CEO's Substitute Bride

Alyssa sat in front of the vanity mirror and waited for the makeup artist to apply her makeup. Her eyes were lifeless and mind was blank.

Suddenly, the door opened, and her mother, Aurora, hurried in. she saw Alyssa's messy hair and her long gray jacket that went with the gray look on her face. She instantly got angry.

"The Lawrences are here. Why have you not changed your clothes?"

Alyssa pushed the black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose and looked dumbfounded. "Mom, do you really want me to marry my sister's fiancée?"

Aurora thought she was making a big mistake by doing this, and her face turned white with anxiety. The Lawrences were waiting outside, and a simple mistake could destroy her whole family!

She knelt in front of Alyssa and anxiously said, "Alyssa, I beg you. Your sister deserves better, why don't you just help her!"

Alyssa's hopeless eyes gradually became cold. Althought Aurora was her biological mother, she had favored the children of her father's deceased ex-wife. Aurora knew that Alyssa's sister's finacee was ugly and impotent, but she wanted Alyssa to marry him anyway.

The servant's pleadings could be heard outside the door. "Madam, the Lawrences are upstairs."

Alyssa didn't reach out to help Aurora, and indifferently said, "Get up. I'll go."

This time, she really has lost her all hope to this family.

Opening the door, she saw a group of strange bodyguards standing outside the door.

These were the people the Lawrences sent to pick her up.

She is going to marry someone today without a wedding or a groom.

"Let's go." She said and walked straight downstairs first.

The Lawrences were the richest family in Holston. Their only heir, Emmett, was disfigured and was impotent after he was kidnapped more than ten years ago.

Since then, he had not appeared in public. He was rumored to be brutal and ugly, and no woman sent into his house came out alive.

There is no greater sorrow than heartbreak caused by the betrayal of your family.

Even if he was a devil, it did not matter. Her mother had abandoned her to this monster.

Alyssa was completely alone in this world.

...

Arriving at Emmett's villa, the bodyguard took her into the room, and then they all left.

It wasn't until the sky outside the window was getting dark that the door was opened again.

Alyssa turned her head and saw a tall and strong man walk in from the door.

He closed the door and turned on the lights.

Alyssa outstretched her hand to block the blinding light. Then she raised her head to see the man in front of her.

At a glance, she froze.

It wasn't because the man was ugly and terrifying, but because he was incredibly handsome.

A dark suit wrapped around his tall, muscular body. His pair of long legs strode towards her confidently.

His facial contour was deep and perfect, like an exquisite work of art.

Emmett looked at Alyssa for a few seconds, his eyebrows twisted slightly. "Very ugly."

He said this with a calm tone, no extra emotions could be discerned from his voice.

Alyssa looked back in shock. She didn't care much about him saying she was ugly. She only looked at him with a look of defense and said, "Who are you?"

His ink-colored pupils radiated a harsh light, and his voice was deep. "You don't know who you'll marry?"

As he got close, his brisk breath sent a shiver down Alyssa's spine.

His powerful aura stifled her slightly, but she still straightened her back. "Of course, I know the person I'll marry is named Emmett!"

Emmett heard the words. The sharpness in his eyes gradually converged, and then flashed a trace of clarity. Another woman who believed the rumors, destined to marry an 'ugly and impotent' man.

But compared to other woman, her expression seemed to be too calm. This made Emmett interested in her.

He smiled, acting calm and collected. "So you are my sister-in-law? I am Justin, the cousin of Emmett. I guess at the wedding night, nobody wants to be with such a waste of a man, not even you!"

He deliberately accentuated the word 'waste of a man' deeply, with a hint of provocation. The man approached her intentionally, the piercingly cold aura of him got even thicker and stronger.

Alyssa moved uncomfortably, and after a moment of disbelief, she believed his words. After all, Emmett's villa was not accessible to people outside his family or special guests like her.

"He is your cousin. Please don't talk about him like this."

Presumably, Emmett had also had difficulties in his family. Alyssa felt sympathy. Even if the Lawrences were top-tier socially, she sympathized with Emmett's situation. He must have had hard times in recent years.

Emmett's brown eyes quickly flashed in surprise. He didn't expect this ugly woman to say such words.

