Chapter 2

I did not sleep at all that night, and no matter how many times I tried to close my eyes, rest refused to come.

The silence inside the room felt suffocating, stretching endlessly as if the space itself was watching me. The sheets still carried Alessandro’s scent, something sharp and expensive with a faint trace of cigarette smoke that clung stubbornly to the air and to my skin. It was impossible to ignore, and even more impossible to forget.

I sat at the edge of the bed for a long time, my elbows resting on my knees while my fingers pressed against my temples, trying to steady my thoughts. Every time I shut my eyes, I saw him again, not the anger I expected, not humiliation, but something far more unsettling.

He had looked at me with interest.

That was what stayed with me.

That was what made everything worse.

I let out a slow breath and leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling as the memory I had been trying to suppress finally took hold of me completely.

That morning had begun in a way that felt wrong from the start, not chaotic or rushed, but unnaturally quiet.

I stood outside Isabella’s bedroom door and knocked lightly, expecting her usual irritated voice to answer from inside. When no response came, I frowned and knocked again, this time with more insistence.

Still nothing.

A slow unease began to form in my chest as I reached for the handle and pushed the door open.

The room was empty.

There was no movement, no sound, and no sign of her anywhere. The bed was untouched, the vanity arranged neatly, and her jewelry was laid out as if she had planned to wear it. Her phone sat on the table, abandoned, which made no sense because Isabella never went anywhere without it.

I stepped further into the room, my pulse beginning to rise.

“She is gone,” I said quietly, even before anyone else could realize it.

At first, no one believed me, but as the truth became impossible to ignore, panic quickly spread through the house. My mother’s voice rose in sharp disbelief, while my father’s composure began to crack under the weight of what this meant. The staff moved frantically, opening doors and searching spaces that all led to the same result.

She was not there.

The wedding was only hours away, and guests had already begun arriving. The Montenegro family was not the kind of people who tolerated failure, and they certainly were not the kind of people who forgave humiliation.

“She cannot disappear,” my father said repeatedly as he paced the room, his voice filled with desperation. “Do you understand what will happen if this wedding does not proceed?”

I understood perfectly.

The alliance would collapse, the contracts would vanish, and everything we had built would be destroyed within a single day.

And Isabella had chosen to run.

She had chosen herself and left us behind to deal with the consequences.

My gaze shifted slowly toward the wedding dress that stood untouched near the mirror. It looked perfect, elegant, and impossibly delicate, like something that had never been meant for a situation like this.

“I will do it,” I said.

The room fell silent immediately.

My mother turned toward me, her expression filled with disbelief and fear. She tried to protest, but I did not give her the chance to finish.

“We look the same,” I said firmly. “We are the same height, and our features are similar enough to fool anyone who is not looking too closely.”

“Are you sure, Yvo? What if he notice you are not his bride?” Mom asked.

“He won’t. I will make sure of that,” I confidently said. Even though I wasn’t sure if this plan would truly work.

“Fooling Alessandro is not a good option,” Dad said.

“Do we have any other options?”

They did not answer.

“I can do this. I know, I can. No one else can do this but me,” I said. Not sure if it’s for them or for myself.

I just know Alessandro by his name and rumors, but I haven’t seen him in person. Despite that, I need him to be part of our family to save us from miserable life.

No one argued, because they all knew it was true.

“But you have to promise me to find her before this day ends,” I added and they all agreed.

Isabella and I had spent years confusing people, switching places for harmless amusement. What we were about to do was nothing like that, but it would work.

It had to work.

The memory carried me forward to the moment that followed, and I could still feel the weight of the veil pressing down over my face.

Each step I took down the aisle felt heavier than the last, as if I were walking toward something that would not allow me to turn back. I could not see clearly through the thin fabric, but I felt every gaze in that room, every expectation and every silent judgment.

And then I reached the altar.

Alessandro Montenegro stood there waiting, tall and composed, completely unaffected by the tension that filled the space.

When he lifted the veil, his eyes met mine.

They did not flicker with confusion or surprise.

They studied me.

They lingered longer than they should have, sharp and deliberate, as if he were searching for something beneath the surface.

And at that moment, I understood.

He had seen something.

The sound of a knock on the door pulled me back to the present, and I blinked as the memory faded.

“The CEO is waiting for you in the dining room,” a voice said from outside.

Of course he was.

Everything about Alessandro felt controlled and intentional, as if every moment had already been planned before I even stepped into it.

