Substitute Bride: My Perfect CEO Husband

Substitute Bride: My Perfect CEO Husband

Zhen Xiang

4.6
Comment(s)
467.9K
View
85
Chapters

William did not expect that the one thing he would not have on his wedding day was his own bride. The woman he had loved for ten years was missing on their wedding day. Amelia, the adopted daughter, married him as a substitute to spare the awkwardness between the two families. What he didn't know was that the one did care about and love him for years was her, not her sister. However, misunderstanding still filled their marriage. Not until he learned the truth did he realize the only he truly loved.

Chapter 1 A Wedding

This day, the entire city celebrated the union of the top two families in the country. William Mo, one of the most eligible bachelors at thirty-five-years-old, was set to marry Joy Xu, a thirty-one-year-old heiress.

The wedding ceremony was indeed the grandest display anyone had ever seen. With chandeliers that could last for days and columns that could rival the Greek architecture, it was evident that both parties weren't hesitant in throwing a little bit of cash for grandeur.

However, despite having everything in his pockets, William Mo did not expect that the one thing he would not have on his wedding day was his own bride.

The woman he had loved for ten years was missing at their wedding day.

"I am not sure if I want to marry you, William. I just need some place to clear my head for a while. I'm sorry."

He crumpled the note in his fist, and he clenched his jaw. Various scenarios ran through his mind as he tried to think of a reason why she would leave him so abruptly.

How could she do this to him?

All those sweet words of her loving him and never leaving him-were they all a lie?

"Joy!" he yelled out, fighting the urge to rip off his own suit.

At the sudden commotion, the two families sat at the bride's empty dressing room. Due to the bride's escape, the Xu family couldn't bring themselves to look at groom's family.

Finally, Colby Mo, William's father, stood up, breaking the long, awkward silence. His face darkened tremendously, and he clenched his fists. There were so many guests outside just waiting for the event. He was not going to let this slide and have their family be humiliated like this. "Barth, we must do something," he said in a cold voice. "This wedding must be held. Since Joy has escaped, then you should marry the other daughter of yours into our family."

'The other daughter?'

It seemed that Colby Mo was inferring that he let Amelia Xu marry William Mo. Barth Xu glanced at this adopted daughter, Amelia Xu. 'Won't William feel wronged upon marrying her?' he wondered.

"Amelia, are you willing to marry William as your sister's substitute?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Dad. I do." Amelia Xu nodded with no hesitation. Her curly strands fell to her face, but she ignored them. Guarded emotions gleamed behind her gaze as she stared up at them. "As long as he's willing to marry me, then I'll marry him."

Her immediate answer surprised the both sides. In fact, even William Mo found himself stunned by her firm declaration. 'She's willing to be tied up to me?' he thought.

"Why are you willing to marry me?" he asked.

Hearing him, Amelia Xu turned to look at the man she would soon marry. "Is it all right if I talk to you? Alone?" She pursed her lips. She needed to clear out any confusion they might have with each other.

He frowned. 'Alone?'

"Can't you tell me now?" he asked.

"It's about the two of us, if you don't mind. It's private. Look, after I tell you, then you can decide whether you want to marry me or not," she said firmly, returning the option back to him.

Complicated feelings surged through William's heart as he turned to his parents. There was something that she wasn't telling him, and he was curious to find out. "Dad, Mom, I have to talk to Amelia," he said calmly. "Why don't you wait for me outside?"

"Don't try anything on her, son. She's your only ticket out of here," Colby Mo reminded his son and stepped out of the dressing room with his wife.

Seeing this, Barth Xu and his family merely followed suit.

William watched them leave one by one. Once they were gone, he finally turned to Amelia. He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to take all his anger out on her. "You better not be testing my patience," he snapped. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Do you remember this?" Instead of answering his question, Amelia Xu slowly grabbed her handbag and pulled out a small crown. Despite its size, one could tell that it was extremely exquisite and expensive from the dozens of encrusted jewelry on the surface. "You told me that you'll treat me like a princess and you'll dote on me forever," she continued.

When he saw her pull out the crown, he snatched it from her grasp. "What the hell are you talking about?" he snarled. "I sent this to Joy while I was studying in America. Why is this with you?"

"Because I was the one who'd been in touch with you. I was the one who knitted that sweater for you, the one who gave you scarfs and socks, and the one who cooked you those pastries you loved... not her," she stuttered out. She took a step toward him, and the tears in her eyes were evident. Her hands trembled. "Have you ever thought about it? If it was her, why hasn't she worn the crown before? Why doesn't she know the contents of your letters?"

At her insistence, he could only stare at her in disbelief. "And why would you do that? Why would you let her impersonate you?" he asked.

