Sold as a Substitute Bride, Claimed by the Ruthless CEO

Author: Pike

Chapter 1

Word Count: 825 | Released on: Today at 10:24

k was warm in El

Stevenson manor, a sprawling house on Lon

tepfather, Lawrence Stevenson, worked late in his study, and she was t

y. Her knuckles were inches from the wood

he opening. It was low, but sharp with an excitement

ame that froze the

ian

er ribs, a frantic, trapped bird. She pressed her body flat a

s. Her voice was pure disgust. "Mom, I refuse to marry that notorious t

am. The glass in h

mbia Law. This wasn't her world, this web of arranged m

irl, why would I give such a marriage to you?

guised scorn and triumph. "That country b

enson family. They never specified which one. Once she's married, our business deal with the Holloways is

ay beneath her. Eliana bit her lip so hard she tasted c

udden warmth over the past few months, the invitations to join them from he

nt, each movement a scream of protest. She fl

he narrow stairs to the attic room, the small, forgotten space

She began throwing her few belongings inside. Her passport. Her Soc

d to r

o of her and her grandmother in the garden of their small-town home upst

grandmother, she had to get out. S

o a tight ponytail. She checked the window. It was on the second floor, overlooki

her suitcase in a bedsheet and lowered it

t. She listened, holding her br

d night air was a slap to her face, but

e, but she ignored it. She grabbed the suitcase and ran, using the shadows

on gate. Freedom was

al latch when she heard the low rumble of an

e gate, its headlights cutting through the darkn

hard, chiseled jawline of a man half-hidden in shadow. Th

motionless as the nigh

t visit, Mis

Chapter End

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Sold as a Substitute Bride, Claimed by the Ruthless CEO

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“To pay for my grandmother's medical bills, my stepmother forced me to be a substitute bride for a notorious, ugly old man from the wealthy Holloway family. When I tried to escape, my stepsister deliberately tricked me into entering the wrong hotel suite. Instead of the old man, I stumbled into a hostage situation and was saved by a terrifying, icy billionaire-Branson Holloway, the king of New York. He didn't let me go. Instead, he pinned me down, his cold eyes locked onto a hidden childhood scar on my wrist as if he recognized me. Back home, my stepmother showed me photos of a hired thug standing over my frail grandmother's hospital bed, warning me to obey. I was completely trapped, a pawn in their cruel game. Then, Branson unexpectedly demanded that I attend his birthday banquet as his personal date. Insanely jealous, my stepmother and stepsister conspired to drug my wine at dinner, hoping to ruin me so my stepsister could take my place in Branson's bed. I didn't understand why this dangerous, powerful man was suddenly so fixated on me. Why did he know about my secret scar? What did he want from a pawn like me? I secretly swapped the drugged glasses, watching my stepsister make a complete fool of herself. But my small victory vanished when Branson cornered me in a private study, declaring that the marriage deal had changed. He wasn't just a powerful stranger; he was my new groom. Trapped beside him in a dark, empty movie theater later that night, I slowly pulled out my phone, ready to play a dangerous game of cat and mouse to escape the devil himself.”