The Billionaire Unexpected Bride

he world had been thrust upon my shoulders. Her threats played on a loop

reat to her very existence? The following day began with a deceptive air of c

ls with trays of champagne and floral arrangements, while laughter echoed faintly from the garden. Celia's parents had returned l

anging a centerpiece of fresh peonies, their de

preading across his face. "A marriage between our family and the richest CEO, what more could we have hoped for you?" Celia, seated elegantly with her back straight and her teacup poised delicately in her hand, offe

Celia's eyes, a shadow of doubt, a crack in her otherwise impenetrable façade. But she

ed the vase I was holding. There was a hollowness to her wo

able. "Amelia," she began, her voice calm but edged with something I couldn't place, "have you ever wondered what it would be like to live my life?" I blinked, taken aback by the sudden question. "I'm sorry, ma'am?" She app

down the tray of toiletries I had been holding and looked at her, confused. "Ma'am, is something wrong?" She studied her reflection in the mirror, her eyes distant. "Tell me, Amelia, would you marry the richest CEO?" The question jolted me like a bolt of lightning. "I, excuse me,

ma'am... what are you saying?" Celia stood abruptly and walked toward me, her expression a mixtur

.." "I know," she cut me off, her voice sharper now. "Do you think I want to live the rest of my life as a puppet? Smiling on cue, pretending to love someone I don't?" Her words struck a chord deep w

"You'll wear the dress," she explained quickly. "Walk down the aisle, say the vows. No one will know it's you.

an't... I'm just a maid, I could never..." "You can," she insisted, her grip tightening. "I'll make su

bills Celia had paid, of the kindness she had shown me when no one else did. After a long, agonizing silence, I nodded. "All right, ma'am. I'll do it."

mannerisms and speech. That night, she hosted a final soiree, l

mposter, a shadow pretending to be the sun. "You look perfect," Celia said, stepping back to admire her work. "No one will ever know." My nerves threatened to consume me as I turned to her. "A

he aisle. My heart pounded in my chest, each step feeling like an eternity. A

ords tasting foreign on my tongue. But when the priest said, "You may kiss the bride," my world shattered. Andrew lifted t

e world seemed to tilt beneath my feet as I stood there, ex