Unwanted luck

Jillian Hartwell stood in the back room of the grand church, her fingers trembling as they fidgeted with the lace of her lilac bridesmaid dress. Sunlight streamed through the high stained-glass windows, casting colored patterns across the marble floor, but the warmth of the light did nothing to calm her racing heart. From beyond the thick, oak door, the muffled sounds of guests and the delicate hum of a string quartet drifted through-an elegant reminder that the wedding should have started by now. The wedding of her sister, Emily.

Jillian's reflection stared back at her from an old mirror propped in the corner of the room. Her dark, wavy hair had been styled neatly earlier in the morning, but now it looked as disheveled as she felt. Her pale green eyes were wide with disbelief, as if she couldn't quite accept what was happening. This was supposed to be Emily's day-the grand union between the Hartwell and Reynolds families, a marriage meant to secure a powerful business alliance between two of the country's largest companies. Christopher Reynolds, the CEO of Reynolds Enterprises, stood waiting at the altar. The media was here, executives from both companies were here, expecting the perfect fairy-tale wedding. Everything had been meticulously planned, down to the last floral arrangement, with one goal: to merge the fortunes of the two families. And now, Emily was gone. Jillian checked her phone again, but just like the last hundred times, there were no messages from Emily. No last-minute text explaining where she was, no frantic call apologizing for being late-nothing. Her older sister had simply vanished. The door creaked open, and her mother, Charlotte Hartwell, stormed into the room, her face as pale as the pearls around her neck. She wore an elegant navy-blue dress, but her usual poise was gone. Her hands trembled as she shut the door behind her. "Where is she?" her mother demanded, her voice barely above a whisper, sharp and brittle. "The ceremony is supposed to start, and she's not here." Jillian shook her head, her mouth dry. "I don't know, Mom. I've been calling her, texting her. She's not answering. No one knows where she is." "Not answering?" Charlotte's eyes widened in panic, and she glanced at the door, as if Emily might walk through it any moment, smiling and ready to save them all. "This can't be happening, not today, of all days. Do you have any idea what this means?" Jillian knew exactly what it meant. This wasn't just about a wedding or broken hearts. This was business. Emily's marriage to Christopher had been arranged as part of a strategic deal to merge their father's company, Hartwell Industries, with Christopher's global empire, Reynolds Enterprises. Their father, Daniel Hartwell, had worked his entire life to bring the company to the pinnacle of success, but recent financial setbacks had put them in a precarious position. The marriage would save everything. Or at least, that was the plan. Jillian couldn't shake the irony of it all. Emily, the golden child, had agreed to the marriage without protest, seemingly as committed to their family's future as anyone else. But now, at the eleventh hour, she had disappeared, leaving the rest of them scrambling for answers. As if on cue, her father, Daniel Hartwell, entered the room, his jaw clenched and eyes filled with frustration. He was a tall man, his hair graying at the temples, but his presence always commanded attention. Today, however, there was a weariness in his face that Jillian hadn't seen before. "Still no word from Emily?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. "No," Charlotte replied, her voice tight. "She's disappeared." Daniel ran a hand through his hair, his face darkening. "This isn't just a family embarrassment; this is a disaster. We can't afford this. Not now. If the Reynolds family thinks we've backed out of the arrangement, if Christopher walks away-" He broke off, clearly struggling to contain his frustration. The door opened again, this time revealing Christopher's mother, Eleanor Reynolds, a regal woman with sharp features and cold blue eyes. She stepped into the room, her gaze assessing the situation quickly. "We have a problem," she said bluntly, her voice crisp. "The guests are waiting, and Christopher doesn't know what's going on. This wedding needs to happen, today." Jillian felt her stomach drop at the commanding tone in Eleanor's voice. There was no room for negotiation or delay. The entire day had been engineered for this purpose: to unite two families and seal the deal that would save Hartwell Industries. There were millions, perhaps billions, of dollars at stake. "Eleanor," Charlotte began, trying to soften the blow, "we're doing everything we can to find Emily, but she's gone. We don't know where she is." Eleanor's eyes narrowed. "Then find a solution." She glanced at Jillian, her gaze calculating. "The guests cannot be left waiting, and our families cannot be left embarrassed. This is bigger than your daughter's cold feet." Jillian felt a cold shiver crawl down her spine. Eleanor's words were ice, and the meaning behind them was crystal clear. There was no way out of this. The marriage had to happen, one way or another. "No," Jillian whispered, already seeing where this was heading. "No, I can't." Charlotte's gaze flickered between Eleanor and Daniel before settling on Jillian. Her mother's face softened for a moment, a flicker of hesitation, but only for a heartbeat. "Sweetheart, there's no other option." Jillian's breath caught in her throat. "You're asking me to marry Christopher. Today. In Emily's place?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but the enormity of the request hung heavily in the air. Eleanor stepped forward, her posture as rigid as ever. "It's the only way to save this arrangement. Your family's company depends on this merger. Christopher understands business, and so do I. We need this deal, and so do you." Daniel remained silent, but Jillian could see the weight of his desperation in his eyes. The business was crumbling. Their father had always prided himself on keeping the family legacy alive, but without this marriage, that legacy would end in ruins. Jillian felt like the walls were closing in around her. She had always lived in Emily's shadow, always the second choice, the quieter one. Now, she was being asked to step into Emily's shoes, to marry the man her sister had abandoned at the altar. To save her family. Her heart pounded in her chest as the door to the church creaked open, revealing a glimpse of the guests waiting expectantly. She took a shaky breath. "I'll do it."