The Fake Bride

POV Elara

A strangled "What?!" escaped my lips. I stared at my aunt, lost for words. Underneath the heavy oak dining table, her heel slammed into my shin. It was a sharp kick, and when I looked up, her eyes glared at me with a lethal warning. *Stay quiet. Do not say a word.*

I sat there frozen, my limbs stiff as ice. The dining room was bright, and I became hyper-aware of the contrast between us. I was wearing tattered, worn-out clothes, smelling faintly of grease from the kitchen, while the Vexton family sat across from us in tailored, high-end suits. Yet, my aunt didn't blink. She looked right at them and lied.

"Tinsley is an adventurous soul," Aunt Rowena said, her voice smooth and dripping with mock affection. She reached over, her fingers digging into my shoulder to pull me up. "She was caught up in one of her projects today, which is why she hadn't had the time to prepare herself for your grand arrival. Please excuse her appearance. We will have her cleaned up in no time."

The Vextons didn't look convinced, but nobody spoke. The tension in the room was thick. As soon as the dinner concluded, Aunt Rowena didn't lose a second. She grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip and hauled me upstairs, dragging me toward Tinsley’s lavishly decorated bedroom.

The moment the heavy bedroom door clicked shut behind us, I yanked my arm back. My heart was racing in its ribcage, hammering so hard I could hear it in my ears.

"Aunt Rowena, what are you doing?" I demanded, my voice trembling but desperate. "Why did you say I'm Tinsley Crestwell? Tinsley is upstairs hiding! You can't just swap us!"

Rowena didn't flinch. She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression shifting into a cold, unforgiving glare. "You are going to marry that crippled man," she said, her voice low and sharp. "And you have to pretend to be Tinsley until the wedding process is over."

"No!" Hot tears welled up in my eyes. I shook my head, taking a step back from her. "I can't do this! I already have a boyfriend. I love Silas. I have no desire to marry a man I know nothing about!"

My protests were cut short.

A harsh, stinging slap arced across my face. The force of it spun my head to the side, and a sharp burn bloomed across my pale cheek. I gasped, pressing my palm against my smarting skin.

"You will marry him, and that is final," she barked, her eyes narrowing into slits.

I began to cry, the tears spilling over my hot cheeks. "You can't force me. This is illegal. I won't do it!"

Frowning at my wails, my aunt took a step toward me. The anger on her face dissolved into a cold, calculating mask. She knew exactly where my weaknesses lay, and she was about to strike them.

"If you do not agree to this marriage," she whispered, her voice quiet and deadly. "We will reveal your late father's hidden video footage to the world."

The words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over my head. I stopped breathing.

"You know exactly how he acquired his wealth," Rowena continued, a cruel smile touching her lips. "With one press of a button, we will tarnish the respectable image he spent his life building. Everyone will know what a fraud your precious father was. Is that what you want, Elara? To drag his memory through the mud?"

She knew how much I loved my parents. She knew I would do anything to protect the dignity of my deceased father. She was trapping me, leveraging his legacy just to secure her own billion-dollar shares in the Vexton enterprise.

My chest heaved as I stared at her. The realization hit me like a physical blow: my frantic pleading would only fall on deaf ears. She didn't care about my life, my future, or my relationship with Silas. To her, I was a bargaining chip. I was defeated.

"Fine," I whispered, the word tasting like ash.

"Good," Aunt Rowena said, her demeanor shifting back to business. "Now, stand still."

She marched over to Tinsley's closet and pulled out an expensive, white strapless gown. She shoved it into my hands and forced me to put it on. The silk felt heavy and cold against my skin, fitting me since Tinsley and I shared the same frame.

Next, she pushed me down onto the vanity stool. Rowena grabbed a powder brush and applied makeup to my pale face, trying to cover the red mark of her slap. She swept my tangled hair up, brushing it hard enough to scrape my scalp, and secured it into a tight, neat bun.

Finally, she picked up a bold, matte red lipstick. She swiped it across my trembling lips with a firm hand. Stepping back, she inspected her work and beamed with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

"There," she declared, tapping my chin. "You finally look like a Crestwell."

When we descended the stairs and returned to the living room, the atmosphere was thick with expectation. The moment we stepped into the light, Mrs. Vexton's face lit up with delight.

She stood up from her seat and walked over to me. "Your father always talked about how beautiful you are," she said, her eyes scanning my face and dress. "Now I believe him. You are beyond gorgeous, dear. Very fit for our family."

I fought back a fresh wave of tears. My throat burned with the effort to keep my composure. I had to protect my father's legacy, so I sat there in absolute, suffocating silence, nodding weakly.

Mrs. Vexton turned back to the room and gestured to the three quiet men sitting on the sofa. "Since we are going to be family, let me introduce Kaelen’s brothers. This is Beckett, Sterling, and Dorian."

The three brothers were handsome, but they remained silent, offering only curt, polite nods.

Mrs. Vexton didn't waste any time. She wanted to finalize the wedding process. "Since it will be a private wedding with only family present, I was thinking we should do it this Saturday? That gives us a few days."

My uncle, who had been sitting quietly, showed a rare flicker of genuine surprise. "This Saturday? That is only three days away."

Before he could raise any objections, Aunt Rowena stepped in. She plastered on her fake smile, her eyes sparkling with greed. "Oh, that wouldn't be a problem at all! There is no need to delay. Honestly, even if you wanted the wedding to take place tomorrow, our family would be fine with it."

Mrs. Vexton clapped her hands in excitement. "An even better idea! Tomorrow it is!"

Aunt Rowena’s jaw dropped. A sudden shock flickered across her face at the rapid speed, but Mrs. Vexton didn't give her a chance to backtrack.

"My team will handle everything," Mrs. Vexton declared. "They will bring the dress, handle the decorations, and take care of all the costs. The ceremony will take place tomorrow at our family Manor. We have a massive events room that can be prepared overnight."

She stepped closer to me, her manicured fingers caressing my cheek. Her smile was plastered and unsettling. "By tomorrow, you'll be a Vexton. I can't wait to have you in our lives."

I sat there paralyzed. I couldn't comprehend how no one in the room was freaking out over the rush of this entire arrangement. They were organizing a wedding in less than twenty-four hours.

As the Vexton family turned to leave the estate, Kaelen's wheelchair hummed. Before he reached the door, his dark, intense eyes stopped and locked onto me. The heavy gaze held me captive for a brief moment, filled with a cold promise I couldn't decipher. Then, he wheeled himself out of the living room, following his family.

I stared at the empty doorway. I was getting married to a man I knew nothing about, tomorrow.

Well, happy birthday to me.