**A few days later**I was absolutely certain that Bradon would hate the outfits that I had prepared for us and that was the whole point of all the effort that I had put in for the past couple of days. Having absolutely nothing better to do, I spent time designing our outfits for the party with some designers and tailors. I was extremely happy with the result of my creations.“Matching outfits…?” Bradon said as he stared at the two mannequins that had on our outfits for the upcoming party. “Exactly! Isn’t it just wonderful? We will make our appearance together in our matching couple outfits,” I said before smiling widely at him.Bradon seemed stunned for a moment as he stared at the light pink suit and matching pants that one of the mannequins had on. The beautiful light pink dress that was meant for me suited Diana’s image flawlessly. Usually, the man would wear a tie, a pocket square, or an accessory of some kind of the same color as his date’s dress to show that they were a match
“Don’t forget…” Bradon turned to remind me again of the rule that he had set just when our limousine came to a stop right in front of the event venue.“I know. I know already. Stop reminding me over and over again,” I replied without hiding my irritation.I should have known that Bradon would be a controlling husband, but I didn’t think that it would be to this extent. The crowd outside attracted my attention and I began worrying about my looks. I reached up my hand to pat my hair as I got ready to get out of the car. The party wasn’t just important because it was our first debut at an event together as a married couple. With the election coming up, each and every appearance counted, and I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to reconnect with the societal circle in which I was born and grew up in. Although the party was mask as a charity event hosted by one of the oldest aristocratic families in the country, it was nothing more than another venue for my father and t
Since the school was reserved for children from aristocratic families or those from very well-off families, I realized quickly that, just like everyone at the event, Kevin must have a pretty good backing of his own.“I guess we’re bound to run into our old friends in an event of this size,” I said before showing him another practiced smile.“By the way, do you remember our teacher from school? Mr. Howard? You know that teacher that taught us science. He’s here. I just met him, he’s over there. I couldn’t believe it at first. I mean, why would he be here?” Kevin said excitedly.“I’ll go see him later,” Bradon replied.“We should head over there now before even more people turn up. It’ll be hard to find him afterwards. You two used to be so close. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you after all these years,” Kevin replied before throwing his arm around Bradon’s shoulders.I could sense Bradon’s discomfort although he wasn’t letting it show. On the other hand, Kevin was completely obliv
“It’s been too long. You look well…” I said with a smile.I meant it. She did look well. Everything about her looked well and perfect except for the fact that she was now stuck in a wheelchair.“You look very well yourself. Congratulations on your marriage. You look so happy, so I take it that marriage life is treating you well,” she said before showing me a sweet smile.“Thank you. I’m still trying to get used to married life, but it’s been quite smooth sailing so far,” I lied smoothly as required of my role as Diana.“I’m so happy for you, honestly. It’s such a shame that I couldn’t be there on your big day. I was still going through some rehab abroad…” she said while looking quite apologetic.“It’s not a problem at all. I did receive the present that you sent. Thank you again,” I thanked her politely.I had no idea whether the gentle smile that she was showing me was genuine or not, but if I had to place my bets, I would put everything that I had on the line to bet that she was jus
“Tomorrow is going to be another hassle…” she said before heaving another sigh.“More love letters asking you out?” I made an educated guess.She turned to me and nodded her head before shaking her head and rolling her eyes upwards at the same time. I ended up laughing whenever Diana made that funny face. I liked the fact that I seemed to be the only one who knew this side to my sister. After all, she couldn’t show off all the nasty, playful, and truthful sides of herself to anyone else without being judged. Sadly, that also meant that she couldn’t be herself in front of anyone, our parents included.“Dahlia, can you be Diana again tomorrow? Please…” she asked with pleading eyes.For me, it wasn’t that challenging to act as Diana. The effort was well worth it mostly because I knew that Diana could relax more on the days when she was acting as Dahlia. Fewer eyes would be on her and she wouldn’t have to spend her days living under such crushingly high expectations. The truth was that I
“Umm…” I murmured as I tried to pull my arm back.“Don’t just reject me like this, Diana. Why don’t you take some time to think about it properly?” he suggested as he closed the distance between us.I sensed immediately that this guy wasn’t simply willing to back down just like the other guys that I’ve rejected. I could smell trouble coming my way, but I wasn’t sure how I should deal with it.“I truly feel happy that you feel this way about me, but I don’t think that we can start dating…” I said while trying to remain calm.“Let’s start again. Do you even know who I am?” he asked with clear displeasure.I looked up into his face and had to admit that he didn’t look so bad. Most girls would probably find him quite attractive. He was probably a little older than I was. He was tall, well-built, and had attractive determined eyes. Since the love letter he sent didn’t have a resume attached, I didn’t quite know who he was in the sense that he wanted me to understand, and it wasn’t like I c
