The Substitute Bride: Unveiling the Paralyzed Don

3

The Patriarch's Threat

Arthur Vargas's study felt suffocating. The scent of expensive cigars mingled with a chilling, oppressive atmosphere. In this room, a person's fate could be decided by a single tap of the grandfather's cane.

Harper Vargas stood tall in the center of the room. Her plain face, devoid of makeup, stood in stark contrast to the opulence surrounding her. On either side of her, David and Sarah-her parents-stood with their heads bowed. Sarah's thin, pale hand gripped Harper's fingers tightly, her body trembling slightly from the chronic lung disease that plagued her.

In the corner, Chloe sat elegantly with her arms crossed, watching Harper with a mocking, triumphant smile. Raymond and Diana stood behind Chloe's sofa, acting like spectators ready to witness an execution.

"Do you know why I called you here?" Arthur's voice cut through the silence. It was heavy, gravelly, and devoid of warmth.

David cleared his throat, trying to muster the courage. "What is it, Dad? Does this have to do with the harbor business?"

Bang!

Arthur slammed his palm against the oak desk, startling everyone in the room except for Harper, who merely blinked calmly.

"Our harbor business is on the verge of ruin because of your incompetence in maintaining efficiency, David!" Arthur barked, his clouding eyes staring sharply at his second son. "And now, the Moretti family is calling in our blood marriage pact. They demand a bride within three days!"

David's eyes widened. He looked at his older brother, Raymond, then back to Arthur. "Bbut... wasn't that agreement meant for the first grandchild? Doesn't that mean Chloe?"

"I am not marrying that crippled man, Uncle!" Chloe snapped, her voice shrill. "Enzo Moretti is paralyzed! He has no future and is just waiting for his enemies to come and slaughter him. I refuse to die a fool's death there!"

Diana chimed in with a cynical tone, "That's right, David. Besides, Harper is of age. It's time she was of some use to the Vargas family after years of you all living off the back pavilion on Dad's money."

Harper slowly released her mother's hand and took a step forward. Her clear eyes met Arthur Vargas's gaze directly. "So, Grandfather called us here to turn me into a sacrificial lamb to replace Chloe?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. He had always hated the spark of intelligence and resilience in Harper's gaze-something the spoiled Chloe lacked.

"Don't call it a sacrifice, Harper. Call it... a repayment," Arthur said coldly, leaning back in his grand chair. "You carry the Vargas name. Your blood is legitimate to fulfill this agreement. You will marry Lorenzo Moretti."

"I refuse," Harper replied firmly, without hesitation. "If Chloe was the one promised, let her go. I have no obligation to fix my cousin's fears."

"Harper! Mind your manners with your grandfather!" Raymond barked in anger.

"Harper, dear..." David tried to hold his daughter back, his face filled with deep guilt. "Don't provoke your grandfather's wrath."

Arthur Vargas chuckled softly, a dry sound that felt horrific in the silence of the study. He slowly rose, leaning on his gold lionheaded cane, and walked toward Harper. Every tap of his cane on the marble floor felt like a countdown to destruction.

"You refuse, Harper?" Arthur stopped right in front of his second granddaughter. His gaze was icy. "Do you think you have the right to say no in this house?"

Arthur turned to look at David and Sarah, who seemed to shrink further.

"David... remind me, how much are the medical expenses and the oxygen tanks specially imported for your sickly wife each month? And what is the total of your business debts that I cleared to keep you from rotting in a Chicago dungeon?"

David's face turned deathly pale. "Dad... please, don't do this..."

"If your chosen daughter refuses," Arthur continued, ignoring David's plea, his eyes locking back onto Harper, "then tomorrow morning, all of Sarah's medical funding will be cut off. I will also evict the three of you from the pavilion. Let's see how long your frail mother lasts on the streets of Chicago without her expensive medicine."

"Grandfather! That is unconscionable!" Harper's voice rose for the first time. Her chest heaved as she suppressed burning rage. Oppressing her weak parents was a sacred boundary that no one was allowed to cross.

Sarah began to cough, clutching her chest, which was tight from shock. "Harper... don't argue with your grandfather, dear... I'm fine..."

"You're fine?!" Chloe laughed mockingly from her sofa. "Aunt Sarah is on the verge of death! So, Harper, if you don't want your mother to die sooner in a dumpster, you'd better pack your bags and go to the Moretti mansion. At least you can be of some use before your paralyzed husband is slaughtered by his enemies."

Harper clenched her fists at her sides so tightly her knuckles turned white. Anger, humiliation, and pain surged through her. She looked at her manipulative grandfather, her cunning uncle, and her selfish cousin. In this house, they treated her family as nothing more than doormats.

However, as she glanced at Sarah, who was leaning weakly on David's trembling shoulder, Harper knew she had no cards to play against them now. She had to yield for the sake of her parents' safety.

Harper closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm the storm in her chest. When she opened them again, her gaze had turned as cold as steel.

"Fine," Harper said, her voice flat but laden with absolute firmness. "I will replace Chloe. I will marry Lorenzo Moretti."

Arthur Vargas smiled, satisfied, feeling he had won the game. "A smart choice, Harper."

"But I have conditions," Harper interrupted quickly, staring at Arthur without fear. "From this second on, my mother must receive the best medical care at the main hospital in Chicago, all costs covered in the name of the Vargas company, and you must no longer hold my parents' safety hostage. If I hear that anything has happened to them while I am at the Moretti mansion..."

Harper paused, a threatening flash clearly visible in her sharp eyes. "...I will make sure Don Lorenzo Moretti razes this house to the ground at my request."

Arthur was stunned for a moment by Harper's boldness, but he quickly waved his hand, dismissing it as the bluff of a desperate young girl. "Agreed. Your wedding is scheduled for two days from now. Prepare yourself to welcome your new fate, Harper Vargas."

Harper did not respond. She turned and put her arms around her parents to lead them out of that cursed room. In her heart, a vow was carved: One day, she would make Arthur Vargas kneel and pay for every tear her parents had shed.