A SUBSTITUTE BRIDE

– No, stop

In the darkness, a strong masculine scent wafted towards her. The man pressed Lyana hard against the bed. With tears in her eyes, she tried to push the man away, but there was no strength in her body.

The sound of fabric tearing could be heard. Lyana’s tears fell uncontrollably.

– What is your name?

The man’s hoarse voice sounded like a demonic spell. His breath, filled with lust, lingered through his ear.

– It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. My name is …

Intense pain pierced through his whole body. Lyana’s breathing hitched and her eyes opened. She looked straight ahead. Only then did she realize she was in the car.

So it was just a dream.

Again, she had dreamed of what happened five years ago.

Lyana sat up and breathed heavily, her pale face etched with unease.

The events of that night five years ago haunted her constantly.

After that night, she got pregnant. She did not know who the child’s father was, but after ten months she suffered a stillbirth.

After her mother and sister seized her shares in the Dubois Corporation, they sent her to a mental hospital.

The Dubois family butler, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, felt movement in the back seat. Seeing that Lyana had woken up, he reminded her with an indifferent expression,

– Miss Lyana, we are coming soon to the Dubois family home. Prepare yourselves!

She ignored the butler’s words. She tilted her head and looked out the car window at the lights coming on outside. The town had become more prosperous since she last saw her, she had been in the mental hospital for over four years. The Dubois family had sent someone to pick her up tonight, and they were well aware of their intentions.

His younger sister, Ines, was to marry the second young master of the Sanchez family, Vincent Sanchez, who would be ugly beyond belief, not to mention only a lifespan of twenty years. But how could her – good mother” bear to let Ines marry such a man? Therefore, the Dubois family planned to let Lyana marry into the Sanchez family in the name of Ines.

Lyana’s eyes went cold, as if covered in frost. There was no warmth in his expression.

They stopped at the entrance to the Dubois family villa.

Lyana entered alone, enveloped in a dark aura. The moment she entered the living room, she saw her mother, Olga Berger, sitting on the sofa combing Ines’ hair.

– It’s a good thing that Lyana, this good-for-nothing, can replace Ines to be a living widow in the Sanchez family. If Ines were to marry into this family, I would be heartbroken.

Ines sat obediently, her long eyelashes falling. Looking uncomfortably, she said softly,

– Mom, don’t say that about sister. Without her, I wouldn’t know what to do. I’m just afraid my sister doesn’t agree.

The father, Jacob Dubois, who was sitting nearby reading the contract, frowned in disapproval. Thinking of Lyana, he said angrily,

– Ines you are too nice. Have you forgotten how Lyana slandered you five years ago? She has no restraint. She became pregnant before marriage and even gave birth to a stillborn child. She should be grateful for the chance to marry into the Sanchez family! What right does she have to be picky?

– Who said I wouldn’t refuse?

A cold voice suddenly sounded from the door.

The three people sitting on the sofa were surprised. They looked towards the door.

Lyana was still wearing her hospital gown and slippers. She stood in a dark corner, looking like a devil from hell.

– Ah!

Ines screamed and threw herself into Olga’s arms, shivering with fear.

Olga patted Ines on the back and comforted her in a low voice. Then she looked at Lyana and angrily said,

– Lyana, who exactly are you trying to scare? You act like a ghost!

Lyana entered the house.

Ines came to her senses and looked up from Olga’s arms. She tilted her head and looked towards the door. Seeing Lyana standing there, a bright smile appeared on her face.

– You are back!

Jacob Dubois put the contract in his hand. He walked towards Lyana with anger written all over his face.

– If you dare refuse, I will beat you to death!

– You should return the shares to me now.

Lyana looked fearlessly at Jacob, her expression cool.

– If you give them back to me, I’ll consider marrying her.

Jacob raised his hand angrily, but Lyana dodged the incoming slap. Burning with rage, Jacob said:

– How dare you dodge?

Lyana walked over to the couch and sat down. Under the shocked looks of Olga and Ines, she leaned lazily against the sofa. Seeing Jacob taking off his shoes in preparation to hit her, she looked at him indifferently and said:

– If you dare hit me, even actions won’t help. Any discussion of marriage is irrelevant!

The sole of Jacob’s slipper was only an inch from Lyana’s face, but at her words, he stopped abruptly. It had been more than four years since he last saw her. Lyana, that miserable girl, had grown up and even now dared to threaten him!

