Chapter 2 Deception

2 years ago

"This is not happening! My God, this can't be happening." Arianna kept whispering to herself as she knelt, head in the toilet pot, and her stomach reeling.

Her friend Tracy held her hair back as she threw up the contents of her last meal. This was the third time in the space of four hours, which was becoming increasingly worrisome.

"Whoa! Are you okay, sis? How terrifying can marriage be?" Tracy said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Arianna had been offered a free ride to prosperity and fame, and Tracy was envious.

"It's just a case of food poisoning, but I will be fine". Ari said when she caught her breath. But she knew deep down it wasn't a case of food poisoning. She hadn't had a period in 2 months!

Her loved ones called her Ari, with only her late dad using Arianna. She wondered how he was going to react if he were here now. Since the night she woke up in the hotel room, confused and feeling abused, with the mysterious stranger, she hadn't had a period. She could barely put the pieces together, given that she didn't have much to drink, and also took off before he woke up. Waking up in a strange and sophisticated hotel room, Arianna took in her state of undress, and she could barely remember him and felt ashamed for having a one-night stand. She had been too scared to take the test, and now the results were here.

Unfortunately for Arianna, she was supposed to meet with Daniel, her betrothed, this week.

On her father's dying bed, he confessed having promised her in marriage to his friend's son. Ari was devastated but promised to give it a try to maintain his honour, as her father had left a letter she was supposed to read after she married him. She wondered what the letter contained and couldn't risk not finding out. Who knew if it was about her mom? Her father had been elusive every time she asked about her mom, which left her wondering what the back story was. Also, she bore no resemblance to her father,r which troubled her, but she preferred keeping it to herself so she wouldn't offend her dad.

Daniel was the Times' most eligible bachelor according to Tracy, and her betrothal had been kept a secret for years to let them have personal lives. But the death of his father and the will changed things up. Ari didn't care much for that as she enjoyed her simple life and didn't want to get into the eye of the paparazzi. Several times, Tracy tried coaxing her into viewing his pictures online or on the pages of magazines, but she didn't give in. She was going to marry the man, so his looks didn't matter as long as she honored her late father's dying will.

So here she was, confused, scared, probably pregnant for a man she didn't know.

"Yo girl! Where is your head at? Been talking to you for a minute with no reply? I am envious you get to marry the billionaire while I get passed around by douchebags." Tracy chimed in. She had her fair share of disappointments. She would trade anything in the world for an opportunity like her friend's.

"Well, I didn't choose to marry him, you might as well have him," Ari replied.

"What? You really can't mean that? Why would you pass up the chance? "Tracy retorted. Was Ari crazy? She thought inwardly.

"It's not where I want to be in life and this feels rushed," she said, looking into Tracy's eyes with a sad look.

"Well, you can just run away". Tracy said suggestively.

"That mogul will pull me from the ends of the earth if he has to with his resources" she said

"Oh, what I will give to be in your place! I mean, you could just disappear, and I would gladly fill your shoes. He has never seen you, just pictures. Plus, we always get people confused with our familiar looks. He'd never know." Tracy said, sparing a glance at Ari, then quickly looked into the nearby mirror, blessing the heavens for her looks. If Ari didn't want this, she couldn't let it pass her by. She had been envious of her all her life, as she always got the good and handsome guys. She was tired of being Arianna's friend and wanted to be Tracy for once.

Ari stared pensively at the ceiling, thinking over what Tracy just said. With their similar builds, hair that could be dyed, anyone would think they were identical twins. But as she was about to speak, she started throwing up again, and the conversation ended.

Tracy leaned into the chair, thinking back on the conversation she had just had with Arianna. Daniel hadn't met Arianna before, and Ari wasn't showing interest in him. But he was filthy rich and could change their lives. Also, Ari was pregnant! She didn't expect that to happen, and she didn't even know who Ari ended up spending the night with. Ari had been so upright and condemned Tracy's lifestyle, and Tracy needed a chance to humble her. But that night, when she searched for Ari, she was nowhere to be found! The plan was to take pictures of her in a compromised state and use them to her advantage. Since that night two months ago, Ari hadn't mentioned what had happened, leaving Tracy in a dilemma till today. Well, things were clearly working in her favour.

In the spur of a moment, Tracy made a decision. Ari was pregnant, and couldn't marry Daniel but Tracy was free to. She just had to become Arianna first. With a quick glance at her friend who lay on the sofa, exhausted after her bouts of vomiting, Tracy head out the door to begin her transformation. If her plan had to work, she had to make Ari see reason. So her looks had to change first.