Mr. Billionaire's Substitute Bride

“Miss Elara !!” I flinched at the sound of my name, dropping the novel I was reading to the ground. “Yes ?” I asked, composing myself. “Mrs. Rhodes sent for you,” the servant said, bowing her head. “Why?” I asked, confused. “I'm not quite sure Miss,” she replied, bowing. “Just tell her I'll be with her shortly” I replied, dismissing the servant before picking up my book from the ground. I left the room and walked down the hall leading to where my mother was. I hid in a corner like I'm asked to do at every social gathering to stare at the massive hall with a sad smile on my face. Today was my twin sister's wedding. She was getting married to the billionaire CEO, Damien Voss. But unlike every other marriage, my sister didn't include me in her bridesmaids. I’ve always been the invisible one in the family so it didn't sting that much. I left my hiding place and went to the dressing room where my mother was. Servants were whispering amongst themselves, my father was on the phone, jumping from one call to another, stress lines etched into his forehead. My mother was yelling at everyone, strands of hair escaping her perfect bun” . The rest of my family members looked distressed as well, even the make-up artist and designers looked tense. “Elara, where is your sister ?” My mother yelled, walking towards me. Her eyes were rimmed red from exhaustion “I don't know. Maybe she's just running late, you know how Selene can be” I said cautiously, hoping she wouldn’t redirect her anger at me. ‘Or maybe she found a mirror and forgot the world exists’ I rolled my eyes internally. But it's Selene we’re talking about here, she wouldn't possibly just leave her own wedding, maybe she's throwing a tantrum somewhere. She loves her reputation too much to leave. “The number you're dialing is not reachable at the moment, please try again later” Shit. It's been an hour since I got to the dressing room and Selene is still nowhere to be found. I’d called her over a thousand times and the wedding ceremony is about to start but the bride isn't here. “Her wedding shoes and gown are not in her room” one of my uncles said from across the room. Okay, this is bad. “What do you mean they're not in her room ?” My father said, stepping closer to my uncle, his jaw flexed so hard I thought his teeth would crack, his knuckles clenched at his side. My uncle on the other hand shrunk back in fear because who wouldn't. My father looked scary at the moment. “Honey, she left. Selene ran away” my mother pulled my father from my uncle. She looked… disheveled, not her usual style. “The guests are arriving, the hall is almost packed and the wedding starts in thirty minutes. Do you know what this will do to our reputation ?” My mother complained. “The company is already drowning in debt, this was our only chance to survive” my father added, his voice cracking slightly like he was hiding something. No one cared about Selene’s disappearance, they're all thinking about how badly the scandal would affect our family. “I just hope Selene is okay” I muttered but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. “Who cares if she isn't okay?” my father yelled at me, making me flinch. “Do you think anyone would care about her well-being if this gets out or if Damien finds out ?” This was the first time they didn't care about Selene's wellbeing, she was their golden child while I was the extra. Many people didn't even know I existed so them not caring for Selene felt strange. I guess appearances mattered more than people in this part of the world. “..... identical” my uncle said. I didn't get the first part of the sentence but I noticed everyone's eyes were on me. “What ? Sorry I didn't get you” I said to my uncle but I had a feeling I wasn't going to like it. “Shut up Elara” my father said to me then turned to my uncle. “That's a great idea, first reasonable one you’ve had in years” I knew what was happening but I refused to accept it. I could feel my mother's gaze burning a hole on the side of my head. “Elara dear, you’re identical twins. This will save us all” ‘Elara dear my ass.’ “No, I'm not doing it,” I said boldly. This was my first time saying no to them and I could see everyone gaping at me. My father looked like the vein on his head was about to pop. “You don't have a choice,” he said pointedly. “I do and my answer is no” I challenged, my hands were trembling and my mind was screaming at me to stop before I got hit. “This is your obligation, this is why we were given an extra in case things like this happen. Now be who you are meant to be and plant your ass on that chair and let the makeup artists and designers do their job. Thereafter, you will walk down that aisle and be Selene” my father snapped, grabbing my arm forcefully. “But dad….” I stuttered “But what ?” My mother said, venom lacing her tone. “After all we’ve done for you, placing a roof over your head, feeding you, clothing you, sending you to school and this is the thanks we get. So you’d rather this family suffers than for you to do the right thing, how selfish of you” my mother spat out. My throat tightened so suddenly it hurt. I was only a backup plan. I blinked fast because I promised myself not to let them see me cry. Then I walked towards the chair, I stared at my father for three seconds before sitting down. It wasn't much, but in my family three seconds of disobedience served as rebellion. “Let's get this over with” I said through gritted teeth as the make-up artist hurried over, giving me an apologetic look. “Good” my father said and everyone left except the make-up artist and the designers. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I watched how my brown wild curls were straightened out because Selene didn't like hers and always straightened them. My hazel eyes were a reflection of the numbness I felt. I was dolled up in minutes and placed in the backup wedding dress. It was beautiful and hugged my curvy shape in all the right places. My tanned skin was glowing and I looked…. beautiful. Something I wasn't used to. I was always afraid to look at myself in the mirror because I was reminded everyday by Selene and our mother of how I’m the ugly twin. “You look beautiful” the make-up artist gushed at me with a small smile on her face. I gave her a tight smile in return. “It's time,” my father said from behind me. I got up and left the dressing room with my dad as we walked till we got to the aisle where he looped his arm with mine, feigning the character of a proud father. “Don't mess this up” he whispered in my ear. The wedding music filled my ears as we walked down the aisle, I looked up at Damien. I had only seen him once. He looked like a Greek god, but terrifyingly calm. I finally met his blue green eyes, staring at me intently, like he knew I was the wrong bride and I'm grateful for the veil covering my face so no one would see how panicked I looked. I got to the altar, my father moved to his seat and I was faced with my reality. Damien was looking at me, not lovingly, his face betrayed no emotions and it was sending chills down my spine. My heart hammered in my ribcage as I prayed someone would see through the lie and end it all. But then, cedarwood and expensive cologne invaded my senses as Damien leaned in. “You're not Selene” In that instant, every part of my body went cold.