"Because you grew up together! I saw how hell-bent you were on pursuing her." Tears ran down her cheeks as she fell onto the sofa. "How could I ever tell you my feelings? You loved her too much for you to even look my way."

Seeing the tears that had freely slipped down her cheeks, he felt a sudden ache in his heart.

'Was it really her who had been in touch with me?

Should I trust her? Was she the one writing me letters all this time?'

Then again, it made perfect sense. When he had been in America, he had been unable to reach Joy Xu sometimes.

She didn't return his feelings. That was the whole point.

When he could reach her, she would talk to him via video chat. When he couldn't reach her, Amelia Xu would talk to him.

Somehow, it felt as if all the puzzle pieces were falling into place. "So Orange is your nickname, not Joy's?" he asked, remembering the letters they had exchanged.

"Back home, my dad and sister would call me Orange. You can ask Dad if you don't believe me. I've loved oranges ever since I was little." She let out a bitter laugh. Of course, the dad she was referring to was none other than Barth Xu.

William Mo froze, finding it hard to breath as the realizations hit him one by one. The news was like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.

Amelia Xu was Orange, and yet he had spent nearly ten years on another woman!

He couldn't help but remember all the times he would go to the Xu family's villa to visit Joy Xu. He remembered talking to Amelia Xu and professing how much he loved her sister. He winced at the thought. Those words must've been torture for her to sit through.

He was such an ass!

Kneeling down, the man slowly wiped her tears. Seeing her state, he couldn't help but reach out and pull her into a hug.

But before he could, she quickly dodged his hold. She moved to the other end of the couch and bit her lips. "I never expected that you'd love me, William. All I ever hoped was for us to be in good terms–that I could watch you from afar. But now that you know everything, I won't allow you to hug me unless you love me."

She didn't want William to treat her like that just because he felt sorry for her. Sympathy was far more hurtful than indifference.

He froze, eyes widening by a fraction.

"You don't want me to hug you, yet you want to marry me?" he questioned.

"I love you, so I want to be your woman. But there is no way I can accept that you hold me in your arms while being in love with another woman. You can't torture me like this, by making me wonder who you're thinking of while you're hugging me."

She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that the earth would just swallow her up. If that happened, did she even have the strength to love him still?

William Mo slowly stood up and gazed up at her figure, feeling his heart pain at the sight. He used to profess his love for Joy Xu. Now that he finally knew the truth, how could he say those same words to Amelia Xu?

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't bring it in himself to say it.

"I want to marry you," he said seriously, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You're my wife, and mine only." William Mo walked to the door and looked at the people outside the room. "Dad, Mom, call the make-up artist in," he ordered. "I want Amelia to be the most beautiful woman in the wedding."

Colby Mo and his wife, Maria Lu, shared a look before glancing at their son in surprise. Had he really made up his mind that fast? Or did he just want to continue the wedding so that the Mo family wouldn't be a laughingstock?

"Son, do you really want to marry Amelia? Or do you want us to announce that you're still marrying Joy?"

Amelia's face turned pale upon hearing that. If she was nothing but a substitute, then what else could she do? Was her abandonment inevitable?

William Mo turned around and gazed to Amelia Xu, whose eyes were sad and bloodshot. He took a deep breath before turning to his father. "I think you've misunderstood," he stated. "There's no substitute. I'll marry Amelia, the second daughter of Uncle Barth."

Aside from the Xu family and the Mo family, no one knew that Amelia was adopted. The only reason why the Mo family knew was that the two families had been best friends ever since Barth Xu and Colby Xu were children.

Barth's face brightened. "Yes. She's our second daughter, meaning she also has the right of inheriting our property," he said proudly. "Don't worry. We will give her the same dowry as Joy's."

Maria Lu pursed her lips. Although she didn't like Amelia Xu and didn't want to accept her as her daughter-in-law, she could make do after hearing what Barth Xu said.

"Now that you've made up your mind, then go ahead. Don't let our guests wait too long. Otherwise, they will laugh at us," Colby Mo said. Then he turned to his wife. "Go and call the make-up artist in. Let's get this over with."

Maria Lu quickly did as she was told. William Mo glanced at Amelia Xu one last time before heading out of the room.

Amelia's heart was suddenly filled with happiness. He had just stated that he would marry her and she was not a substitute.

"Cherish what you have now, all right?" Barth Xu whispered in her ear as he hugged her. "Don't act like your sister."

Amelia Xu nodded. She had longed for this moment since she was a child. There was no way she was going to run away from this.

"Dad, I'll love him," she said firmly. "From now on, William is my husband, and I'll treat him as such."

"William has always been a good man. Now that you're his wife, I believe he will treat you well." After saying this, Barth Xu let go of her. With a small smile, he turned. "I'll go out first, all right? Wait for the make-up artist."

