What exactly happened

THIRD PERSON’S POV

“Where is Zara? Where is my bride?” Frederick exclaimed in shock, bewildered by the unexpected turn of events. How did this even happen? He wondered, grappling with the surreal situation.

When his supposed bride approached, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. Initially, the wedding gown caught his attention—when did Zara change the dress? But then he noticed the hairstyle; it was the same style as Zara’s. So he brushed it off as nothing.

His assistant rushed over to him and whispered in a hushed tone, “Sir, your sister just called to inform you that Zara ran away.”

“How is that possible?” Frederick questioned, his voice matching the discreet tone.

“I don’t know about that, but your dad said you should go ahead and kiss your new bride. People shouldn’t notice that something went wrong; it’ll affect the company,” the assistant said, making Frederick sigh. He glanced at Rosaline, who was staring at him. ‘Was she blind not to have seen that he wasn’t her groom,’ he thought in annoyance.

With a touch of frustration, he roughly pulled Rosaline into a brief kiss that barely lasted five seconds. As they parted, Rosaline shot him a glare and mouthed, “Is it like you want another slap?”

****

“Why on earth did you impersonate my bride?” Frederick asked, irritation lacing his tone as he drove in his car with Rosaline, heading home.

“Impersonate which bride? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rosaline replied, her confusion evident.

“If you didn’t impersonate Zara, then why the heck did you marry me? You can’t seriously claim you mistook me for someone else.”

“Weren’t you sent by Mr. Wright?” Rosaline asked, still trying to piece things together.

“I don’t know any Mr. Wright. Will you stop this madness and tell me why you pretended to be my bride? Where did you hide her?”

“I don’t…” Rosaline trailed off when realization dawned on her.

“Wait, if you don’t know Mr. Wright, does that mean he didn’t send you to be his stand-in?” She asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Quit the act and tell me where Zara is,” Frederick demanded, but Rosaline seemed lost in her thoughts, deaf to his words.

“Do... does that mean I married the wrong person?” she wondered aloud, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Hey, drop the act; your tears won’t move me. Tell me where my bride is.” But Rosaline wasn’t paying attention to him.

“What’s going to happen to my mum’s company... today is the deadline,” she murmured, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I failed, I failed you, Mum… I couldn’t protect your most prized possession; I’m so sorry, Mum.” She broke down in tears.

Frederick watched her cry; her earlier confused expression now seemed genuine as tears streamed down her face. ‘Maybe she had truly ended up marrying him by accident,’ his mind speculated.

“Hey, stop crying and tell me how you ended up at my wedding venue.”

Rosaline lifted her head to meet his gaze. ‘He seemed wealthy,’ she thought. Maybe he could help clear her debt. Wiping away her tears, she recounted the story from her stepbrother using the company as collateral to the moment her supposed groom revealed his sudden business trip.

“Please, you have to save my mum’s company. I’ll do anything you ask of me,” she pleaded.

Frederick was lost in thought. If she had accidentally married him, does that mean Zara ran away? But why would she do that?

“What exactly happened between Zara and my sister?” Frederick pondered, curiosity dancing in his eyes as the tangled web of their stories unraveled.