Home / The Stand-In Is Done Being His Second Choice / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of The Stand-In Is Done Being His Second Choice: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Eve, don't throw a tantrum at a time like this."Victor pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated."How could a cheap freebie like this be good enough for someone of Diana's status?"I looked at him calmly."Then how is it good enough for me?"Victor looked startled, then let out a low laugh."You don't understand. Gunfights break out in the North District all the time. Wearing a black diamond would only make you a target."You operate in the shadows. Obsidian won't catch the light and give away your position. I'm trying to keep you alive."Keep me alive.Diana and I looked somewhat alike, but our lives couldn't have been more different.When I first joined the family, I knew I was only an illegitimate daughter.I'd spent years fighting to survive, building up thick calluses on my palms and scars between my thumbs and index fingers.The family elders always looked at me with contempt."So what if she looks like Diana? She doesn't have an ounce of class."Forget it. One smart heir is

Chapter 2

Sofia was quiet on the other end of the line for a long time.To Sofia, I was Victor's weapon. Cold, obedient, and ready to strike wherever he pointed me.Betraying the family was unthinkable for someone like me.But obedience was the only reason I'd survived in a family this ruthless.While Diana gave orders from the safety of her tower, I fought through gunfire and dragged myself home covered in blood, carrying the severed heads of our enemies.Only then would Victor and the elders begrudgingly acknowledge me.But I didn't want to be a shadow or a blade anymore.Early the next morning, Victor took me to see the new safe house we would live in after the wedding.Out of habit, I reached for the passenger door of the armored SUV, but he caught my wrist."Eve, have you forgotten the rules? That's Diana's seat. The bumps in the back strain her eyes."Diana was coming down the steps. Victor gallantly put a hand over the door frame to protect her head."Diana needs to check out her new terr

Chapter 3

That night, we were called back to the manor for dinner.It suddenly hit me that it was my birthday too, not just Diana's.Ever since I joined the family, they'd celebrated it on the same day as hers.Victor had a bottle of Russian vodka brought over, the family's grandest way to celebrate.It was top-shelf liquor, all right.But it was Diana's favorite, not mine.I had a severe stomach ulcer. A single sip of liquor that strong would leave me doubled over in pain.Yet no one seemed to think there was anything wrong with that.Victor poured the first glass as he always did and pushed it toward Diana."Diana, the first toast is yours. Here's to another step toward the top."I looked at the glass, at the smugness in Diana's eyes, at Victor's same old favoritism.This time, I spoke up."Victor."Whenever there was territory or weapons to divide, Diana always got first pick, and I had to settle for the scraps. But tonight, you couldn't even spare me a glass of vodka?"And why do I have to w

Chapter 4

The celebration in the hall fell silent for a moment.Then Victor spoke, his voice deep and certain. "You won't be alone."A few minutes later, someone knocked on my door.Victor came in. He made it sound like a request, but his tone left no room for argument."Eve, Diana becoming the Alliance vice chair means a lot to the family."How about we move the wedding ceremony to midnight?"I stared at him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.By Mafia rules, only a mistress who had to stay hidden or a traitor held a ceremony at midnight.The guard outside the door muttered under his breath."A midnight ceremony? Isn't that treating Ms. Eve like some back-alley whore..."My father's roar cut the guard off."Shut up! Who are you to question the Don? For the family's glory, so what if she has to put up with a little humiliation?"Victor's eyes softened, but he said it like he was doing me a favor."Eve, you've always been understanding. You understand why we have to do this, don't you?"I loo

Chapter 5

Victor drew his gun and kicked open the bride's dressing room door.No blood, no signs of a struggle.He snatched the comm unit from his second-in-command and dialed the encrypted channel he'd memorized.All he heard was a flat, dead tone.Victor's face went black with fury."Search the port! Pull every security feed and check with every lookout!"Half an hour later, one of his intelligence operatives burst into the room."Don... we can't find her. Ms. Eve destroyed her tracking chip and wiped every surveillance recording along her route."Falco came in leaning on his cane and snorted."I told you she was trouble! Running out on her own wedding? That's a declaration of war against the entire family!"Don, I'll send our enforcers after her. Once we drag her back, we'll break her legs. Family rules."Victor ignored Falco.For the first time in his life, Victor felt control slipping through his fingers. The realization coiled around his heart like a venomous snake.He wanted to have hacke

