The Billionaires Substitute Bride

Mia's POV

My life was officially over. I just got fired from the only job I had just because I spilled ketchup on the floor. Alex, my boss or should I say ex-boss, had been acting cranky lately, every little thing annoyed him and he had been firing people since the beginning of the week. I had really hoped that I wouldn't be part of them, but then here I was with my faded blue jeans and black top, dejectedly strolling back to my apartment, thinking of a way to get another job as soon as possible else I'd be doomed.

It's not easy for a college dropout like me to get a job anywhere. My parents died in a car accident when I was 20 years old. I had to quit medical school because none of my relatives were ready to help me. I've gone for several job interviews, but the moment they realize that I was a dropout, they would tell me that I wasn't needed. Alex was the only person kind enough to offer me a job and I had been working with him for a year now. The pay wasn't much but I had no choice.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, I took it out and saw that it was a message from my landlord.

"Here we go again." I sighed as I unlocked my phone to read the message.

Landlord: You said you were going to pay up this week, it's almost the weekend and I still haven't heard anything from you.

Landlord: I'm sorry, but if you don't pay up your rent this week, I'll have no choice but to pack your things out of the house.

"Oh God!" I sobbed as I read the message. Everything just seemed to be falling apart. My landlord has been warning me for several weeks, my rent was six months due and I had been saving up so I could pay him, but the money was barely up to half of what I owed.

"What am I going to do now?" I don't wanna go back home now because my landlord might be there and I wasn't ready to face him yet.

I swiped my red hair off my face as I scrolled through my phone, then I dialed my best friend's number, it rang five times before she finally picked it.

"Hey, Mia." Kara's voice filtered through the speaker of my phone, she sounded breathless. Maybe she went for a run? No, she hated running. I wondered what she was doing.

"Kara, I'm in trouble." I cried out, not caring that people were throwing me glances as they walked past me.

"What's the matter?" She sounded like she was a little bit away from where her phone was.

"I just got fired and my landlord has been threatening to kick me out of my house." I said to her. I heard Kara giggled before the line went dead.

Uh?

I checked the screen of my phone to see if it was dead but it wasn't, she put me on mute, no sound was coming from her end of line.

What's going on with her?

"I'm sorry, Mia. Andrew did that." Kara said, when she finally unmuted me. Andrew was her boyfriend and those two are really obsessed with each other. They always cringe me out with their lovey dovey acts. I gave up on relationships since I dropped out of college, I barely had time for guys now.

"Oh okay! I said I just got fired-" I tried to repeat what I said but got cut off.

"Actually, can I call you back? I'm a little- umm busy right now." Kara's breathless voice made me cringe.

"Call me back when Andrew is done doing whatever he's doing to you." I said before hanging up.

I sighed as I stared down at my phone before I continued walking to nowhere in particular. I was about to turn around and start heading home when I heard two men talking. I was a naturally curious person so I decided to stay and listen to what they were saying. The men were standing at the back of a car, so I stayed at the front and rested on the hood of the car.

"I can't believe she did this to me." One of them spoke up. His deep voice sounded shaky and it made me wonder what he was talking about.

I shouldn't be doing this. Eavesdropping on other people's conversation was a bad thing and it wouldn't even do me any good. But it was a good way to take my mind off things, right?

I heard the sounds of a lady moaning and screaming, it made me rest more on the car.

Were these guys watching porn? They didn't even care that they were outside and people passing could hear them.

"Stop that video, it's making me sick. She has been cheating on me all these while and I didn't even notice." The man who spoke before, talked again. He sounded furious. The video was immediately paused and I didn't hear any sounds again.

"What are you going to do now?" It was the other guy that talked this time.

"Our wedding is tomorrow."

"Are you going to cancel the wedding?"

Wait, it seemed like I was getting a hang of what was happening. I think this man got cheated on by his fiancee. Well, I was relieved I wasn't the only one who was going through a difficult time. At least, my situation is a bit better than this man's own.

"Fuck!" The man with the deep voice yelled, he punched the car. The action was so unexpected that it made me yelp.

Shit! My cover had been blown. I quickly covered my mouth with my palm but it was too late, the both of them heard me. I pushed myself off the car so I could run away, but somehow, because luck decided to abandon me today, my phone slipped from my hand, fell on the car and left a dent.

"Oh my God!" I cried out as I looked down at the black car, it looked super expensive and it would cost my whole life to fix it. I hurriedly grabbed my phone and put it in my bag. I looked up and saw two men staring at me.

