Olivia Sparks

Tristan paused, breathing in the face of his new bride. He dated no one, and the closest contact that he had with a woman were three ladies: his mother, the headmistress, and Olivia. It didn't bother him because to him, he'd rather invest his time on productive things than waste it over relationsh.i.p.s that create unnecessary drama and chaos in his life. 

However, when he lifted her veil and saw her charming face, an idea crossed his mind. Perhaps with her beside him, five years would fly by and he wouldn't even notice it.

Five years. It was stated in their prenuptial agreement that both parties could not file for divorce within the first five years of their marriage. Enough time to grow and sell the stocks that people bought after their engagement announcement.

He chuckled at the sight of her head that was slightly bowed to hide the blush on her cheeks. Pinching her chin, he tilted her head so their eyes would meet. His heart slowed down when he met her hazel brown eyes that one could easily read. And then... the rest of the world went silent. 

Tristan grabbed the small of her back, smashing her body into his. This bride is his and his alone, sealing their ceremony with a kiss.

Releasing his breathless bride, he entwined their fingers and raised it up, goofily smiling to their open-mouthed, confused guests. 

All except for Ava, who tried her best to act just as surprised as the rest as possible. She hissed. What Olivia said came true: Not a single family member noticed that it wasn't her who was walking down the aisle.

"Why? Why is my grandson getting married to a fraud!!!!!" Yang Patriarch's heavy cane landed with a thud on the marble floor. He rubbed his c.h.e.s.t with his knuckles when a shooting pain spread across it.

The spectators fell silent, watching in anticipation and full attention as to how the sudden turn of events would end. Their eyes darted from the right where the Yang Family sat, then to the left where the Lin Family was.

From where he sat, by the aisle on the first pew, Henry Lin scrutinized the bride. He knew her. He knew her too well because he saw her grow up and sees her every day in Amelia's cabin.

Standing up to his full height, shame and indignation weighed heavily on his feet as he dragged his steps forward. "Alexa, what are you doing? Why? Why are you in Olivia's place?" 

Everybody peered at the bride, who took a shy step back and partly hid behind Tristan's broad back.

Alexa Lin. A daughter born out of a mistress. His former secretary, to be exact. He took her in when her mother died and turned her into a scholar of Lin Foundation. 

She dreamt of becoming a nurse in Australia someday, hoping to get as far away as possible from the clutches of Henry Lin. Unfortunately for her, he held her back after passing the licensure exam, and forced her to work as Amelia's nurse. The scholarship, he said, wasn't a scholarship but a student loan that she must repay with her labor.

"I…" Alexa trailed off, her hands wrung together. She scanned the cathedral and her gaze landed on the Lin Family. 

She saw them daily. They would smile and acknowledge her every time, thankful of how she took care of Amelia Lin. But today, all she got were hateful glares. The most painful biting one belonged to Henry Lin himself. "Father," she choked, her shoulders uncontrollably shook from fear.

As if the heavens heard her inner pleas, the priest cleared his throat and dispersed the tension in the air. She heaved a sigh of relief. However, what Alexa didn't know was, the priest thought she was calling out for his help when she said 'Father'.

The priest spoke, "My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may I remind you we are inside the house of the Lord and just witnessed the beautiful vows of our newly wedded couple. I suggest we settle our matters somewhere private."

Respecting the priest's words, it didn't take long for the people to file out of the cathedral and drive to the hotel where a banquet awaited them. No photos of the bride and groom were taken, nor photos with their family and friends. It was as if the wedding of the year didn't happen at all.

Inside their bridal car, along the way to the reception, Alexa burst into tears, burying her head in Tristan's pocket square. "I deserve this," she said. "I need to pay for my mother's sin. I deserve this."

Beside her, Tristan pulled her hands away from her face. "You're not paying for your mother's sin. You are paying for your sin. You drugged Amelia for years. Even when you said it was Henry's orders, you had a choice, and you chose to look away. Do not blame your mother for the things you brought to yourself. You are lucky, Olivia gave you a way out because she's as desperate as you are."

Retracting her hand, Alexa wailed once more, burying her face in the smudged pocket square. "What should I do next? I can't face them. You saw it too, how they killed me with their eyes."

"Let me do the talking. They won't listen to you anyway. We're here. Fix yourself." He grasped the pocket square away from her hands and sloppily wiped her face with it.

"Aray!" she slapped his hand and glared at him when he scrubbed her face too hard for her liking. She snatched the linen from him, startling him. "Let me do it. You will scratch my face."

Tristan snorted and patted her head. "As expected of a Lin lady. Crying one second, crazy the next."

Inside the private room of the reception, all the immediate family members of the Lin and Yang family were present. Despite the room being crowded, one could hear a pin drop. Everyone remained tightlipped.

"Care to explain who this young lady is, Henry?" Tristan's father asked. "Seeing the two of you side by side, you do have similarities. Did you plan all this? Bait your daughter and on the last minute, exchange her with a mutt?"

"Dad, watch your words. Please. She's my wife now. If you insult her, you're insulting me too," Tristan defended Alexa.

"Everybody calm down." Henry waved an envelope in the air. "And thankfully, she's not your legal wife, Tristan." In full confidence, he pulled the doc.u.ments and passed it to Tristan's father. But the smile on his face dissolved when an insidious laughter filled the air. 

"I have no words for the Lin Family. You even pulled a string to change the name on the marriage certificate. Alexa Lin? So I guessed it correctly. A bastard. And I see your former secretary's name as her mother. Is this why you were rushing the wedding?"

"No, Olivia signed that earlier. What nonsense are you spouting, Mr. Yang!" He shakily reached out for the doc.u.ment and saw for himself the words written and signed on it. He fished out the prenuptial agreement inside the envelope and just like the marriage certificate, it all bore Alexa's name. 

"Great acting, Henry. I'm sure your father is rolling over his grave over your audacity for making a joke out of our family. The Yang Family who stood behind the Lin Family for decades! You…" Patriarch Yang clutched his c.h.e.s.t, squeezing his cane for extra support. "You will pay for this, Henry."

Tristan scanned the room, his eyes pierced through every single soul it landed. Everyone held their breaths upon seeing him take a deep sigh. "I'm not against marrying Alexa. She's a Lin by blood, so I'm still married to one. Knowing Uncle Henry, he would certainly keep his end of the bargain. Right, Uncle?" Tristan threw a serious look at Henry who nodded his head.

"Absolutely, you have my word." 

Tristan shrugged. He offered his hand to Alexa and the newly wedded couple headed to the door. He wanted the celebrations to end so he could go back and curl on his bed. But just as they reached the threshold, Tristan turned towards the corner where the Lin Family were cl.u.s.tered like mushrooms and scoffed. 

Voicing out a piece of his mind, he said, "But do you know what upsets me the most? It's the fact that nobody noticed it wasn't her under the veil in the first place."

Meanwhile, up in the Notios Estate, the whole staff dashed towards the mansion's doors to receive Queen Isla. She rushed to Maxen's place upon hearing of his arrival for she knew he wouldn't take lightly the news of Olivia's engagement.

"Is Maxen home?" she asked the butler.

"Not yet, Your Majesty. Jack sent word that they made a detour to the cathedral." The butler gulped as he felt the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

Absentmindedly walking towards Maxen's study, she rummaged her mind with random possibilities of what Maxen would pull off in the cathedral.

Queen Isla took a sharp breath, squinting her eyes. She used the key Maxen gave her so she could enter his private study anytime she wanted.

To her surprise, she saw someone she never thought of ever seeing.