Chapter 3 It's Gonna Be Scandal.

This day was supposed to be everything-a dream come true.

Damian was finally going to make Elsie his forever, vowing at the altar to take on life's ups and downs together. But now?

Elsie's gone, and it's a complete mess.

Vivian rushed into the living room, looking pale as a ghost. "Elsie's not in the room!"

Charles was already on the phone with the household staff, while Damian and Richard were in the middle of an intense conversation.

"We need to handle this quietly," Damian said firmly. "No cops, no media. This stays between us."

Richard shot a glance at his watch. "We're running out of time. Five hours, Damian. Five hours until you and Elsie are supposed to be at the altar. If the media finds out she's missing-especially since she's a top model-this'll be on every front page."

Vivian's voice broke as tears streamed down her face. "We'd already be on our way to the Hamptons if she hadn't disappeared."

Charles jumped in, his frustration obvious. "The butler didn't find anything, and someone hacked the CCTV. I can't wrap my head around what Elsie's thinking right now."

Richard pulled Vivian into a reassuring hug as she sobbed, while Charles paced the room, his worry written all over his face.

Meanwhile, the families' trusted staff scattered, working to track down Elsie without causing a media frenzy.

Outside the mansion, the press was already buzzing, trying to dig for any juicy scoop about the high-profile wedding.

But both the Jorch and the Sonata family issued a joint statement claiming the event was "strictly private," keeping everyone at bay-for now.

Across town, Selena and Maya were gossiping about the whole ordeal.

"Something about this feels so sketchy," Maya said, her curiosity piqued.

Selena, always the voice of reason, shrugged it off. "If it is, that's their problem. We'll dish after work, okay?"

Maya shot her an incredulous look. Selena wasn't usually this nonchalant about juicy gossip. "What's gotten into her?" Maya wondered. "Maybe she's just stressed about all the bills for Cloe's treatment. Girl's probably working overtime."

***

It's been two hours of searching, and they only had two hours left.

"No hope left," Vivian muttered, totally defeated.

"There's always a way," Richard said, though even he didn't know when or how that "way" would show up.

Everyone was a ball of nerves, pacing and stressing, while Damian was glued to his phone. Suddenly, he shouted, "I found a miracle!"

All eyes snapped to him. "What? What is it?"

Damian held up his phone, grinning.

Richard squinted at the screen, skeptical. "Looks like her, but... not quite." He handed the phone to Charles. "That's not Elsie, right?"

Charles took a good look and froze. "I don't think so, but the resemblance is crazy," he said, then turned to Damian. "Where the hell did you find this girl?"

Damian shrugged. "I was scrolling through TikTok and, boom, people were tagging me in videos comparing Elsie to this girl. Turns out, she works at some restaurant not far from here. I don't know why, but I need to make a deal with her."

Charles immediately lost it. "A deal? Are you saying you're gonna marry this girl to replace Elsie? How dare you? How worthless is my daughter to you that you'd even think of swapping her out?"

Richard stepped in before things spiraled out of control. "Calm down, man. I don't think Damian's trying to replace Elsie."

"Exactly," Damian added. "Listen, we've got to cover for Elsie's escape. This girl could step in as my stand-in bride-just until we find Elsie."

Vivian handed Charles an iced tea, trying to cool him down. "Charles, think about it. It's just temporary. Damian's not replacing Elsie-he's just buying us time."

Damian nodded firmly. "Elsie means everything to me. I'd never replace her. But for now, I need this girl to be my stand-in bride."

After making his point, Damian left the house in disguise, dressed as a waiter to avoid the media. His escape was smooth-no one noticed a thing.

Meanwhile, the TikTok fame of Selena, the girl who looked like Elsie, blew up fast.

Her fancy café was raking in insane profits in just 1.5 hours.

"Damn, I didn't realize Elsie's fanbase was this huge. You're basically riding her fame wave," Maya teased.

Selena, however, was not in the mood. "It's not as fun as it looks," she snapped, exhausted from dealing with endless orders from customers insisting she serve them personal.

***

Damian spotted Selena inside the café, and honestly, he couldn't believe it-there were two people who looked way too similar.

"All the features on Elsie's face are there," Damian thought to himself.

No time to waste. He needed to strike a deal fast.

Damian called the café owner and made an offer. "I'll give you 1,000 Apple shares for free if you shut this place down for the day."

With his slick negotiating skills, Damian finally got access to meet Selena.

"Strange, I don't know what's going on. Suddenly, the café is closing, and we're allowed to go home," Maya said, frowning at Selena.

"Maybe the owner-what's his name again?-felt sorry for me," Selena grinned widely.

"Yeah, more like sorry for us. No extra tips for us, and you get everything," Maya added bitterly.

"I'm just grateful because God is really good to me today. I've earned a total of $63,537 in tips in just 1.5 hours. I'll share it with you," Selena said, feeling generous.

"Hmmm, what about Cloe?" Maya asked cautiously.

"I've calculated her dialysis costs. It's only around $400 per session. If we keep this up, Cloe will get her kidney donor soon enough. And we'll be happy like we used to be," Selena said with determination.

"I hope so too."

Damian appeared in front of Selena just as Maya had walked away in a different direction.

Selena felt a twinge of fear, intimidated by Damian's intimidating presence.

"Your name's Selena Hart, right?" Damian said casually. He already knew Selena's background from her personal information at the café.

"What do you want with me?" Selena asked, her voice steady but cautious.

Damian removed his mask and hat, revealing a face that Selena had secretly admired. His charm was undeniable.

"You're the guy who's supposed to marry Elsie Sonata, that famous model, right?" Selena asked, her voice edged with disbelief.

"Yeah, and I've got a little problem. I hope you'll help me out," Damian said with a smirk.

They moved to a secluded spot to talk. Damian offered a deal. "One mil bucks for this deal. You ain't really marrying me, though."

Shocked, Selena could barely believe what she heard. "For what?"

"Elsie Sonata ran away. I don't know how to handle this."

"I heard on TV there's some super private event that can't be shared with the public. So why are you saying Elsie just dipped?"

Damian let out a heavy sigh. "It's a long story. But for now, you got my back, right?"