Her Substitute Groom

Chapter 1

Janice POV

Seeing how pretty I looked while staring at my reflection in the mirror as I added make-up to my face, I couldn't help the smile that laced up my lips. Being pretty is something to be proud of, especially having a sexy goddess body as me. I'm not bragging, but I didn't really need anyone to tell me that I'm one hella sexy young lady. 5'8 tall, slim with round butt and full chest, long black curly hair, long natural eyelashes, thick eyebrows, sharp jawline, pointed nose, sexy brown eyes, sexy lips that men drools over, and a sweet contagious smile to compliment my look. This has been one of the reasons my client wouldn't stop going crazy about me.

Again, I was getting ready to meet one of my clients, a new one at that. Unlike every other random clients I have, this one was like a big fish for me. We met at the club last night and scheduled to meet today at his penthouse. I didn't get to see his face very well yesterday since it was in the night, but I could tell from the way he was dressed and from the expensive cologne that he was really wealthy, and trust me, I won't take chances as this was a big opportunity for me.

Once I was done getting dressed, I checked myself in the mirror one more time before I finally left the room and headed out to the roadside where I waited for about three to five minutes before I was able to get a cab that took me to my destination.

"You can stop here now," I said to the cabby just before we got to the penthouse I was going to, and he pulled over at the side of the road.

"Thank you," I said to him before he drove off, and I sighed briefly. I took my time to check myself out before I headed to the penthouse, showed the guards what my client asked me to show them, and was led into the house.

My mouth dropped open as soon as I walked on, and trust me, it felt like I wasn't on planet Earth anymore. It was literally my first time being in a house like this, and I couldn't help, but drool.

"Come with me," The guard that led me inside a moment ago said to me after he put a call through to someone, and I nodded my head.

We took the elevator to the fifth floor where we got off and I was led to a room. Since I was always confident, I didn't feel so nervous.

"Go ahead," The man said to me once the door rolled open, and I smiled at him before I walked into the large room, and the door closed behind me.

My mouth dropped open when I walked inside the room, because it looked like another planet on its own. It was thrice as large as my room. The bed looked soft, the room was painted in golden color, the curtains were also golden and they looked extremely expensive. There were two sofas in the room, and a king-sized bed to complement it.

"Where is he?" I mumbled as I looked around since I didn't see the person I was supposed to meet, and just then, the bathroom door opened and he walked inside. My heart stopped beating for seconds as I watched the most handsome man my eyes has ever seen in my twenty-five years of existence. Although I've seen him a couple of times on TV, but it was my first time seeing him in person. He was perfectly built with sexy abs, a broad chest, a chiseled face, a sharp jawline, long eyelashes, thick eyebrows, sexy lips, thick eyebrows, raven hair that was curled on his head, and when he raised his gaze to look at me, my heart dropped at the sparkles in his eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that? I'm ugly, yeah?" He scoffed as he walked past me, pulling me back to reality, and I scoffed silently. I mean, how the heck could he even ask me that? Ugly? Hell nah!

"I'm sorry... I just got lost," I apologized to him as I turned to find him sitting on the bed.

"Hmm. Let's get down to business. I don't have much time to waste," He uttered with a smirk on his lips as he stared at me.

"By the way, you look sexy," He winked at me, and my heart almost stopped working.

"Let me introduce myself to you. You may need the name to moan later," He winked at me as he stood up to his feet and covered the distance between us.

"My name is Connor Hughes... Connor is moanable, yeah?" He bit my earlobe as he whispered in my ear, and my abdomen twitched as I felt adrenaline pumping hard in my body. Mr. Connor Hughes is the popular CEO of Connor Empire, a company that majors in modeling. We met at the club last night, exchanged numbers after we had a drink together, and scheduled to meet up today, and here we are now.

"I like confident women, you know what I mean, right?" He winked at me as he tucked the strand of hair on my forehead, behind my ear.

"That's the way to the bathroom. Don't keep me waiting and make it snappy," He winked at me once again before he went to sit on the bed, and I nodded before I headed into the bathroom.