"Who the hell are you?" The one with a deep voice asked as he stared at me in anger.

I took a closer look at this man and my mouth nearly dropped, his brown hair was perfectly styled and not a strand was out of place, his cheekbones seemed sharp enough to cut while his lips looked soft enough to kiss.

The fabric of his black suit hugged his body like someone sewed the material onto him. His hazel eyes kept roaming my face and it made me a bit self conscious. I wasn't really a fan of make up, obviously because I don't have money to waste on things like that, so I just leave my face plain most of the time.

He looked so familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I had seen him before.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scratch your car, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation." The words rushed out of my mouth before I knew it.

I wouldn't blame my mouth for running, I mean a man as gorgeous as him would make any lady out there lose control of themselves.

"You've been eavesdropping on us?" The other man asked as he took a step closer, he was also dressed in a suit and his dark hair was a bit messy. He was also good looking.

"Maybe." I muttered quietly as I shifted my weight from one foot to another uncomfortably. I wish the ground would open up and swallow me right now, but I knew damn well that was never going to happen. This was the most embarrassing situation of my life, I had never been caught eavesdropping before. I was really good at it, things just weren't going well for me tonight.

"I said who the hell are you?" Mr gorgeous asked again.

"I'm uh- I'm Mia Jones." I shuttered.

"And?"

"And I'm really sorry for denting your car." I told him, then I made sure to bend the whole of my upper body forward in a bow to show that I was really sincere with my apology.

"Well, that isn't going to fix my car. You have to pay for it."

I raised my body and stared at the man with wide eyes. I was pretty sure this man was filthy rich. I mean, no ordinary man would wear a suit like that and ride a car like this. He definitely has to be a rich man.

"What? You think I'm gonna pardon you for ruining my best car?" The man chuckled deeply as he took a step closer to me.

"But- but I don't have any money." I said slowly as I stared down at my sandals in shame.

"But you gotta pay me somehow, miss red." His deep voice sent chills down my spine and it made me really nervous. I considered running away but that would be really stupid, these two men were tall and they would definitely catch up with me before I go far.

"Ian," He called out to the other guy, "I'm not gonna cancel my wedding, I just found myself another bride." He said as a smirk appeared on his face.

What was that supposed to mean?

Mia's POV

"What do you mean? I'm not following." The other man, named Ian said.

I wasn't following either. I was impatiently waiting for Mr gorgeous to open his mouth and answer Ian's question but he just kept staring at me with a stupid smirk on his face.

"I'm gonna marry Red over here." He blurted out.

"What?" I didn't intend for my voice to be that loud, but I couldn't help it. This was the most hilarious thing I've heard today.

"Since you've been eavesdropping on us for a while, you probably already know that my fiance has been cheating on me. I'm supposed to get married to her tomorrow but I can't because of what I just found out." He explained slowly like I was a little kid who wouldn't understand if he talked faster than that.

"I still don't get why you want me to marry you." I said to the man, as I took a step back. I knew I should have run away when I had the chance to.

"It's so simple, Red. You damaged my car but you don't have the money to pay for the repair, that's fine with me because you can just act as my substitute bride tomorrow as payment for the damage you caused."

Why was he talking to me like that, I'm not a kid, and why did he keep calling me Red? I had only known him for a few minutes and he already gave me a nickname.

But that aside, was this man okay? He wants me to marry him just because I damaged his car? That's so unfair.

"I'm sorry, sir. But I can't marry you. I don't even know who you are-"

"I'm Allen Walker." He cut me off.

"Knowing your name doesn't change the fact that I can't marry you. Look, I'm gonna repay you back. I'll find a way if you just give me some time." Who was I kidding, I had no hope of getting a job anytime soon, I was planning to go back to Alex after a few days to beg him so he would let me work at the restaurant again.

"She has no job, sir." Ian spoke up. How did he know that?

Ian stepped forward and passed a tab to Mr gorgeous, he took the tab from him and kept scrolling. What was he looking at?

"Twenty-two years old, dropped out of college two years ago, only child, parents died in a car accident, currently unemployed, and buried in debts." Mr gorgeous read from the tab before looking up at me, staring directly into my soul. I felt so exposed.

I stared at both of them with wide eyes. How the hell did they get all the information about me? Was that legal? No wonder Ian had been quiet for a while, he had been running a background check on me. Okay, I don't really know Ian but I disliked him.

