Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Evan Alexander walked into his office and found an envelope on his desk. When he saw his bride's name written as the sender, he quickly opened the letter inside.

“Evan, I can't bear to marry you. I love someone else. As you read this, I'm probably gone with him.”

His hands trembled with a mix of emotions. His bride had just run away with another man! And tomorrow was supposed to be their wedding day!

“I can't believe it! She chose another man over me,” he whispered, feeling the sting of betrayal.

Betrayal was one thing, but the thought of the public finding out was unbearable. He couldn't stand the idea of being the laughingstock, mocked and pitied because his bride had left him before their wedding.

He was Evan Alexander Virkin—a man who had everything, yet he had been abandoned.

No! His pride couldn't take it.

His jaw tightened. If the truth came out, it would not only wound his pride but also taint his respected name. He had to keep the truth hidden from the world.

Fortunately, he had not revealed his bride's identity.

“So, my mission tonight is to find a substitute,” he whispered as he rushed out of his office.

As he drove, he realized that finding a bride who would accept his terms without becoming emotionally attached wouldn’t be easy.

His jaw tightened again. “Where on earth am I going to find a suitable woman for this job?”

Then, as he glanced at the side of the road, he saw a familiar figure walking aimlessly in the rain, as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

“Merri?” he whispered, recognizing his secretary, who had disappeared without notice.

He got out of his car without hesitation. When he approached her, he noticed Merri standing in the middle of the road, her shoulders trembling and her head bowed.

His eyes widened as she remained in the road, ignoring the sound of an approaching truck. She simply closed her eyes, seemingly ready to accept her fate.

Before he knew it, he had run toward her, pulled her out of the street, and hugged her tightly to protect her from the rough ground as they rolled to the ground together.

Her eyes widened when she saw her, and her lips trembled as she whispered.

“Boss?”

“Are you out of your mind?” he asks her. His tone was harsher and sharper than intended. His heart was still racing about her going to die.

Merri did not respond; she just bowed her head. Tears fell in her eyes mixed with the rain.

He glances at her for a moment. He badly wants to ask questions and scolds her, but seeing her vulnerability changes her mind. Instead, he pulled her to her feet.

“Let's go, I will take you home before we catch a cold,” he said, and without hesitation, he lifted her from the ground. He carries the woman toward his car.

He brought her home. Not at his office, condo, or penthouse, but in his mansion. She was soaking wet, so he ordered the maid to prepare the guest room and provide clean clothes for her to wear. Then, he brings her there and lets her wash up and change.

Fresh from the shower, Evan checked his email since his private investigator had sent him the report about Merri's life when she disappeared.

He opened the files. Discover, her parents died from a car accident, leaving her a mountain of debt. She was chased away by her landlady. Plus, the loan sharks were after her, and worst of all, her boyfriend and best friend betrayed her.

“What a tragic life you have,” he whispers after he reads it.

“Wait, this will make her perfect as my substitute bride. Since she needs money, shelter, and protection, I can provide all of it. In exchange, she will be my bride tomorrow, so I will not be humiliated publicly,” he whispers and immediately changes clothes and marches towards the guest room where the woman resides.

Meanwhile, Merri couldn't believe her heartless boss would appear out of nowhere and save her life. She left the office without notice; she expected him to be mad.

So, why would he bring her to his mansion? What is his purpose?

She blinked. When the door suddenly opened. Evan stepped in, fresh from the shower; she could even smell his shower gel. He's wearing a fitted black polo, which exposes his masculine shoulder and broad chest. She swallowed him; for a moment, she forgot he was the man she hated the most. She forgot how he tortured her with his endless demands and scolding. Right now, he looks like the man she reads about in the book—sexy, hot, and gorgeous beyond measure! And she wants him—she immediately shakes her head. Nails digging into her palms. She should think like that, not with this monster.

“I have a proposal for you,” his voice was deep without a hint of warmth, and in those seconds, her fantasies shattered.

She frowned and glared at him. “Proposal? About what?”

He moved closer, confident as if he owned not only the room where they were but also the air she breathed.

“You will marry me tomorrow.”

Her heart stopped beating. Confusion rushed in. “What?!” she exclaimed.

“I need a bride,” he continued. As he put his hands in his pockets, he sounded like a businessman who was proposing a new project, not a man who proposed a marriage.

“And you need shelter, protection, and most of all money, which I can provide without a problem.”

“Are you out of your mind? Marry you? You are my heartless boss, whom I loathe! Being your secretary is torture enough; how much more if I become your wife?!” She trembled with mixed emotions as she looked at him.

"You don't need to like it; you just need to agree with it. I know the root of your problem, which is your parents' death, savings gone, being kicked out by the landlady, being chased by a loan shark, and even the betrayal of your boyfriend and best friend—"

Her eyes widened. “You have me investigate? ”

Evan shrugged his shoulders. “I had to. You disappear out of nowhere.”

Her throat tightened. “But that doesn't mean I'm broke; you can buy me.”

“I'm not buying you. I'm helping you to survive. Think about it, you need me as much as I need you, Merri,” Evan told her as he stepped closer toward her.

Her heart pounded faster than normal; it was aching because what he said was the truth. She hated him; she hated his arrogance, but the reminder of her parents' debt and the threat of loan sharks, losing her home and savings, and being betrayed by the people she trusted was too deep to ignore.

“You need help. So do I. My bride ran away with a random man. So, I need a substitute bride, marry me, and you will get everything you need. Not only that, you will have a place to stay. If you live with me, they can’t harm you. So, will you marry me, Merri?”