"Don't lose focus, Janice. You know why you are here, right? You are here for something important, so don't lose focus," I slapped my cheeks lightly as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, reminding myself what I came here for.

After I showered, I walked back into the room in a white robe.

"So, are you ready now?" He was growing impatient as he stood up to his feet, and trust me, I wasn't surprised. All the clients I ever had were never themselves each time I was around them, and I wasn't expecting him to be an exception.

"I need to take my pill to avoid getting pregnant later. This is what I do always before sex," I said to him, and he slowly nodded his head.

"That's fine," He shrugged, and I nodded my head before I reached for the pill in my bag and threw it inside my mouth, gulping down some water afterward.

"Come here... I will make you feel good," I smiled at him as I ran my fingers down his chest, while making sure I pinched his nipple, one of the sensitive body parts of men, and he reacted to it.

He didn't fail to explore my body, holding my ass, fondling my boobs, and soon, we were on the bed with him on top of me, kissing me roughly as if his life depended on it.

The kiss was slowly growing intense when he suddenly pulled away from me and held his head as he winced in pain.

"Are you ok?" I gasped as I sat up on the bed.

"My head... I'm feeling dizzy," He slapped his forehead lightly, probably to keep himself awake, but I guess it didn't work as he ended up falling flat on the bed and dozed off.

"Wow! That worked pretty fast," I chuckled excitedly before I stood up from the bed and quickly got dressed. I searched the room for his valuables, and I was able to get a few jewelries, and some money from his cabinet.

"Shit! Where is this thing?" I mumbled frustratingly as I searched for his phone hurriedly. Getting caught here was as good as going to jail, and that was the last thing I wanted.

"Damnit!" I cursed under my breath when I couldn't find his phone, running my fingers through my hair. Just then, I heard the sound of a phone buzzing, and I managed to locate it.

'Mom' was displayed on the screen, and I glanced at him sleeping peacefully. Wait! Is that a peaceful sleep? I think I'm crazy. I watched as the call rang and ended. I tried to unlock the phone, but it needed a face ID.

"This is crazy. I don't want to get caught, please," I whined frustratingly as I hurried over to the bed and turned his face up. Although it took a few minutes, I was able to unlock the phone with his face. Went through his chats, and once I was able to find his chats with his assistant, I texted him or her.

'I'm done here, Lucas. Escort her outside' I sent the message to the Lucas guy before I dropped the phone and grabbed my bag, leaving the room afterward.

"Hi!" I smiled at the young man nervously as soon as I stepped out of the room since he was waiting for me there, but he peeped inside instead.

"Where is Mr. Connor?" He asked as he stared at me suspiciously.

"He is in the bathroom," I replied to him, trying hard not to stutter, and he slowly nodded his head even though he didn't look entirely convinced.

"Alright. This way," He finally led me away, following the same route we took here before, and soon, I was out of the penthouse.

"That was close," I released the breath I'd been holding unknowingly, before I picked race, running as fast as my legs could carry me, and soon, I was out of the street.

My name is Janice Ramos, twenty-five years old young lady trying to make ends meet. A jobless young lady that has yet been rejected everywhere I have been to in a bid to find a job, a jobless lady who now depended on men to provide for her poor family. That is who I am.

I finally stopped to catch my breath but then, I saw a truck driving in a full speed toward a woman in her late fifties at the other end of the road, making a call in front of her car. My eyes slowly narrowed in shock, and without thinking twice, I crossed to the other side since there were no vehicles around. Everything happened so fast that I didn't know how I ended up saving the woman as we fell roughly to the ground, and the truck collided with her car, smashing everything into pieces...

Chapter 2

Janice POV

One week after the incident and still counting. I was expecting Mr. Connor to send the cops after me, but I guess I was lucky since there hasn't been anything like that.

