The Mafias Substitute Bride Forced To Marry The Cold Hearted Mafia

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Modern Revenge Divorce

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Everyone was tense about the upcoming wedding. The bride was inside her car, while the groom was already inside the church.

The bride sighed heavily due to her current situation. She's about to marry someone she barely knows, a complete stranger. She hasn't even met the groom in person yet. Her father arranged this marriage, and she had no say in the matter.

A knock on her car window startled her. She opened it and saw her younger sister, who was wearing a sad smile.

"Millie," her younger sister, Sienna, greeted her. She sat down beside Millie and held her hand. She noticed that Millie's hand was cold. "The wedding is about to start. Are you ready?" She asked.

Millie forced a weary smile and took a deep breath. "No, Sienna, I'm not ready, but I know I have no choice, right? This is what Papa wants, and if I refuse... he'll hurt me."

Sienna hugged her sister. "I wish it were me instead, sis. I would gladly sacrifice myself. You deserve to be happy after everything you've been through with our father, not like this."

"It's fine, Sienna. If we defy Papa, you might get caught in his anger towards me. I'll be okay. I just need to be a good wife to my future husband."

Sienna pulled away from her sister, concern etched on her face.

"But, sis, we've heard so many rumors about your soon-to-be-husband. He's ruthless and heartless. There's nothing good said about him. They say he's the cruelest among all the generations of Locatelli. I'm afraid that if Papa doesn't hurt you anymore, your husband might." Sienna held her older sister's hand tightly.

"I hope not..." Millie's voice trailed off, sounding less sure as time went on, as if she was starting to realize what her sister was saying.

Their conversation was cut short when their stepmother appeared “Sienna get out of the car because the wedding was about to begin.” She said to the younger one before facing the bride. “Don’t forget to smile and pretend to be happy. We both knew that any mistake would incur the wrath of your cruel father.” She reminded them as if living with their father would deprive them of that fact.

In this wedding, Millie will see her future husband's face in person for the first time. She's usually only seen him in photographs because she knows he's very busy with work. There are times when he's even in another country. The only people she's interacted with regarding the wedding are the groom's parents.

She felt a mixture of nervousness as she walked down the church aisle. Her father and stepmother accompanied her, both guiding her towards the altar where she would hand her hand to her future husband.

"Be a good wife, Millie. If your husband divorces you—you already know what will happen. Obey everything he tells you. Don't displease him, and don't bring shame to our family name. Your marriage will have a significant impact on our business ventures, so be a proper wife," her father told her, his smile directed at the wedding guests, but his words filled her with fear.

Millie glanced at her father as he spoke, and despite his smiling demeanor toward the guests, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive about his words.

Then, Millie saw her future husband. It seemed as if she wanted to retreat as their gazes met. Even though she was veiled, the man's intense stare penetrated through.

Fear and a chilling sensation coursed through her body. The man's presence exuded a sense of ruthlessness and danger. Moreover, his cold, seemingly emotionless eyes fixed on her were enough to make her knees tremble.

"Gio, take care of my daughter, alright?" Millie's father said with a smile as he extended his daughter's hand to the man.

Millie's hand turned cold as Gio held it. She glanced at the hand of her soon-to-be-husband before meeting Gio's gaze, which seemed to pierce through her veil.

"I will, sir," Gio replied formally to Millie's father. They then walked together to the altar to begin the wedding ceremony.

Millie was anxious throughout the wedding ceremony, only realizing the gravity of her situation when Gio responded with the words, "I do."

The priest looked at her, and she swallowed hard, knowing that there was no other option but to proceed with the marriage, even though tying herself to a man who seemed to bring danger into her life was far from what she desired.

Gio glanced at Millie, seemingly impatient for her response. Millie took a deep breath, remembering the consequences if she didn't answer in accordance with her father's wishes.

"I-I do, Father," she managed to say, even though tears threatened to flow. The weight of her emotions was kept inside, bottled up within her chest.

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