Substitute Bride For The Bully Billionaire

AMORA'S POV "Have you seen Thea, Amora?" The door to my room flung open as Bridget, my stepmother, panickingly ran in. The hair dryer fell from my hands due to the sudden manner in which she invaded my room. "No, Bridget," I said. While I picked up the hairdryer from off the floor, I cautiously added, "Is everything alright?" I mean, last I remembered this wasn't Thea's room. I could feel her fear as she took two steps closer. "Are you sure?!" Her hazel eyes searched my golden-brown ones intensely as if looking for a clue. I nodded positively. "I haven't," I affirmed again. "Isn't she getting dressed in her room? Or perhaps she could be in the bride's waiting room." I suggested, momentarily wondering where the enthusiastic Thea from several hours ago could be on the day of her marriage. "She's not," Bridget's eyes reflected her fears, her worries, and even her disappointment the moment she dialed Thea's cell phone and wasn't able to reach her still. Exasperatedly, her hands dug into her scalp as she eyed me suspiciously. "What are you still doing here dolling yourself up? Won't you get out and go search for her?!" She suddenly yelled, making me flinch in fear. What on earth is going on? "Y-yes... I'll... I'll go find her now." "There's no need for that," Father said as he walked into my room. "Really, Honey? Have you found her? Is my baby safe?" Bridget turned to him instantly. "Hmm, it's getting crazy at the venue already since the bride is yet to arrive and the Kingstons are beginning to get suspicious. I couldn't find Thea, but I found a note she left in her room." Father continued, and not surprisingly, Bridget was over him instantly. "Let me have that," she said, snatching the small piece of white paper from his hand. Curiously, I moved closer to them and peered over, but my eyes widened the instant I read through the two sentences in it. *Mom, Dad, please do not look for me. I'm sorry.* A gasp easily escaped my lips, and my hands instantly cupped my mouth just as Bridget sank to the floor in shock. "How did this happen? Why would Thea do such a thing? She was excited to get married to her sweetheart, Evan. So how on earth?!" She sobbed. Father sighed and stroked his beard while his gaze fell on me. "Shouldn't we contact the police? It's really unlike Thea to just disappear like this." I suggested, but I soon wished I didn't. "Shut up, foolish girl! Are you trying to get us all in trouble?" Bridget was on her feet again, stabbing a finger toward me. "How do you mean? I was just..." "How dare you pretend to be innocent?! For all we know, you could have plotted this whole thing yourself. If the police eventually get here you'd be the first one to be called in as a suspect!" My jaw dropped to the floor as I stared at my stepmother with tears-filled eyes. How could she accuse me like that? Worst of all, in the presence of Father, and yet he did nothing other than to pace about my room in his thoughts. "Bridget!" My voice was a mixture of disappointment, bewilderment, and rage as I stared at the petite brown-haired woman I've never been able to call 'mother', ready to lash out when Father interrupted. "Enough, you both!" "Father..." "But Honey..." "Now isn't the time for this!" He interrupted sternly. But he sighed yet again and continued in a calmer tone. "We can't let word of Thea's disappearance get out so informing the police is out of the available options." Turning to face me, he continued. "The Kingstons aren't people to be messed with regardless of the situation. Therefore Amora, you get ready. You might become Evan Kingston's bride in place of your stepsister today." "What?!" Bridget and I exclaimed, clearly stunned by what he just said. This must be a joke. It definitely can't be real... My life can't be completely ruined just like that because of one person. "That's right, Amora. For the time being, I'd go talk with Chairman Kingston and see what he has to say about this. Lucky for us all, the public aren't aware of the identity of the bride to be yet so we're covered." He turned to leave my room but paused the moment he was at the door. "This is for the best, Amora. You can't continue idling around that gallery anymore. Instead, you would become useful to the family if your marriage into the Kingstons family pulls through successfully. So get ready. As for Thea's disappearance, the Winters would sort it out ourselves, you just need to keep your mouth shut." He glanced at my stepmother. "And you too, Bridget." I watched my father walk out of my room after shattering all my dreams, my plans, and goals into a million pieces. However, I couldn't deny that something wasn't right about this whole thing. But I could only hope the chairman of the Kingstons disagrees with Father's suggestion because otherwise, I could already feel that I would be in for something dangerous, overwhelming, bigger, and even greater than me. Knowing the Kingstons and their renowned pride and how well they held and wielded their image as the most powerful and most respected family in the whole of Amsterdam city, it'd be hard for them to not accept Father's proposal. They would rather accept it than let their family be the topic of discussion for unfortunate incidents in town. And for a while, I stood there, beside my bed, completely dazed and at a loss for words. ____ My lips trembled slightly as my gaze traveled down the dreamy flowing silver mermaid silhouette dress. "This is Thea's dream wedding dress. It's not supposed to be me sitting here at the bride's waiting room, holding a cauliflower bouquet looking all made up and gorgeous like a perfect bride should look. "This... is not real." Fear, I felt it. An overwhelming feeling of discomfort, guilt, and fear of the unknown was eating me up inside. Hopefully, the tight grip of my slender hands around the bouquet would go unnoticed in all the photos already taken. Unfortunately, Father was able to convince the elderly Chairman Kingston just like he had said he would. And all of a sudden, my life is turned around. I became a substitute Bride without a choice of her own at the age of twenty-three. Yet again, I've become the sacrificial lamb of the Winters family. The door to the bride's waiting room suddenly flung open and without a doubt, I flinched as my gaze landed on none other than my stepmother. Her eyes filled with contempt as she let her gaze travel all over me, not bothering to disguise the hate gleaming in her eyes for none other than me. "All this should have been Thea's, not yours," she began, as though I needed another reminder that I was nothing other than a substitute. "Not like I wanted any of it anyway. You and Father are the ones forcing it on me," I retorted, feeling exhausted by her unwelcome presence around me. "Hmmph, you liar," she smirked. "How does it feel now that you've succeeded in stealing your only sister's spot, her joy, and her dreams?" "I didn't steal anything, Bridget," I snapped irritably. "You're the one forcing it on me. I never cared about any of this anyway. And Thea is NOT my only sister, you of all people know that too well. She's just, in fact, my stepsister. So don't try to guilt trap me in the mess you created, I won't fall for it ever again." "Y-youuuu!" She seethed, raising her hand to hit me. My words sure did hit home the point. But just before she did, the door opened once more and a tall, masculine figure approached us. Immediately, Bridget saw the man, she stopped what she intended doing and planted a perfect smile on her face, making me wonder who he was. I trailed my eyes to the exquisite work of art that was his face only to be greeted by the deep frown he had on display. "It is really not Thea," his disappointment was clearly evident in his voice. And as his alluring olive eyes assessed me entirely and demeaningly, it wasn't hard to guess his identity at this point.