I told her I’d fix it. It just needs a tiny bit of tightening, that’s all.” He gave Kay what he hoped was an innocent smile.
“Stop that. You go back to your lounge chair. You just had surgery, for heaven’s sake.” She reached for the wrench, but Austin whisked it behind his back.
“Not just. Two weeks ago. I’m going stir crazy, ma’am. I need something to do, or I’m going to die of boredom. You don’t want my death on your conscience, do you?”
Kay frowned at him. “You really know how to fix it?”
“Yes.”
“And it will only take a second?”
“Yes.”
“All right, fine. But I’m paying you for it. And then you’re going back to relaxing and recovering. The last thing I need is to have the famous Austin Scott reinjure his knee on my resort, making it my fault that he can’t return to play for the Los Angeles Demons.” Kay made a face, and Austin laughed.
“All right. I promise to go back to pretending to be a lump on a log after I get Mrs. Fleming’s faucet all fixed up.”
“You’d better.” She frowned. “You know, most people would love a nice, relaxing, three-week vacation.”
“Would they like that relaxing vacation alone, with a bum knee so they couldn’t go anywhere or do anything?”
Kay slowly nodded. “Yeah, all right. I get it. Go fix the faucet. You can return the wrench to me at the front desk.” She lowered her voice. “But don’t tell anyone I made Austin Scott fix my sink. I’d be mortified.”
He chuckled. “My lips are sealed.” He headed down the path, feeling like a pirate with a peg leg.
A woman emerged from one of the rooms. She had on enormous sunglasses and a large, floppy hat. It was almost comical. She obviously didn’t want anyone to recognize her. Probably some famous socialite trying to get a break from publicity. He understood the feeling.
She glanced behind her, then hurried down the path toward Austin, holding her hat in place. As she walked, she kept looking behind her. He wondered who she was trying to avoid. Unfortunately, as she neared, he could tell she hadn’t seen him. And one more glance behind her was all it took for her to run smack into his chest.
The woman bounced off him, fell backward, and landed on her behind. Her hat flew off and caught a gust of wind. “Oh!” she called out as her hat flew high into the air.
“I’m sorry,” Austin said, reaching up and snatching the hat back. “I hope you didn’t get hurt.”
The woman looked up at him, and even with her sunglasses on, he could tell she’d been crying. He could see the dried tear tracks down her cheeks. She took the hat from him but didn’t stand. He bent to offer help. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and took his hand, letting him hoist her up. “Yeah,” she said, brushing herself off. “Sorry. I didn’t see you.”
“That’s okay.” He was curious why she’d been upset, but didn’t want to be creepy or stalkerish by saying, “Hey, I noticed you were crying. Is everything okay in your life?” So instead, he just held up the wrench. “I’m on my way to 303 to fix a faucet.”
He cringed. She didn’t care about that. Why was he rambling?
The woman pointed behind her. “It’s that way.” She hesitated. “Are you new here?”
New here? He wasn’t sure what she was asking. He’d been there for two weeks. And this wasn’t his first visit to the resort. “No.”
She took off the sunglasses, and he immediately recognized her. Danica Jordan. And socialite was an understatement. She was always in the news for her wild behavior and massive money-spending habits. He stepped back, surprised to see her in such a state. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she had no makeup on. What in the world had happened to her?
She bit her lower lip. “Who would I talk to about getting a job here? I’m kind of desperate.”
He couldn’t have been more shocked if she had said, “Please hold my hat, I need to take off my head and see if I have any brains left.”
His mouth opened and closed a few times. “Kay, the owner,” he finally managed to say.
Danica nodded, her
large eyes blinking back moisture. “Okay. Thank you. I’m so glad I ran into a maintenance worker. You’ve been very helpful.”
Maintenance worker? Austin almost laughed. This woman wasn’t into football, apparently. He almost corrected her, but Danica had already slid her sunglasses back into place and replaced her large, floppy hat. “Thanks,” she said as she rushed past him.
Austin watched as one of the richest women in the world hurried off to beg for a job. It was the most bizarre thing. What could have happened to Danica Jordan to make her desperate to get a job?
And what in the world kind of job could she do? He was sure Kay had no openings for “Selfie-taker.”
He snorted and continued his hobbling to room 303. This day was getting more and more interesting.
Chapter 2
Dani approached the front desk. The young man standing there had dark skin and wore a polyester shirt with the Diamond Oasis logo embroidered on his chest. His nametag read Simon. A wide smile appeared when he saw her, as if he were bored and wanted something to do. “Need to check out, ma’am?”
Dani shook her head. “I actually need to talk to Kay.” She glanced around, making sure no one had a camera on her. “Is she here?”
Simon motioned to the hallway behind him. “I think she’s out and about, but you can wait for her in her office. I’ll let her know you’re there.”
“Thanks.” Nerves tightened her stomach as she adjusted her sunglasses and headed down the hallway. She’d never had a job before. She never thought she’d ever need one. There was plenty of money. This whole thing was ridiculous.
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