He couldn't help looking at her again. The messy hair, the black-framed glasses, soiled, long cotton clothes, and the bangs on her forehead almost think enough to cover her eyes. There were even a few small spots on her haggard face. It was disgusting to even look at.

He had heard how his fiancée would be as beautiful as a blooming rose. There was no way that this ugly woman was his rumored fiancée.

But the Lawrences did not care whether the woman who married him was ugly or beautiful. As long as it was woman who could produce an heir. They would not care even if they had to select another one.

Besides, it wasn't as if Emmett had any plans of treating her as his wife. All he needed was a simple and quick transection.

A dark glint flashing in his eyes, Emmett stretched out his hand and pushed Alyssa on the bed. There was undisguised contempt and malice in his tone. "There is no one else. You don't need to pretend. With your looks, you are probably still a virgin. I might treat you far better than that cripple!"

After he finished speaking, he reached for her directly. He was about to touch her waist. Almost.

Slap!

"Get off!" Alyssa used all her strength to slap him on the face. "Don't assume everyone is as dirty as you. You're lucky that your cousin hasn't arrived yet. Leave immediately, and I will pretend nothing happened here. Or would you prefer to be slapped again?"

Although she tried her best to stay calm, her trembling hands betrayed her. She clutched the sheets beneath her, and let out a ragged breath. What the hell did she just witness?

She had imagined how ugly Emmett would be on the way over, how scarred and how disables he truly was. But she never expected to encounter such a thing as this.

Her jaw clenched, and she forced herself to look up at him. 'You can do this, Alyssa.' She encouraged herself. 'You got this.'

Emmett had a sullen look and exuded a bitter chill. "No woman has ever dared to slap me."

"Consider this your first." Alyssa shuttered.

Because of the struggle, her glasses had fallen off, revealing a pair of unexpectedly clear and precise eyes. Her trembling eyelashes showed their owner's tension and fear. "D-don't come any closer!"

Seeing that, suddenly Emmett paused, and for a moment he began to feel a bit soft-hearted.

He straightened his shirt and glanced coldly at her. "You can continue to wait for that 'waste of a man' here."

Bang!

It wasn't until the door was closer that Alyssa's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Outside the door.

When the bodyguard was about to reach the Master bedroom, he saw the red mark on Emmett's face. With his pale complexion, the mark was incredibly visible. Even a partially blind person would be able to spot it a mile away. He froze for a moment before saying, "Young Master... Your face..."

Emmett touched his face and said bluntly, "Ran into the door."

Doors had five fingerprints on them?

Even though his story seemed doubtful, the bodyguard did not dare to ask any further.

Instead, he respectfully handed a folder, "This is Young Madam's personal information."

Emmett opened the folder and saw the name on it, Alyssa Moore.

Interesting. That ugly woman's name was Alyssa meaning noble. How ironic!

Her birth mother was even more interesting. Treating her stepson and stepdaughter like precious gems while being cruel to her biological daughter. Despicable.

Moving on the document, he frowned and asked the bodyguard, "Is she really this much of an idiot?"

The bodyguard nodded.

"Check again."

When Alyssa spoke, she was clear and organized. Besides, Emmett had never seen an idiot who could rise up so fiercely and fight back against a man in that situation.

Thinking of this, he lost his countenance and thrust the file he was holding into the bodyguard's hands. "If you can't give me accurate information then don't bother coming back to me!"

Sunlight crept from the balcony at the other side of the room, shining over the blanket wrapped around Alyssa's thin frame.

Somehow, everything happened last night felt like a dream or perhaps a nightmare, at least, until her hands slide across the silky sheets around her.

It wasn't a dream, but her own cruel reality.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she turned to the bedside to see it was empty.

Emmett didn't return last night.

Although her heart was slightly relieved, she could not help but felt a little uneasy by his absence. It felt like a knife was hanging over her head and wouldn't go away.

A part of her wanted to see him get it over with, but another part of her wanted to leave things as it was. Besides, she might feel pity for the scarred man, but she wasn't ready for a relationship.

Down the stairs, a bodyguard came over and led her to the dining hall.

It was no secret that the Lawrence family was rich. With glistening chandeliers hanging from every corner and antique vases gleaming along the corridor, they could render anyone speechless. She wasn't the type who easily amazed by the material possession, but it was too much.

