YOU ARE NOT MY WIFE

CORA

I stared at the red lacy lingerie in front of me and blushed shyly. After hesitating for a while, I finally put it on and laid on the king-sized bed, assuming a sexy posture.

Twenty minutes later, my husband, Lucas Grey, walked into the room and when he saw me, a look of surprise appeared on his face. I thought it was because I was putting on sexy lingerie, and I felt embarrassed, blaming myself for allowing my best friend, Emily talk me into such foolishness. I learned quickly that I thought wrong.

"What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?" Lucas thundered, his voice completely different from that of the man I had married a few hours ago.

I sat upright and was about to speak when he ordered, "Get out of this room right now."

I instantly got off the bed but rather than leave, I asked, "What is wrong, Lucas? Why are you speaking to me so disrespectfully?"

He snorted, "Disrespectfully? I am appalled by your shamelessness. Why would you come into my bedroom, and that too dressed like a slut?"

My hand moved reflexively as it aimed for his cheek but I paused midway and took it back. Controlling my emotions, I said carefully, "I will not tolerate being disrespected Lucas, I am your wife."

He scoffed, "You are not my wife, Cora. Stop feigning ignorance in front of me. I especially hate people like you."

I tried to make sense of what was going on while he grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room, pushing me outside. I stood with my mouth agape while he went back into the bedroom, picked up my luggage and my clothes in the wardrobe which I had taken inside earlier, and flung everything outside his room.

I stared at my luggage which was now lying at my feet while an angry Lucas stood by the door of his bedroom, fingers pointed at me as he said, "Do not forget your place. When you are merely a stand-in bride, how dare you shamelessly throw yourself at me and try to share my bed?"

"Stand in bride?" The words rang in my ears but everything suddenly felt like a movie. "What are you talking about, Lucas?"

He regarded me for a while and shook his head, "I don't believe this. Your parents explained everything to you and you gave your consent. Your dad signed the agreement so what stunt are you trying to pull now?"

"My dad?" I still could not understand what he was saying.

"The guest room is over there by your left, that's where you'll stay," he said pointing in a different direction. "Cora, I know I am very hot and you are not the first woman to throw yourself at me but get this into your head; Avery is the only girl who has my heart and I will never cheat on her.

Just because you live in my house for now doesn't mean anything will happen between us. Stick to the plan, and once I get what I want and Avery returns, this arrangement will come to an end."

Hearing the name Avery made my head spin. I shook my head, "No, Lucas. Everything you have just said, I am hearing for the first time. Why would I be a stand-in bride for anyone?

He sighed and massaged his temples as though I was frustrating him, and he was fed up with speaking to me, "I can't do this with you, Cora."

With these words, he went into his room and shut the door. My heart was in so much pain that I could barely breathe. But I knew this wasn't the time to be weak. I needed to properly understand what was going on, and if Lucas' words were anything to go by, then my dad owed me some explanations.

I quickly arranged my luggage but still left everything in front of his door. Fortunately, there was no one else inside the house. I took out a dress, went into the guestroom he had pointed at, and changed into a blue dress.

Afterward, I called my dad. The moment he answered the call, the first thing he said was, "I'm sorry, my daughter. My hands were tied. Please forgive me."

Hearing those words from the man I trusted and respected the most, tears finally seeped out of my eyes.

"Why would you make me a stand-in bride for my younger sister?" I cried. "I can't fault Mom because she didn't give birth to me, but I trusted you and you betrayed me. How could you betray me?"

My father's voice shook as he spoke, "I'm sorry, Cora. I really needed help. My health was already bad and then my business was failing. When Lucas came with the proposal, I wanted to turn him down but I had to think about your sister too.

She would have been here if it weren't for her career. Lucas would have lost his inheritance as the only criteria his grandfather placed was for him to get married and produce an heir at this age. You don't have to do anything with him, just put up appearances until your sister returns.

You know that being related to the Greys is not an opportunity that comes by every day and Lucas invested a lot in my company. I didn't have a choice."

"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" I asked. "You should have at least told me, Dad."

"I know I should have told you, my dear, and I wanted to, but your mom reminded me that you are strong-willed and stubborn at times. You would not have agreed to it, especially because you don't get along with Avery. Please just play along until she returns."

I smiled bitterly, wiping my tears, "These are just excuses, Dad, and they mean nothing to me. If I knew the truth, I would not have built castles in the air. I was such a fool to have fallen for the man who is in love with my younger sister. How could you all do this to me? You're not my family, you're all my enemies and I'll never forgive any of you for this."

I ended the call and almost immediately my phone began to ring. At first, I thought my dad was calling me back but I noticed it was a foreign number.

Seeing the country code, I had a rough idea who the caller might be but I answered it anyway.

Avery's voice rang into my ears as she said, "Hey sis, what's up? By now, you already know that Lucas belongs to me. Yes, you may be married to him but he's my husband.

I had to make this call to give you some rules; first off, you are allowed to stay in the guest room but do not step your feet in our bedroom.

Don't go near my man or try to seduce him, not that you will succeed if you try. But, it's important for you to have some self-awareness and not embarrass yourself before him. As it is, you are short and horrible-looking, and Lucas is head over heels in love with me so he can never look at you.

