Married to the wrong billionaire

Serena?” There was no answer. Elena frowned as she stood outside the inner room. She knocked again, a little harder this time. “Serena?” Still nothing. She slowly pushed the door open. The first thing she noticed was the wedding dress. It was still lying neatly across the table, exactly where she had left it. Beside it was the wedding ring. Elena froze. Her eyes moved around the room. The room was spotless. Serena's makeup was still on the dressing table. Her shoes were there. Her phone charger was plugged into the wall. But Serena was nowhere to be found. “This isn't a coincidence,” Elena whispered. Her heart began beating faster. “Serena is gone.” “What did you just say?” Elena spun around. Her mother stood at the doorway, staring at her with confusion written all over her face. “Mom…” “What did you say, Elena?” “I said Serena is gone.” Her mother's expression immediately changed. “What do you mean gone? She was here a few minutes ago!” “I don't know!” Elena rushed toward the window. The curtains were moving slightly. The windows were wide open. Her mother hurried beside her. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Three hours. There were only three hours left before the wedding. And everything had just fallen apart. Downstairs, the house was filled with guests. Andrew's family had arrived with important business associates and relatives. Everyone was waiting for the beautiful bride to make her appearance. Andrew sat at the altar, dressed perfectly in his black suit. He was the billionaire everyone in the city knew. Young. Powerful. Untouchable. But today, his expression was anything but happy. He checked his watch for what felt like the tenth time. “Where is the bride?” one of the guests whispered. “I have no idea,” another replied. Andrew's father glanced toward the staircase. His patience was clearly running out. Upstairs, Elena's mother was still staring at the open window. “Elena, what do you mean your sister is gone?” she asked. “She was here just a few minutes ago.” “I know, Mom.” “You left her here so she could get dressed.” “I know!” Elena's voice cracked. “I left her here because she told me she needed a few minutes alone. I thought she was getting ready.” Her mother looked around the room again. “There has to be something. A note. A message. Anything.” “There's nothing.” Elena's eyes filled with panic. “Serena is gone.” The door suddenly opened. Their father walked in. “What do you mean Serena is gone?” Neither woman answered immediately. Then her mother explained everything. The open window. The untouched wedding dress. The ring. The fact that Serena had simply disappeared. Their father's face became pale. “This cannot be happening.” He walked toward the table and stared at the wedding dress. “We have guests downstairs. Andrew's family is here. The business agreement is tied to this marriage.” Elena stared at him. “Dad, Serena is missing.” “I know.” “Then we should find her.” Her father said nothing. Instead, he looked directly at Elena. “Elena…” Something about his expression made her uneasy. “What?” “You will wear the dress.” Elena blinked. “What?” Before her father could answer, the door opened again. This time, Andrew and his father walked into the room. Everyone went silent. Andrew's eyes immediately landed on the untouched wedding dress. “What happened?” his father asked. Elena's father swallowed. “There has been… a small problem.” “A small problem?” Andrew asked coldly. Elena looked at him. Their eyes met. For a second, everything around her seemed to disappear. Those eyes. She couldn't explain why, but something about Andrew's stare made her feel like he already knew more than he was saying. Her father stepped closer to her. “Elena, you are going to marry Andrew in your sister's place.” Her mouth fell open. “No.” “Elena—” “No, Dad!” She looked at her mother, hoping she would say something. But her mother remained silent. “You can't be serious,” Elena whispered. “We cannot call off this marriage,” her father said. “The business deal depends on it.” “So I'm supposed to replace my sister?” Her father's silence was answer enough. Elena looked back at Andrew. Surely he would refuse. Surely he would say this was insane. But Andrew said nothing. He simply stared at her. His expression was unreadable. And somehow, that frightened her more than anger would have. Why wasn't he objecting? Did he know something? Was he hiding something from her? Elena took a shaky breath. She looked at her father. Then at her mother. With the last piece of respect she still had for her family, she reached for the wedding dress. “Fine.” She changed into the dress. And minutes later, Elena walked down the aisle as a bride who was never supposed to exist. The wedding continued. She married Andrew. She smiled when she was expected to smile. She stood beside him for photographs. She accepted congratulations from people who had no idea that the real bride had disappeared only hours earlier. But throughout the entire ceremony, Elena couldn't shake the feeling that Andrew was watching her. Not like a stranger. Like someone who was trying to remember something. Later that evening, the celebration continued. Music filled the hall as guests raised their glasses and congratulated the newly married couple. The celebration continued around them. Music played through the hall, guests laughed, and champagne glasses clinked as everyone celebrated the newly married couple. But Andrew barely heard any of it. His phone vibrated in his pocket. How many words count is this? He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Unknown Number. He opened the message. There was only one line. Remember what happened ten years ago. Andrew's expression changed. For a few seconds, he simply stared at the screen. Then another message appeared. She never forgot. His fingers tightened around the phone. Ten years. His mind immediately went back to a time he had spent years trying to bury. A different life. A younger version of himself. A girl he had once loved before money, family expectations, and betrayal had changed everything. Elena. His eyes slowly lifted from the phone. Across the room, she stood among the guests, smiling politely as someone congratulated her. She looked completely unaware. Unaware of the message. Unaware of the memories it had awakened. And perhaps most importantly… Unaware that the man she had just married was staring at her as if he had just seen a ghost from his past. Andrew locked his phone. Whoever had sent the message knew something they shouldn't. Something that had happened ten years ago. Something involving Elena. And Andrew suddenly realized that Serena's disappearance might not have been the beginning of this story. It might have been the plan all along.