THE SUBSTITUTE WIFE

She definitely didn't want to go out with her sister. She sighed, feeling very frustrated. How could she even dream of reaching her goals if she couldn't relate with confidence? Anastasia Miller was a quiet, shy, and withdrawn daughter; she loved numbers and letters. In short, she loved anything that could be analyzed, read, or calculated since she was a child. That was her thing. That's why she had taken some finance and economics courses. She dreamed of one day having a company, even though she saw her father grow pale every time she expressed her desire out loud. Anastasia wanted to achieve that goal, but she knew there was something she wasn't good at, and that was fitting into Greek society... That's why she didn't want to go to the pub with her sister. She preferred to stay researching more about the economic framework of a certain investment idea she had come up with, but she didn't have the heart to leave her sister alone. It wasn't right to abandon her after finding out in the morning that her sister was going to marry a stranger to solve a very serious problem in the family business; a debt that was impossible to pay within the established deadline. A debt that could only be repaid or postponed through something more valuable in exchange. What transaction was more valuable in Greek society than an arranged marriage? She couldn't help but feel sad for her sister... And for herself, since she was in it too. What could be sadder than realizing that you would never have the chance to seek love? An arranged marriage was an agreement to benefit both parties, and Anastasia was sure that words like love and passion were not read between the lines. She already imagined that something like that would happen to her too, it was very common among Greek families who wanted to keep their lineage pure and all those foolish things... She was aware that her parents were die-hard defenders of all the customs of Greek culture, so she had already resigned herself to a fate like that. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the image of her older sister, in front of her, holding a very short dress, high heels, and a pair of large round earrings. "This is what you're going to wear!" she exclaimed, encouraging her to change. "I can't wear that, Elo!" she whined, feeling the blush rise up her neck. Eloise burst into laughter at her younger sister's attitude. "Of course you can!" she chirped amused. Anastasia found Eloise's excited attitude very strange, but she preferred not to say anything to her sister. The youngest daughter of the Millers sighed, looking up at the sky and putting on her best traumatized face as the older one laughed. "Come on, don't think I'll let you go like that," she added, giving Anastasia a little push towards the bathroom, not letting her say a word. A pair of golden strap heels, a very short tight dress, and some gold earrings later, they were leaving the house heading to the pub. Eloise had a lot to do for the rest of the night. Her plan was underway, and she wasn't going to give up until she escaped from this forced marriage. Unlike her sister, she thought that kind of life was not for her, and she wouldn't give in no matter how much her parents pressured her. If they thought she would just fall into line, they had no idea what awaited them. When they arrived at the pub, Anastasia couldn't help but be amazed by everything. Her sister rolled her eyes at her attitude, as she already knew all the places in the city; and she thought that if her sister didn't know any pubs or similar places, it was by her own choice. "Because all she cares about is studying," Eloise said to herself internally. Both took a seat at a table that was almost in the center of the venue, perfect for people-watching and for Eloise to carry out her plan. The eldest daughter of the Millers wasted no time examining the inside of the venue with her calculating green eyes and found her target. Which wasn't difficult, as the Vills usually paid for V.I.P. areas and were always in sight; but they were never accessible. Eloise contained an ironic laugh when she saw Kellan. The i***t was laughing about something, while he was accompanied by another man who was surveying the place with his frivolous gray gaze. Luckily, unlike the other man, Kellan seemed more... Approachable. She thought it would be possible to strike up a conversation with him. And that was precisely what she needed. Talk to Kellan to cancel the wedding. The younger daughter of the Millers kept trying not to be surprised by the place because she had noticed her sister's irritation at her attitude and didn't want to annoy her. She had already bothered her about her outfit at home and didn't want to keep bothering her because she knew how Eloise reacted once she blew her top. Her gaze wandered among the people dancing in the center of the venue and Ana couldn't help the blush that covered her cheeks. They were touching each other as if it were normal to do so in public. She had never done that and she was curious about what it would feel like to have that kind of closeness with a man. Her boyfriend had only taken her on two dates so far, each one stranger than the other, but she didn't care because since she met Midas, he had shown his interest in her. With words, with small gestures, and with text messages that always reminded her how beautiful and intelligent she was to him. She sighed, enamored, and turned, looking to the other part of the pub. She saw people ordering their drinks and once they got them, some stayed in the bar area, drinking them; the others went to dance, drink in hand. The atmosphere in the bar seemed strangely appealing to her. She noticed a lot of uninhibited behavior in people, but she kept her opinion to herself because she was sure that nobody in that place (including her sister) cared about what she thought. Feeling a little stupid, she looked straight at her sister, determined to tell her that it was best to leave, but a glance over Eloise's shoulder left her mind blank... And then, she started seeing red with anger. Her boyfriend was there, but that wasn't what bothered her; it was the fact that the jerk had his tongue down another woman's throat! He was groping her shamelessly. "Damn bastard!" her sister shouted beside her, and she blinked in surprise. Eloise was looking in the same direction as her, not missing the spectacle her sister's (soon-to-be ex) boyfriend was giving.—"Right now, you go and throw this at him!" she ordered, raising a glass of amber-colored liquor, and she shook her head. Eloise looked at her in astonishment. "I won't do anything, Elo... It's better to let it be. The time will come for that jerk to pay me back." the younger one replied and took the glass of liquor from her sister. In a burst of courage, she downed a long sip and swallowed it straight down to her stomach. The alcohol burned her throat on the way down to her stomach, causing Anastasia to growl and take more. As Anastasia took sip after sip, Eloise couldn't stop thinking that time was passing and she still hadn't talked to Kellan Vills. In the end, she decided to look for him and made Anastasia promise not to leave the table. To which the brunette replied with a nod, totally focused on continuing to drink. Eloise hurried to the place where she had seen Kellan sitting, but to her disappointment, the V.I.P. area where she had seen him was completely empty. When she tried to return to the table, she was pushed and jostled by a crowd dancing their way to the dance floor. While time flew by for Eloise, destiny played its hand. Anastasia, in the midst of her haze and drunkenness, stood up drawn by the music coming from the speakers. She was tired of overthinking everything and being the only one in her family who repressed everything she felt. She wanted to start living... She had been fooled like a fool and she didn't even dare to get revenge on the i***t Midas. Her steps at first were timid. Then she began to walk with determination. She stopped on the dance floor, among thousands of people, and started moving. She felt like she was flying, her mind turned into a curtain of smoke. She was very hurt, she wanted to cry so much, but she held back because she wasn't willing to waste her time thinking about that. The only thing she thought about was everything she had been missing out on. Little by little, she began to dance to the rhythm of the music, feeling beautiful, daring, and sensual. She didn't know how, or when; but all of a sudden, she was dancing as if her life depended on it. Kellan couldn't believe his eyes. He was hypnotized by a petite woman, short with a body full of curves and beautiful chocolate hair that ended in waves just above her round and tight butt. She was wearing quite high heels, which told him that the girl was even shorter than she looked. She closed her eyes and threw her head back, it was clear that she was really enjoying the moment. That was just what Kellan wanted, to enjoy the moment and forget about the crappy day he had had. He stopped right behind her and placed his hands on her hips. She tensed and quickly turned to face him. "Excuse me...!" she began to say indignantly. But Kellan didn't let her finish the sentence; he decisively took her mouth and thought it was the best instinctive act he had ever done in his life because if her body moving had hypnotized him; he didn't even know what to say about that flirtatious tongue that dared to enter his mouth.