The Billionaire’s Substitute Bride

CHAPTER THREE

Elle

I try to pretend that the stares don’t bother me as I do my best to stand tall and proud. According to Leah, Sera is feared by all, but in a good way. Whatever the hell that means. I smile faintly when I see Dan approaching me.

“I feel like you’re avoiding me.” Dan was joking but it was the truth. I made a mental note to ask Leah exactly how long I was playing Sera for. I remembered he said something so I smiled in response. I smile a lot now.

“Hi. And no I’m not. Just a bit under the weather I think.” Smooth lie Elle. Real smooth.

His face scrunched up in concern. “ No, it's nothing too serious.” I quickly reassured him.

“I’ll get you home as soon as we’re done giving our speech okay? Just hang on.” He patted me on the lower back before practically strutting away. I was too engulfed in watching him walk away that I only processed what he had said when he was out of sight.

I sighed in frustration. Leah did everything but prepare me for the actual battle. There were so many important things she had left out. Like when Dan had noticed ‘my’ engagement ring was missing from my finger a few weeks ago. I saved myself with quick thinking but that could have gone completely awry.

Now this. A speech? Public speaking was not my thing. More so a setting like this where everyone stared on like I was from a different planet. My face was suddenly met with a man’s face. As I stared at his brown eyes he stared back at mine as if studying me and waiting for a reaction.

He finally laughed while I’ve never been more confused in my entire life. My eyebrows arched in question. “ No witty comment?”

I just stared at him. “ You’re seriously not going to tell me to get out of your face.” He said again.

I looked around to see if we were being recorded like those reality prank series and someone was going to laugh and tell me it was a prank. “ Do you want me to tell you to get out of my face?” I asked slowly and carefully.

He laughed at my question and his laugh made me laugh. So I laughed. I felt a hand slide around my waist as I was hit with Dan’s cologne. I immediately tensed up. I took a deep breath before throwing him a smile.

“Toby.” He nodded towards the man.

“Dan.” There was a vibe that I didn’t have time to pick up on before Dan guided me towards the podium. We stood a few feet behind before we were called up. I thought I was going to have a panic attack with all those eyes fixated on us. Suddenly, I prayed Dan wouldn’t take his hands off my waist because it somehow grounded me, but that wasn’t my call. He needed both hands to hold a mic and raise a toast. I spotted Toby in the crowd and decided to keep my eyes glued to him. And he did the same.

In no time, we were back home. These past weeks as Sera Carlton has been so hectic. She seemed really important and that was a new feeling to me. I think the staff in Dan’s home might be terrified of her hence they were terrified of me. None of them have looked me in the eyes since I got here, not even once.

Dan gave me a kiss on the forehead and gave me his famous million dollar smile. We were in his room now. He insisted on me spending the night there so he could watch me since I wasn’t feeling too well. His eyes glinted with mischievousness as he smirked.

“So what exactly did you and Toby Bennett find so funny?”

He walked into his closet and came out with some clothes for himself and one of Sera’s nightwear sets for me.

“ Thanks.” I quickly changed into them while he changed in his closet. I waited till he was out of the closet before responding. “ Nothing really. He was just being funny.” I answered while avoiding his eyes.

“Hmm. Come here.” He beckoned me to get in the bed with him. We sat upright, my back to his front, as he wrapped his arms around me. I tried my best to relax into him.

“I missed you. I was really worried when you were gone. It’s unlike you to just leave like that. “

“ I’m sorry to just up and leave like that. I thought….you were going to be disappointed. You know, that I almost relapsed again.”

I felt him shake his head in disapproval. “You could never disappoint me Sera. Really. Never.” That drooping feeling in my stomach was back. It’s usually from the fact that everyone had been calling me a name that wasn’t mine for weeks now, but this time it was different.

Over time, as I got to be around Dan more I realized he wasn’t your typical Dark, brooding emotionless CEO. He was kind to the staff in his home and his company. He has been sweet to me so far. I felt bad that I was a part of this scheme to deceive him. The fact that he was so understanding and kind, begged the question why Leah and Sera couldn’t just appeal to him, push the wedding a bit further. Rather than completely altering his life and Sera’s. Not to mention my life too.

“Also, was that a genuine apology?” I realized he had been talking the whole time I zoned out. “That is something I never thought I would hear from you, wow.” He said in mock shock.

I laughed genuinely this time as he intertwined our fingers and gave me a kiss on my hand.

“Oh I keep forgetting to get your new ring.” I gave him feedback on the ring a while back. After Leah had told me I was on my own about that, there was no way I could afford even a dupe of the ring I saw in the picture of Dan and Sera on his phone. So I lied that I must have lost it somewhere faraway from home as I could no longer find it. And he assured me of a new diamond ring.

“Can you believe our wedding is in less than three weeks and I keep forgetting to get your ring. Husband of the year.”