Kill Me Love Me

2. The substitute bride

The ballroom had been sparkling for an hour. Hundreds of crystal candles hung from the ceiling, reflecting light onto the white marble walls and the vases of flowers that filled every corner. Waiters in black suits came and went, carrying champagne, while the soft strains of violin music played... or so it should have been.

In fact, the atmosphere was beginning to crack.

The quiet whispers of the guests grew louder, seeping between the round tables decorated with white roses. Some of the guests, who had been standing for too long, began to look at each other, wondering as they peered toward the still-empty entrance.

"The bride and groom aren't here yet?"

"It's been over two hours..."

"Did something happen?"

These voices came from all directions.

In front of the white altar decorated with baby's breath, the priest waited with an increasingly awkward smile. The photographers looked at each other, their hands gripping their cameras, not knowing what to photograph.

On the right side of the room, the Volkov family began to look restless.

In the front row, Mrs. Nirvana Volkov slowly rose from her seat. Her black silk dress shifted softly as she stepped closer to the Ardane family.

"Mr. Ardane," her voice was low but clear enough for anyone nearby to hear, "where is your daughter? The ceremony should have already begun."

Mr. Jeff Ardane had been checking his watch the whole time, and he turned with an increasingly pale face.

"We... haven't heard from her yet," he replied softly but with a tremor in his voice. "Her cell phone is off. The driver assigned to pick her up isn't answering his phone either."

Nirvana did not respond immediately, but the slight lift of her chin was enough to show her displeasure.

Next to Jeff, Mrs. Angeline Ardane gripped her silver clutch tightly.

"She wouldn't be late without letting us know," she whispered in panic. She turned to her husband. "Jeff... something's not right. I'm worried something happened to our daughter."

Jeff closed his eyes for a moment, then signaled to their family security chief standing behind him.

"Find her," he said in a low voice. "Check all the routes she might have taken. Contact all the house staff. And make sure none of the guests know we've lost contact with her."

But the instructions came too late.

Some guests were already staring curiously. Others were whispering more loudly than before, watching the Ardane family's restless movements.

The Ardane guards immediately sprang into action, spreading out to various corners of the ballroom, then outside the room.

Nirvana Volkov watched them work with a blank expression.

"Make sure your daughter is found," she said without turning her head. "Lucien doesn't like uncertainty."

After that, Nirvana Volkov walked away, leaving Mrs. Angeline Ardane completely unable to control her composure. Her fingers trembled as she clutched her husband's arm.

"Jeff... I can't sit still," she whispered frantically. "I don't want what happened fifteen years ago to happen to our daughter."

Those words made Jeff look at his wife with a bitter gaze. Memories of the past that he had never mentioned to anyone else came flooding back like a cold wave.

"Angeline... calm down," he said softly, but he himself did not look convincing.

“No!” Angeline clutched her chest. “If you won’t go find him, I will!”

Jeff finally sighed heavily. He patted his wife’s arm, trying to calm her down.

“I’ll go,” he said finally. “Stay here. Don’t leave your spot.”

He immediately walked away, followed by two senior guards of the Ardane family.

"Where is the bride? Why hasn't she appeared yet?"

"What's going on? Something must be wrong!"

"Did the bride run away? Rumor has it that they got married because of a business agreement."

The guests began to grow impatient, and speculation quickly spread that the bride had run away.

Amidst the chaos, on the other side of the ballroom, on the relatively quiet upper balcony, a man stood watching the commotion while slowly smoking a cigarette.

A thin cloud of smoke circled around his face, revealing sharp jawlines, eyes as cold as an autumn night, and tightly closed lips devoid of emotion.

Lucien Volkov did not move. He did not react to the commotion.

When quick footsteps approached him, he lazily shifted his gaze to the person who had just arrived at his side, Sergei, his secretary.

"Sir... The hall is getting out of control. The guests are asking questions... and... Miss Alea still hasn't arrived."

Lucien finally lowered the cigarette from his lips. The ash fell slowly to the floor before he exhaled the last puff of smoke. "Dismiss them." Lucien said flatly, and turned back to the line of guests below.

The order caused Sergei to frown. He knew his master often gave unreasonable orders, but he always prioritized his reputation. Disbanding the wedding was tantamount to humiliating the Volkov family itself.

"But sir—"

Lucien extinguished his cigarette on the rim of an empty glass on the table near him. Then he straightened up and stared at Sergei with a coldness that made the air feel several degrees colder.

“Alea won’t be coming. “And don’t mention that woman’s name again.” Lucien’s voice lowered. “This marriage ends now.”

Lucien didn’t wait for Sergei’s response; he turned and walked away, leaving Sergei staring at him with an unreadable expression.

Lucien had only taken a few steps when the commotion inside the hall reached a fever pitch. The murmurs of the guests mingled with the sound of chairs being moved, turning the magnificent ballroom into a room that had completely lost control.

"Sir, wait! It seems too late to call off the wedding." Sergei's voice filled Lucien's ears again, forcing the man to stop in his tracks. His shoulders rose and fell slightly as he fought back his irritation before turning with a cold stare.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said sarcastically.

"The bride isn't here. There's no reason to continue this event."

Sergei glanced down for a moment before turning to Lucien. "Sir... Miss Alea has just arrived."

Lucien's expressionless face now wrinkled. His gaze darkened, clearly unhappy to hear Sergei's words.

"...It's impossible for that woman to come," he muttered softly.

"Look! The bride has arrived!!"

All eyes in the hall suddenly moved in one direction when a guest's shout echoed.

Lucien finally turned his gaze, and for a moment, Lucien was completely frozen. His gaze lost the assertiveness he usually used to intimidate anyone who dared to stand in front of him.

A woman stepped through the main door. The crystal chandelier above them reflected a soft glow on the surface of her white dress, her beauty captivating every eye, especially Lucien's, who now couldn't look away. His dark gaze followed her every step without blinking, filled with shock. How could she... come...? He whispered to himself.

The woman was Alea Ardane, the woman he least wanted by his side.

Lucien immediately headed for the ballroom, quickly descending the stairs until he finally stopped just a few steps away from the woman.

The woman flashed a slight smile, which was met only with Lucien's cold stare.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, her voice falling gently amid the commotion. "I kept everyone waiting."

Lucien lowered his body slightly, moving closer to her, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. "Alea, how can you... be here?

The woman before him didn’t respond immediately, her brown eyes flashing sharply, a soft curse escaping her lips that Lucien couldn’t hear.

Damn bastard... how dare you mention Alea's name after running her over and killing her?

In fact, she was not Alea as everyone thought, she was Zalea... Whose existence had been considered dead by everyone.

Zalea stared at him without blinking. The masculine scent of Lucien's cologne swept over her sense of smell, making something inside her chest harden.

The scent of a killer, she thought. The scent of the man who made my sister never come home.

She lifted her face slightly, her lips curving faintly.

"Of course," she whispered softly, "I'm here to marry you."

Lucien's gaze changed, something dangerous appeared in his dark eyes, and Zalea could sense it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the wedding ceremony will begin shortly."

The priest's voice echoed from the ceremony stage, breaking the tension between them.

The ballroom was then filled with applause, but Lucien continued to stare at Zalea without moving, tracing the smiling face in front of him with an unreadable gaze.

Zalea felt that sharp gaze,

she knew very well that Lucien was no ordinary man; rumors circulated that he was the biggest black market boss in the eastern region and Russia. But Zalea didn't care, she broadened her smile and took half a step closer. Her voice dropped to a soft, seductive whisper.

"You are mine, Lucien..." she said.