Chapter 3 Chapter 3
Celine's POV:
Jace got to the black car that was waiting and carefully put me in the back seat. I didn't even have time to see what kind of car it was, but it was a beautiful car.
"Roy, take us to the reception venue," he told the driver, a young man in black suit.
"Alright, boss," came the calm response from the driver. I sat there nervously as Jace and I settled into the rear seat.
I shifted away from him, but I remembered that I had to pretend I was my sister.
Jace didn't say anything as he looked at my face lovingly and held my hand in his.
"How do you feel about this day, my love?" he asked me, and I opened my mouth to speak, thinking about what Clara would have said.
I was still overwhelmed, so I told him the truth: "I am just overwhelmed."
"Why is that? You didn't believe me when I told you that I would marry you and no one else. I love you, Clara, and I meant every word I used to confess my feelings to you. So, you don't have to be afraid, thinking that this marriage is a trap. I will always support your modeling career. What about your twin sister? I didn't see her at the wedding?"
Jace looked at my face lovingly, and I knew this was the right time to tell him that I was not Clara, his real fiancée. But I recalled my father's warning that Jace would deal with all of us if he found out that Clara had fled before her wedding day with him.
"Clara," he called my sister's name, and I snapped out of my thoughts, reminding myself that my new name was Clara.
"Yes," I replied. "Celine traveled to help me cover for my modeling shoot abroad. You know that it means so much to me, so she had to go in my place. And that's why she couldn't attend our wedding."
I faked a smile and met Jace's gaze. His black, curious eyes held my blue ones, and he smiled.
"Alright. I know you said your sister normally covers for you, but you should have let her attend our wedding at least," Jace said, drawing closer to me in the back seat as he kissed my neck.
I gulped hard and asked him, "It doesn't change anything, as long as I am here with you."
"I know, but a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime day. You shouldn't have sent Celine away. Maybe after our wedding, she could have traveled. You never let me meet your sister, you know," Jace spoke to me once more, and my jaw dropped as I looked at his handsome face in shock.
I recalled that each time Clara asked me to accompany her to see her boyfriend at his house, I had normally refused.
"Yes. You don't have to worry about Celine. She will get to meet you once she is back," I lied.
"What about her bakery shop? I haven't gone there, but you said she has one. Wouldn't her bakery goods get spoiled or experience temporary losses now that she traveled for your modeling?" Jace looked concerned about me, and I felt bad that I had spoken so badly about him before. He was a gentleman despite his wealth. I had thought of him as an arrogant billionaire, and I was still angry because my parents had rejected me from marrying Martin Enzo, my boyfriend.
"About Celine's shop, I will be going there for her until she is back to take over her business," I told Jace as the car pulled to a stop at the reception venue, a massive white hotel in the city.
"Can you cook?" Jace asked me in shock, and I smiled.
"I can try," I lied, knowing that Clara hated the kitchen and didn't like to cook.
"Alright," Jace agreed. "We have arrived. Let's go in."
I sighed and got out of the car with him as we went into the hotel for the wedding reception.
The wedding reception ceremony was lively and more crowded than I had expected. Media crews were recording, and many top celebrities attended the wedding, congratulating Jace and me. They obviously thought I was my famous sister, and I had to pretend I was her. I wondered how Clara was faring abroad.
How did she feel, seeing that I was taking her place as the bride? It wasn't like I had snatched Jace; Clara was the one who put me in this tight situation to marry her fiancé.
Jace and I were invited on stage by the MC to cut the huge white cake that had almost eight layers. I smiled, knowing that I was the one who had baked this lovely white cake for my sister's wedding. My best friend, Ava Kingsley, was present as my assistant to help me ice the cake and get it ready for the reception.
"Three, two, one, go!" the MC squealed, and Jace held my right hand gently as he sliced the cake in two.
Once we cut the cake, the audience erupted in a round of applause, and I wanted to step away from Jace, as I was still overwhelmed.
At that point, it felt like I was the one getting married, but I wasn't the real bride—Clara was.
Jace wrapped his arms around my waist as the DJ changed the music to a love song. The MC invited Jace and me on stage once more to dance while the guests cheered us and brought numerous gifts and checks.
I was so nervous, as I hadn't expected this kind of elaborate wedding. How could Clara give up her wedding day for work? I shut my eyes, but I felt Jace bring his face closer to mine and whisper in my left ear, "Open your eyes, Clara."
He looked at my face once my eyes fluttered open, and I hadn't expected the ceremony to be this way. I wasn't the media type of person; I mostly lay low, and now I was in the public eye. The lavish wedding made me sick because I knew it was fake. I felt quite emotional, and Jace pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead tenderly.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and Jace whispered once more in my ear, "What's wrong, babe? Should we go home? If you're tired of the wedding reception, you should let me know."
"No, I am okay," I smiled at him sadly, knowing that this was supposed to be his and Clara's happy day. I tried not to think about what the future held for us, as I didn't even know when Clara would be back.
I promised myself not to fall in love with my sister's fiancé. He was her husband now, so I tried to dance and act like I was Clara. Besides, the wedding was "Clara weds Jace," and now it felt like "Celine weds Jace." But he was so kind that I didn't think my sister deserved him. An honest woman does, not me or her.
The wedding ceremony came to an end, and Jace took me back to the car and said, "We are going for our honeymoon, babe. Happy marriage to us!"
He brought out a champagne bottle from the car's fridge and popped it open.
"Oh no! I don't drink champagne," I gasped, inwardly. Well, for my sister's sake, I had to sacrifice and do what her husband wanted.
