The Bride Wasn’t Her

"The groom, do you take the beautiful bride beside you as your lawful wife, for richer or poorer..."

"I... do."

The woman's voice came muffled through her mask, low and strained.

Below the stage, the guests whispered among themselves, all sighing over how deeply devoted Christine, the eldest daughter of the Moore family, was to me.

"Ms. Moore is truly in love. I heard she suddenly came down with a terrible fever last night, but even wearing a mask today, she still insisted on going through with this wedding. She couldn't bear to disappoint Tony Shane, her childhood sweetheart."

"Exactly. A bond built from growing up together is different. The marriage alliance between the Shane and Moore families is shaking up the entire South City business world."

Listening to all the praise made me sick to my stomach.

Because the floating comments in front of my eyes were scrolling wildly:

[Devotion my a*s! Christine Moore is currently cuddled up with Michael Bolt in a hillside villa outside the city, watching the wedding livestream. They're drinking wine and laughing at the idiot male supporting character.]

[This poor stand-in bride only got paid a hundred bucks to take the fall. Later she's going to get humiliated in public by the male lead.]

[You newbies don't know, huh? This 'stand-in' is actually Haylee Kenton, the biggest hidden boss in the entire novel! The invisible richest woman in Kingsport!]

[She's secretly loved Tony for ten whole years. In the extra chapters, after his death, she wipes out the entire Moore family to avenge him. Absolute love-struck war goddess.]

My heart jolted violently.

Haylee Kenton?

The legendary head of that mysterious business empire... she secretly loved me? And even came here to act as my fake bride?

I took a slow breath and raised a hand, interrupting the officiant.

"One moment."

The entire venue instantly fell silent.

The woman standing before me flickered with panic. The tips of her ears turned red, and even her breathing became uneven.

Curling my lips into a faint smile, I asked gently, "Christine, you don't look well. Were you so busy preparing for the wedding that you forgot to take your medicine?"

She coughed nervously, her throat bobbing slightly.

"Yes... I'm not feeling very well."

I smoothly picked up the excuse and turned toward the officiant and the guests.

"My apologies, everyone. The bride really isn't feeling well, so I'll take her to the lounge to get some medicine. We'll pause the ceremony for ten minutes. Please enjoy the champagne in the meantime."

With that, I grabbed the bride by the wrist and led her backstage into the private lounge.

The moment the door closed, the phone on the table buzzed.

I picked it up and saw over a dozen unread messages, all from the fake young master, Michael.

[Tony, you already figured out the bride is fake, right? Surprise. Christine and I are watching your wedding livestream right now.]

Attached was a high-definition photo: Christine nestled affectionately in Michael's arms, both of them smiling sweetly at the camera.

[Oh right, this was my idea. Christine said that even though you two grew up together, I'm her true love.]

[You got your parents to kick me out of the family, and Christine felt awful for me. This wedding is just a game she planned to cheer me up and help me get revenge. You're not angry, are you, big brother?]

I let out a cold laugh and typed out a reply at lightning speed.

[Really? Then do you believe that with just one phone call from me, she'll abandon you and come crawling back to beg me like a dog?]

As expected, the other side went silent for a long time.

Good.

The bait was taken.

I turned toward the silent bride standing beside me.

She looked at me, her cool voice slightly hoarse.

"Tony, actually, I..."

I patted her shoulder lightly.

"Haylee, relax."

The floating comments exploded in confusion:

[Her cover's blown? Why isn't the supporting male lead following the plot anymore?]

Relief instantly washed across Haylee's face.

"So you already knew."

After a long silence, she seemed to finally make up her mind. Taking a deep breath, she looked straight at me.

"Christine isn't worth marrying. She came here today specifically to humiliate you on purpose."