The night was windless, heavy with the scent of roses and secrets.
Rina Summers stood in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room, staring at the ghost in the white gown. The woman in the reflection wore lace and diamonds, but her eyes—her eyes held fear.
She wasn't supposed to be here.This dress didn't belong to her.This wedding… didn't belong to her.
"Rina, just this once. Please. For the family."
Her mother's voice still echoed in her ears from the rushed phone call less than an hour ago.
"Vanessa had a breakdown. She can't face the ceremony. If we lose this marriage, we lose everything."
So now, Rina was wearing her sister's gown, her sister's ring, and about to walk into her sister's life—as a bride to a man she had never met.
Well… not completely never.
She had seen photos of Damien Frost in news headlines. Cold-blooded tycoon. Ice king of the financial world. Women worshipped him. Men feared him. Rumor had it, even his smiles were calculated.
And now, he would be marrying the wrong sister.
The door creaked open.
"Time's up," the wedding coordinator said with a stiff smile. "Mr. Frost is waiting."
Rina swallowed hard. Her knees wobbled slightly as she took one last glance at the mirror.
Vanessa Lin is confident. Elegant. Perfect.
Rina lifted her chin.
You can pretend. Just for tonight.
The grand hall shimmered with opulence. Thousands of white lilies lined the aisle. Gold-trimmed chairs filled with dignitaries and cameras. Everything smelled like money, power, and pressure.
Rina's heels clicked softly against the marble as she walked toward the altar, heart pounding.
Then she saw him.
Damien Frost.
Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a tailored black tux that made the air around him feel ten degrees colder. His face was like it had been carved from stone—unreadable, dangerous, perfect.
His dark eyes locked onto hers.
Her breath hitched.Did he… know?
He extended his arm without a word. She took it.
The officiant's voice droned somewhere far away.
"Do you, Vanessa Lin, take Damien Frost…"
"I do," Rina said softly, lying for her family, her future… and maybe for the first time, for herself.
After the ceremony, while guests buzzed around champagne fountains and camera flashes, Damien guided her to a private balcony.
He didn't speak until the door shut behind them.
"You're quieter than I expected," he said.
Rina forced a polite smile. "Weddings are overwhelming."
"You know what this is," he continued, voice like ice. "Three months. That's the contract. After that, we go our separate ways."
She nodded. "Understood."
He turned to leave but paused, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "You've changed your perfume."
Her heart skipped.He noticed.
"New preferences," she said smoothly, then quickly looked away.
He didn't press further. Just walked away, leaving the scent of danger lingering in his place.
Three months?Rina leaned on the marble railing, knuckles white.
She wasn't sure if she could survive three days of pretending.Not when everything about this felt like walking a tightrope above fire.
Suddenly, something flickered at the edge of her vision.
She turned—too late.
Click.
From behind a tree in the garden, someone had taken a photo. The lens gleamed like an eye in the dark.
Rina tensed, heart thundering.
Who was there?
In the distance, a figure grinned at the screen of their phone.
The image was crystal clear: Damien Frost holding his "bride."
"Vanessa Lin," a cold voice whispered, dripping with venom."You dare steal my man? You think this game is yours? Let's see who ends up begging."