The sound of my ringing phone echoed in the room, and I couldn't help the smile that laced up my lips when I saw the caller. It was the woman I saved from getting hit by a truck one week ago. After the incident that day, she gave me her card and asked me to call her, which I did, and guess what? She invited me to her house and she is super wealthy. Her house looked like another planet on its own, and trust me, the image was still living rent-free in my head even after five days of being there. I wished to be there even if it was only once.

"Hey, Janice," Her gentle voice sounded through the phone, and I smiled as I sat up on the bed.

"Hi, ma'am. How have you been? Are your bruises gone now?" I asked her with concern. Well, I may be a bad person, but I'm still nice, and I knew that.

"I'm fine, dear. They are gone now. Are you free to have lunch with us today? The thing is, my husband came back yesterday, and he wants to meet the person that saved me from getting hit by a truck. It'll be an honor if you can come over to have lunch with us," She asked politely, and damn! I wouldn't miss this opportunity for anything in the whole world. Who knows, maybe this would be my way of finally getting out of poverty and getting rid of this messed up life I was living.

"I can send my driver to come pick you up. All you have to do is tell me yes," She was sounding convincing when I was already convinced from the moment she asked me that, because why not?

"Alright, ma'am. I will send you my address," I replied to her, and she thanked me before she ended the call.

"Don't be too excited, Janice. It's just a lunch," My subconscious mind reminded me, but I couldn't still help the excitement that filled my heart from within, knowing I was going to be eating with wealthy people. At least, that would be enough to last me for a lifetime.

How time flies? It was finally time for me to go there, and the driver was sent to pick me up. I have never imagined I would ever step foot into a private car since I have never done it all my life, let alone the latest SUV car.

The drive to the mansion took about an hour, and I was led into the house when I arrived. I only got to see the woman the last time I was here, and she mentioned that none of her children was around, not even her husband.

The house was still the same way it was the last time I was here. Large living room, big chandelier light hanging on the ceiling, expensive looking red couches, the walls were painted white color, the curtains looked expensive, and the center table was translucent and looked expensive. The house itself looks like those I've seen in the movies that were usually owned by billionaires. As much as I wanted to admire the house, I tried to compose myself.

Soon, the woman came to join me along with her husband.

"Honey, she is the young lady that saved me," She introduced me to the man in his late fifties.

"It's nice to meet you, and I'm grateful for saving my wife," He extended his hand for a handshake, which I quickly took, feeling elated. His hands were so soft like that of a newborn baby. His skin screamed nothing, but wealth, and I couldn't help but imagine how much the cream he uses would cost. Five million dollars? Ten million dollars? I asked myself, but quickly dismissed the thoughts.

"Thank you, Sir. It's nice to meet you too," I replied to him as I smiled nervously.

"Mommy, is she here yet?" I heard a masculine voice as thick footsteps descended the staircase, and my mouth dropped open in shock at the sight that welcomed me. When I saw Connor days back, I thought he was the most handsome man on earth, but seeing this young man that was perfectly built, I was starting to have second thoughts about what I said back there.

"Oh, hi! It's nice to meet you. My name is Carl," He finally stood in front of me, and his smile was even perfect and contagious as he revealed his set of perfect dentitions. Now that I got to finally see what he looked like, he had a pair of charming brown eyes just like his mom, a pointed nose, smooth skin, thick eyebrows, sexy lips, and finally brown shady hair that was curled on his head with some strands on his forehead. He was literally the definition of perfection.

"Oh, hi! I'm Janice," I finally managed to pull out of my dreamland, taking his hand that was extended for a handshake.

"Oh, she's here?" Came another voice, and I snapped my head in the direction to see the young man that just walked in. He looked like he was the same age as me, and trust me, I was starting to hyperventilate because of how good-looking they all were. Does this run in their family?

"Hi, I'm Chase," He introduced himself to me once he was standing in front of me, and I slowly nodded my head as I took his hand that he extended for a handshake.

"You are pretty, I must confess," He winked at me as he smiled creepily, making me more nervous.

"Thank you," I nodded my head as I watched him walk over to the dining room.