"I don't see how you are going to pay me when you're unemployed. You only said that so you can run away, right?"

"No, I'm not like that. I'm going to pay you."

"And how exactly do you expect me to believe that? You think I'm stupid?" He said and then laughed bitterly. How can someone as handsome as this be so cruel at the same time?

I should have gone home straight after talking with Kara, I shouldn't have eavesdropped on their conversation, I should have minded my business from the start.

I felt like crying, but I wasn't going to cry. I was not a weak person, only the death of my parents and period cramps have succeeded to make me cry.

"I really don't know why you're hesitating. I'm offering you an easy option. Just be my substitute bride for a day."

My eyes lit up at his words, just for a day? I thought he wanted me to be his wife forever.

"Just a day?" I asked him, just to be sure he wasn't playing with me.

"Yeah."

I started to consider it. It wouldn't be bad to be a stranger's substitute bride for just a day. I know I've made so many bad decisions in my life, I just hope this wasn't one of them.

"Okay." I finally agreed.

"Good girl. Now, get in the car."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Get in the car, I'm not gonna give you a chance to slip away from me."

"I've told you I'm not going to run away. I will come to the venue tomorrow morning if you give me the address."

"No way. We are going to my house right now."

"Fine!" I started to march towards the passengers' side. I wasn't always this fickle, but I figured arguing with this man wouldn't get me anywhere.

Ian and Allen entered the car and I did too, they kept talking about how they were going to stop Allen's fiance from coming to the wedding.

"What about your parents?" Ian asked, he was the one driving the car.

"I'm going to explain the situation to them tomorrow." Allen answered.

"So, you found out your fiance has been cheating on you, big deal. I don't see the reason why you have to get married tomorrow, you could just cancel the wedding since you have a very valid reason to." I spoke up for the first time since we entered this posh car.

He wouldn't be the first man to cancel his wedding and definitely wouldn't be the last. People cancel their weddings when situations come up or when they have issues with their partners.

But honestly, it was kinda too late to say that. I had agreed and we were on our way to his house.

"You think I'm happy that I found out my fiancee is cheating on me? You think all these are fun to me?" Allen asked, his voice was becoming hard.

"No, I'm just saying you can make this whole situation a lot easier if you-"

"You don't know anything, so just shut up and do as I tell you." He barked at me.

If I had said anything else, I knew I would be getting myself into trouble. He would probably not want me as his substitute bride anymore and tell me to pay up, where would I get the money from? It was better to keep quiet.

We finally got down from the car after Ian had parked at the underground parking lot. Allen and Ian walked towards the elevator while I followed them closely behind.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this." I muttered to myself as we got in. Both of them didn't even try to talk to me. Ian pushed the P button, which obviously stands for Penthouse. Of course people like him lived in a penthouse.

I wondered what his house would be like. Was he living together with Ian? Were they brothers? Nah, I don't think so, there is no shade of resemblance between them.

The elevator finally stopped and we stepped into the penthouse. Both men were out of my sight before I knew it. My feet remained glued to the hardwood floor and my mouth was left wide open as I took in my surroundings.

I had never been in such a luxurious house before. The furniture looked so expensive that I was afraid to touch them, the walls were painted in gray and white and I noticed there were no pictures or paintings on the wall. I thought rich people liked them.

Something caught my attention as I kept looking around, it was a room close to the living room, it had floor to ceiling windows. My feet moved on their own will and soon I was inside the room.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. I could see the city and the sky from up here. It was a really beautiful sight. I could stay here all night and watch the stars.

There was a coffee table in the room and it had a few chairs around it. I guess this was a coffee room. Everything looked so expensive that it made me wonder who this man really was.

I brought out my phone and searched for his name. I gasped but immediately covered my mouth with my palm as I stared down at my phone.

"Allen Walker, the only son of the Walker Group and the CEO of the company." I whispered to myself like someone would hear me.

Just like I had guessed before, Allen is a billionaire, a popular one.

How did I not notice when he told me his name? I guess I was lost in thought when he asked me to be his substitute bride.

I checked further and saw that he was engaged to Sophie Gallagher, a popular actress. Kara had been obsessed with Sophie, I guess she wouldn't be anymore if I told her what she did to her fiance.

"Would you like something to eat?" I heard a voice behind me, making me jump in fright.

I turned around and saw that it was Ian, my face morphed into a frown. He was partially the reason why I was in this mess.

"No, thank you." I said curtly as I started to make my way out of the coffee room.

