Paper Promise: The Substitute Bride

After the Ig publication S.H.I.T Journal goes viral, I search its website out of curiosity. The satirical journal bills itself as a home for all things academic garbage. The moment I open the site, the top trending article catches my attention. It reads, "A Research on How to Deceive a Gullible Foster Mother With Face Blindness and Trick Her into Raising Me as Her Biological Daughter for Twelve Years". "Keywords: deception, face blindness, self-delusion, false family bonds" I freeze and click into the full article with trembling fingers. The more I read, the more terrified I become. "1.1 Definition of face blindness and how to swap daughters to deceive the foster mother" "2.1 Practical uses and drawbacks of the foster mother" "3.1 How to profit by exploiting the foster mother through her face blindness" The content sends a chill through my entire body. The comment section is already in chaos. "Does this mean the author is actually the daughter of the mistress, and her father swapped her to be raised by his wife for twelve years?" "That's not all. Didn't you read 2.1? The wife had her own daughter, and the husband deliberately handed her over to traffickers!" "What the hell… In 3.1, it even says that because the wife has face blindness and can't tell people apart, the author makes deals with single fathers of classmates and sends the wife to…" At that point, my phone slips from my hand and crashes to the ground. The screen shatters instantly. I have severe face blindness, and I have a daughter who was kidnapped and only found again after three years.

What a ridiculous thing happened to me! I was sent as a substitute for my sister for just one night but I end up marrying her supposed husband. “What are you doing? Are you not aware of the reason for which you are here?” He said and sat on the bed. I sat straight and curled my legs. “I…I….am... But I am a virgin and the thought of all of this is what scares me.” I said and Greyson gave me an evil smirk. My voice wasn't supposed to sound this weak and pathetic but I can't hide my emotions. “You have nothing to fear. I am the man who would be marrying you. Think of this as our marriage consummation.” He said and my eyes brimmed with tears. If only you knew that I am not the woman you would be marrying. I am simply her substitute. I thought to myself. Greyson reached out to my legs and dragged his fingers on them, and pulled me by the legs to himself. He frowned when he saw that I still wore a nose mask and suspicion took over him. “Remove your face Mask, Bella. There is no need to hide your face from me.” He said and I shook my head. Greyson tilted his head, and his eyes became cold. “Remove the face mask, Isabella Walters.” He said Authoritatively and I gasped. This was trouble.

My mate is Ryder Blackwood, Alpha of the pack. As the approaching bonding ceremony, he tells me that his "savior", Isabelle Morrison, is dying. She took a silver dagger meant for him three years ago. Now she is terminal, and her days are numbered. Her last wish, he says, is to leave behind a pup bearing the strongest Alpha blood. I tremble. "What about me? I'm your only mate." His voice is cold, emptied of feeling. "Don't worry. I'll always be your mate." Two days later, I receive the pregnancy test results. Isabelle is five weeks along. Turns out there was never a choice. All I get is a belated notice. What he doesn't know is that I'm the one who took the silver dagger meant for him three years ago. The healer tells me I have, at most, a month to live. I neither weep nor protest. I cancel the bonding ceremony I've dreamed of and quietly book a flight out. It leaves on the very day of the ceremony. Ryder stands at the venue of the canceled ceremony when my message reaches him. It's my unwavering rejection of him as my mate. That's when he finally breaks. For the first time, the Alpha who controls everything tastes a fear that tears the soul. He searches for me frantically, only to find every trace of me erased from his world.

Nova Pearl Laurent a 21 year old woman, an underground fighter who was released from juvenile prison 3 years ago, her life changes drastically when she's called back to the country by her mother who had long abandoned her. She is faced by the truth that her twin sister Reverie Rye Laurent had been in a car accident and is now in coma. Her mother orders her to take Reverie's place as the wife of Aeros Ian Valencia. The Valencia family once saved the Laurent corporation from going bankrupt, the heir of Valencia family Aeros was forced to marry Reverie. He bears seething hatred towards Reverie and treats her as she was nonexistent to him. Nova who is now pretending to be Reverie his wife wants to revenge her beloved sister who suffered by the hands of this cruel man. But fate has unexpected plans for her, the cold and ruthless Aeros starts to fall for her. She must play her part well and when it's time for her to leave she must end the play, but what happens when she develops strange feelings for the man who is her sister's husband? "It was supposed to be an act, I'm a mere illusion of her, his substitute wife, I'm forbidden from having such feelings towards him"

On the day I was in heat, my childhood sweetheart stood me up. He only sent me a voice message, which said, “Willow, what do you mean you’re in heat? You’re just desperate for a man. Have some self-respect. Stop calling me!” Just as my fever spiked, pushing me to the edge of delirium, spectators watching my story flooded my vision with comments. [Sweetie, there are plenty of fish in the sea! Don’t be sad!] [Honey, look who’s walking in front of you. It’s Douglas Simus, the university heartthrob. He has the whole V-line and abs package, and he’s still a pure virgin boy!] Who? A V-line and abs? He should probably be able to satisfy me then. I struggled to open my eyes and saw a handsome man appear. Not bad. He smelled clean. I stopped him. “Do you want to hook up with me?”

