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CHAPTER 3

"Is this some kind of dream?" Lia asked no one in particular as she staggered backwards holding a chair just in time before she fell.

"I am perfectly aware of this situation, it's real-life."

Even his voice sounded robotic and stoic. She was definitely dreaming, she had to be. That would mean she had misheard when he proposed, she takes her mother's place and get married to him instead.

"Of course Lia, it's a dream. Wake up now!" She chided herself and pinched herself yelping at the pain. She gasped and hung on to the chair for support as her legs turned to jelly.

She wasn’t dreaming, it was all real. Her mother was nowhere to be found and her mother's fiancée had just asked her to stand-in for her.

"Time is of the essence Amelia. I have important matters to attend to so I suggest we get to it." Fernando reminded her, staring at his wristwatch unaware and seemingly unbothered by her state of distress.

This can't be happening. Lia shook her head violently, too shocked to scream or cry. She wasn't sad or worried at this moment, no she was shocked.

"How can you even ask me to do such a thing? Did you even love my mother?"

Fernando shrugged, not making a move to deny her claim or provide an answer to it. He was a shadow of the man she used to know. "Your mother has chosen her own path but there are consequences for such behavior. I am the victim in this situation."

He took two steps towards her and she moved back suddenly, afraid of this man. This man couldn't be the same one she had come to know and love for her mother.

"It's my wedding and I got stood up by the woman who was supposed to be my wife. This isn't some Harlequin novel where the man lets everything go and let the media speculate about the details. I won't let my name be dragged through the mud by your mother. Since I was never good enough for her then it's good riddance to her."

"Have you even considered that she might have been kidnapped from here?"? Lia fired, anger boiling inside her.

"Have you also considered that maybe your mother ran off?" He fired back, maintaining eye contact with her the whole time. "Have you considered that the only victim in this situation is me and I need help getting out of this?"

Lia sighed and ran her hands through her hair. Surely there were other more logical ways to sort this out. Marriage? That was absurd. For heaven's sake he was her mother's fiancée!

"And no, there is no other way. The only solution would have been for your mother to show up out of the blue and fix this problem she created."

"She can't because she was kidnapped." Lia snapped but he ignored her and continued talking.

"The only thing to do now is find someone else that would take her place. Who else other than her doppelg?nger? The one that looks so much like her people call her the sister?"

"You're really serious about this." Lia noted, the shock evident in her tone. He wasn't bluffing, he actually wanted her to take her mother's place at the altar and be Mrs. Fernando.

"I hardly joke around Amelia, especially not with serious situations that are life threatening." He replied and she scoffed.

How was this life threatening? He wouldn't be the first man to be left at the altar and he certainly wasn't going to be the last. What was the big deal?

"There is no life threatening situation here. With all due respect, I think you are exaggerating the situation a little too much."

She wasn't feeling sorry for him anymore. If her mother did run off on him - which she didn't - then it served him right.

"It's life threatening to me because my reputation is at stake. I have told you the only solution available."

"How can you ask me to marry you? You're too old for me!"

Fernando chuckled and placed a hand ok his chest, feigning hurt. "Now I'm hurt. I'm 40, and you I know a lot of young's girls would be on their knees asking to marry me. I am filthy rich, handsome and still young." He made sure to stress the word young.

Amelia snorted in disgust. How had he hidden this side of himself from them all for the last three years?

"I can't marry you Fernando, it's impossible. Besides you're my mother's fiancée."

Fernando inched closer to her and grabbed her hand. Amelia squealed in shock and fright struggling to pull away. "I'm not asking young lady." His tone had switched from nice to devilish in a matter of minutes. "After what your mother has done, someone has to pay for the consequences."

Lia was starting to shake now. Her teeth was rattling and her legs were shaking uncontrollably. "Please don't do this."

"Quiet!"

Lia shuts up immediately not wanting to provoke him further. Why wasn't Jane here?

"Your mother has disgraced me and embarrassed me. Even if I get married to you, it's not going to stop the media from speculating. Intact it's going to heighten their urge to dig for dirt. They won't stop until they find out why."

"Then why do you want me to marry you? Please let me go."

His hold on her arm tightened and Lia winced in pain. "To punish you." He let go of her after a few minutes and Lia took this as an opportunity to put enough distance between herself and him.

Who was this man and what had he done to sweet Mr Fernando?

There was silence in the room now and Lia tried to wrap her head around everything that had happened in the last few hours. The time for the wedding was long gone. What was he going to do? Reschedule? Or make up some excuse?

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