"Yes, Dad."

Continue Reading

Other books by Zhen Xiang

More
Silent Escape: The Runaway Heiress's Refuge

Silent Escape: The Runaway Heiress's Refuge

Modern

5.0

I was summoned home from boarding school for a funeral, thinking my family finally wanted me back. I stood in the pouring rain, watching a mahogany casket disappear into the mud, while the silence in my head felt like it was drowning me. That night, I hid behind a tapestry and listened through a vent to my father’s study. He wasn't talking about grief. He was talking about "tissue compatibility" and "near-perfect matches" with the family lawyer. They didn't want a daughter; they wanted a donor. My father’s voice was devoid of emotion as he discussed "the harvest." My half-sister was dying, and I was the spare part they had been growing for years. They had even removed the lock from my bedroom door so I could never truly shut them out. The realization shattered me. I was just a biological backup plan, a life deemed less valuable than the one they preferred. How could a father look at his own child and see nothing but a heart to be cut out and transplanted? I didn't wait for them to come for me. I stuffed a backpack, flushed my SIM card, and climbed out the window into a thunderstorm. I caught a bus to the middle of nowhere, ending up in a seat next to a massive, predatory man named Hoyt who looked like he’d killed people for less than a seat preference. He pinned my wrist with a grip like iron and growled, "Who sent you?" I couldn't speak to defend myself, but as we rolled into a dying town called Blackwood Creek, I knew one thing for certain. I would rather take my chances with a stranger with a gun than stay another night with the family that wanted me dead.

The Wolf's Gambit: The Heiress's Revenge

The Wolf's Gambit: The Heiress's Revenge

Modern

5.0

It was our fifth anniversary, and I sat alone in a Michelin-starred restaurant, staring at a diamond ring that felt more like an anchor than a promise. I kept telling myself Caleb was just busy, rationalizing the sharp, spasmodic pain in my stomach as mere nerves rather than my body's final warning. But when I went to his penthouse to surprise him, I found the double doors ajar. Through the gap, I watched my fiancé devouring Beatrice Blackwood on the sofa-the woman who had the family backing and confidence I supposedly lacked. He wasn't working; he was celebrating our anniversary by replacing me. The fallout was a calculated humiliation. The tabloids branded me a "pathetic orphan," and my Uncle Richard didn't care about the betrayal. He slammed his hand on his desk, claiming I was having another "psychotic episode" and accusing me of paranoia. He threatened to pull the plug on my mother's life support unless I went to the Hamptons to beg Caleb for forgiveness. My family even tried to force me onto heavy antipsychotics to keep me quiet for the sake of a corporate merger. I was being sold to a man who hated me by the very people who were supposed to protect me. I didn't understand why they wanted me broken, or why a mysterious stranger in an elevator had suddenly paid my mother's astronomical medical bills in full. Everything changed at a dinner where my uncle tried to trade me to a predator for a real estate deal. I didn't cry; I shattered a wine bottle and held the jagged glass to the man's throat. That's when Julian Blackwood, the most feared man on Wall Street, walked in and seized the house, the debt, and me. "I take my contracts seriously, Vanessa," he whispered, pulling me into his armored car as my family was thrown onto the street. I had escaped my uncle's cage, but as I looked into Julian's storm-gray eyes, I realized I had just traded a common bully for a beautiful, deadly king.

Revealing My Secret Identities! My Bros Are Speechless!

Revealing My Secret Identities! My Bros Are Speechless!

Modern

5.0

For seventeen years, I was the crown jewel of the Kensington empire, the perfect daughter groomed for a royal future. Then, a cream-colored envelope landed in my lap, bearing a gold crest and a truth that turned my world into ice. The DNA test result was a cold, hard zero percent-I wasn't a Kensington. Before the ink could even dry, my parents invited my replacement, a girl named Alleen, into the drawing room and treated me like a trespasser in my own home. My mother, who once hosted galas in my honor, wouldn't even look me in the eye as she stroked Alleen's arm, whispering that she was finally "safe." My father handed me a one-million-dollar check-a mere tip for a billionaire-and told me to leave immediately to avoid tanking the company's stock price. "You're a thief! You lived my life, you spent my money, and you don't get to keep the loot!" Alleen shrieked, trying to claw the designer jacket off my shoulders while my "parents" watched with clinical detachment. I was dumped on a gritty sidewalk in Queens with nothing but three trunks and the address of a struggling laborer I was now supposed to call "Dad." I traded a marble mansion for a crumbling walk-up where the air smelled of exhaust and my new bedroom was a literal storage closet. My biological family thought I was a broken princess, and the Kensingtons thought they had successfully erased me with a payoff and a non-disclosure agreement. They had no idea that while I was hauling trunks up four flights of stairs, my secret media empire was already preparing to move against them. As I sat on a thin mattress in the dark, I opened my encrypted laptop and sent a single command that would cost my former father ten million dollars by breakfast. They thought they were throwing me to the wolves, but they forgot one thing: I'm the one who leads the pack.