“Why are you here?” Bill growled with a scowl on his face.“I have date with my fiancée today,” Anthony replied smoothly before turning to offer me a charming smile.Oh, that’s right. I’m supposed to meet with Anthony today…Wait, but didn’t Diana mention that it wasn’t supposed to be a date?I was too captivated by Anthony’s attractive smile at first to remember that we still had a problem on our hands. By the time that I came back to my senses, Bill had already closed the distance between himself and Anthony.“Watch out, Anthony!” I yelled out.It was too late because Bill had already grabbed onto Anthony’s shoulder to turn him around. I was so shocked that violence was about to break out. Anthony is a kindhearted guy who would never resort to violence, and I immediately got scared for him and his safety. Everything moved so fast that at first, I wasn’t sure what exactly had happened. The next thing I knew, there was a cracking sound followed by a thumping sound and then Bill was sp
This all happened because I failed to control the situation and the things that I said to Bill must have angered him. I recalled the way that Bill looked at me and the feeling of his tight grip on my wrist. Thankfully, Anthony showed up when he did and saved me because I wasn’t quite sure how I would have handled Bill otherwise.I hated how helpless I felt and how that weakness of mine led to Anthony’s injury.“You don’t have to do this…” he said softly but he did not attempt to pull his hand away from mine again.“I want to do this,” I said before glancing up from his hand and smiling at him.It felt like the least that I could do apart from thanking him repeatedly. I could feel Anthony’s eyes on me as I cleansed his wounds and applied medicine on them before sticking bandages on them.“I think that’s a bit much…” he said as he looked at the result of my handiwork.The bandages did make the condition of his hand look much worse than it actually was, but I thought that it was best to
I needed to leave him and as soon as possible, but I didn't know how I could achieve that. My past experiences have taught me quite directly that I couldn't truly run away from Bradon. Escaping from the mansion was unquestionably impossible. I could not run away, so that meant that I needed to get Bradon to agree to let me leave. My legs already felt weak, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and shut my eyes to escape reality. I knew that I needed to talk to Bradon about ending our fake marriage as soon as possible, although I had no idea how to bring up the topic. Something told me that it might prove to be difficult to get Bradon to agree, and there was always a risk that he might react unpredictably.However, if everything he did was simply him just acting out his role and his feelings for me didn't truly exist, then that might be the solution to all of my problems. If he felt no attachment to me, then he should have no problem letting me go just as planned. After all
The party ended early, yet it was quite eventful, at least for Bradon and myself. I felt like there was a storm raging inside of me all the while that we rode back to his mansion. It felt like there was something right at the tip of my tongue that I wanted to say, but yet I couldn't bring myself to say it. There were times when I thought that I fully understood myself and what I wanted, and yet at the very same time, I felt so confused and lost. The feelings that were struggling to take dominance inside of me did not make sense, and it made me feel as if my thoughts and my feelings were heading in the direct opposite direction of one another.Bradon's words of defiance as he confronted my father came back to me loud and clear:"Dahlia is not your daughter anymore, and neither am I one of the Vulkans. I will never let you take my wife..."I should have known that entering into this contract marriage with Bradon, while taking my sister's place, would somehow lead to blurring the line be
"But..." I mumbled, but I could not bring myself to say anything else when my eyes met his. His beautiful lips curved into a teasing smile, and there was a certain sparkle in the depths of his eyes that captivated my attention. That was when I knew that although he probably disapproved of what I had just done, there was a part of him that was actually quite pleased. I found myself smiling sweetly back at him like I was some fool."You hit me? You vile bitch! I'm your father. I raised you!" my father screamed at me at the top of his lungs. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had forgotten where we were and the fact that we were surrounded by other high-profile guests who were attending the party."Dahlia, how could you do something like that? How could you hurt your father? We never raised you to become like this," my mother said, with clear disappointment and shock on her facial features."Really? Because here I honestly thought that I was already disowned. Well, to be more accurate
