The Substitute Bride

Doris sat down on the sofa, and directed her sight toward Allen asking, "So... how is the thing going... the thing I asked you to do?"

"I'm on it. Everything is in progress!" confirmed Allen. He then proceeded to inquire, "How do you like the house? Our dinner's purpose today is mostly for you to take a look at the house. What do you think?"

"It will do," stated Doris, unimpressed. She glanced around the room again briefly and added, "The house itself is rather small but it's enough for the two of us."

"Yes, exactly! Good, I'm glad you like it!" Allen affirmed excitedly. A small sigh of relief followed his large smile.

However, the moment didn't last long as Doris began questioning him again, "So... When will we finalize the procedure?" She had her own agenda and wasn't about to postpone it.

"Procedure? What procedure?" inquired Allen nervously. He surely had a sense of where Doris was heading with that question but hoped to avoid the subject.

"Ownership transfer procedure, of course!" Doris replied without hesitation. She was surprised he was asking for clarifications. He should have known what she was talking about. To show that she wasn't messing around, Doris addressed the big elephant in the room directly, "Do not think that I don't know the owner of this house is still your sister. I'm telling you, the house needs to be in my name! I have to see it written on the certificate of title with my own eyes. Why can't she give it up already? A house like this in Y City is not for one person alone to live in! You are her brother, the man of the house, the one getting married and the one about to have a baby. You have more right to have it than her!"

Allen sputtered to say something, "Doris, I..." No words could come out, though. Intimidated by her angry expression, he quickly looked away hoping to avoid further conflict.

However, his attempt was futile; Doris was even more enraged by his gesture. "Allen Wang! Are you going to go back on your promise?" Her face turned red. She moved closer to him and started threatening, "I don't like to be played around like that. You have to keep your word. Otherwise, you will be sorry! I will have an abortion and you will never get to marry me!"

"No! No! No! Please don't!" begged Allen. He grabbed her hand as she was about to hit her belly. With a calm voice, he requested, "Take it easy, Doris. We have to do things step by

stared at each other for a few seconds in silence, until finally Peggy broke the ice, "Doris, I have an idea."

Assessing her words, she continued, "Let's hold the wedding ceremony first, in the style that you want it to be. It doesn't matter how much money it will cost, as long as you are pleased with it. After all, a wedding happens once in a lifetime and we must give you the best one. Your parents will also be happy for you.

Beside organizing the wedding according to your wishes, I'll also add eighty thousand dollars to your dowry. Nothing is more reliable than money in hand, right?

As for the house..." Peggy paused thinking of how to phrase it. The only thing she could do was to reassure her, "You don't need to worry about it. It will be yours for sure. Let's have the wedding ceremony first, as it is also better for your reputation. Don't you agree?"

"But," Doris tried to argue.

However, Peggy was riding on the momentum she had gained. "You have nothing to be concerned about. Take my offer. It's in your advantage. You realize it too, don't you?"

Confused, Doris replied, "Well... Let me think it over." An additional eighty thousand dollars was not something to be easily dismissed.

"No problem. Take your time to think it over," stated Peggy. Seeing Doris was still not convinced, Peggy decided to adopt another strategy. "You should also know that even though my family is not rich, my daughter does make a lot of money. If you are really uncomfortable marrying my son, I won't push you. I can assure you that there will be a lot of other girls for us to choose from!"