Billionaire Substitute Bride

Maria POV: should I call you Mia Miller or Maria Williams?

Standing in the airport, I was looking at the mobile app, sweating profusely in anxiety, "Oh no, why is the earliest flight to Mexico at 8 p.m.?"

I was not going to Mexico for a vacation or business trip, but to escape from my husband!

I, with a face similar to my sister Mia Miller. Two years ago, I married the young master of a super-wealthy family in California, Charles Smith.

Immediately after the wedding, Charles boarded a flight to Europe.

Two years of separation made me almost forget this person. I lived in a widow-style marriage pretending to be my sister.

But now, my husband who had been gone for two years was about to return!

Suddenly, a hand patted my shoulder. Irritated, I slapped it away, "Oh please, I don't know anything. Go ask someone else!"

That hand was patted on my shoulder again.

I was so anxious that I turned around abruptly. My mouth had just opened shut in shock.

The person who patted me is a man. He wore an expensive tailored suit with an air of nobility. His lean jawline was sharp and defined, framing a perfectly symmetrical face adorned with deep-set eyes that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe.

Even though I had not seen him for two years, I could still recognize him. He was my husband– Charles.

Oh my god!

Was it just a coincidence?

Almost at the moment my mouth closed, I reflexively asked, "How come you... arrive so early? Isn't it supposed to be 8 pm?"

Charles coldly stared at me, "It seems like you don't want me to come home?"

I forced a dry laugh, "How is it possible? I've been eagerly waiting for you to come back home every day. Look, I even specially came to the airport to pick you up when I heard you were coming back today."

After saying the last sentence, I averted my gaze nervously, looking everywhere but at him.

Charles looked deeply at me, he seemed to notice but held his words, and turned to walk out of the airport, this somehow relaxed me.

Caught in the act, I dared not to run away anymore.

I could only muster up the courage to follow behind him.

On the way, I couldn't make any movement, I held my breath. But as soon as we arrived home, I jumped out of the car immediately and rushed into the bedroom with my phone.

I repeatedly dialed a number, but the person refused to pick up.

Just as I was getting nervous, the bedroom door opened and Charles appeared at the doorway.

"Tomorrow Morning, let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau and get our marriage certificate."

"W- what?" I was so shocked that I dropped my phone on the floor, staring at him incredulously like he had two horns on his head.

Marriage certificate?

Getting a marriage certificate with my brother-in-law means death!

I panicked.

Ignoring my panic, Charles unbuttoned his shirt and walked towards me, "Now, let's make up for our wedding night." He removed his shirt, unbuckled his belt, and removed his trousers, leaving his brief only.

"W- Wedding night...?" I was dumbfounded.

My breath stops, my eyes quickly scanning left and right, looking for anything that could save me from the situation. Instantly, I saw where my phone had fallen on the ground and took a step back.

Bending down, I picked up the phone. With an awkward smile, I said, "I dropped my phone."

Charles watched me, just watched me with a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. I could not look at him at all.

Pretending to have something important to do, I unlocked my phone and tried to contact my mother for help...

My phone was immediately snatched away from me by two slender fingers.

In a great panic, I looked up and found myself unexpectedly meeting a pair of deep-green cold eyes.

Charles stared at me, "Is the phone more attractive than me? Are you going to pay attention to me or your phone?"

Biting my lip lightly, I admitted that the man in front of me was very handsome, with undeniable raw magnetism. Two years and he didn't age at all, the same dark icy orbs with a sharp bridge to go with, but I could not...

As he suddenly turned his gaze to my phone, I panicked and was about to grab it back. But I saw that the screen was already off, so I quickly withdrew her hand.

Not seeing any messages, Charles raised an eyebrow and threw the phone onto the nearby sofa. Then, with a sweep of his large hand, he easily picked me up like I weighed nothing.

"Ah..."

I burst out, my heart in panic. I grabbed Charles' clothes on his shoulders with both hands, but immediately my back sank and I was pressed onto the bed.

Looking at the man's approaching handsome face, I felt that I was ready to die. I had to protect my innocence!

"Char- Charles..."

The man's deep voice carries a hint of anger. "Call me darling!"

Terrified, I looked at him, tears almost bursting out. Although he was handsome, he was extremely terrifying when angry.

"D- Darling."

Biting my lip, I looked at him pitiably, "My Aunt Flo is visiting me. Today, oh no, this whole week is impossible." I said, holding my breath. I prayed silently that he would believe my lie.

"Aunt Flo?"

Charles' gaze went down as if trying to find more.

I quickly covered myself, feeling as nervous as a frightened deer. "Um, it's true. Well, now that you are back, we have plenty of time in the future. We don't need to rush it tonight, right?"