"Wow! Nobody called me that Miss Janice is here," A girl of about eighteen years old said as she walked into the living room. With the striking resemblance between him and this woman, I didn't need to be told that she would be her daughter. She also looked extremely beautiful with her brown eyes, smooth and light skin, long brown hair that has some strands on her forehead, pointed nose, sharp jawline, small pink lips, thick eyebrows, and finally long natural eyelashes. They were making me feel insecure about my look, I was suddenly starting to feel like I'm an ugly bitch.

"Stay calm, Janice. You are being crazy right now," I said to myself as I tried to stay calm, and I couldn't be happier that it worked.

"So, tell me about yourself," The Carl guy broke the awkward silence as we ate in the dining room minutes later, and I almost choked on my food, but I was able to control it.

"Huh?" I blinked my eyes rapidly as I raised my gaze to look at him, and he was staring at me. I looked around, and they were all looking at me weirdly, probably waiting for me to spill the beans, and for some seconds, I was starting to regret coming here in the first place.

"Me? Well, nothing to know about me. I'm just a random girl," I know my answer was a little bit dumb, but there was really nothing interesting to know about me. What would I possibly tell him? I'm someone from a poor family struggling to make ends meet and depending on duping men for survival? Will that even make any sense? So it was better to just shut it since I wasn't living a proud life anyway.

"Oh... Ok. Well, I'm looking forward to getting to know you more. Who knows, we could get acquainted with each other, and see what the future has in store for us. You are a pretty young lady, and I think I like you," His gut and straightforwardness were daring and also nice. I mean, I like straightforward people. Still, I almost choked on my food. Is this like him confessing his feelings to me? That's crazy. I mean, we were meeting for the first time, right? Well, it would be a jackpot for me if he really likes me. I mean, being with a real wealthy man has always been my dream, anyway.

Regardless, I just smiled at him weirdly.

"Oh, son... You're home?" The woman suddenly said, and I trailed her gaze to see the shock of my life. The man standing over there was the same man I met at the penthouse, Connor Hughes. Yes, the one I drugged and stole money from. My heart sank into my stomach and I swallowed nothing as I turned my face away. I could feel my heart beating rapidly against my chest, my body suddenly got so hot that I could literally feel it burning.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked myself, trying to get the pieces together, and now, everything was making sense to me although it was already too late. I could still recall the woman introducing herself to me earlier as Mrs. Hughes, but I was so clueless that I didn't think about it. Damn! I think I'm doomed.

"Are you not coming to join us?" I heard Mrs. Hughes ask him, and I prayed he said no and leave.

"No, Mom. I'm a bit tired, so I need to rest..."

"At least, meet the lady I was telling you about. The one that saved my life," At this point, I felt like disappearing into the air.

"Oh, hi!" I heard him say simply, and I sighed briefly, thinking he would leave afterward.

"Come on, Connor. Come and say hi to her. She is lovely," I almost jumped out of my skin when his mom said that.

"Mom..."

"Don't be rude, Connor," His dad chipped in, and oh hell! I knew that I'm done for.

"Janice dear, say hi to Connor, our first son," She finally introduced us, and silence assumed the atmosphere for seconds.

"Janice? That name... Janice... Hey, can I see your face?" I heard him say, and I shut my eyes tightly as the realization dawned on me that I was caught already.

Left with no choice now, I stood up and took a deep breath, turning to face him afterward, and the expression on his face as soon as he saw my face showed that he already caught me.

"You?" His eyes narrowed as he pointed his index finger at me, and I raised my eyebrows.

"What a small world. I finally caught you," He scoffed as he pointed his finger at me.

"Do you two know each other?" They all asked at the same time, and I cleared my throat. Getting caught has never been in my dictionary, so I needed to come up with something to save myself from this humiliation.

"Of course, we..."

"Excuse me? Have we met before?" I asked him, and he raised his eyebrows as he stared at me in shock.

"Wh... what do you mean by that? You are not just a thief but a liar too?" He scoffed as he walked over to the dining room now.