“I will be there,” I replied before standing.

The transition from memory to reality did nothing to calm me.

If anything, it made everything sharper.

When I entered the dining room, Alessandro was already seated at the table. He did not look up immediately, which made me feel as though I had stepped into his space rather than the other way around. When his gaze finally lifted, it settled on me with quiet intensity.

“You took longer than expected,” he said.

“I did not realize I was being monitored,” I replied as I sat down.

“You are now,” he said simply.

I leaned back slightly, meeting his gaze without hesitation.

“You seem very calm for someone who was deceived.”

“I am calm,” he answered.

“And why is that?”

“Because I am interested.”

The answer came too easily.

It unsettled me.

“In what?” I asked.

“In you.”

The words landed between us, deliberate and unshaken.

His gaze moved over me slowly, far more openly this time, as if he had no intention of hiding what he was thinking.

“You and your sister,” he continued, “are remarkably similar.”

“I have heard that all my life.”

“I am not referring to your face,” he said.

His tone shifted just enough to make me pay attention.

He leaned back slightly, studying me in a way that made me aware of every small movement I made.

“The same height,” he said.

“The same build.”

His eyes lingered for a moment longer than necessary.

“The same proportions.”

Heat crept up my neck before I could stop it.

“You are making this uncomfortable on purpose.”

“I am making an observation,” he replied calmly. “You fit the role better than expected,” he added.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You sound like you are evaluating a purchase.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Perhaps I am.”

“That is not reassuring.”

“It is not meant to be.”

There was a brief silence before he spoke again, his voice lowering slightly.

“You adapted quickly,” he said.

“To what?”

“To the role you chose. To the expectations that came with it,” he replied.

I held his gaze. “I did what I had to do.”

“I believe that,” he said.

Then, after a pause, his expression shifted just enough to make my chest tighten.

“And I also believe,” he added, “that you are far more convincing than you should be.”

I frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

His gaze did not leave mine.

“It means,” he said slowly, “… that you are very good at playing a part. And probably, I experienced one of the sex last night.”

Something in the way he said it made my heartbeat pick up.

Before I could respond, the door opened.

“The board members have arrived.”

Alessandro stood immediately.

“Come with me,” he said.

The conference room fell silent the moment we entered.

Every conversation stopped.

Every gaze turned.

And every one of them landed on me.

Since my twin has a short bob haircut, I did not bother to put on a wig. She copied my haircut and now I know why she cut her hair a day before her wedding.

I wear a simple dress, just enough to show them I am a girl - the bride of the trillionaire ruthless ceo.

Alessandro did not hesitate as he placed his hand at my back, guiding me forward with a steady pressure that made it clear I was not separate from him.

“This is my wife,” he said.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

No doubt.

One of the board members leaned forward slightly.

“That was a sudden decision.”

“I do not delay decisions,” Alessandro replied.

“And you believe this was wise?” they asked him.

His hand pressed lightly against my back. I swallowed hard.

“I do not make mistakes.”

The room quieted.

And by just that, the meeting began.

I barely heard any of it.

Because I could feel him beside me.

Too close.

Too aware.

My phone vibrated in my hand.

I glanced down.

Unknown number.

“Excuse me. I have to answer this,” I said to Alessandro.

He did not ask question and he just give me a quick nod. I quietly stand and walked away from them.

A strange unease settled in my chest as I answered quietly.

“Hello?”

There was a brief pause.

Then—

“Yvo.”

Everything inside me went still.

“Isabella,” I said, my voice tightening. “Where are you?”

“You should not have married him,” she said quickly.

My grip tightened on the phone. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why you did not tell me?“

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to marry Alessandro!”

“I know. But you have to. You have to come back now,” I said in full control of my voice.

“I am not coming back,” she said.

The words hit harder than I expected.

“What do you mean you are not coming back?” I demanded under my breath. “Where the hell are you?”

“You need to get out of there,” she said urgently. “You need to find a way to leave him.”

“Stop talking in circles and tell me where you are,” I snapped.

But there was only silence.

Then, the call ended.

I stared at the screen, my chest tightening.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

Across the table, Alessandro was already watching me.

Not curious.

Not confused.

Certain.

As if he had been waiting for this moment.

I came back to my sit and feeling the short conversation with my twin had me drained.

What can I do now?

And then, very slowly, Alessandro leaned back in his chair.

His gaze did not leave mine.

“Bad news?” he asked, a hint of mockery on his face.