THE WRONG BRIDE'S BILLONIARE

I disliked hospitals. The smell of bleach and disinfectants always made my stomach turn. I had rushed over after getting the call about Chloe’s minor accident already preparing the lecture I would give her about driving too fast under the rain. Instead, I met a doctor who led me into the room and slowly pulled back the white sheet. My body froze,for a moment my whole world came crashing down. I couldn't scream. My father’s hand on my shoulder, his trembling more than it should have been. “Avery,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “We don’t have time to fall apart.” That was when he told me about the contract. Chloe had been on her way to sign the marriage papers with Sebastian Cross, a tech billionaire and apparently desperate enough for a wife that he had arranged the entire arrangement over phone calls. Millions of dollars. Enough to cover Dad’s cancer treatment, the one our insurance couldn't even be of help. “She was going to do it for me,” Dad said, tears running down his cheeks. “She knew we were out of options. Now she’s gone. But you… you could save us, Avery. You can take her place.” “No.” The word came out still processing everything “I can’t. Dad, that’s insane. His grip tightened on my shoulder. “The cancer’s worse than I told you. They gave me months, Avery. Three months, maybe four. This money buys me a fighting chance. If Sebastian finds out she’s dead, the deal is off. The trust fund stays locked.” I felt nauseous. Chloe had always been the brave one, the golden twin who basked in the spotlight. Me on the other hand was the logistics coordinator, the quiet one. Impersonating her in a fake marriage to a powerful tycoon? Was like social suicide. I tried to find a logical reason to think. “You can’t just swap people, Dad. What about biometrics? And about background checks? Sebastian would literally know the second I walked through the door.” But Dad kept talking and pleading about the private ceremony already scheduled for tonight, and how Sebastian had only ever spoken to Chloe on the phone. They had never actually met in person. If we moved fast, no one would ever know. I had few hours to bury my sister in my heart and become her. I said no at least six more times. Eventually I gave in . **** In the end, I stood in our room surrounded by all the memories. Clothes were strewn across the designer sofa, and the air still smelled faintly of her signature jasmine perfume. I pulled on the cream silk dress she’d picked out for the signing. The fabric clung to my curves, fitting too well . I stared at myself in the mirror, applied her favorite shade of bold, blood-red lipstick. Looking back at me were the same sharp cheekbones, the same dark, expressive eyes, but the girl in the reflection couldn't be like her. A private car came to pick me up. Outside, the rain kept drizzling. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, so I balled them into fists against my lap, forcing myself to breathe in on four counts, out on four. “Just sign the papers,” I told myself. “Get the money. Save Dad. Survive the night.” Sebastian Cross waited in an executive suite at the top of a glass tower. He was taller than I expected, broad-shouldered in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that screamed quiet, untouchable authority. He wore sleek, high-tech glasses, but they couldn't hide the striking, analytical amber eyes behind them. When he turned toward me, something dangerously tense crackled in the air. “Chloe,” he said. His voice was low, deep,and felt intimate . It was the same voice that had apparently kept my sister laughing on late-night calls. I forced a smile. “Sebastian.” He crossed the room with a surprised look closing in the gap between us and took my hand. His grip was warm and firm. For one second, I thought he was going to lean down and kiss me, but he only studied my face, his gaze searching for my features as if he could read every single secret I was trying to bury . “You seem quite nervous,” he observed quietly, his thumb brushing lightly over the back of my wrist, right over my racing pulse. “Wouldn’t you be?” The words came out steadier than I felt. “Marrying a stranger for a contract. It’s not something I would get used to in a day.” A faint, dangerous smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Fair point.” The lawyers in the corner of the room were silent and efficient.The papers slid across the glass table. I picked up the pen, my fingers trembling slightly. I signed “Chloe Sterling “. My hand felt completely traitorous as I forced myself to sign. Sebastian watched me the entire time, his eyes tracking the movement of the pen in a way that made my chest tighten. Then came the ceremony itself. It was short and private. Just us, a hired judge, and two witnesses . I barely heard the vows. My mind kept flashing back to everything that happened,it felt like a dream. The ring was lovely as Sebastian slipped it onto my left ring finger. Platinum and a flawless emerald-cut diamond that probably cost more than my entire apartment building. He didn’t let go of my hand afterward. Instead, he leaned in close, his chest brushing against my shoulder, his warm breath fanning across my ear. “One more lie, “Chloe”… and this marriage ends tonight.” I froze instantly, locking the air in my lungs. He pulled back just enough to look down at me, his expression entirely unreadable behind his glasses. My heart slammed against my ribs. How? How did he already know?