I'll be back very soon to take my place, and once that happens, you can get lost. These are just the few reminders I wanted....."

I hung up on her, gritting my teeth as I struggled to control my anger. Once I became calm, I went back to the living room, picked up my luggage, and began to walk out of the house, I was done dealing with them all.

Just as I approached the exit door, Lucas appeared in front of me and locked the door, taking out its keys.

He began walking back to his room when I said, "Stop right there, Lucas. What do you think you are doing?"

He stared at me and sighed. He spoke softly as he replied, "Your dad called me and I got to find out you were not aware of this arrangement from the start. I'm sorry about the way I spoke to you earlier. Where are you going with your luggage?"

I rolled my eyes, "Isn't it obvious? I'm leaving."

He walked closer to me and stated, "You and I are husband and wife, so you're not leaving."

"I am not your wife," I shot back. "You made that perfectly clear. You may have gotten married to me but it was done through deceit. My consent was not sought so I will not spend another second in this house. Don't expect me to play by your rules, Lucas. I am not anyone's doormat."

"Really? Are you this selfish? You're only thinking about yourself?" He retorted

"Selfish!" I exclaimed. "You called me selfish? You all are the selfish ones, not me! You don't have the right to call me that! None of you do!"

"Fine, if you insist on leaving, your father will pay the price." He threatened. "Once I pull out my investments and his company starts failing again, I wonder if his weak heart will be able to take it. Will he be able to witness all his hard work go down the drain because his daughter was too selfish to think about what was best for her family?"

I could not believe this was the same man I had fallen in love with at first sight.

"Do not forget that Avery and I share the same father," I reminded him. "Go ahead and do your worst. I'd like to see you spend the rest of your life with your beloved after killing her father."

I stretched out my hand, "Give me the keys, I want to leave."

He shook his head, "You know, I initially wanted to marry someone else and I told Avery about it. I planned to get a contract wife, pay her, and then present her to my father as my wife until your sister came back.

But she was uncomfortable with it. She didn't want me to be with an outsider. She said she could only trust family, so she suggested you. She was the one who told me to go to your parents and explain everything to them, and that's what I did. It was all for your sister."

"And what about me?" I yelled. "What about my life? What do you think will happen to me when Avery comes back? I'll become a laughingstock in front of everyone."

"No, you won't," he replied. "We will just get divorced. I promise I'll pay you alimony and you can move on with your life. If anyone asks why we divorced, you can just say it was due to irreconcilable differences. I will say the same thing."

I clapped my hands, "Wow, Lucas, you have it all figured out. Good job. The keys, now."

Lucas put the keys in his pocket and raised his hands as he said harshly, "I've tried talking to you in a civil manner but you are either just plain dumb or too stubborn for your own good.

Since it has come to this, you are not stepping out of this house until your sister arrives. As long as we are married according to the law, I will get my inheritance and you will not get in the way.

Take your luggage to your room and get used to being locked in here until your sister returns."

I wanted to speak but he showed me his palm as he said, "Enough! This conversation is over, Cora."

I gritted my teeth once again and balled my fists as he turned and began to walk away. My eyes darted to one of the flower vases in the living room and without second thoughts, I picked it up and smashed it on the back of his head.

As he landed on his face, I took out the keys from his pocket and swiftly opened the door. Once I got outside with my luggage, I was surprised to see more than ten men in black suits sitting on the patio.

My heart began to race but I turned my face away and pretended to be oblivious to their presence. I realized Lucas must have called them there because they were not present when I first arrived.

None of the men said a word as I walked away. When I opened the gate, however, I heard Lucas' voice give the order, "Don't let her leave, catch her."

I turned and saw him standing outside the door with blood dripping from his head while all the men charged toward me.

Leaving behind my luggage, I ran as fast as my feet could carry me. Just when the men were getting closer, I stopped a taxi and got inside.

"Just go straight," I instructed the driver. I couldn't go back home or to the police. I remembered my best friend, Emily, and was about to call her when the car suddenly came to a halt."

"What happened?" I asked the driver.

"Get out of my car. You didn't tell me you were being chased and whatever it is, I don't want to get involved." He replied.

My eyes widened in shock, "How did you know I was...."

The words stuck to my throat when I heard the sound of tires screeching. A white Hilux pulled up right in front of the taxi and I spotted Lucas' men.

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I immediately got out of the taxi and began running away from the Hilux while the men continued chasing me.

I spotted a tall building by my left with the inscription SUN INDUSTRIES at the top. The company was familiar to me because I had once sought a job there.

I dashed into the company and without bothering to look back, headed for the elevators.

One of the men who had gotten really close to me grabbed one of my arms just when I was about to get into the elevator.

I pushed him with my other hand and he let go briefly before charging at me again. The elevator doors opened at this point and a strong hand suddenly pulled me inside.

The doors closed before the man could get to me again and I sighed in relief. I looked up at the tall man who had saved me to express my appreciation, but my mouth fell in surprise when I realized who it was, and I exclaimed, "Mr. Reign Fletcher?"