The Bride Wasn’t Her

On the day of my wedding to Christine Moore, strange floating comments suddenly appeared before my eyes. [LMAO, the real young master still has no idea the bride is fake! Christine is at the hospital accompanying the fake heir Troy Bolton right now!] [It doesn’t matter who the bride is anyway. Christine only agreed to the marriage for the Shane family’s investment. The fake heir is her true love.] [Serves this villain right for driving our poor Troy away the moment he came back. In the end, the female lead destroys his entire family, and honestly, he deserves it.] I hid the shock in my eyes and finished the wedding as if nothing had happened. I refused to become a stepping stone in someone else’s love story. And I definitely refused to die as their disposable villain. If she did not want to marry me, then fine. I would make the fake wedding real, and marry someone else instead. Chapter 1 "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." Chapter 2 I suddenly stepped closer to her. "Calling off the wedding wasn't about exposing you. I just needed you to help me put on a little act." The moment I remembered what happened in the original story, how she took revenge on the Moore family for my sake and ultimately died alongside Christine, a sharp ache rose in my chest. Emotion rippled through my eyes. Haylee grabbed my wrist firmly, her gaze unwavering. "If you can't let this go, I can…" I looked at her seriously. "Haylee, listen carefully. The person I want to marry is you." The livestream comments instantly exploded across the screen in pink: [HOLY SH*T! Did I hear that right? The supporting male lead is publicly proposing to the female boss?!] [Forget the male and female leads for now. The way Boss Lady is looking at him is insane. I'm shipping this immediately!] [??? The hell is wrong with you people? Stay in your own lane and ship quietly, okay?] When we returned to the stage, the emcee smiled and announced, "Now, please exchange rings." I picked up the ring, but the moment I tried sliding it onto her finger, it stopped dead at the knuckle. She awkwardly tried to force it on, but I caught her hand. Whispers immediately spread through the audience. "What's going on? The ring size is wrong?" "How do you mess up something this important? The Shane and Moore families are way too careless." At the main table below the stage, Christine's parents instantly turned pale. They exchanged a look, and both of them saw the same panic reflected in the other's eyes. So they had known about Christine's ridiculous stunt all along. They had simply chosen to cover for her. My father frowned deeply as he looked at me with concern. I gave my parents a reassuring glance, silently telling them not to worry. Then, under the uncertain stares of everyone in the room, I reached out and pulled the mask off Haylee's face. "Oh my god! The bride isn't Christine!" "Then where's the real bride?!" Christine's father was the first to react. "What... what is the meaning of this?! Who are you exactly?!" Mrs. Moore's face turned ashen as she shouted toward the crowd of guests and reporters below the stage. "Everyone calm down! Where's security? There's been a minor issue with the wedding. It'll be resolved immediately!" The livestream comments flooded the screen again: [This is so satisfying! Front row seats here, selling sunflower seeds and peanuts!] [According to the original plot, the one who was supposed to panic on stage was Tony. Now it's the Moore family instead. The irony is beautiful.] My father looked at me worriedly. "Tony, what exactly is going on? Where's Christine?" I turned and gave my parents another calming look. Then, in front of the shocked crowd, I took Haylee's hand. "Thank you all for attending the wedding of Haylee and myself today. Due to a small oversight, the wedding posters and rings were prepared incorrectly." I paused before continuing calmly. "But it's nothing serious. The wedding will continue." Beside me, Haylee immediately lifted her chin proudly, as if declaring her claim over me in front of the entire room. Mr. Moore trembled with rage. "Tony, have you lost your mind?! Do you even understand what you're doing?! "You actually found some random woman to replace Christine? Where does that leave the Moore family's dignity?!" Mrs. Moore rushed over as well, lowering her voice urgently. "Tony, stop fooling around! You and Christine grew up together. Even if she skipped the wedding today because she was being childish, you can't treat the marriage alliance between our families like a joke! "Stop the wedding right now. We'll settle this privately." I ignored them completely and handed the microphone to Haylee beside me. "Haylee, tell everyone why you're standing here today." Haylee met my eyes and smiled. Her voice was calm and clear. "I'm standing here today because Christine paid me one hundred dollars to impersonate her at this wedding." Chapter 3 The moment those words left her mouth, the entire venue exploded into chaos. "What?! She actually hired someone to take her place at her own wedding?!" "My god, has Christine lost her mind? She's basically grinding the Shane family's reputation into the dirt!" Now that the truth had been exposed in front of everyone, all color drained from Mr. and Mrs. Moore's faces. My mother finally snapped. Pointing at Mrs. Kenton, she unleashed a furious tirade. "The Moore family people are really something! Treating my son's marriage like some kind of joke. You've gone too far! "Did you really think the Shane family had no backbone?!" My father's eyes were red with anger as he strode onto the stage and pulled me protectively behind him. "This wedding is off," he said coldly to the Moore family. "From this day forward, the