At first, he had wanted to marry Lyana off to someone around the same age as him, and used the opportunity to ask for tens of millions of dollars for the engagement gift. Who would have thought that after she lost her virginity, the man was no longer willing to marry her.

Five years ago, she cost him tens of millions of dollars in engagement money. Thanks to her, her business almost went bankrupt.

Now she showed herself in front of him and she even wanted to harm Ines. It was simply a heinous crime!

Jacob’s expression darkened and his grip on the slippers tightened.

– Hit me! If you hit me, I refuse to get married!

Lyana looked up at Jacob with a challenge in her eyes.

Seeing that he was about to hit her again, Ines immediately ran and begged her father.

– Daddy, don’t do this!

Ines met Jacob’s gaze and shook her head lightly. She turned to glance at Lyana. For some reason, she felt that Lyana seemed to be telling the truth. She was a little afraid that she wouldn’t marry the Sanchez family for her.

If Lyana didn’t marry into the Sanchez family, she would have to marry this short-lived wretch!

When she thought of that, Ines couldn’t help but shudder. She was the precious daughter of the Dubois family. Even if she were to marry, she had to marry a man with power and influence. She could never marry a short-lived wretch!

Jacob angrily retracted his hand and threw his slipper to the floor. He looked at Lyana, put on his slippers, and walked over to the couch to sit down. Indignantly, he spoke.

– Look at your sister. She cares so much about you. Is there anything wrong with helping her marry someone else?

– is it true?

A slight smile appeared on Lyana’s face as she continued,

– Ines, since you are so good, you can just marry him yourself. Why do you need me to do it for you?

A trace of panic crossed Ines’ face. She lowered her head and did not speak.

Olga, who was sitting on the side, could not bear it any longer. She entered in front of Ines and protected her daughter behind her, saying coldly,

– Lyana, we asked you to get married instead of Ines so that your marriage is settled. Otherwise, who else in this town would dare to ask for your hand in marriage?

– Oh, that’s interesting. Did I beg you to find me a husband?

Lyana casually tucked her hair behind her ear. Her phoenix eyes shone with ice as she spoke,

– Oh, that’s right, I wonder who sent me to a man’s bed five years ago, which ruined my reputation? I wonder who sent me to a mental hospital.

Ines staggered. Without Olga, she would have fallen.

She knew that Lyana would not have married obediently. She was about to be sent to the Sanchez family; there was not enough time. At this thought, Ines could not help shaking with fear. She couldn’t marry a wretch, absolutely not!

Looking at Ines’ frustrated expression, Olga said in a low voice,

– Lyana, the past is in the past. You are the older sister. Can’t you give way to Ines? It’s your little sister!

– If you give me the shares, I’ll marry you instead. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude!

Lyana smiled like a cunning fox. These shares had been left to her by her grandmother and she would never give them to a stranger.

– You are stupid! You should have been grateful that you were even allowed to go home, but you keep asking for action!

Breathing heavily, Jacob looked at Lyana with a somber expression. If he had known how despicable this girl would be, he would have just dumped her back then so he wouldn’t have a reason to be upset.

– Are you, or are you not, still a member of the Dubois family?

– Didn’t you say a long time ago that I’m no longer a member of the family?

Lyana looked at the clock in the living room. It was already three in the morning.

– I remember the Sanchez family will be picking someone up at six in the morning. You don’t have much time left!

– Sister.

Ines quickly walked over to Jacob and tried to hold his hand, but Lyana shook her harshly. The back of Ines’ tender hand turned momentarily red, and she held back tears.

– Lyana, how dare you hit the back of Ines’s hand? are you tired of living?

Olga cried. The sight of Ines’ red hand made her heart ache and her eyes lit up.

– Are you sure that counts as hitting?

Lyana raised her eyebrows slightly. Under Olga’s astonished gaze, Lyana turned around and gave Ines a hard slap.

The sharp sound of the slap echoed throughout the room.

On Ines’ face, a clear palm print had appeared. It was so painful that tears welled up in her eyes. She covered her face and sat there, not understanding what she had done wrong.

– Lyana!

Olga shouted. She looked at Lyana in disbelief. All these years, she couldn’t bear to let Ines suffer any longer. Now she couldn’t believe Lyana had gone so far as to slap Ines.

– What do you want me to do? Didn’t you say I hit her? Isn’t this a demonstration? Let me show you what hitting her means!

Lyana’s lip curved slightly and she looked coldly at Olga, who had raised her hand to slap her.

