Chapter 3

Chapter 3

LYKA'S POV

There I was, wandering the streets again. I approached an elderly woman sweeping the sidewalk.

“Excuse me Miss, do you know any apartments for rent here?”

“Why, miss? Are you looking for one?”

Of course I am. Why else would I be asking?

“Yes,” I answered politely.

“There’s one right behind you. Small room’s three thousand, a bigger one is four-five. One month deposit.”

“Are you the owner?”

“No, my son is.”

Ah, makes sense.

“I’ll take the bigger one.”

“Alright. Come on, I’ll show you.”

She led the way. The room was spacious enough and decent. I handed her the money, got the key, locked the door, then took a tricycle back to the hotel.

When I got there, I had all my stuff sent to the new apartment. I spent hours organizing, then slumped onto the sofa, totally drained. I needed to find a job. I didn’t want to rely on Dad’s pension forever.

THE NEXT MORNING, I woke up early, freshened up, and wore one of the outfits Kyla bought me. I matched it with low-heeled sandals—heels were never my thing. I left the room to grab breakfast outside, but the moment I opened the door…

“Kyla?!” I yelped.

“Wow! You actually looked like me!” she said, surprised.

I smacked her on the arm.

“Ouch!”

“This is why I didn’t want to wear this kind of thing. We look like twins!”

She scratched her head. “You look great though.”

“How did you even know where I live?”

“I have sources. Your stepbrother remembered the taxi’s plate number, so… I tracked you.”

She made herself at home and flopped on the sofa. I noticed she looked a bit different—maybe gained some weight? Her vibe felt off too. I closed the door and sat in front of her.

“You okay?” I asked.

She burst into tears.

“Lyka, I don’t wanna marry that guy!”

I nudged her with my foot. “What are you even talking about?”

She wailed even louder. “My mom signed me up for an online arranged marriage, and I got picked! I don’t wanna do it—I love my boyfriend!”

My chest tightened for her. “You know your mom. When she wants something, it has to happen.”

“Lyka, please help me.”

I rubbed my temple. “How am I even supposed to do that?”

Her face lit up. Dangerously lit up.

“Pretend to be me.”

I shot up from my seat. “What?! Are you insane?!”

“Please, Lyka! I have no other plan!”

I sighed, defeated. “Kyla, you're my cousin, and I’ll always help you—but pretending to be you and marrying some stranger? No. I’ve never even had a boyfriend!”

“But I don’t wanna marry him!” she sobbed.

I sighed again. “Fine. I’ll talk to your mom tomorrow. I’ll explain.”

She nodded, still sniffling.

“There, there,” I consoled her. “Now tell me, why’d you run away? What happened?”

Before she could answer, I covered her mouth. She was clearly ready to go on another question rampage.

“Are you done?” I asked.

She nodded. I let go.

“My stepmother tried to sell me off. That’s why I ran away. And today, I’m out looking for a job.”

Her eyes narrowed, and then—

“What?! That witch! Ugh!”

I jerked back, startled.

“Delayed reaction much?”

“I don’t care. That witch is dead to me!”

She started to stand up, fists clenched.

“Are you crazy? What if she sees you?” I hissed, grabbing her arm.

She pouted like a kid. “Lyka, promise me about what we talked about…”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said with a sigh and pulled her to her feet.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To the beach. You seriously need to de-stress,” I said with a smile.

WE WERE halfway down the boardwalk, laughing over a street vendor’s weird hat collection, as I kept on telling Kyla what happened when I got here on the island and that rude guy I happened to meet here, when Kyla nudged me hard.

“Oh no… don’t look now, but Mr. Rude and Handsome are heading our way.”

“What?” I hissed, but I looked anyway.

And there he was—him. The same guy I accidentally bumped into at the hotel lobby the other day, and last night, the one with the sharp jawline, brooding eyes, and attitude problem.

He was wearing a white button-up shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and walking like he owned the place. Our eyes met.

“You again?” he said, raising a brow.

“What—me again? You walked into me, last time.”

Kyla elbowed me and whispered, “Is this the guy?”

“Unfortunately,” I muttered.

“Didn’t think I’d see you again,” he said, a half-smirk playing on his lips.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t,” I replied flatly.

He let out a low chuckle, then turned to Kyla. “And you must be the cousin.”

“Who’s asking?” she shot back, lifting her chin.

“Someone who might have to marry one of you soon,” he said coolly before walking past us.

My jaw dropped. Kyla blinked.

“Oh no,” she whispered.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered.

Yep. Just our luck. Kyla grabbed my arm, her fingers digging in.

"Lyka, we need to leave. Now."

But I pulled her back. "Wait—what does he mean 'marry one of us'? Kyla, what did you not tell me? Is he you're going to marry?"

She looked like she wanted the boardwalk to open up and swallow her whole. "I was gonna explain... just not like this! I remember him now."

Before I could grill her further, Mr. Rude and Handsome—who clearly thought he was some kind of Greek god gift to women—turned slightly, smirking as if he was waiting for us to follow.

"Explain. Now," I hissed.

Kyla bit her lip. "Okay, okay! You know how my parents have been pushing me to marry someone to secure some stupid family business deal?"

"Yeah..." I said slowly, connecting the dots and already feeling a migraine forming.

"That guy—" she jabbed her thumb toward the man walking away, "—he's the son of Dad's business partner. I was supposed to meet him. They wanted us to get engaged if we, you know, clicked."

I stared at her like she’d grown three heads. "You what?"

"I panicked! Gladly it was cancelled but I was assigned to marry a different man again!" she said, hands flying up. "I didn't want to do it! That's why I came here, and begged you... and now I'm confused why he's here? Maybe he's thinking I'm still going through with it!"

I ran a hand through my hair, heart racing. "But... how did he know we're cousins?"

Kyla swallowed hard. "Dad must've told his father... and he must've told him. I mean, I posted that pic of us on the ferry, too. Maybe he recognized us from that."

Oh, perfect. Social media strikes again.

"And why did he say he might marry one of us?" I asked sharply.

Kyla winced. "Because... if I back out, our families agreed that someone else would have to step in. Someone related."

My stomach plummeted. "You're saying... if you refuse... I’m next?"

Kyla gave me a small, guilty nod.

I whipped around, ready to chase after Mr. Rude and Handsome and set the record straight—but he was already disappearing into the crowd.

"This is a disaster," I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. And somehow, deep down, I knew it was only going to get worse.

“Don't worry about this Lyka. I will talk to him. Clear things with him. But I am not sure if the other man arranged for me will definitely disagree with my decision,” Kyla said, full of disappointment in her tone. I sighed and cheered her up.

“Come on! Let's forget about that and enjoy ourselves for a moment,” I said. She nodded, smiling back at me.