Episode 1

“What? I have to replace Kimberly?”

Kimmy widened her eyes at her father, Roy Chandra, staring in disbelief.

Roy’s face looked tense. “Yes! Kimberly ran away. The wedding cannot be canceled.”

Kimmy stood frozen. Her hands trembled. “So this is the reason why Mama and Papa forcibly brought me back from the village? Just to make me a replacement? To marry a fifty-five-year-old man who could be my father? Hah! No wonder Kimberly ran away.”

Kania, her mother, tried to calm her. “Kimmy, you must be an obedient daughter. This is for the Chandra family.”

Kimmy gave a bitter smile. “After you abandoned me in the village, do Mama and Papa still consider me part of the Chandra family? Did you forget? Since I was a child, I was always sickly. Out of shame, you exiled me to the village. For fifteen years, I lived away from the Chandra family, as if I never existed. And now you suddenly consider me part of this family only because Kimberly ran away? How ridiculous!”

Roy slammed the table. “Enough, Kimmy! Don’t talk as if you’re a victim. You are still the blood of the Chandra family. If you still see yourself as our daughter, do your duty.”

“I am not Kimberly!” Kimmy’s voice shook, her eyes brimming with tears. “Why should I replace her? That old man wanted Kimberly, not me!”

Roy rose to his feet, his steps heavy on the floor. “But your face looks exactly like Kimberly’s! He won’t realize you’re not her!”

“I don’t want to!” Kimmy protested fiercely, bowing her head while shaking it. “I cannot marry that old man. Do you even realize, Papa? He’s almost the same age as you!”

A slap echoed through the room. Kimmy’s cheek flushed red, her eyes widened in shock.

“Roy!” Kania screamed, trying to stop her husband’s hand.

Roy glared at his daughter with furious eyes. “Don’t disgrace this family, Kimmy! You have no choice. The Chandra family is on the brink of collapse. Our company is going bankrupt. Mr. Arthur is the only one willing to help. With this marriage, he will give us three trillion! Three trillion, Kimmy! That can save us all.”

Kimmy covered her stinging cheek. Her voice quivered. “So… I’m just a bargaining chip? My worth is equal to three trillion?”

Kania approached, gently holding Kimmy’s shoulders. “Kimmy, please understand. Papa didn’t mean it that way. But we are trapped. Kimberly is gone. Tomorrow is the wedding day. If it is canceled, our family is ruined. The public only knows Kimberly. You must replace her.”

Kimmy turned quickly, staring at her mother with a wounded expression. “Yes, the public never knew the Chandra family had twin daughters. Because all this time I was hidden, just because you didn’t want the world to know I existed, because I was sickly. After I recovered, after I became healthy, now you suddenly want to acknowledge me as your daughter.”

Kania fell silent. Her face turned pale.

Roy spoke again, this time more firmly. “You have no choice, Kimmy. Tomorrow, you must marry Mr. Arthur.”

Roy took a long breath, then his voice grew harsher. “Because only you can save us. You were born a Chandra. Your duty is to protect this family’s name, even if it means sacrificing yourself. Remember that!” Roy continued.

Kimmy lifted her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but her gaze was filled with surrender. “What if I refuse?”

Roy stared sharply at her. “You cannot refuse, Kimmy!”

Kimmy closed her eyes. She truly had no choice but to obey her parents’ demand.

***

The wedding day finally arrived. Kimmy sat still in the dressing chair, her heart pounding wildly.

“Take off the glasses. You’ll wear lenses,” said a makeup artist.

Kimmy hesitated. “I’m not used to it.”

Kania immediately replied in a firm tone. “You must get used to it. Kimberly never wore glasses.”

Resigned, Kimmy complied. The lenses felt strange in her eyes, but her vision became clear. Her hair, which she usually braided in two, now flowed down, styled beautifully with small flower ornaments. Her front bangs were combed neatly, her pale face transformed into beauty after the touch of makeup. Kimmy stared into the mirror, almost unable to recognize herself. That reflection wasn’t Kimmy, the village girl, but Kimberly, the pride of the Chandra family.

“So beautiful.” Kania smiled faintly. “Now you truly look like Kimberly.”

Kimmy only lowered her head. Her heart still resisted, but she knew her mouth could not.

Not long after, a white lace gown was draped over her body. Roy entered the room, his eyes gleaming at the final result. “Perfect. No one will realize you’re not Kimberly.”

Kimmy only swallowed hard. Tears fell, but she quickly wiped them away. She couldn’t let her makeup be ruined.

The church bells rang. Guests filled the pews, their faces full of curiosity. Relatives, business associates, and even high-ranking officials came to witness this grand wedding.

Roy and Kania held Kimmy’s hands, leading her down the aisle toward the altar. Her long gown swept the floor, her steps trembled, but her parents’ grip was strong. All eyes were fixed on them.

Whispers began to spread. Some guests murmured about how beautiful the bride looked today. No one realized she was not the real Kimberly.

But when Kimmy’s eyes turned toward the altar, her steps faltered for a moment.

There, stood tall a young man in an elegant black suit. His body was tall, his shoulders broad, his face chiseled like stone. His gaze was cold, yet his charismatic aura silenced the crowd.

Kimmy’s eyes widened. That man was not the fifty-five-year-old she had been told about. Kimmy’s heart pounded harder. She truly couldn’t understand.

When she finally reached the altar, the man’s name rang clearly as the pastor introduced him.

“Mr. Grayson Vanderbilt Blackwood.”

Kimmy froze, her eyes growing wide.

Grayson Vanderbilt Blackwood. The name was not unfamiliar. The richest young man in the capital, a billionaire known for his coldness, cruelty, and constant presence in business magazines and on television. Rumors even said he often changed partners.

Kimmy could barely breathe. So this was her groom? Not the old man she had imagined, but a young man who was… that handsome.

Grayson turned, his eyes meeting Kimmy’s. His lips curved slightly, not into a sincere smile, but into one cold and full of mystery.

“How are you, Kimberly? Do you still remember me?”