"Excuse you? Me? Thief? Liar? What are you talking about?" I pulled a puzzled look. My heart was hammering against my chest, and my body was slightly shaking, but still, I needed to defend myself. Looking like a bad person in front of these people was the last thing I wanted.

"You really are a crazy bitch, you know? You dare to deny knowing me after you stole my jewelries and money?" He snapped at me this time, and I flinched because he was looking all scary now.

"What are you saying, Connor?" His Mom snapped at him.

"Stay out of this, Mom! Everyone, stay out of this! She knows what I'm talking about..."

"This is crazy and embarrassing..." I scoffed as a drop of tears slid down my cheek.

"Just because you are wealthy doesn't give you the right to talk to me in that manner and accuse me of what I know nothing about when we've not even met each other before!" I yelled at him this time as more tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Are you crying?" He scoffed as he blinked his eyes unbelievably.

"You know what? I'm out of here," I wiped my tears then grabbed my purse from the table before I stormed out of the dining room, ignoring them as they kept calling me.

"That was close," I released a deep breath once I was out of the gate...

Chapter 3

Connor Hughes

'Excuse me, do I know you?' I scoffed angrily and slumped on the bed as her words echoed in my head once again. Making me look like a fool out there was the height of it all. After she stole from me, she think she could get away with it by just pretending not to know who I am?

"Ugh!" I groaned as I sank my fingers into my hair, trying to cool off, but it only got worse.

The door suddenly burst open, and I sprang up to my feet to see Mom inside.

"What the hell was that, Connor? What has come over you?" She snapped at me angrily as she glared at me, and I huffed unbelievably.

"Mom, what are you saying?" I asked even though I knew what she was on about.

"What am I saying? How could you embarrass my guest like that? The whole family owes that young lady everything for saving my life. I would've been gone by now if not for her..."

"I know that Mom..."

"Then what the hell was that? Accusing her of stealing something from you. Where the hell could you two have met?" She snapped at me once again, and I groaned as I ran my fingers through my hair frustratingly.

"Mom! Do you think I'm lying? That girl... We met at the club about ten days ago, we exchanged numbers, scheduled a day to meet, and she fucking drugged me and made away with my money and jewelries..."

"Just shut it, Connor! What the hell is wrong with you? What if she wasn't the one? She wouldn't have been so confident telling you she didn't know you if she has met you before. Just stop this!" Again, she snapped at me, and I sighed briefly.

"Mom, she was just pretending..." It didn't seem like there was something I could say to convince her, because she seemed to have been brainwashed by that bitch. What the hell was I even expecting from a thief and a prostitute? She would definitely be a pro at lying, so I shouldn't have expected less.

"Show me proof that she did it. Just show me the proof that she did that to you!" She demanded, and I sighed briefly since I didn't have any proof with me. Showing her the phone number was pointless since she has deactivated it. I tried to reach her that day, but her line was said to have not been allocated. The money wasn't much, but showing up here and acting all innocent was already driving me nuts that the thought of it made me want to strangle her.

"Just forget it, Mom," I mumbled as I sat on the bed, and she scoffed.

"I am going to call her, and you are going to apologize to her for being like that, ok?" She said, and I was forced to raise my gaze to look at her.

"Mom, are you kidding me? I should apologize to that girl?" I scoffed because there was no way I was ever going to do that.

"Yes, you need to apologize to her," She repeated as she took her phone and started scrolling through it.

"I won't apologize to her, Mom. Why the fuck should I do that?" I didn't want to raise my voice at her, so I was still calm, but who said my stubborn mom would budge? This is how she has always been. Whenever she was determined to do something, the only person that could always change her mind is Dad, and I guess it should be because of the respect she had for him as her husband.

"Hey, dear... I'm sorry about what happened. My son was just being a jerk. I will give the phone so he can apologize to you now," I watched as she said on the phone before she handed it to me, and I took it from her hesitantly.

"Apologize, now!" She whispered as she held her neck which meant that she was going to strangle me if I didn't do what she wanted me to.