You'll also like

Secret Baby: The Jilted Wife's Final Goodbye

Secret Baby: The Jilted Wife's Final Goodbye

Cait
5.0

I sat on the cold tile floor of our Upper East Side penthouse, staring at the two pink lines until my vision blurred. After ten years of loving Julian Sterling and three years of a hollow marriage, I finally had the one thing that could bridge the distance between us. I was pregnant. But Julian didn't come home with flowers for our anniversary. He tossed a thick manila envelope onto the marble coffee table with a heavy thud. Fiona, the woman he'd truly loved for years, was back in New York, and he told me our "business deal" was officially over. "Sign it," He said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. He looked at me with the cold detachment of a man selling a piece of unwanted furniture. When I hesitated, he told me to add a zero to the alimony if the money wasn't enough. I realized in that moment that if he knew about the baby, he wouldn't love me; he would simply take my child and give it to Fiona to raise. I shoved the pregnancy test into my pocket, signed the papers with a shaking hand, and lied through my teeth. When my morning sickness hit, I slumped to the floor to hide the truth. "It's just cramps," I gasped, watching him recoil as if I were contagious. To make him stay away, I invented a man named Jack-a fake boyfriend who supposedly gave me the kindness Julian never could. Suddenly, the man who wanted me gone became a monster of possessiveness. He threatened to "bury" a man who didn't exist while leaving me humiliated at his family's dinner to rush to Fiona's side. I was so broken that I even ate a cake I was deathly allergic to, then had to refuse life-saving steroids at the hospital because they would harm the fetus. Julian thinks he's stalling the divorce for two months to protect the family's reputation for his father's Jubilee. He thinks he's keeping his "property" on a short leash until the press dies down. He has no idea I'm using those sixty days to build a fortress for my child. By the time he realizes the truth, I'll be gone, and the Sterling heir will be far beyond his reach.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Substitute Bride: My Perfect CEO Husband
1

Chapter 1 A Wedding

10/08/2020

2

Chapter 2 His Wife

11/08/2020

3

Chapter 3 Eat Up Happiness

12/08/2020

4

Chapter 4 Her Box

12/08/2020

5

Chapter 5 Rich Boy

13/08/2020

6

Chapter 6 Elder Sister Is Yours, Younger Sister Is Mine

13/08/2020

7

Chapter 7 Don't Call Me William

13/08/2020

8

Chapter 8 Have Been Loving You All The Time

14/08/2020

9

Chapter 9 A Happy Morning

14/08/2020

10

Chapter 10 His Gifts For Her

15/08/2020

11

Chapter 11 Joy Saw The News

16/08/2020

12

Chapter 12 Almost Fall

17/08/2020

13

Chapter 13 Buy Clothes

18/08/2020

14

Chapter 14 Too Nice

19/08/2020

15

Chapter 15 Not At Home

20/08/2020

16

Chapter 16 Burning Clothes

21/08/2020

17

Chapter 17 I Don't Want To Be An Extravagant Woman

22/08/2020

18

Chapter 18 Throw Away Jewelries

23/08/2020

19

Chapter 19 Only In Bed

24/08/2020

20

Chapter 20 Meeting Penn

25/08/2020

21

Chapter 21 Help Her

26/08/2020

22

Chapter 22 Drinking White Wine

27/08/2020

23

Chapter 23 Be My Lover In Your Next Life

28/08/2020

24

Chapter 24 Honeymoon Trip

29/08/2020

25

Chapter 25 Car Accident

30/08/2020

26

Chapter 26 Being Sent To The Hospital

31/08/2020

27

Chapter 27 Taekwondo Master

01/09/2020

28

Chapter 28 May I Call You Uncle

02/09/2020

29

Chapter 29 Bernice Who Knows Nothing

03/09/2020

30

Chapter 30 William Knew He Was Missing

04/09/2020

31

Chapter 31 A Magazine About People's Livelihood

05/09/2020

32

Chapter 32 Go To Work

06/09/2020

33

Chapter 33 The Sadness Of Being A Rich Wife

07/09/2020

34

Chapter 34 Go Out For A Cup Of Coffee

08/09/2020

35

Chapter 35 She Have To Face A Lot Of Things In The Future

09/09/2020

36

Chapter 36 Pick Her Up From Work

10/09/2020

37

Chapter 37 Too Exaggerated

11/09/2020

38

Chapter 38 Received A Call

12/09/2020

39

Chapter 39 Left

13/09/2020

40

Chapter 40 An Interview

14/09/2020