– Go ahead, hit me!

– Mom, don’t do this!

For fear that she will hit Lyana, Ines hastily stops her mother. She knew Lyana was serious. Looking at Lyana, she was sobbing pitifully.

– Sister, I’m ready to give you the shares!

Without hesitation, Lyana slapped the other half of Ines’ face. Just like that, there were two handprints on either side of Ines’ face. The handprints were extraordinarily symmetrical.

– What are you doing!

Olga hastily pulled Ines behind her. She attempted to hit Lyana, but was again stopped by Ines. She could only look at Lyana angrily.

You beast!

– The actions were mine to begin with. You simply return them to their original owner. Don’t hurt yourself so badly. People who don’t know the circumstances might think I stole something from you.

Lyana stood up slowly and smiled at Ines. Calmly, she said,

– Transfer the shares to my name now. Otherwise, even if you send me to the Sanchez family, I will tell the Sanchez family about the replacement marriage in detail!

– How dare you!

Jacob had suppressed his anger all this time. When he saw Lyana acting so brazenly, he was so enraged that he slammed the table and stood up. He entered in front of Lyana, livid. His hand was shaking at her side, ready to strike her at any moment.

– Why don’t you try it?

Lyana narrowed her eyes. Turning to Ines’s face, his lips curved into a bright smile.

– Alright. I will transfer the shares to you now!

Jacob took out his phone and logged into the company administration. He immediately transferred the shares, which rightfully belonged to Lyana, to his account.

She received the confirmation text and immediately clicked ‘OK’. She smiled at Jacob and nodded in satisfaction. Then her gaze fell on Ines’ face and she said absently,

– Ines, you still don’t owe me anything?

Ines cried her eyes. When she heard Lyana’s voice, she wiped away her tears and looked up at her, asking pitifully,

– Sister, what are you saying?

Lyana approached Ines. The corner of her eye twitched and coldness flickered in her eyes. She met Ines’ guilty look and asked meaningfully,

– Where’s the jade pendant I brought back five years ago?

This jade pendant was a token the man had given her. It was the only thing she could use to find him!

Ines looked at Lyana in shock, tears still streaming down her face.

This jade pendant was of such high quality, and it was so rare. It was even better than the million yuan jade pendant she had bought. Ines felt that the owner of this jade pendant was definitely someone rich.

– I… I don’t know!

How could Ines return the jade pendant to Lyana? She felt that the jade pendant had even greater value.

Clean and skillful, Lyana gave Ines two more slaps. Seeing that the corner of Ines’ mouth was bleeding, she raised her eyebrow and said:

– If you don’t give it back to me in two days, you won’t be able to be as healthy as you are now!

Ines looked at Lyana in disbelief.

What did she mean by that?

Was Lyana going to cripple her?

Ines was shaking. She looked down, let her eyes roll back, and just pretended to pass out.

Lyana didn’t bother to answer. Instead, she walked upstairs.

The door to his original room had already disappeared. Lyana walked to Ines’ room, which was adjacent to hers, and opened the door. It was only then that she realized that the Dubois family had knocked down the wall between the two rooms. Her room was now a wardrobe for Ines.

Lyana looked at the dazzling array of jewelry and accessories in the wardrobe. The light in his eyes fades.

Coming out of the room, she saw Olga running anxiously.

Olga looked violently at Lyana and said:

– The make-up artist is here. Get down and make up!

Again, Lyana said nothing and just got off.

Seeing Lyana’s clothes, Olga frowned and said:

– Get changed.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Olga went to Ines’ room and threw a piece of clothing, the tag of which had not yet been removed, at Lyana. She said coldly,

– Change yourself into that!

She didn’t want to continue wearing her hospital gown either. After changing her clothes, she went downstairs and let the makeup artist help her with her makeup. When everything was ready, the Sanchez family wedding car arrived.

Walking down the red carpet, Lyana was about to get into the wedding car when she saw a child in the noisy crowd pass out on the floor, his face horribly pale.

– How ominous this is!

Olga, who was standing to the side, frowned and said sadly,

– It’s obvious he’s trying to rip us off. Let’s stay away!

With this, Olga drove Jacob away.

Looking over, Lyana saw that the child’s clothes were made with a decent quality fabric. The clothes fitted well and appeared to be custom made. She entered in her wedding dress.

At this moment, there was no one around the child. No one was willing to go to help, as they were afraid of getting into trouble.