Stand-in Novels & Stories

"Kyle, I heard Emily spoils that stand-in rotten. Mansions, luxury cars—she lets him smash and burn them for fun." "Those are things worth millions. Our families can't even afford to buy them." "Yeah, and he's just a stand-in. If you went back, Emily would worship the ground you walk on. She might even give you shares in the Kelley Group."

My husband, Adriano Moretti, the Don of the Moretti famiglia, brings a three-year-old boy back to the estate. Adriano's mother, Vittoria Moretti, calls for a family meeting. In front of all the core members, she announces that the boy will be raised by me. She says he is the only surviving bloodline of her late eldest son, Luca Moretti. Vittoria says, "It's very chaotic out there right now. His birth mother can't protect him. Lucrezia, if you don't take him in, he won't survive the winter in Sezarro." My heart goes out to the little boy, and I take him in. In the next seven years, I personally raise Antonino into the finest child in the Moretti famiglia. I tell Adriano I want a child of

Burney threw ours on top, gave my waist a squeeze then let me go. I looked up at him, surprised to see his face void of the stupid grin he'd been wearing half a minute earlier. I dropped my gaze to the waiting group and understood. Stan was staring at us, radiating authority as he stood legs spread, arms folded in jeans and a dark blue shirt. "Get your rears over here!" Our eyes darted to each other as we stepped forward. Stan was a scary bugger, made more so by the fact that I was still convinced he would rather me dead than in his nest.

A place to stay? "Yes," He said, his intense unwavering gaze fixed on mine. There is a condition though. You will stay by my side. You'll be my stand-in wife…. substitute wife as they put it" As my brain struggled to comprehend the words, I blinked. " Substitute wife?" The idea was startling like a foreign tongue. As I gazed at him, unable to process the gravity of his words, my heart skipped a beat. " Substitute wife?" I repeated my voice a little shaky. "What do you mean by that?"

IT IS, IN THE STRICTEST DEFINITIONAL SENSE, AN UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY. "Can it file claims against us?" THE SUPERNATURAL LEDGER PROCESSES TRANSACTIONS FROM ALL RECOGNIZED ENTITIES. IF A MIRROR ENTITY CAN DEMONSTRATE STANDING, IT CAN FILE A CLAIM. "And who determines standing?" The Auditor's spectacles focused on Jack with the specific intensity of a being that was about to deliver procedurally devastating news. I DO. STANDING IS DETERMINED BY THE AUDITOR OF RECORD. AND I AM THE ONLY AUDITOR IN EXISTENCE.

"Then hurry up and feed her." My entire body went rigid. The room was filled with his Soldati. Several assistants stood by the door. Here? Right here? Was he really going to strip me of all dignity like this? I looked at Lucas in despair, my eyes filled with pleading as I signed: [Can you ask them to leave first?] "What are you stalling for? Can't you hear Luna crying herself breathless?!" He understood sign language, but he simply chose cruelty. "Miss Lang, Luna comes first," Serena said with feigned kindness. "Look how pitiful she is. At a time like this, why care about pride? As a mother, you should learn to sacrifice."

"You're out of a job and I'm offering you one. I don't see how that's a game." I narrow my eyes, not sure if I trust him. "What's the catch?" "No catch," he says, holding up his hands. "Just offering you a job." Oh, hell no. I won't let him drag me back into that home ever again. "I’m not interested.” “Think about it and let me know what you think.” And with that, he rises from his seat, his imposing height, towering over me. “I’ll be expecting your call.”

Nothing here has been cleared. Nothing here has been replaced. I wasn’t brought here to start anything. I was brought here to hold it in place.

But he didn't reply to my message. "Are you lost?" A guy asked me. I didn't know what to say so I remained silent. He said, "I can see that you're scared to speak to strangers and there's nothing wrong in that. If you're waiting for someone, go and wait on the stand. Don't stand here. The people who are dancing here might push you and some are drunk too so it's safe to wait over the stand." Even though I'm scared like he said, he's not bad to be scared of. I stood still hearing him.

After all, I was just meant to be a one-night stand. "The proprietor of the picture studio we hired, Gabriella Parker." After introducing me, the manager grinned broadly and looked at him. Javier, on the other hand, seemed unimpressed. "I'll take five," I replied as I walked to the restroom. It was necessary for me to weep it all out. The man who had abandoned me and wrecked my life was standing right in front of me, and I had to act OK. The jerk even feigned he didn't know who I was. I wanted to let it all out. I dashed to the toilet and sobbed until I was brave enough to face my darkest dread. I returned to my seat and sat down.