Substitute Bride of The Masked Alpha

Chapter two

Anna’s POV

Lying on my bed, I stared hard at the ceiling as if it had done something wrong to me. Everything that happened around me felt like a movie. I went from one problem to another and they never seemed to come to an end. It felt like I was running around in circles, yet ending up in the same spot. To say that I was clueless was a huge understatement.

I hated my life and everything about it. I cursed the day I was born and wished that my parents had a bit of self-control that night or day depending on when they chose to do their thing. If only they did, I'd have never been born and then, I'd never have to face all the problems I faced. If only…

But they didn't. They went ahead to indulge their cravings leaving me to bear the consequences of their action; an action that I'm sure they truly enjoyed.

I put my hands over my face and inhaled deeply, wondering what I had to do to get out of my situation.

Summer had barely eaten anything for hours. I could only afford to feed her twice a day and in very small quantities while I ate just once.

Rising from the bed, I looked up at my wall clock and saw that it was already 8:30 am. “Damn it!” I yelled, scrambling to my feet and immediately heading outside to find her.

I had woken up much earlier and had my bath, hoping to just catch a few extra minutes of rest but it turned out to be more than an hour.

We only had one room so the bedroom was both our room, our sitting room and our dining room. I called it ‘Multipurpose’. Somehow, it made me less angry that I had to put up with that kind of house when my father was literally a filthy rich man.

I walked into the kitchen, heading straight for the plywood cabinet attached to the wall just above the sink to take out some noodles for my twin and I..

Three small noodles? Big enough!

Quickly, I prepared it and dished it on a large ceramic plate. Then I put it on a tray and placed two forks beside it.

“Food is ready,” I said to Summer whose face beamed with smiles, dropping the tray on the bed and sitting to eat.

Usually, we'd pray to the Moon Goddess before we eat any meals but for a few months, we hadn't done that and didn't see a need to. Why pray to a Goddess who didn't care about us one bit? Pfft!

Suddenly, a thought sprung into my head and I gasped, letting my fork drop from my hand onto the tray. All my appetite was gone as those thoughts consumed me, holding my mind captive so that I could think of nothing else.

I had to go to my stepmother's house. Well, it used to be my house but not anymore. I had to see if I could get the money from her.

Yes, she and my stepsister loathed me. They could barely stand being in the same space with me but if I was ever going to clear all the debts I owed, they were my only chance.

I grabbed a sky-blue dress and went into the kitchen to quickly change. Then I walked back into the room and picked up my small, black purse so I could leave.

“I’ll be back soon,” I said to my sibling as I made my way to our house… No, their house, I wondered if they'd even open up the door for me. I'd already gone there twice in the past three months and both times, I was shut out by Mara, my step-sister.

I hoped it'd be different this time. It had to be. This was a matter of life and death. Maybe, it could get them to finally hear me out and give in to reasoning. Yes, they hated me but I loved to think that they still had a conscience, even if I already knew they didn't.

Twice, I raise my hand to knock. Twice, I put it back down, unsure of what the result would be. If I had my way, I'd never have shown up at their place. I hated them just as they did me. Maybe even more than they did.

They turned my father; my once loving father against me as soon as they got into the house. My mom had just passed and my father was still grieving. Mrs Gina, my stepmother, who was my father's co-worker, took the opportunity to sneak her way into his heart and eventually his house after they got married.

That was the beginning of my misery. She and her daughter kept feeding my father with numerous lies and to my surprise, he always bought whatever they sold to him. Whether it was because Mrs Gina was always by his side, taking care of him, I couldn't tell. But eventually, he kicked me out of the house.

Finally, I knocked on the door and in a few seconds, the door creaked open and I saw Mara standing before me with a smirk on her face.

“Can…I come in?” I stuttered and she took a few seconds to size me up before stepping out of the way for me to get in.

The sitting room was just the same as the last time I was there. The walls remained white with a large, transparent centre table which had a large glass bowl containing several grapes, oranges and a bit of lime.

Mrs Gina was in the sitting room. She sat on one of the brown sofas and as soon as she saw me, she pointed to the long sofa by her left and muttered, “Sit.”

“Why are you here?” Sarah asked as she sat beside her mother, chewing her gum a bit too loudly.

“I need your help, Mom,” I voiced, as pitifully as I could.

“You know that I could walk you out of here, right?” Asked Mrs Gina wearing a squint. “How many times would I tell you that you should never call me ‘Mother?’ I'm not your mother. Your mother is dead and rotten away in the grave and I'm still very much alive. You will refrain from calling me that.”

“I'm sorry, M… Mrs Gina,” I swiftly corrected myself, fighting back the urge to snap at her for talking about my mother that way.

“What would you want me to do for you?” She asked, placing her hand under her chin as they both stared at me with keen attention.

“It's my twin. She has been ill for a while and requires surgery,” I related my plight as calmly as I could. “I’ve tried to get her help but I haven't been able to. All the hospitals we've been to turned us down because we're in debt. If you could lend me some money….”

They looked at each other and returned their gaze to me, saying nothing for about a minute. I watched keenly, hopeful that they'd agree to lend me some money.

But that money wasn't theirs. It belonged to me. I might have looked like a beggar but it was my money that I sought; my inheritance from my father which they took away from me when they made him throw me out. Because of that singular act, I lost my right to that money and now, I was at the mercy of two people who didn't deserve a dime.

“It's fine, we'll help you,” Mrs Gina announced, much to my surprise. With a furrowed brow, I stared at her hoping to see if there was a catch. There had to be. She couldn't just accept to clear all my debts for nothing, right?

“We'll help you clear your debt but under one condition…”

“Here we go,” I thought in my head, seeing that I was right about them. There was no way they could have let me have that money without asking for something in return. I could only hope that it was something that I could do.

“You'd have to agree to take the place of your step-sister and get married to a poor, disfigured man,” she revealed, leaving me wide-mouthed.

“Don't get this wrong. Your sister would never have accepted to marry such a man. She's too pretty to mess herself up with men like that, “ she voiced, rolling her eyes. “He was rich and so we thought it'd be a good match. That was why I signed that contract and I cannot break it. But then he got himself into a severe accident and lost all his wealth but the contract remains binding unless…”

“I choose to marry him in her stead?”

“Correct. I didn't know you were this smart. So what would it be? Would you marry him or go back to being miserable as you watch your sister’s lives slowly drift away from them knowing you could have saved them?”