“Be our stand-in bride for my daughter Ellie’s wedding. That way, your debt to our family will be cleared!”

Ellie stared at the middle-aged woman in front of her, shocked. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could she get married, replacing Ellen, the original bride who had disappeared without a trace?

“But, Ma’am? Wouldn’t it be better to postpone the wedding than to have someone else replace her?” Ellie timidly protested Mme Debora’s order.

Debora glared at Ellie, annoyed. “Do you think it’s that easy to postpone a wedding?! My daughter’s marrying a tycoon, Ellie! We’d be humiliated if Mr. Jose found out the bride wasn’t there on the wedding day. Can you afford to reimburse everything Mr. Jose has spent on this grand wedding?!”

Ellie shook her head, looking down. “But replacing the bride isn’t right.”

“What do you know about marriage?! I’m offering you a good deal that’s actually very beneficial for you. Just so you know, the cost of your life for these ten years wasn’t cheap, you know!”

“So, this is an offer you should take if you want to repay the kindness we’ve shown you all these years. All I’m asking is for you to marry Mr. Jose and live with him temporarily under my daughter’s marriage.”

“Besides, I can’t stand the thought of someone dirty and ragged like you standing next to the handsome and dashing Mr. Jose, who’s the dream of girls your age!”

Ellie sighed, hearing the insults from her adoptive mother, who always treated her poorly. She lifted her head, and her face no longer looked as sad and pitiful as when she was bowing. “Alright, Ma’am, if that’s your plan. Ellie will follow,” Ellie agreed to everything her adoptive mother suggested, driven by the promise of repayment. Moreover, the marriage she was about to face wasn’t permanent.

For ten years, she had lived as an adopted child treated like a servant. Despite being treated as a maid to be looked down upon, she was grateful because if not for the wealthy family adopting her, her life might have been as chaotic as when she woke up in a wooden house, remembering nothing of what happened before. She didn’t even know who she was.

Debora felt relieved after Ellie agreed to her demands. “As we know, tomorrow is the wedding day. Your body shape and Ellen’s are similar. So, no need for dress fittings. I’ll hire the best makeup artist to make you look exactly like my beautiful daughter.”

“But don’t think I’m praising you. Because everything I’m doing is only for the sake of my family’s reputation and my precious daughter!”

Ellie nodded. She sighed as the middle-aged woman left her room, which used to be a storage room. The simple room had been her resting place every night for the past ten years.

“How could it be? Is Mme Debora’s offer real? She’s not trying to deceive me, right?” Ellie muttered to herself as she closed the door and lay on the worn mattress that had never been replaced since she started living there.

Honestly, Ellie was doubtful. Although she had agreed to Mme Debora’s decision, she still felt that the woman had ulterior motives. Especially in the ten years she’d known her, Debora’s arrogant and two-faced nature was enough to make Ellie afraid that she would break her promise.

Ellen Grace, the most beautiful daughter in the Grace family, disappeared this morning, and the family had searched everywhere for her discreetly.

The wedding between the richest businessman in the country and the philanthropic family was a hot topic nationwide. Many media outlets were covering the news of the union of these two influential families through the marriage of one of their heirs.

It would be disastrous if news of the missing bride leaked to the public.

Ellie knew her place in this house.

Obeying was better than rebelling. She had received many kindnesses over the ten years she’d stayed in this house. And the offer of repayment, who could refuse? As Mme Debora said, she had to repay the family’s kindness to her.

Now, she had the easiest way to repay the family that had supported her all this time. She just needed to replace the bride. Whether she liked it or not, Ellie had to comply.

Besides, she wasn’t as beautiful or attractive as Ellen, the Grace family’s most beautiful daughter. Surely Mr. Jose, the groom, wouldn’t be interested in someone as plain as Ellie if he knew who the bride really was.

Wedding day.

Ellie looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked very beautiful in the expensive long white gown. She was pleased with her appearance. But unfortunately, the white gown and wedding weren’t meant for her. This was just a scheme created by Mme Debora for the sake of her daughter and the family’s reputation.

“Huh, turns out your face can work with us too, huh. No need to struggle changing your appearance, especially since your face is exactly like my beautiful daughter’s,” Debora said cynically.

In reality, Debora’s words were a sarcastic remark that Ellie’s face was only fit for imitation. But for Ellie, those sarcastic words were just passing wind, nothing to think about or give her a headache over.

“Smile, because my daughter likes to smile. Not like you, always looking so glum!” Debora sneered again.

Ellie didn’t understand what else she could smile about. Ellie had already shown her best smile despite her heart being filled with worry about her future after marrying a man she didn’t even know. Even though this marriage was only temporary.

“Don’t you know how awful you look with that smile?” Mme Debora asked, annoyed.

The slim woman who looked like a girl Ellie’s age stood in front of Ellie and formed a smile at the corners of Ellie’s lips, coated with pink lipstick.

“Smile like this. Remember the beautiful things in your head so you keep smiling. This wedding will be attended by star guests and many media outlets."