"Hmm... I'm sorry about that," I forced those words out of my mouth, and I heard her scoff.

"You are welcome," I could imagine the look on her face with the reply she gave me, and it only made me boil in rage.

"I will talk to you later, dear," She said on the phone before she ended the call.

"You should be grateful to the person that saved your mom's life. Don't be a jerk," She said to me before she finally left my room, and I released a deep sigh.

My name is Connor Hughes, thirty-five years old first live-in son of the popular multi-billionaire in LA, Mr. Derek Hughes. Being the first son of the family, you can imagine the burden on me, right? I'm a depressed man hiding under the cover of being a billionaire. I am broken inside, and trying to heal from the pain of years ago that has turned me into a bitter man up until now.

Yeah, I own a modeling company that is doing well, and I have billions as net-worth, but then, I wasn't allowed to live alone because my overprotective mom was worried about me getting hurt or doing something crazy to myself after the shit that happened to me years ago.

Aside from my family, nobody else knew that this young man here was always depressed. I didn't want people to feel that I was being pathetic, and the only way I could avoid that was to keep the pain to myself and act like everything was fine.

Pushing all my thoughts away, I stood up from the bed and stormed into the bathroom where I had a short bath, walked back into the room, and got dressed before I left the house, heading to the club since it was Thursday night.

Arriving at the club about thirty minutes later, I headed straight to the VIP club where I always stay whenever I came to the bar, drinking and smoking my life away while trying to clear my head of the mess that happened earlier.

"Hi, handsome. Can I sit with you?" I raised my gaze to find red haired sexy young lady grinning at me from ear to ear.

"Should we get a room instead, huh?" I asked her as I stood up to my feet, and gulped down the content of the cup before I dropped it on the table, turning to face her.

"Wow! I like straightforward men, and of course, we can get a room," She smiled at me seductively, but I wasn't interested in all that now. The only thing I wanted was to lay a bitch here and maybe I would feel better after that, who knows?

Walking into the VIP room that was always reserved for prestigious people like myself, she pushed me lightly and I crashed against the wall, coming at me with full force afterward as she claimed my lips while kissing roughly as if she was going to lose her mind anytime soon. Well, I wasn't expecting less. I mean, any woman would go crazy whenever they see me.

"Sorry, I always like taking charge instead," I smirked at her as I led her to the bed.

"I don't have all the time in the world. Let's get down to business," I muttered as I unbuckled my bet, and she quickly went on her knees. I guess she already knew what to do. Not that I was expecting less, anyway.

Having my d*ck in her warm mouth as she twirled her tongue around my cap was all I need for a brain reset, and everything that was bothering me disappeared immediately. At least for now, I could say.

"Shit!" I cursed under my breath and threw my head back as she swallowed me deep into her stomach. I felt my cum building up, and soon, I released it inside her mouth and she swallowed it all to the last drop. She stood up afterward, trying to kiss me.

"Oops! Sorry, but I don't involve in kissing. Now, turn around, bend over the bed, and hold it tightly..." I said to her, and she quickly stripped out of her clothes before she positioned herself, shooting out her ass for me.

"That reminds me... My name is Connor... You might need it later in case you want to moan my name," That's what I always say to the numerous girls I've slept with in the past. I mean, if they were going to have fun, they should at least know my name. I just felt like my name is sexy and moanable. So, saying that was just like my signature.

I wouldn't be so foolish to have unprotected sex with a stranger, so I scoffed.

"Do you have a condom there?" I asked her.

"Yes... It's in my purse," That was all I needed to check her purse where I got the condom and wore it. She was already wet down there, so I thrust into her and started pouncing on her without mercy.

'Excuse me, do I know you?' I thought I was able to get those annoying words off my head, but remembering how she made me look like a fool in the presence of my parents and my siblings, the thought of apologizing to her afterward. Just everything was driving me nuts that I thought I was going to lose my mind. I'm going to make her pay for what she did. She won't go scot-free...