Walking into the LeBlanc Charities—or LBC—building, his family's charitable foundation, one more day, Xavier felt the same as he had every day for the past three months, as if he'd been banished there. This was the last place he wanted to be, but, unfortunately, he was doomed to continue walking through those doors every day for the next three months.

Until that hellish ordeal came to an end. Their father had devised a diabolical plan to ensure that his two sons would continue dancing to his tune even after his death: he had made it a condition of receiving their inheritance that he and his brother Val take each other's place for six months.

To his father, the ten years he'd spent learning the ins and outs of LeBlanc Jewelers, the family business, and the five years he'd spent running it, busting his ass to please him, had counted for nothing. None of that mattered. To receive the half-billion inheritance he was owed, which he'd naively believed he'd already earned, he had to pass one last test. And the problem was that, instead of requiring something meaningful of him, his father had stipulated in his will that for the next six months he would take Val's place at LeBlanc Charities and his brother would take over the reins of LeBlanc Jewelers.

To their surprise, the experience was bringing them closer together. Although they were twins, they had never had a close bond, and they had chosen completely different paths. Val had followed in her mother's footsteps, joining LBC, where
He had fit right in. He, for his part, had started working at the family business, one of the world's largest diamond companies, and had risen through the ranks to become its director.

And all that for what? For nothing. To say he resented his father for that trick was an understatement, but he was using that resentment to fuel his determination. He would pass this test; that would be the best revenge.

However, after three months, he still felt like a fish out of water, and his father's will stipulated that he would have to raise ten million dollars in donations while running LBC during those six months. It wouldn't be easy, but he hadn't given up yet, nor did he intend to.

Changing the soup kitchen's hours had been one of the first things he'd done upon landing at LBC, and one of the many decisions he'd come to regret. He'd done it because LeBlanc Charities was already bustling with activity by six in the morning, and it was ridiculous, a huge waste of capital.

The soup kitchen operated seven days a week, fifteen hours a day, but by early morning, no one came. Marjorie Lewis, the efficient service manager, a small woman who was like a general, had resigned after that, and although he had rescinded the order to reinstate those absurd hours, he hadn't managed to keep her.

According to Val, he'd resigned because his mother was sick, but he knew that wasn't true. He'd left because he hated him. Like almost everyone at LBC. At LeBlanc Jewelers, his employees respected him. He had no idea whether they liked him or not, but as long as profits kept increasing month after month, he hadn't cared.