Charles glanced at me with disappointment, then rolled over and lay beside me.

Soon, steady breathing came from beside me.

I gave a long sigh of relief...

I could only delay it for a week. In a week, I should be able to switch places with Mia.

I don't know when I fell asleep in fright until late at night.

In my dream, I suddenly felt cold, stern eyes staring at me. No matter how I tried to run or escape, the eyes kept coldly watching me. It felt so real.

"Ahhhh!" With a cry, I woke up from my dream and sat up on the bed.

The bedroom was lit. I stared blankly for a moment before suddenly realizing that the pair of eyes from my dream hadn't disappeared. In fear, I looked up only to find that the man who should have been sleeping beside me was sitting on the opposite sofa.

His eyes were icy, his handsome face looked cold as frost.

My phone spun in his slender fingers.

Charles curled his lips and sneered, "Mia Miller or should I call you Maria Williams?"

My face instantly turned ashen!

Maria POV:*

He found out!

He did not fall asleep. While I was sleeping, he unlocked my phone and discovered my secret!

I broke out in a cold sweat. I don't know what to do. I could only panic and fearfully look at him.

Charles chuckled and continued to play with My phone.

"Twins, huh... I never expected that the Miller family would give me such a big gift. I'm surprised and curious to know how you two sisters negotiate it. Do you switch places daily?"

"No!"

I clenched my fists tightly, almost biting my lip until it bled.

"Charles..."

"Not long ago, you called me darling, didn't you?"

I felt an urge to kill. He already knew the truth. Why did he have to embarrass me like this?

The truth has been revealed.

When I thought about my father, I wanted to cry. I felt overwhelmed with grievances. If Mia had not threatened my father's life, I would not have been in this situation.

Charles ignored my reddened eyes and asked coldly, "Who was the one who had a wedding ceremony with me?"

I bit my lip, my voice weak. "It was me." There is no point in lying again.

"In these two years, has Mia ever stayed here?"

I hurriedly explained on behalf of my sister, "She's a pianist, you know. She's very busy, and you are not here, so..."

Charles angrily interrupted me, "So, it's always been you?"

Yes, in these two years, Mia had been traveling all over the country, and I had to coordinate with Mia's schedule.

When Mia was busy, I would leave. And when Mia finished her performance, I would return to the Smith family mansion.

I was like Mia's shadow, helping her fulfill her duties as Mr.s Smith.

Charles suddenly stood up, took the phone, and walked to the bedside, looking down at me.

"Call her."

Things have come to this point, and the only solution is to call Mia back.

I sniffed. I took the phone with trembling hands from Charles. I found Mia's number and called her.

The first time, no one answered.

The second time, no one answered.

A man's cold voice came from above my head, "Continue!"

My fingers trembled as I pressed the dial number again.

The third time.

The fourth time.

It wasn't until the tenth time that someone finally answered the phone.

Before I could say anything, Mia's impatient and angry voice rang out sharply.

"Maria! Are you out of your mind? How can you call me so late? You keep calling like you want to kill me! Are you hoping your dad dies sooner?"

When I was younger, my parents divorced.

My mother took my sister and remarried a wealthy businessman, leaving me with my poor father to rely on each other.

Four years ago, a car accident left my father in a vegetative state.

Before I graduated, I had to go to school and work to support my father. Although life was hard, I never complained.

Until two years ago, when my vegetative father suddenly disappeared from the hospital, waiting for me in the ward was my mother and my sister whom I hadn't seen for many years. My mother and sister 'kidnapped' my father to make me marry Charles. For my father's safety, I had no other choice but to agree.

Charles' deep green eyes narrowed slightly.

I quickly said, "Mia, please come back tomorrow, your husband..."

"What are you panicking for? I know he went back to California. Is he going to sleep with you or what? Maria, even if he wants to sleep with you, you are the one who takes advantage! It's not important at all. You should not have called me so many times. I'm fed up with you!"

My heart immediately sank. All the good things I had said for Mia just now were destroyed at this moment.

"Mia..."

She cut me short...

"Enough! Maria, I'm not afraid to tell you that Charles doesn't like women at all. He married me just to pass on the family line. You can be at ease being Mrs Smith for me. I will take good care of your father. Otherwise, you will only see his dead body!"

With a 'pop', the phone was rudely hung up.

But my heart was in my throat!

Charles doesn't like women?

Could he be gay?

Oh my gosh, I heard Charles' secret.

Would I be killed to keep it a secret?

Sure enough, as soon as I looked up, I saw Charles' face show obvious fury.

I was so frightened that I threw my phone away. I quickly moved to the other side of the bed with my hands. I did not doubt that if I was a little slower, he would strangle me.

