THE SUBSTITUTE WIFE

THE TIME HAS COME

Kellan hadn't managed to sleep, despite spending the entire day trying to investigate the girl who had brought to his apartment.

His brother was missing in action, he had no idea where the hell Kal was. And, on top of that, he hadn't wanted to see his grandfather because he felt that just by looking at him, he would discover everything he was hiding.

To make matters worse, winter had arrived violently. It was the perfect day for a wedding, he thought sarcastically as he looked out at the snowy streets from his apartment window.

It was his wedding day, and he was determined to fulfill his duty.

Everything was s**t, he didn't even know the bride.

Yes, obviously he had investigated her, and she wasn't ugly at all.

Eloise Miller was a worthy young Athenian, at least in terms of phenotypic traits and family.

Her behavior and reputation were another story. Words like "capricious," "adventurous," and "conceited" were the ones that defined her, according to what he had seen on her social media, of course.

So, it was decided.

He was going to get married to kill two birds with one stone; they would resolve the issue of the committed capital, and at the same time, his grandfather would cover up the colossal mistake he represented for the family by being a bastard.

Anastasia couldn't be more terrified.

The streets had turned into a freezer, it had taken them forever to reach the chapel.

Seeing the problems, her father got in touch with Bemus, and in a couple of hours, they had arranged for a helicopter to pick them up.

If she hadn't been impressed before, she certainly was now.

Impressed and utterly terrified of what the future might hold now that she wasn't pure anymore.

Despite the cold, her father had already had two drops in blood pressure due to worry, and she wasn't much better off than him.

Under normal circumstances, a bride from a Greek family would be happy to join one of the most influential families and become the reason behind such a powerful business union.

But these weren't normal circumstances, and Anastasia definitely wasn't a normal bride.

She shouldn't even be a bride, but her father had made the decision to replace her sister with her, which is why she found herself there, squeezed into a very tight dress and struggling not to become a sticky mess of sweat and makeup.

Her father held her arm; they were ready, waiting for the signal to make their entrance to the church ceremony.

Ana's throat was dry, but she was sure she couldn't even take a sip of water. Her stomach was knotted; she wasn't sure if it was due to nerves or the corset of the dress.

There was a good chance that this wouldn't end well, and she feared that the groom would leave her standing at the altar upon realizing that she wasn't her older sister. She was sure her future husband wasn't stupid, at least he shouldn't be if he was Kal's brother, who quickly uncovered their grandfather's plans.

In fact, she had investigated Kellan the night before and had two surprises.

The first was that there wasn't a single photo of the man on social media, in fact, he didn't have a profile. With his reputation and fame, he would easily enjoy verified accounts if he had them, she was sure.

And the second was that her future husband was the owner of most of the ships registered in the port of Thessaloniki.

He was powerful, and his company (not his family's, but his own) enjoyed complete independence from what she had read in the digital magazine she found on the internet. Ana kept thinking over and over that Kellan wouldn't be pleased to be deceived.

And she wasn't in the habit of deceiving anyone.

She was Pietro Miller's youngest daughter, for God's sake!

The least remarkable in every sense, she was literally invisible to society.

Damn it! she thought, realizing she was fed up with being a nobody.

Despite the terror she felt and any negative thoughts that came to her creative mind; she knew that marrying Kellan wouldn't change who she was, but it would change how others saw her.

It would lead them to recognize her as someone important within society, though all that sounded pathetic, Anastasia was tired of living such a lonely and tacky life.

She was tired of being her sister's contrast.

The wedding march brought her back to the present when it began to play inside the chapel, and her father (whom she suddenly saw with grayer hair) gave her an impatient gesture.

The man seemed about to burst into tears right there, but his daughter took his expression as one of impatience.

Her father was a man with a somewhat rough appearance, but Ana knew that despite certain misconceptions, her father had a big heart.

That and an impressive sense of morality.

She felt that her father was in a battle between fulfilling the duty to make amends and not handing over his daughter in exchange for a debt, but it seemed like he was winning the former.

She told herself not to feel bad about it, but it was impossible.

She let out a sigh.

She knew those thoughts weren't helping her at all.

Her self-esteem had always been low, but it was sinking into the depths of the sea at that moment.

She felt her father ensuring that the veil covered her face and took a deep breath, expanding her lungs.

She was terrified, yet at the same time experiencing a strange buoyancy.

Once she entered the ceremony, there would be no turning back.

Eloise had failed the family, her father.

Anastasia wouldn't do such a thing.

For once, she could feel part of the family business.

She had wanted to work in the company forever.

That's why she had studied Business Management at Harvard; she had so hoped her father would consider her an equal in business... Or at least accept being her mentor.

But her father had bluntly rejected her, refusing to hire her or even listen to her ideas.

He said it wasn't good for her to give that image in society, that no good Greek man would take her seriously.

That no one would want a loud-mouthed, open-minded, and highly intelligent wife. Unfortunately, he was very old-fashioned and believed that a woman's place was at home, having children, preferably boys who would inherit the family businesses.

Surprisingly, now she felt proud.

She had been a blur in the Miller family's history for twenty-five years, something insignificant to the family, the invisible one who never mattered.

But today, she could finally help her father.

She was going to save him, and the whole family, from ruin and humiliation.

Anastasia peeked through a small stained glass window on the door, managed to see, and was surprised.

The church was very small, there weren't even more guests than both families, but it was very beautiful.

It had small golden bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The decoration reminded her of the forests; there were many beautiful plants decorating the place, and it seemed to her like being inside a dreamy image like those seen on Pinterest.

There were only three rows of benches on each side of the narrow aisle. It took her a while to get used to the dimness inside; the light from the bulbs was dim, giving the place a romantic look, or at least that's what Anastasia thought (who secretly was a hopeless romantic).

She was really impressed with the place; she thought she couldn't be more impressed, but then she saw the groom.

Kellan Vills was standing at the altar.

The first thing she noticed was that he was a little shorter than his brother.

But that was compensated for in robustness. He had to be twice as sturdy as Kal Vills, and that was saying a lot, because the guy looked like a wardrobe.

Besides that, Anastasia appreciated how well the suit fit him. She could almost see the defined muscles through the jacket and those pants.

Next to him was the priest, behind a wooden pulpit that looked quite solid, or so Anastasia thought amidst her panic attack.

Would Kellan notice anything before reciting the vows?

Would he realize she wasn't her sister?

The veil had been chosen by her mother, with special care.

It was so thick that she could barely see through the lace.

But she was sure that as he approached, Kellan wouldn't take long to notice her shape.

She obviously wasn't her sister, who had a slim and athletic figure. Even wearing those uncomfortable and very high heels, Ana was still short and chubby.

The old-fashioned corset (designed to measure for her sister) couldn't hide her pronounced curves.

If he had investigated his fiancée a little, he would notice the difference in weight.

"He'll know, father," she whispered in terror.

"Don't say anything, someone might hear you," her father replied, gritting his teeth and with a tense smile on his lips. "It's too late to back out, daughter. You're the only hope."

With those words, she had no choice but to press her lips together.

She wouldn't back out; she couldn't.

He adjusted her veil, making sure it covered her face.

Anastasia lifted her head and entered, arm in arm with her father, into the Orthodox chapel.