Chapter 4

Emma's POV:

The moment I stepped through the doors of the mansion, I could see Mrs. Miller pacing in the living room like a caged panther. 

Her signature blood-red heels clicked like gunshots against the marble floor, and her head snapped up as soon as she heard me enter.

"Can't you understand the meaning of urgency, you useless girl!" 

Vivian hissed, storming towards me, scrunching up her nose as she approached. 

“Gosh! What is that? Don't you have any shame, reeking of cheap liquor in the middle of the day! That's where you spend all the money we pay you, isn't it!”

I opened my mouth to explain that I couldn't find a ride during peak traffic hours, but before I could, a sharp slap landed on the back of my head. 

“At least you should have thought about my daughter's reputation before behaving in such a classless, unlady-like manner! If a single photograph of yours gets leaked, who will face the backlash for it?”

I bit my lip, acting like a substitute for Charlotte didn't mean I couldn't live my life as my own, right? 

But I didn't dare say that to Mrs. Miller, who was staring at me with burning embers in her eyes. Her fingers closed around my wrist like steel traps. 

“I swear if you weren't my only option, I would have fired you on the first day of this bloody job!"

“Aww, are you still upset about your boyfriend?" 

She pouted in fake sympathy before her lips curled into that viper's smile I knew too well,

“Don't worry, you'll forget about that pain soon enough. Because within a week, you'll be married to someone else."

"What?" 

My mouth was dry as sandpaper, and in the moment of desperation, I looked at Vivian’s direction with hundreds of questions in my eyes. 

“She's right. You will be taking Charlotte's place at the wedding, and you will marry Xeros Martinez next week. That is why you’re here.”

A replacement bride?

I blinked, convinced I had heard her wrong. Was I still drunk? Or probably, I was actually passed out drunk at the bar, and this was all a hallucination. 

"Excuse me?" I choked out.

Charlotte huffed. 

"Don't look so shocked. You have been my stand-in for years, haven't you? First with Alex, now with this! At least this time you get a fancy dress out of this whole situation! So just–”

“No!" 

The word slipped out before I could stop it. 

"I won't do it. I can't marry someone in the eyes of the world, and with God as our witness, while deceiving everyone about who I am! This is not part of my job description-"

WHAM!!

Before I could speak, Charlotte's palm collided with my cheek, leaving white-hot pain radiating across my face. 

My head snapped to the side, my skin searing like I had been branded. 

“Stop it! Did I ask for your opinion? This marriage has been arranged by our families. Neither can we take the risk of offending them by backing out at the last moment, and nor can I compromise with my happiness for this marriage. That leaves one option– you! So it would be in your best interest to shut your mouth and do as you are told.”

“My best interest?!”

“My family needs the cooperation of the Martinez Empire to keep expanding our business! And as long as we are successful, you will keep receiving your payments. And what more does a pathetic girl like you need?”

I kept my lips pressed tight, swallowing the scream that threatened to escape my throat. 

Mrs. Miller watched me with icy amusement, her lips lifting up into a cruel smile. 

No, no… I won't let them break me. 

“No matter what you say, it won't change my decision–”

“Aren’t you using your mouth too much today? Just listen, you bitch! You don’t have the luxury to make demands from us. You just follow orders, understand?"

Charlotte raised her hand, ready to slap me again, but Vivian signalled her to stop. She stepped forward, pinching my cheeks with her hand. Sharp nails dug into my flesh, just enough to make me flinch.

“Listen, you brat! If you dare to open your mouth again, I will rip out your tongue. Understand? This marriage must happen to secure our family’s cooperation with the Martinez family. And whether or not you know anything else, you must understand one simple thing; I'm not sacrificing my only daughter for that.”

“And so you thought of me? Mrs. Miller, why are you treating me like I'm not human? Isn’t my life worth anything?"  

"Your life is worth way less than the amount we pay you every month! We feed you, clothe you, and give you a salary on top of that!! I believe we have already paid off the price for your next seven lifetimes."

I fell silent, and Vivian grabbed my face again, turning it to the right, so she could inspect the mark on my cheek. 