However, Charles just looked at me with his eyes devoid of emotions, as if he was considering something, I couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

Under his cold gaze, I clutched the bedsheet tightly with both hands, feeling extremely uneasy.

"Tomorrow, you will go with me to get our marriage certificate."

A few seconds later, Charles opened his mouth.

I was shocked and opened my eyes wide. "But I don't have my sister's ID card..."

"I'm talking about you. Don't you understand?" Charles' voice was deep and full of chilling intent.

"Me?"

I almost fainted. Why did Charles want to get a marriage certificate with me?

What did he want to do?

"But I'm not Mia..."

Charles gave me a cold glance, turned around, and walked to the sofa. After sitting down, he took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag before placing it on his lips again.

He blew out smoke, "If you don't want to see your father dead, obey my orders."

I was speechless.

Only my mother and my sister had ever threatened me with my father before, but Charles learned to use the same trick.

These people knew how to exploit my weaknesses!

However, I was not stupid. I understood what Charles meant.

As long as I cooperated with him, he wouldn't have to expose me as a substitute bride. In that case, my mother and my sister wouldn't know that the plan had failed. My father would be safe too.

"Okay, I promise you."

I didn't dare ask any more questions because Charles looked upset. I did not want to provoke him any further and get myself into more trouble.

*************************************

At 10 a.m. the next morning, Charles and I walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, each of them holding a piece of stamped paper.

I looked down at the marriage certificate in my hand, feeling uneasy.

I was married...

Not only did I have to face Mia and her mother's threats, but now I also had to deal with Charles' threats. My life was very miserable.

"Mia."

A breath suddenly blew in my ear. I instinctively wanted to dodge but was pulled into his arms by a big hand.

I looked up in surprise and met Charles' sudden gentle eyes, "What kind of car do you like?"

"Huh?"

I was stunned, staring at him.

Charles laughed softly, "consider it a wedding gift for you."

I immediately understood it. I was very happy about it, but the word 'Mia' felt like a needle piercing my heart.

I knew that I had stolen everything from Mia. Even though I was the one who got married to Charles and held the marriage certificate, Charles had no intention of revealing my true identity.

This was the only way to protect my father for now. But I felt sad.

My heart hurt so much that my eyes turned red. I looked at him fiercely and said 'Maserati'.

As soon as I finished speaking, I added two more words, 'sports car!'

Since everyone threatened me with my father, why couldn't I, the substitute, ask for more?

Charles looked at me quietly without doing anything.

I panicked and wondered if I had asked for too much. But before I could explain myself, his slender fingers lightly brushed against my beautiful nose.

His deep voice carried a hint of indulgence, "You have good taste."

'Boom!' I felt like a thunderbolt had struck my head and exploded. It was like being struck by lightning!

His tenderness at this point was even scarier than when he was angry!

But I knew that everything was fake.

Looking at my reddened eyes, Charles picked up my little hand and kissed it gently, "I'll order for the car. Now let me take you to get dressed up nicely. Mia, tonight we'll meet my friends. Make sure you have a dazzling debut as a pianist."

I rounded my eyes in shock. My body stiffened instantly! I was dumbfounded!

Maria's POV:

Charles was despicable!

He knew I was a fake. Why did he still have to show me off?

I didn't care about meeting his so-called friends. I just wanted to quietly be Mia's shadow like before.

Seeing my face full of indignation, Charles raised an eyebrow lightly and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you want to go?"

He did it again!

Did he just threaten me?

"Heh..."

I took a deep breath and calmly withdrew my hand from his palm and smiled slightly, "No problem."

Charles' deep eyes narrowed immediately as if he was evaluating, scrutinizing me.

I stood there calmly, allowing him to look at me.

After a moment, Charles chuckled. His big hand gripped my slender waist, "Don't disappoint me."

************************************

The banquet was held at the most luxurious club, Heaven on Earth, California city.

When I entered grandly, holding Charles' arm, I instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"Young Master Smith! Ha- ha, two years, you are finally back!" Someone exclaimed.

The crowd immediately surrounded him, complimenting Charles repeatedly, but their eyes fell on me.

I smiled as I looked at them, showing no sign of nervousness.

After chatting and laughing with them, Charles introduced me, "This is my wife."

"Ha- ha..."

Ben Thomas was the first to laugh and said, "We know, we know, this is the famous pianist Mia Miller, right?"

"Yeah, how could we not recognize such a big star?"

"But why do I think she looks more beautiful privately than on camera?"

"That's for sure! Those stars can't even recognize themselves after putting on heavy makeup. Young Master Smith's wife must be a natural beauty even without makeup!"