Shane family will have nothing more to do with yours." Seeing the alliance about to collapse, Mr. Moore panicked. "Tony, Christine was just being immature and reckless. I'll call her right now and make her come back to apologize to you." I let out a cold laugh. "Sure. I'll give her one more chance. If you can get through to her right now, I'll pretend none of this ever happened." Haylee tightened her grip on my hand. Leaning close to her ear, I whispered softly, "Don't worry. Christine isn't coming back." Like a drowning man clutching at his last lifeline, Mr. Moore frantically pulled out his phone and began calling Christine. Once. Twice. Three times. Every single call ended with the same cold automated voice: "Sorry, the number you dialed is currently powered off." I sighed dramatically. "Looks like Ms. Moore has no intention of returning." I turned toward the guards. "Security. Remove the unrelated parties." Father and Mrs. Moore were dragged out by security while reporters swarmed around them, cameras flashing wildly in their faces. My father grabbed my hand but asked no questions. "Tony, no matter what decision you make, your mother and I will support you." "We already kicked that fake young master out of the family. We'll never let him work with outsiders to bully you again." My mother gave my shoulder a firm pat, and warmth spread quietly through my chest. Comments drifted across the livestream: [In the original story, Tony was completely blinded by love and insisted on marrying Christine. He fell out with his family because of her, and in the end the Shane family went bankrupt because of Christine and the fake young master. His parents became depressed and jumped off a building together. Seeing this scene now honestly makes me want to cry.] I lowered my head to hide the emotions in my eyes. Thankfully, it was not too late this time. I had not become some pathetic love-struck fool. Since they chose to be ruthless, they could not blame me for returning the favor. As soon as the wedding ceremony ended, I immediately called my special assistant. "Terminate every partnership with the Moore family. "And pull back every cent we invested. Leave them nothing." The news that I had switched brides at the wedding and married Haylee instead did not spread immediately. The Moore family suppressed the story to stabilize their stock price. The moment the ceremony ended, Haylee and I rushed to register our marriage officially. Right after we got the certificate, she told me she needed to leave the country for a few days. Meanwhile, completely unaware of everything happening, Christine spent two carefree days fooling around with Michael at a villa in the suburbs before finally sensing that something was wrong. Normally, by now, I would already have caused a huge scene and pressured her to come back. However, this time, there had been no reaction at all. Christine absentmindedly scrolled through her phone, so distracted she didn't even hear Michael calling her name. "No. Tony is definitely just playing hard to get." She let out a cold laugh and tossed her phone aside. Michael tested the waters carefully. "Christine... is Tony really angry this time? Maybe you should go back and comfort him. It's not worth offending the Shane family because of me..." "Comfort him? Is he worthy of that?" Christine pinched Michael's chin, her face full of arrogance. "He's hopelessly in love with me. We've been together for twenty years. He can't live without me. "I bet within three days, he'll come crawling back with money in hand, begging me to marry him. Honestly, I've spoiled him too much." At that moment, more livestream comments floated across the screen: [I'm dying laughing. Has the original female lead lost her brain stem or something? She still doesn't know the Shane family already pulled their investment. The Moore family is about to collapse.] [Oh my god, girl, your company is on the brink of collapse and you're still sitting here feeling smug.] Chapter 4 I never expected to run into those two walking disasters at my father's business banquet. Christine spotted me immediately. The moment she saw me chatting with another woman, her expression darkened on the spot. Beside her, Michael leaned casually against her shoulder and lowered his voice. "Christine, it's stuffy in here. I want to get some air." Christine patted the back of his hand indulgently, though her gaze drifted toward me as if by accident. She was probably waiting for me to walk over first. Too bad for her, I had no intention of playing along. From beginning to end, I did not spare her so much as a glance. Eventually, she lost patience. She strode over to our table, slammed her wine glass down hard, and demanded: "Tony, are you seriously angry because I had someone stand in for me at the wedding?" I could not even be bothered looking at her. I stood up to leave. "The last wedding was because Michael suddenly had a stomach attack. It was an emergency, that's why I couldn't make it." Michael quickly stepped in front of me. "Tony, please don't blame Christine. It's all my fault for being so useless physically and ruining your wedding. "I know your parents hate me, but I really didn't mean to…" After hearing that, Christine actually laughed in disbelief. "Tony, how did I never realize you were this petty? It was just a wedding. "We didn't even register the marriage officially, so what does it count as? Was it really necessary for you and your father to pull your investment just to force me into submission?" As she spoke, she reached for my arm like it was the most natural thing in the world. My expression turned cold and I shook her hand off immediately. "Ms. Moore, have some respect for yourself." "About the wedding: didn't your