The dining room was near the kitchen. As soon as she entered, she saw a tall and straight figure coming out of the kitchen with breakfast.

When he came out, she noticed that the man was none other than Justin, who tried to kiss her last night!

Immediately she turned around, wanting to leave, but the man said aloud, "Sister-in-law, good morning."

His voice was magnetic and pleasant, but a little light, enough to make her uncomfortable. She took a step a step back, looking at his warm figure. She didn't know if the daylight that made him look even brighter.

What the hell was going on? Why the heck he was here?

The bodyguard on the side shook his head. Why the young master was acting this way? Was he role-playing with the young lady?

Not wanting to ask, he simply continued his works.

Alyssa was very disgusted to see him. Didn't he have his own home? She really didn't know what he was doing by staying at his cousin's house every day.

"Morning." She adjusted her glasses, and turned to look at the bodyguard behind her. "Is Your Young Master not here?"

The bodyguard carefully glanced at Emmett, who had no expression on his face.

He had no choice but to carry on with this farce, "The young master has been sick recently and is still in the hospital."

Alyssa looked like a silly girl but it was almost impossible to lie her. Ever since she was young she had been suppressed by Aurora who always insisted on pushing her into shadows, making sure that she'd never grab the limelight of her siblings. That's why she acted the way she did. She had to conceal her real strength out of sense of self-preservation.

The bumbling lies of the bodyguard did not fool her.

But Alyssa didn't question him any further. Instead, she nodded her head, "Oh, can I go to see him there?"

"Now is not a good time." The bodyguard said through his teeth, clearly not telling the truth.

Mm, it seemed that Emmett didn't like her very much, and didn't even want to see her.

Emmett put the breakfast on the dining table and asked lightly, "Let's eat breakfast."

When Alyssa came here yesterday, she found no chef in the villa. She blinked and glanced at the plate of food in front of her. Did he make breakfast?

Although it looked delicious, she could not help but being a little cautious. After all she did not know this man at all.

"Why? Afraid of me poisoning you?" Emmett leaned closer to her, his eyes filled with endless gloom, making her feel cold to even look at.

Alyssa stepped back involuntarily, "Thank you for your breakfast, but I am not hungry."

Not wanting to say anymore, she turned around and left. The last thing she needed to do was to interact with that psycho again!

Outside the room, she met the bodyguard who had picked her up yesterday from the Moore Family Villa in the lobby. "Hay, do you mind if you do me a favor?" She smiled hesitantly, "I'm going back to Moore's house to get something. Can you please send me back?"

When she came over yesterday, she didn't bring anything, so she had to go back and get clothes and some other belongings. On her way here, she noticed that the villa was built on a mountainside. She was willing to walk, but that would take too long.

The bodyguard was about to answer when he saw the shadowy figure behind her. He immediately shut his mouth.

When she turned around, she saw that "Justin" had come out of the room too.

He put his hands in the pockets of his suit trousers and walked forward without any hassle. "So my cousin's wife wants to go home to get something? It wouldn't make sense to order anyone else if I'm around to help you, you know."

The words fell, and his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

Alyssa waved away his hand in disgust. "No, thank you."

She didn't understand. When he said she was ugly yesterday, why was he bothering her all over today. Was he crazy?

"Young Madam, why don't you allow out Young Master to take you home?" The bodyguard on the side said promptly. "I have other works to run, so I might not be able to drop you off."

She sighed. It seemed she had no other choice. "Fine."

"See? Was it too hard?" Satisfied by the outcome, Emmett leaned said with a smile.

She looked coldly at him and stomped towards the parking lot without turning back.

During the drive, he had leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Your body feels so good when I touch it."

She was afraid that he would do something even creepier, so she had no choice but to stay in the car and do nothing.

In the silent car, Alyssa pulled the seat belt tightly, looking forward without squinting. She didn't even take a glance at "Justin", not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her irritated. After all, wasn't she married to his cousin? Wasn't it improper?

When Emmett saw her like this, he suddenly became even more interested in this woman.

Even though his new wife was ugly, she must at least be a relatively decent person.

Initially, he just wanted to tease her with his joke. However, her reaction was revealing a lot about her, so he decided to maintain the ruse so that he could learn as much as possible.

"Let the game begin." He thought with a smirk.