"I'm really sorry for how things turned out this night, my boss is going through a lot right now. He made the right decision by choosing not to marry that woman, he deserves a lot better." Ian said as he followed me outside of the room.

"Well, you wanna know what I think?" I asked before turning around to face him. "I think your boss doesn't know what he is doing. He only made this decision because he's heartbroken right now, he could have just canceled the wedding and let everyone know the truth. That is a very easy option." I dumped all my frustrations on Ian.

"You don't understand. If he cancels the wedding and tell people the truth, it will not only affect him or his parent's image, but also the company's."

I guess I would never understand how the world of business runs. I thought Sophie alone would be affected if the truth was exposed.

"I really have no choice, do I?"

"No, you don't." He said with a tight smile.

"I'll take you to your room now. Some people will be here very early tomorrow morning to dress you up and prepare for the wedding."

He took me to the room I was supposed to stay in for the night and stopped in front of the door.

"You might not see Allen again until you get to church for the wedding. You don't have to worry about him. Take care of yourself. Good night, Mia." He said with a slight bow as he turned back and made his way through the hallway.

I took a deep breath as I held the door handle and pushed the door opened. My heart kept hammering in my chest. Why did I feel like I was about to make a huge mistake? Was I about to make one? Lord, help me.

Mia's POV

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Who the hell was knocking on my door so early in the morning?

I ignored the sound as I wrapped my hands around a soft pillow and pulled it closer to my body, sinking further into the soft bed.

Wait! My bed wasn't as soft as this.

The person knocked again, interrupting my thoughts.

"Miss Mia, we have to get you ready for the wedding."

My eyes flung open and I shot up from my sleeping position. I looked around and remembered everything that happened last night.

Today was my wedding, my fake wedding.

I sprang up from bed and tamed my wild red hair before making my way towards the door. I pulled it open and three ladies walked into the room. I guessed they were the people Ian told me he was going to send. One was holding about four wedding dresses and a small suitcase, another was holding a make-up box while the last one was empty handed.

"Good morning, Miss Mia. I'm Penelope and we are here to get you ready for the wedding." The empty handed lady said.

I closed the door and walked closer to them, examining the wedding dresses. This shit was getting real.

"Um, okay." That was all I could say.

"You need to have a bath first," she said before turning to one of the ladies, she snapped her fingers and said, "Abby, prepare a nice bubble bath."

The girl who was holding the make up box was Abby, she dropped the box and walked towards the bathroom.

"Let me help you with your clothes." Penelope said as she started to walk towards me. I quickly stepped backwards, preventing her from moving closer to me.

"You don't have to do that, I can help myself," I told her. But wait, was I going to strip here, right in front of them?

I waited a bit, thinking they would leave the room or turn around to give me privacy but the both of them kept staring at me.

Abby came out of the bathroom and announced that the bath was ready, she also gave me a towel so I could wrap myself with it.

I sighed as I took off the black top and faded blue jeans I had been wearing since yesterday. Then, I quickly wrapped myself with the white towel and started to head to the bathroom.

Abby was about to follow me but I told her I would go by myself. I wasn't used to this type of treatment. It made me wonder how my life would turn out if I had a billionaire fiance, I would have maids running errands for me. I would eat whatever I wanted without having to think if there would be any left for me to eat tomorrow. I would live my life to the fullest. But that would never happen.

I pushed the bathroom door open and walked in, it was gorgeous, it was all white and sparkling. There was an enormous tub that was filled with bubbles, everywhere smelled like strawberries. I dropped the towel and got into the glorious bathtub.

It was perfect. It had been a while since I had a relaxing bath, my apartment only had a shower.

I relaxed into the water as the heat seeped into me. I sighed in relief, letting all my worries soak away.

"This is so nice." I moaned while rubbing my skin, enjoying the water a little longer before getting out of the tub to take a shower and wash my hair.

I heard a knock at the door before Penelope spoke up.

"Ma,am. You have to hurry, we don't want you to be late for your wedding."

I was getting frustrated by her attitude but I knew she was only doing what she was paid to do.

My mind went to Allen as I turned off the shower and used a towel to dry my hair.

Ian told me I might not see him but I couldn't help but wonder if he was going to come check on me before heading to church. Was he sulking because of his broken heart? Shouldn't he be worried if I still wanted to do this? I guessed he gives no second chances.

I pushed the thought of Allen out of my mind and headed out of the bathroom. Different make up were spread on the table and Abby had already pulled out the chair for me.