parents tell you?" She froze. "Tell me what?" A flicker of panic crossed Michael's face. He grabbed my wrist and hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Tony, don't do this. Christine really does care about you…" He sounded like he was trying to mediate, but his grip tightened hard around my wrist, deliberately provoking me. The comments exploded across the screen: [Holy sh*t, what's with the fake heir? He's making a move already?] I yanked my hand away violently. "Get lost." Michael immediately staggered backward several steps and deliberately collapsed onto the floor in a pathetic heap. Christine's eyes widened in fury. She rushed to help him up and shouted at me, "Tony! Do you even know Michael's stomach hasn't recovered yet? Apologize to him right now!" I let out a cold laugh and turned toward the security guards hurrying over after hearing the commotion. "Security, throw them out." Christine's face turned livid. "Don't think acting like this will get my attention. If you behave yourself, I'll go register the marriage with you in a few days." The comments went wild again: [Bruh, what's wrong with the original heroine? Isn't she supposed to love the fake heir? Why is she acting like such a self-absorbed narcissist?] [I'm dying. She still doesn't know the male supporting lead already registered his marriage with the rich boss lady. She seriously thinks he's still waiting around to pamper her.] I smiled faintly. "Register the marriage? But I'm already married." The smile on Christine's face froze instantly. She stood there stunned, brows tightly knotted. "What nonsense are you talking about?" She stepped closer, her tone arrogant as ever. "If you're married, then where's your wife? Why didn't she come with you?" A mocking smile tugged at the corner of my lips. "My wife is away on a business trip. Unlike certain useless people who need male attention just to feel important." Before Christine could explode, Michael immediately put on an expression of tolerant restraint and sighed softly. "Tony, how could you say something like that about Christine? She stays up late every night working for the Moore Group. Not only do you refuse to support her, you're even lying just to upset her. You're really not thinking about the bigger picture at all." He deliberately paused, and just like that, Christine's gaze toward me filled with disappointment and anger. "Tony, look at how sharp-tongued and bitter you've become. Other than me, who else would ever marry you? "I'm warning you, stop playing these childish hard-to-get games. It only makes me look down on you even more." Chapter 5 I had completely run out of patience. "Security. Are you deaf? "Throw these two out. And from today onward, every property under the Shane family name is off-limits to Christine and dogs alike." The guards immediately stepped forward and grabbed them by the arms. Christine struggled violently, her face twisted with fury as she screamed at me, "Tony, if you dare treat me like this, you're going to regret it!" That same night, I received a text from an unknown number. [Did you really think this would make Christine come back to you? Bet you didn't expect this: she doesn't care at all. She's happily overseas with me on vacation right now.] I did not even need to guess who sent it. I blocked the number immediately. During the following days, Christine's parents still refused to give up and came looking for me several times, but I had them turned away every single time. A week later, after calculating when Haylee's flight would land, I drove to the airport to pick her up. The moment I stepped into the international arrivals hall, I ran straight into Christine and Michael. The two of them looked slightly tanned from the trip, sunglasses on, carrying themselves with the relaxed air of people returning from a carefree vacation. The instant Christine saw me, she smiled smugly. "I knew you couldn't let me go. You even came all the way here to pick me up." I could not be bothered responding. I looked at her the same way I would look at an idiot. Michael chimed in with a mocking grin, "Come on, don't be mad anymore." "Christine didn't mean to leave you behind when we went to relax. As her fiancé, you should be more understanding." Christine was clearly pleased by that. She lifted a hand to sling it over my shoulder, but I sidestepped before she could touch me. Not only did she not get angry, she looked even more smug, convinced I was just throwing a childish tantrum. "Alright, stop sulking. Once we get married, I'll make it up to you with an even more luxurious honeymoon trip. Happy now?" "Move aside. Good dogs don't block the way." I brushed past the two of them and pulled the fast-approaching Haylee into my arms. "Honey, welcome home." Haylee naturally leaned against me and tilted her head up, pressing a soft kiss against my chin. Behind us, the smug smile on Christine's face froze instantly. After a brief, deathly silence came her furious scream. "Tony! Are you done messing around yet?!" She stormed over in a few quick steps and pointed angrily at Haylee. "So this is your way of getting back at me? You even hired an actress? Not bad, her acting's pretty convincing. How much did you pay her? "Name your price. I'll pay ten times more if she disappears right now." I pulled Haylee behind me protectively, my expression darkening as the atmosphere around me turned ice cold. However, Haylee simply tightened her grip on my hand and calmly met Christine's distorted glare. "Christine, weren't you asking to meet my wife?" I intertwined my fingers with Haylee's and let out a cold laugh. "Then let me formally introduce her. This is my wife." The color drained from Christine's face. "You! What are you doing here?!"