Chapter 6

The boy stared intently at the scattered gears on my bench.I took out an old magazine casing and a few screws and slid them toward him."Want to try putting it together?"The boy timidly reached out.His movements were slow but precise. For a moment, the rest of the world seemed to disappear, leaving only Noah and the pieces in front of him.After that, they came every week.I learned the older brother's name was Leon Aquila, and the younger one was Noah.Leon brought something every time he came.Sometimes it was a hot caramel macchiato; other times, a German book of mechanical diagrams.He never interrupted my work. He just sat on the sofa in the corner and read.Once, he brought an unwrapped bunch of white camellias and put them in an empty glass bottle on the counter."All I smell in here is machine oil. This place could use a little life. These flowers are resilient. Just like you."I froze, and the gun oil on my fingers smudged a petal.It was the first time in my life anyone ha

Chapter 7

Victor's face twitched violently.He looked ready to explode, but held himself back.His voice was raw."You don't want me anymore, and you don't even want the family that raised you?"I looked at him.Then I looked at the elders behind him, their faces full of contempt.The nerve of him."Victor, you people are the ones who've never treated me like a human being."My father roared."What the hell are you talking about!"I pulled a loaded shotgun from beneath the workbench and slammed it on the table.It hit with a loud bang.Everyone flinched back a step.I stared at my father and spoke slowly, each word clear."I was eight when I first fired a real gun. Every shot hit the bull's-eye."I was so happy when I brought you the target. You tore it up and said, 'Diana's already a sharpshooter. What good does hitting the bull's-eye do you?'"My voice began to shake, but I made myself go on."When I was eighteen, I took the fall for the family and spent six months in jail."When I got out, yo

Chapter 8

I wiped the machine oil off my hands and looked at her coldly."What do you mean?"Diana leaned against the brick wall, lit a slim cigarette, and blew out a stream of smoke."On your wedding night, he couldn't find you in the dressing room."I told him how I felt. I said I was ready to stop chasing power and come back to him."Her eyes hardened."But he turned me down."I paused with the file in my hand."Then he searched for you like a madman for a month. He even risked offending the local bosses on the South Shore just to find you here."She took two steps closer, her eyes boring into mine."For the first time in your life, he's put you first. Are you happy?"I lowered my head and blew metal filings off the part. My voice was ice-cold."There's nothing to be happy about."Diana gritted her teeth."Who are you trying to fool with that holier-than-thou act?"I looked straight into her jealous eyes and spoke slowly."For ten years, I risked my life without ever getting him to treat me a

Chapter 9

Over the next few days, Victor seemed to lose his mind.He didn't dare use force on the South Shore, so he brought his campaign to my shop's doorstep.On the first day, he sent a custom Swiss sniper rifle.On the second day, he sent the deed to a safe house in the richest part of the West District.On the third day, he sent a full set of Kevlar body armor with the highest protection rating.Every day brought something different, but each card carried the same message."Only one, chosen just for you."I didn't look at any of it. I had Sofia throw everything into the recycling bin outside the shop.Victor couldn't stand it any longer.At dusk on the fifth day, his car blocked the entrance to the alley where my shop stood.He got out. His usually perfect slicked-back hair was messy, and his eyes were bloodshot."Eve, how long are you going to keep this up?"His voice was hoarse."I gave you the best of everything! Why do you keep throwing it away?"I don't believe you've really fallen for

Chapter 10

I looked into Leon's clear eyes, and my tears finally spilled over."But I'm covered in scars. All I know how to do is kill. I can't even say anything sweet."He gently pulled me into his arms and rested his chin on top of my head."I don't need you to be perfect. I've seen how steady your hands are when you work. That's enough for me."His hand on mine made me feel safer than any body armor could.A year later.In late autumn, we held our wedding in a white church by the sea on the South Shore.There was no crowd of thousands and no deals to make.Only Sofia, Noah, and a few regulars from the shop were there.Before the wedding began, an encrypted text arrived on my terminal.There was no name. Just one short line."I heard you're getting married today. Stay safe."I stared at it for a second, then casually deleted it.At that moment, more than 1,000 miles away at the manor in the North District, Victor sat alone in the underground hall.The screen showed that his message had been del

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