I moved to the chair and sat down. She blow dried my hair and tied it in a bun before she started to work on my face.

The room was awfully quiet and awkward but I didn't care, I didn't know these ladies so there was nothing to talk about with them.

After Abby was done with my make up, she straightened my hair and put curls in it. Then the other girl asked me to pick from the four wedding dresses on the bed. I picked the most simple one and she helped me to wear it. I couldn't help but wonder how Ian knew my exact size because the dress fitted perfectly.

I moved towards the full mirror that was beside the bed and stared at myself in awe. I never knew I could be this beautiful. The dress hugged my figure down to my upper thigh, showing more of my curves, before the delicate lace material that could probably pay my rent for two years straight, graciously flowed down to the floor. The dress showed a bit of my cleavage but I didn't mind, some diamonds were neatly attached to the neckline, making it more beautiful. My hands gently skimmed the soft material as I turned my body sideways to get a better view of the dress.

"You look beautiful, ma'am." Penelope commented as she stared at me. I met her eyes through the mirror and smiled at her.

"Thank you."

They made me sit and placed a silver necklace on my neck, and also wore silver earrings for me before they gave me a pair of glittering silver shoes.

Everything was so beautiful that I almost forgot it wasn't even a real wedding. It was all pretense, I mustn't get too caught up in the moment.

The ladies passed me a bouquet of colorful flowers before leading me out of the room. I looked around, hoping to see Allen but there was no sign of him anywhere. Penelope and the two ladies led me outside the house, where a Lamborghini was already waiting for me.

I got into the car and soon we started our journey to the church where the wedding would be taking place. My heart beat rapidly in my chest as I thought of all the ways this could go wrong. Allen and Ian might not succeed in stopping Sophie from coming to the church, which means there were going to be two brides. If they succeeded in stopping her, she could eventually find her way to the church since it was supposed to be her wedding.

I wondered what Allen was going to tell his parents and everyone when they found out he wouldn't be getting married to Sophie but to me, someone he barely knew. Would he tell them the truth? That he found out Sophie had been cheating on him?

I took in a deep breath as the driver drove into the gates of the church. We were finally here. I watched as people walked into the church with excitement on their faces. The paparazzi were also at the entrance of the church, taking pictures of people as they entered.

The driver opened the door for me but I refused to come down from the car. I was too scared to. I knew the paparazzi would come for me once I stepped out of the vehicle, if they found out I wasn't Sophie, things would go haywire before the wedding even starts. You know, if I wanted to run away, now was the perfect time to. But then, Allen had information about me, which included my address, so it would be stupid to run because he would find me and God knew what he would do to me for ruining his wedding day. It was better if I stayed.

I let the veil cover my face as I told the driver to help me call Allen or Ian since I wasn't with my phone. Soon, Ian came walking out of the church premises. Even though I didn't really like him, I felt so relieved to see him.

"Ian!" I called out as I opened the door of the car.

"Hi, Mia. You look amazing." He complimented me.

"Thank you, you look good too. But that aside, how I'm I going to get past all those paparazzi?" I asked him as I stared towards the church entrance.

"You don't have to worry about that." He stated calmly. "Let's get going." He said to me as he gently wrapped his hand around my arm and led me towards the church entrance.

I was thankful the veil covered most of my face, making me almost unrecognizable. Like someone had given them a warning, the paparazzi moved away when they saw us coming towards them. Ian and I stood at the entrance and just then I heard music playing in the church.

"You have to go in on your own." Ian said, he shifted away from me just as the doors opened, revealing everyone in the church who were already on their feet, they were all looking at me.

My entire body trembled and my feet remained glued to the spot. I wasn't used to this much attention. But then again, they weren't going to harm me. They were only here to celebrate Allen and I.

I lifted my face and looked towards the altar, my eyes met with cold hazel eyes that had been staring at me. My heart leapt in my chest as he continued to watch me. My feet finally moved and I walked into the church, my eyes were still trained on him, like if I ever looked away I would lose my confidence.

I never thought I would get married like this. As a child, I had always dreamed of having my dad by my side while walking down the aisle on my wedding day. Walking down this path myself made me realize how much I've missed my parents. I wished they were alive to witness this.

As I got to the front, I noticed Sophie's parents staring at me in confusion. It was easy to recognize them because I had done my research before going to bed last night. They obviously knew I wasn't their daughter, they looked at Allen before turning to look at me again.

"Shit!" I muttered. I really hope things go well.