Wall Street Surrogate Bride

Chapter 1: The Wedding of Lies "Let me go!" Rose thrashed against her father’s iron grip, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Robert Carter held her wrist so tightly that pain shot up her arm. "You will stop this nonsense right now, Rose!" His voice was a low, dangerous growl. "You are walking down that aisle, whether you like it or not!" "Over my dead body!" She twisted, trying to wrench herself free, but he was stronger. Too strong. Her mother stood in the doorway, cold and unmoving, her face void of sympathy. "You’re humiliating yourself," her mother said flatly. "Compose yourself and act like a Cartar." Rose’s heart pounded. "I don’t care about being a Cartar! I am not Stephanie!" Robert’s grip tightened, yanking her forward. "You will be tonight." "He doesn’t even know!" she shouted, desperation seeping into her voice. "What happens when Donald realizes I’m not the woman he agreed to marry?" Her mother finally stepped in, smoothing the lace on Rose’s sleeve as if she were a doll in need of repair. "Then you’ll make sure he never does." Rose’s chest tightened. "You’re insane," she whispered, horror creeping into her voice. "Both of you." Robert let out a sharp breath, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Enough of this." With a decisive nod, he turned toward the door. Two security guards stepped in. Rose’s eyes widened. "What are they doing here?" "Ensuring you make it to the altar," Robert replied smoothly. Panic surged through her veins. She lunged toward the window, but one of the guards caught her by the waist, lifting her off the ground as she kicked and screamed. "You can’t do this!" she cried, struggling against their grip. "This is my life!" Robert merely adjusted his tie. "Your life belongs to this family." Tears burned in Rose’s eyes as the guards set her down roughly, pinning her arms at her sides. Her mother stepped forward and carefully placed the veil over her head, as if nothing had happened. "Now," her mother said with an unsettling calm. "Smile, Rose. It’s your wedding day." And with that, they dragged her toward the doors where her future awaited—one built on lies, deception, and a cage she might never escape. The limousine smelled of leather and expensive cologne, but to Rose, it felt like a gilded cage. She sat between her father, Robert Carter, and her mother, Vivian, her hands clenched tightly in her lap as they sped toward the cathedral. "You will not disgrace this family today, Rose," Robert’s voice was as sharp as steel. "You mean I won’t disgrace you?" she shot back, glaring at him. Her mother exhaled in irritation. "Lower your voice. The driver can hear you." "I don’t care!" Rose snapped. "You’re forcing me to marry a man who thinks he’s marrying Stephanie!" Robert’s grip on his cane tightened. "Stephanie is gone. You are the only solution left." "Solution?" Rose let out a bitter laugh. "I’m not a person to you. I’m a tool. A pawn you can move however you want.” "Enough!" Robert shouted, his hand crashing down on the seat. Rose flinched but held her ground, refusing to look away. "You will smile. You will walk down that aisle. And you will marry Donald Taylor as if everything is perfectly fine," he spat. "If you don’t, I swear on everything you hold dear, you will regret it." Vivian leaned in, her voice low yet just as vicious. "If you back out of this, do you have any idea what will happen? Donald will turn against us. The deal between our families will fall apart. We’ll lose everything." "Then let it go," Rose murmured, her throat tightening. "I’d rather be homeless than marry a man under false pretenses." Robert’s hand shot out, gripping her chin tightly. "You don’t have a choice." His tone was chillingly calm. "The moment you step out of this car, you are Stephanie Carter. You will be his bride. And you will obey." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she fought to keep them at bay. Rose Carter had never truly been a daughter. She had been a transaction. She could still recall the damp, cold walls of the orphanage, the smell of cheap soap and stale bread clinging to her clothes. She had no last name, no identity—just another faceless child lost in the system, waiting for someone to take her home. Then one day, a man in a sharp suit walked in. Robert Carter. "She’ll do," he had said, as if picking out livestock. At six years old, she didn’t grasp the weight of those words. All she knew was that she had been chosen. Taken from that miserable place and brought into the mansion of the Carter family. A home, warmth, food—she thought it was a miracle. But it wasn’t. The Carters had never loved her. Stephanie was the golden child, the real daughter. She had it all—beauty, status, admiration. Rose was merely a placeholder, a backup plan Robert never intended to use but kept just in case. "You should be grateful," Mrs. Carter had repeated endlessly. "We gave you a life you never would have had." But it wasn’t a life. It was servitude disguised as privilege. Everything she ever had was forced on her without a choice, except… She has always been a prisoner in a gilded cage. As if she had anything left to lose. And now, here she was—married to a man who couldn’t stand her, tied to a family that had never really welcomed her. Trapped in a life she never chose. The car began to slow. Her heart raced as she peeked out the window—the grand cathedral doors loomed in front of her. Guests in elegant gowns and sharp suits were already making their way inside. This was it. No turning back. No do-overs. The door swung open, and Robert’s hand slipped away. Vivian adjusted the veil over Rose’s face and murmured, "Smile. Or I’ll make you." Her body felt like lead as she stepped out, her gown flowing down to the pavement. The heavy doors creaked open. And the nightmare unfolded.