Glancing at Charlotte, who was still fuming, she sighed dramatically. 

“Tsk. Oh, Lottie! Slapping her once is okay, but take care not to hurt her face next time, okay? Her resemblance to you is what makes her so useful.”

My breath hitched as Vivian pulled out a coiled whip.  

Every instinct in my body was telling me to run… run far away from this miserable place. 

My skin was a scarred  canvas  of old scars, recent bruises and raw wounds which were yet to heal, and Mrs. Miller was already eager to carve new marks into my flesh. 

"You see…" 

Charlotte’s mother continued, circling me like a vulture. 

“Xeros is an impotent, and the only reason the Martinez family are signing the deal with us, is to earn a wife for him to show the world. Clearly, he's not going to touch you on your wedding night, and so there is no risk of him noticing any marks on your body…”

Crack! 

The first lash cut through the air, and the tip of the whip dug into my skin. I hissed in pain, but Mrs. Miller didn't seem to register anything at all. 

“Since this won’t jeopardize the wedding in any way, don't expect me to have any mercy on your stupid face until you say yes!”

Another crack of the whip, and the sharp pain was spreading all across my body. My back felt like it was on fire, skin splitting open in different places. 

‘I won't scream…’

I clenched my teeth, refusing to scream, refusing to let a single sound escape.  

"How long has it been since you've seen that old orphanage caretaker? A month? Two? I wonder how she's doing these days... such a shame you won't be allowed to visit her anymore if you refuse. And I hear she's been asking for you."

The air left my lungs at once. 

Mrs. Weston, the orphanage caretaker, was the only family I had left. After my mother passed, the kind, elderly woman had raised me… she had offered me kindness and warmth when the entire world had abandoned me. 

She was suffering from stage four blood cancer, and I had been selling my paintings—the only talent I had—at higher and higher prices to help with her care. But I couldn't be there for her without the Millers' permission to leave their estate. They were using her as a pawn in this sick, twisted game: the game I had already lost.

I closed my eyes, gathering my strength.

"I’ll do it."

Blood trickled down my back, soaking my dress while my vision began to get dizzy.

“What did you say!" 

“I said…" I forced out the words, gritting my teeth. “I will do it." 

Charlotte smirked. 

"Finally!”

"See? You’ve finally learned how to make the right choice."  

At that moment, as I lay broken on the cold marble floor, I made a vow to myself. 

This forced marriage shall be the downfall of this mother and daughter. 

###

Five days. 

For five days, I had been locked in this cold, suffocating room, inside the walls of the Miller mansion. 

I had no windows to escape, no contact with the outside world… naturally, they didn't want me to run away from the wedding. 

Once a day, someone slid a tray of food inside without saying a single word to me for around three minutes.

I had lost count of how many hours had passed… but today, I heard a knock on the door after the food had already been delivered. 

I turned my head, just as a servant wheeled in a large, elegant box. The gold rimmed white ribbon was tied neatly into a delicate bow, and I instantly recognized the logo stamped onto the lid.

Xeros’ family must have sent this.

The servant left without saying a word, as usual, but I didn't care. 

My fingers trembled slightly as I lifted the lid. Inside, nestled in layers of delicate tissue paper, was a breathtaking wedding gown… custom-made by one of the most renowned designers in the world.

For a brief moment, I pulled out the dress and laid it on the bed. The longer I stared at it, the more my breath started to hitch in awe, anxiety and anticipation. 

But then, something caught my eye.

The hemline.

Frowning, I ran my fingers over the edge. The fabric was uneven. The delicate silk had been slashed in careless strokes, as if someone had taken a blade to it in a fit of rage and ruined the beautiful fabric completely. 

Charlotte…

This was supposed to be her wedding day. 

Everyone watching us at the altar would know that it was Charlotte Miller, not me, as the bride. 

But even at the risk of harming her own reputation and being ridiculed for wearing a damaged dress, Charlotte had decided to ruin it for me… even when I had accepted defeat, she couldn't let me have the small happiness of wearing this dress.