Each mention of the pianist and big star stabbed at my heart.

For tonight's banquet, I had specifically asked the makeup artist to recreate Mia's usual look. I already had a similar face shape to Mia, just different features. With the makeup on, I could pass for her about 80% of the time.

Unless it was someone who was particularly familiar with Mia, most people wouldn't be able to see the difference.

I endured the pain and embarrassment, smiling as I nodded to them in greeting.

Stars had always been arrogant, and artists were even more so.

Seeing how approachable I was, their impression of me improved significantly.

Their confidence got boosted too.

"Young Master Smith, we have always admired Mrs. Smith's prowess in piano. She became a piano virtuoso at such a young age. I wonder if we have the honor of hearing Mrs. Smith play a piece live tonight. It would be a warm welcome for you and a chance for us to broaden our horizons."

With the first person leading, the rest followed suit.

"Right, Young Master Smith, at the wedding two years ago, you left in such a hurry. Mrs. Smith has been hidden by you all this time. Now that you are finally back, you should let your friends have a glimpse of Mrs. Smith's elegance!"

"What Mrs. Smith?" Ben asked rhetorically.

Ben glared at them fiercely, "Call her Lady Smith!"

As soon as everyone heard that, they immediately started calling me Lady Smith respectfully.

Hearing their words, my heart tightened. I turned to look at Charles for help. I was so nervous.

After all, I was not Mia. Wouldn't it be obvious if I went up and played a piece?

With a low laugh, Charles immediately turned his deep gaze to me, as if he had not seen my pleading eyes, he smiled and said, "Mia, since they are so interested, why don't you go up and play?"

In an instant, my mind exploded. I stood frozen in place...

He did it on purpose!

He deliberately wanted to make me look like a fool!

How could there be such a despicable man in this world?

Did he marry me just to tease me?

Seeing that I was just standing there stunned, Charles' lips curled slightly, "Mia, go on."

Huff...

I took a deep breath, resisting the urge to slap Charles hard across the face.

But I still did not move. Charles jokingly said, "What do you want to get them to pay for inviting a pianist to play a piece?"

"No need!" I said with a forced smile.

I glared at him, then elegantly turned around, walking towards the stage with my skirt swaying.

If he wanted to embarrass me, I wouldn't let him have his way!

Sitting down in front of the white piano, my slender fingers gently landed on the keys.

I turned my head and gave Charles a mocking glance before pressing down on the keys.

Instantly, a melodious piano sound resounded. The beautiful music struck Charles' heart from the first note.

Charles POV:

She could play!

Given her finger technique, her piano skills were even better than Mia's.

I had never been interested in women before because my heart was completely devoted to my career.

The reason I agreed to the arranged marriage in the first place was because I had witnessed Mia's performance.

She played the piano very well and she's also pretty. The temperament of a pianist suited the status of Mrs. Smith.

After the wedding, I sat on the plane flying to Europe and thought if Mia could maintain her role for these two years while I was away, I would fulfill my husband's duty and give her the love a wife deserves.

But it was not Mia who had held onto Mrs. Smith's role. It was Maria.

Moreover, Maria at this moment was dazzling and more charming than Mia...

Maria POV:

As the music finished, I retracted my hands, lifted my skirt, and stood up.

When I turned around, I saw the crowd below the stage mesmerized by my performance.

I smiled slightly and prepared to step down. But at that moment, a masculine hand reached out in front of her. I looked up and met Charles' gentle gaze.

"Be careful. Don't fall."

I quietly looked at him. If only he could be this good to me, how wonderful would it be?

I knew in my heart that everything he did outside was because I represented Mrs. Smith–Mia.

Concealing my inner emotions, I lightly placed my hand on Charles' palm and let him support me off the stage.

"Wow"

At this moment, thunderous applause resounded from the side.

Ben walked over to our side. "Wow! It turns out that attending a live concert is the future way to go. It feels ten times better than watching it on video."

"That's right!"

Someone next to him agreed, "If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that one person could play like this. It seems like I'll have to attend a live concert from now on."

Charles chuckled softly and placed my hand on his arm.

My performance did not embarrass him but made him proud.

"Mia?"

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from another side. The next second, an elegantly dressed woman approached them.

She fixed her gaze on me, examining me with a hostile look.

After scrutinizing me from head to toe for a minute, she furrowed her brows, "You are Mia?"

My heart tightened, and even my hand holding onto Charles's arm tightened. I tried to suppress my panic and smiled calmly at the woman.

Before knowing the woman's identity, staying silent was the best way to conceal my emotions.

The woman looked at me and suddenly sneered, "Can't you recognize me?"

The smile that had just appeared on my lips instantly froze...