I was certain that just as many people hated her and blamed her for going against societal norms, there were probably just as many people who admired her, either openly or secretly as her fans. Perhaps to them, our sisterly duo act was the spice they needed in their endlessly boring lives."Don't you feel better from just seeing how everyone is welcoming us with open arms?" Diana continued before she raised her hand to wave at someone that she knew."Fine. I admit that you got your point across," I said as my eyes scanned the crowd that had gathered for the party. I could feel Bradon tensing at my side, and I knew that he had just spotted the two people that I least wanted to see at that moment. "Did you know about this?" I turned to ask Diana without hiding my shock."That they'll be here? I guess not, but why does it matter? You'd have run into them sooner or later. If you ask me, the sooner the better," Diana said with a careless shrug of her shoulders.I narrowed my eyes as I gla
"You should go to bed," Bradon told me the moment that we stepped into the mansion. I knew that his suggestion was spot on because sleep was exactly what I needed to deal with what was to come. The media and everyone had undoubtedly gone wild as they both communicated and speculated on what was the truth and what were twisted lies from all the events that happened in the past that I shared with my sister.I switched off my phone when it wouldn't stop vibrating, without bothering to read the caller ID on the screen. I could already guess who would be calling me and also exactly what they had to say."It feels like my head is ready to explode," I confessed before smiling weakly at Bradon."Which is precisely why you should stop thinking or caring about anyone else and just get some shut-eye," Bradon said as he peeled away the mobile phone that I held in my hand. I let him do so without putting up any resistance because all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide under the sheets wit
"My name is Diana, which can only mean that the Diana standing over there is, in fact, my twin sister, Dahlia. In fact, for the past months, I wasn't present, and the Diana that you knew had always been my sister acting out in my place," Diana explained as if it was something to be proud of.The crowd went wild, but I decided to focus my attention on the two figures that seemed so intent on ruining my life along with my sister’s. Our father had officially become our enemy, and at that moment, he looked like he might have started to regret pushing both of us over the edge. Mr. Malton, who, after all this time, clearly never regretted his actions and never realized that he should have been man enough to take responsibility. I was certain that even now, he was willing to destroy our reputation and our future—all for the sake of the money undoubtedly promised to him by our father. Desperate times truly call for desperate measures; that applied to our father but also to us as well.I could
I found myself praying silently that Desmond could bring everything under control, but my prayers probably fell on deafened ears. Instead of Desmond stepping up to the podium, it was my sister who approached it instead."What is she doing?" I asked in a shaky whisper as I felt myself breaking into a cold sweat. It felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as I continued staring in bewilderment and disbelief at my sister, who stood with a beautiful smile behind the podium, the microphone very close to her lips. I turned to stare at Desmond and managed to lock gazes with him. I could tell that he was staring right back at me, and the way he nodded his head reassuringly was supposed to bring me some relief and keep me at ease, but it only made me even more nervous.I could tell that everyone in the crowd was staring daggers at my sister, even from where I was standing. It wasn't surprising, considering that everyone thought Diana was me. It felt like tight knots had formed
Back to the present"Homewrecker! Homewrecker! Homewrecker!"The violent chanting continued and began seeping into my consciousness, dragging me back to the present. Disaster seemed to be staring me right in the face."Leya..." Bradon whispered my name right beside my ear.His presence close to me reminded me that, unlike that day back then, I wasn't alone. I had Bradon by my side, and, on top of that, everyone was here with me: Desmond and my sister. I suddenly felt a surge of confidence that made me believe that there could be a way out, one that would save us all from this dire situation my father had plotted against us.I had to admit that after leaving the country, I hadn't spared much thought for what would unfold after my departure. I never took care to follow up on any news-not that they would be made public-related to Mr. Malton's wife and child. I had no idea what happened to him or his family after that incident. My parents completely cut me off, and there was frankly no on
"What have you done? Have you completely lost your mind?" my father yelled at me immediately when our family was gathered in private. His face was completely red with anger as his voice echoed in the room. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I could tell that she was more worried about our family rather than her own daughter. "News of your ridiculous and scandalous behavior is now all over the place!" my father continued yelling. As if to drive his message home, his mobile phone began ringing non-stop. One glance at the name displayed on the screen drove my father to the brink before he switched off the phone and threw it onto the floor. My mother let out a scream at my father's sudden violent outburst before sinking down onto the sofa as if she had lost all strength in her body.I took the opportunity to slowly take a seat, and Diana was by my side in an instant. I knew that the best way to brave out this storm was to keep quiet and not let his words get to me.