BLURB: "I'll never let you go," Adrian Miller vows, his piercing gaze holding Heaven captive, his touch igniting a flame that threatens to consume her. ••• When Heaven Anderson's fiancé betrays her, she's forced into a marriage with the powerful billionaire. But Adrian's secrets and lies ensnare her in a deadly game of power and manipulation. His rumored disability is a myth, masking a darker truth: a man driven by vengeance and obsession. As Heaven navigates the treacherous world of wealth and desire, she uncovers secrets about Adrian's tortured past, her family's hidden agendas, and the ruthless Miller dynasty. Torn between loyalty and rebellion, she must decide: surrender to Adrian's all-consuming passion or fight for her freedom. But Adrian's fixation knows no bounds. He'll stop at nothing to possess Heaven, body and soul. And as their twisted game unfolds, she realizes escape may come at a steep price. Will she risk everything to break free, or succumb to Adrian's intoxicating control? Dive into a world of power, manipulation, and forbidden passion, where loyalty is tested, trust is shattered, and love becomes a deadly game.

The Hook When a desperate woman seeking survival accidentally spills wine on the ruthless billionaire who saved her life fifteen years ago, she has no idea that the childhood pinky promise buried in her diary is about to become her adult reality. The Desperate Heroine Elena Marquez (25) carries the psychological scars of a childhood kidnapping. Her deepest secret is a vow of marriage made to the boy who risked everything for her. Fifteen years later, Elena is drowning in debt, responsible for her younger brother, Lucas, and facing an impossible ultimatum from her hostile aunt. Her prestigious degree is useless against corporate harassment, forcing her into the humiliating service industry to survive. The Ruthless Billionaire Damien Black (27) is the cold, arrogant Chairman of Black Enterprises. Beneath his impenetrable façade, he is consumed by trauma and a secret: he never forgot the kidnapping or the little girl he swore to protect. For fifteen years, while feigning amnesia to shield his unstable older brother, Daniel (30), Damien has secretly searched for Elena, driven by the need to fulfill his youthful vow. The Collision Elena’s desperation leads her to a serving job at an exclusive lounge owned by Damien's company. When a nervous slip ruins his cuff, Damien instantly recognizes the frightened girl he lost. To control her and keep her close, Damien fires Elena immediately. Yet, the very next day, Elena receives an unsolicited, high-paying job offer from Black Enterprises. Now trapped in the ruthless billionaire's orbit, Elena must navigate her terrifying new reality, unaware that the cold man ordering her around is the same boy who promised her everything.

When Aneira's twin sister dies in a terrible accident, her family marries her off to her sister's fiancé. She thought she would be loved, but found out she was living her sister's nightmare. *** Aneira: "I thought he would love me. Just like he loved my dead sister, but when he claimed his parents died because of my father, I found out the marriage wasn't what it seemed. I was offered to the beast as the sacrificial lamb." Rafael: "When her father killed my parents, I vowed to make them pay, but when they offered her in marriage to me, she became my tool of vengeance. The downside was that I couldn't let anyone hurt her, but me."

I joined the Order of Valhalla Bridge because it was simple; they get the jobs; they send you your assignment, and once completed you get paid. That's exactly how this assignment was supposed to go. Just somewhere along the way, the web became so tangled. One slip messed up everything, now my target has turned into the hunter, intent on making me his prey. Determined to take what he thinks is his. Why would he think I was his Bride? They ordered my team to track him down, recover what was stolen, and kill him. Yet I reacted to his touch. If The Order found out, I would be dishonored. Now I am stuck between a possessive Alpha obsessed with a new toy, a vampire who thinks me his bride and a Berserker intent on winning me. What could possibly go wrong?

Let's make a deal, I'll give little Damien the night of his life, if you help me". _________ Selina gaze is betrayed by her family and her fiancè and left penniless. She has two options, leave with nothing and never return or take her sister's place and marry the Brooklyn devil. Left with no choice she agrees to take her sister's place and marry Damien Torres. If her family wanted to throw her into the inferno that was Damien Torres they would all burn together