Sheila Grayson

Andrew's POV

I answered the call, and her voice was filled with anger. "Son, can you believe these people? They had the audacity to do this! Can you imagine?"

"What are you talking about, Mother?"

“The Grayson’s family! They are the family your grandparents wanted you to marry from due to their long time friendship with the bride's grandparents. They had the nerve to call me and inform me that they'll be sending the older sister for the marriage alliance instead of the younger one as we discussed. Can you believe it? They must have heard the nonsense news about you being disinherited and decided their golden daughter was too good for you! They decided to send the older one!”

She continued, “If it weren't for your grandfather's insistence that you marry from that family, I wouldn't have even agreed to accept them. Their family is way beneath us, compared to the other families your father and I selected, yet they have the audacity to look down on us!”

I had to suppress a laugh as my mother ranted over the phone. It felt good that their plans backfired back at them after going behind my back to find a bride for me. I'm certain that very soon, other families would also call my mother and cancel whatever agreement they have with my parents.

To aggravate my mother further, I said playfully, “It's too bad that I won't be getting remarried then. Can I at least see a picture of my newly arranged bride now, since the younger one isn't available?”

“Absolutely not! I won't allow the Grayson family to treat our family this way. I don't even know what the older sister looks like, and I don't care!”

“Don't worry, brother, I'll send you the picture with my phone!” I suddenly heard my younger sister's playful voice from the background. She seemed like she was enjoying all the drama going on.

“Shut up, Stella! This is very important. The Grayson family will hear from me when I get back from my vacation!” she yelled before abruptly hanging up.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. My ruined day had suddenly turned into a joyous one. I returned back to the mansion and happily began packing to leave and be with Evelyn when a notification popped up on my phone.

Apparently, my sister had sent me the picture of the older sister I had teasingly requested for. As I casually opened the file to see the face of the woman my mother was so discontented with, I froze.

How was it possible that the supposed picture of Sheila Grayson, my arranged bride, bore the face of my beloved wife, Evelyn?

No, this couldn't be happening! It must be some kind of prank or mistake. How did my mother even get a picture of Evelyn, and why was it labeled as Sheila Grayson?

Evelyn and I had met and married abroad, and my parents had only seen her a few times. They weren't really close to her, nor was she to them. They simply knew she came from a reputable family, much like ours, and that was the only reason they had agreed to our marriage.

But now, here was her picture, labeled as Sheila Grayson. It just didn't make any sense.

Without wasting a moment, I called my friend James, a private investigator, and urgently instructed him, “Run a background check on the picture I'm about to send you. I need answers within the hour!”

As I waited anxiously, my mind raced with various possibilities. Examining the picture closely, I began to notice some differences. The person in the photo wasn't Evelyn. For starters, Evelyn hated amusement parks, whereas this photo seemed to be taken in one.

My Evelyn was the definition of refinement, elegance, and had a commanding presence as the daughter of an aristocrat. However, the woman in this picture appeared carefree, bubbly, and... fun.

Could it be that Evelyn had a twin sister, and this Sheila was her long-lost twin?

Later, James called me and sent a file containing Sheila's bio-data.

“Sheila Grayson, 24 years old, worked at Ritz Breakfast Cafe, illegitimate daughter of Mr. Stevenson Grayson,” I read aloud, skipping over some unnecessary details.

So, she had never been out of the country before then. I called James back and questioned, “Are you certain she's Stevenson Grayson's daughter?”

“Yes. He had an extramarital affair with a maid, and she got pregnant. He even conducted a DNA test immediately after the child was born to confirm paternity,” James confirmed and then hesitantly said, "But Andrew, this woman definitely looks like your wife.”

Having been friends with James for years, he had also met Evelyn on a few occasions. He must be just as baffled as I was about this Sheila woman.

I sighed deeply, "I noticed the striking resemblance too. That's why I need to find out everything about Sheila Grayson. She's the substitute bride I was supposed to marry."

James fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "Andrew, I think you should consider going through with the arranged marriage."

"What?!" I exclaimed, taken aback by his suggestion.

"Listen to me. You and I know that there are people out there who want Evelyn dead, which is what led to her being in a coma in the first place. I suggest you marry this Sheila girl. Everyone will assume she's Evelyn, and you can use her as bait to draw out whoever wanted Evelyn dead."

I mulled over James's suggestion and realized he had a point. I had long suspected that Evelyn's accident wasn't just an accident but lacked concrete evidence to prove it. If this plan worked, I could uncover who wanted Evelyn dead and ensure her safety.

Despite how selfish it might sound as I wasn't even considering the safety of this Sheila girl, Evelyn's well-being was my top priority and she was all that mattered to me.

There were many things I still needed to sort out, but one thing was clear: I was going to marry Sheila Grayson.