“Like I stated, I would like you to step in for her in the intervening time. We are able to’t threat making the King household really feel like we’re not capable of observe by on our promise. He gained’t know that it’s you and never your sister.” My father moved away from the desk, nodding to Ian.

My gaze narrowed. “Wait, so… what’s going to occur with the Kings?”

“They’re not going to know. You and your sister are equivalent sufficient {that a} short-term swap gained’t be too noticeable.”

My mouth opened to argue however he was most likely proper. Amanda and I had delicate variations solely as a result of we carried ourselves in another way. If we had been to satisfy somebody in particular person, they most likely wouldn’t have the ability to inform us aside at first look.

To not point out, the jitters of a marriage and the alcohol concerned would have everybody turning a blind eye.

“I simply can’t perceive why she’d do that.” My father sighed once more, shaking his head. “In spite of everything these letters she despatched backwards and forwards with Xavier King… I simply can’t perceive it. I actually thought she was able to cool down.”

At that, my father unfolded a chunk of paper from his pocket and set it down on prime of the desk.

My face grew scorching as I glanced over on the single piece of paper. I wouldn’t even need to learn it to know what the contents contained. You see, this marriage is an association between the households to dealer a stop hearth. The ruthless King household has grown a status for taking out any and all competitors. The one manner my father knew to safe the protection of his beloved daughters was to supply considered one of them as an indication of excellent religion. In order that the households can be united and co-exist. This could even be a profitable enterprise as they’d have the ability to mix not solely their territories, but in addition their provide chains.

“I’ll do it.” My voice was agency as I spoke. “Don’t fear. I’ll marry Xavier whilst you seek for Amanda. We are able to’t let this alliance with them slip by our fingers. You’ve labored too rattling laborious for it.”

My father’s eyes shifted in direction of me, taking over an uncharacteristically watery sheen.

He was by no means one for exhibiting his feelings like that, however I’m positive the stress of not having the ability to find my sister, together with this alliance with the King household hanging within the steadiness, was sufficient to throw him off his sport.

If my sister had one constant high quality, it was her unyielding knack to ship our father right into a goddamn spiral.

“Thanks, Mia. I promise it gained’t be for lengthy. We’ll swap you two out the second I get her ass again right here.”

I plastered a smile on my face, ignoring the slowly rising fear in my intestine.

“No drawback. And provides her a great ass kicking for me if you do.”

“In fact.”

Chapter Two

Mia

Over the subsequent two days, my complete household scrambled to get issues in line for the upcoming marriage ceremony with the King household.

Amanda was nonetheless nowhere to be discovered, though her bank cards had been getting used, together with surveillance selecting up her and the school boy she’d apparently run away with, shifting by Mexico like they had been on their very own little honeymoon trip.

If it wasn’t inflicting my household a lot time and inside turmoil, I would’ve discovered the complete state of affairs sort of humorous.

Making an attempt on my sister’s costume and veil, I couldn’t assist however admire myself within the mirror. In fact it was an ideal match—that wasn’t stunning in any respect—and seemed terrific with my pores and skin tone and hair. I needed to say, my sister did have impeccable style when it got here to style.

“Are you nervous?” The seamstress, Betty, requested as she tailor-made the final little little bit of hemming on the underside of the skirt. “I wouldn’t blame you in the event you had been.”

I needed to maintain my tongue with the intention to not spill the reality.

I used to be really the exact opposite of nervous. In actual fact, I used to be fairly excited to lastly meet Xavier—the person I’d been corresponding with by letters over the previous few months since his engagement to my sister had been introduced.

In fact, he wasn’t conscious that I used to be the one writing all these letters. It had began as a suggestion to my sister one night time when she’d been complaining after an evening of ingesting that getting married to “a person I’ve by no means even talked to” sounded worse than loss of life.

The subsequent morning, I’d taken my very own suggestion to coronary heart and had written the King household a letter, not anticipating any sort of reply in return. To my shock, although, Xavier had answered inside a number of days, thinking about corresponding with me—or moderately Amanda—extra.

My intrigue for him had actually solely began out of sheer curiosity. I needed to know extra in regards to the man my sister can be marrying. And who higher to dig up intel on her future partner than her personal sister?

That was, till I began to slowly fall for him.

However nobody needed to know that. It was a secret I used to be going to take to my grave.

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