Substitute Vows：Entangled with the Ruthless Heir

"Natalie, we’ve raised you for all these years. It is time you repaid the Hetherington family for our kindness." Horatio Hetherington didn't ask; he commanded. "You will take your sister's place and marry into the Yardley family. If you don't produce an heir within a year, they will naturally cast you out. This secret stays between the four of us. Do you understand?"

A year of her life to wipe the slate clean with the people who adopted her? It seemed like a fair bargain.

Besides, she was to marry the Yardley’s eldest son—a man rumored to have one foot in the grave. Whether he could even survive the year was a mystery. Given his incapacitated state, Natalie felt certain that nothing untoward would happen between them. Her presence was merely meant to be a good luck charm to ward off his ill fortune.

And so, Natalie donned the veil and became a substitute bride.

But as she stood in a chapel devoid of guests, realizing even the groom was absent... she felt the cold sting of reality. As the rumors said, Patrick Yardley had been so badly burned in a fire that he couldn't even care for himself, much less attend his own wedding.

She swallowed the bitterness. What choice did she have? The Yardley Estate was a titan; when they moved, the entire city trembled.

Natalie resigned herself to fate, signed her name before the officiant, and left with a set of keys and an address. She soon stood before a cold, modern apartment building.

This was where she would spend the next year. What awaited her behind those doors?

Anxiety gnawed at her. She thought of Yasmin Hetherington, the sister who had made a sport of bullying her for years, only to toss this mess into her lap.

She sighed. There was no use dwelling on it.

After dropping off her luggage, Natalie changed into a simple T-shirt and jeans, planning to find a quick bite to eat.

Her phone buzzed. It was her best friend, Alexandra Abernathy. "Natalie! Get down here fast! I’ve spotted Roxanne Rosales on a secret date... This is the scoop of the century! My permanent contract depends on this. If you say no, I’m literally going to die."

With a friend like Alexandra, Natalie didn't have much of a choice.

"Natalie, stay here and keep watch. I’m going to slip inside and see if I can get a shot of them together," Alexandra said, shoving one of two cameras into Natalie's hands before vanishing into the neon-lit blur of the nightclub.

Natalie didn't even have time to protest before she was left alone.

She waited by the entrance for what felt like an eternity. Famished, she decided to duck into the bakery next door for a bun.

Parked right outside the club was a sleek, black luxury sports car. Inside, a beautiful woman was draped like a silken vine over a man shrouded in shadow. "Yanis," Roxanne Rosales purred, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "Did you really marry that Hetherington girl?"

"The papers are signed. What do you think?" His voice was low and cool, yet possessed a magnetic quality that could pull anyone under his spell.

"Then what about me?" Roxanne whispered against his ear, her crimson lips brushing his skin as her hands trailed boldly along his arm.

"You tell me."

Yanis Yardley smirked, his long fingers tracing the outline of her lips before he leaned in...

Before they could move any further, a blinding flash shattered the darkness.

"A paparazzo?" Roxanne’s face paled. She sounded nervous, though a hint of excitement lingered in her tone.

"Go back inside. I’ll handle this." A cold light flickered in Yanis's eyes. He patted Roxanne’s shoulder, opened the door, and stepped out.

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