The Billionaire’s Substitute Bride

Chapter 5: Diamonds and Lies

The applause hadn’t stopped, a glittering, heavy wave of sound that rolled through the hall. Alina forced a smile, letting it mask the dread, while camera flashes turned the grand hall into a disorienting haze. It was a marriage built on a lie, but she didn’t dare let her smile fall, not while everyone was watching.

His hand rested at the small of her back firm, steady guiding her through the crowd.

“Smile,” he murmured.

“I am,” she hissed through her teeth.

“Convincingly.”

Her fingers curled against his arm, but she deepened the smile anyway.

They stepped into the reception hall. It was breathtaking. Crystal chandeliers dripped from the ceiling like frozen light, and white roses covered tables that stretched for miles. The air was thick with expensive perfume and the low murmur of powerful people.

This was his world. And now, terrifyingly, it was hers.

“Mr. and Mrs.,” someone announced, the voice echoing. The title hit her harder than the vows, making her chest tighten. Before she could process it, the crowd surged, a blur of too many faces.

Alina felt it instantly this wasn’t a celebration. It was an inspection.

“Stay close,” he murmured near her ear.

“I wasn’t planning to run,” she said.

“Good.” A beat. “Because you can’t.”

Her stomach tightened.

A woman stepped into their path, and the atmosphere shifted. She was stunning emerald silk clinging to her frame, diamonds catching the light like shards of ice. Her smile was a razor blade.

“Well,” she said, her voice a smooth, dangerous purr, “this is… unexpected.”

Her gaze slid over Alina slow, deliberate, dissecting. Alina felt it like a cold blade.

“Congratulations,” the woman added, with absolutely no warmth.

Alina returned the politeness, holding her ground, watching for a crack in that perfected armor. There a tiny hesitation.

“Won’t you introduce me?” the woman asked, turning to him.

“Alina,” he said. “This is Selene Vale.”

The name landed heavy. Dangerous.

Selene extended her hand. “A pleasure.”

Alina took it. Firm. Controlled.

“You look different,” Selene said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

Alina met her gaze. “So do you.”

The tension snapped tight. Then Selene laughed, a low, amused sound.

“I like her,” she said, glancing at him. “She’s not what I expected.”

“She isn’t,” he agreed.

Something in the way he said it quiet, weighted made Alina’s chest tighten. Selene noticed, of course.

“Tell me,” Selene said, refocusing on Alina, “how does it feel? Waking up married into a world like this?”

It felt like a trap. But Alina didn’t hesitate.

“It feels like walking into a room where everyone already knows your name,” she said calmly, “and they’re just waiting to see if you deserve it.

Selene’s smile widened slightly. “Careful,” she murmured. “This isn’t a forgiving crowd.”

Alina didn’t look away. “I’m not asking for forgiveness.”

Something flickered in Selene’s eyes. Not approval. Recognition