Da Silva's Bride

She sucked in a breath. "I'd say it's very good for my first time on a horse,” she said and looked over her shoulder.

Their eyes met and they connected for a long moment. She was so close that all he had to do was move his head forward to kiss that tempting mouth of hers, but he didn't.

He was trying to figure out what was so intriguing about her, especially her eyes.

Dio! (God)

He didn't like this one bit.

"Stop looking at me like that, " Xavier warned, coldly.

Amanda and Alisha are identical twins. Alisha is betrothed to Xavier Da Silva, a powerful Italian man. She's upset by his ruthlessness and vows to deal with him by running away.

This caused their money hungry mother, Isobel, to force Amanda to become Xavier's bride until Alisha is found.

It started as a harmless little ruse, but will it end up being more?

Xavier Da Silva looked at the woman standing across the room trying on her wedding dress. He knew she would be no different from her social peers in their privileged circles in Italy—rich and spoiled. She was paler than her contemporaries, but he guessed that came from her English father. Her mother, Isobel Christofedes Miller, was Italian through and through. His brain felt slightly fuzzy around the edges and he cursed himself mentally. No amount of whiskey was going to help him out of this predicament or the feeling of entrapment he'd live with for years.

Alisha Miller spun around to see her soon-to-be-husband.

"I like this dress, Xavier. Does it look good on me?"

He nodded nonchalantly.

"Can't you for once say I look beautiful or that I'm pretty?"

"You're beautiful," he said, sarcastically.

"Xavier..."

"Don't make a big deal out of this! You should be glad that I'm here with you. Wrap the dress up and meet me outside." With that, he stood up and walked away.

Alisha's fist clenched.

Xavier slowly came to a halt in front of her house.

Alisha moved closer to kiss him, but he shot her a warning look that made her retreat.

"We're getting married in two days. Can't we act like a couple already?"

"We’ll do everything you want once we’re married."

"If you don't want this marriage, then why are you pushing through with it?" she asked, frustrated.

"Don't act as if you're reluctant to get married to me. You want this marriage more than I do. When your father sold your family's resort to mine, he rewrote your destiny." His month thinned into a bitter line. "They both got what they wanted... your father got money from the sale and a watertight marriage agreement with the assurance that the resort would return to the family once the marriage was complete."

Alisha rolled her eyes. "Why are you reminding me of this?"

"You need that resort back to save your family's company from bankruptcy, so don't act as if you truly care about me. I can't stop this wedding even if I wanted to. The wedding must hold."

He held her chin and tilted it up roughly.

"Don't worry. I'll spoil you with money because that's what you want, you little thing." His gaze was insulting.

Tears stung her eyes.

"You don't know me, Xavier. I'm full of surprises," she slammed back and got out of his car. As soon as she took out the parcel containing the wedding dress, he sped off.

Alisha angrily walked into the house. She dumped the dress on the floor and screamed.

Who did he think he was? He had no right to insult her just because she found him attractive. Why was she even drawn to an arrogant and cold-hearted jerk?

Isobel walked in.

"I heard you screaming. What is it?"

"Mother, I can't marry him," Alisha replied, sitting on a chaise lounge.

"Why? I thought you liked him?"

"Even so, I don't want him to think he can just snap his fingers, and everything will fall into place. I want him to find me expensive, not cheap."

Isobel sighed, walking closer to her.

"Don't worry, dear. Everything will be okay once you two get..."

"I want to delay this wedding. I just want him to see—"

A hot slap stung her left cheek. She held her face, staring at her mother in disbelief.

"You aren't delaying anything. Don't you know how much his family hates scandals? You want to delay a wedding that everyone already knows about? A wedding that in two days! You should be happy his father chose you for someone like Xavier. Other than getting our resort back, we would never go broke again. This is a golden opportunity. I don't care how Xavier treats you...a plaything...a slave...I don't care. You are getting married to him the day after tomorrow and nothing—I repeat nothing—will change that," Isobel said, sternly.

Tears rolled down Alisha's cheeks. She would be Xavier's bride, but first he had to know that she was priceless.

***

Miguel walked into the kitchen to find Isobel preparing lunch.

"Good day, ma," he greeted politely.

Isobel turned to face him and smiled.

"I thought you wouldn't show up to wish Alisha a happy married life."

"I wouldn't miss that for anything," he said mildly and sat on a stool. "Amanda wanted to visit her father's grave so I accompanied her."

Isobel placed a cup of coffee on the table.

"I thought she'd never return to Italy."

Miguel grinned. "Well, she said she likes it better here and she's doing really well."

"Did you tell her about the wedding?"

"I did," Miguel said. "But I'm not sure if she'll be attending."

"She doesn't have to. Enough talk about that little devil. I just wish I could speed up time. Once everything has been signed at the wedding, I'm filling this house up with servants. It'll be like before," she said dreamily.

Miguel rolled his eyes. This woman would never change.

"Where's Alisha?"

"Up in her bedroom, I guess. She's pretty mad that I hit her yesterday. I was only trying to bring her back to her senses."

Miguel sighed. "What did she do?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Isobel snapped.

“Before I freshen up, let me say hello to the bride."

"The very beautiful bride," she added proudly.

Miguel shook his head and walked off.

About five minutes later, Miguel’s voice echoed through in the house. "You have to come in here now!"

Isobel hurried upstairs and rushed into Alisha's room. She looked around.

"Where's she?"

"I don't know, but the room was empty when I got here, and I found this," he said handing her a piece of paper.

Isobel shakily took it from him and stared at the paper as shockwaves rolled through her body.

"Mother,

I know you'll be disappointed when you get this, furious even. But I can't get married to Xavier when he sees me as a spoilt brat. He should respect me. My decision to delay this wedding will make him realize that I'm a jewel and I should be cherished. I'm not coming back until he learns to treat me like a queen."

Isobel's body almost slumped to the floor, but Miguel quickly caught her.

"Alisha has killed me,” she choked out.

"If this is what she wants, I think you should understand. Everyone knows Xavier is a ruthless billionaire. This isn't her fault."

Isobel pushed him on the chest forcefully enough that he almost fell.

"Who runs away a day before her wedding? This is a catastrophe! If the wedding doesn't hold tomorrow, I'll lose everything. I'll be thrown out of this house. This senseless child of mine has ruined everything!" she yelled tearfully.

At that moment, her cellphone rang. She stared at it and froze.

"It's Xavier."

"You should tell him Alisha ran away," Miguel advised.

"I can't tell him. We still have some time to find her." She cleared her throat and picked up the phone.

"Why isn't Alisha picking up my calls?" he yelled.

"She...she went out to get some groceries but forgot her phone."

"She should have taken it with her! Doesn't she know that I might call? Is she back?"

"No."

"When she gets back, I want you to pass this message to her. Yesterday, she seemed really pissed saying that she is full of surprises. If she dares tries anything funny at the wedding tomorrow, my family will call off the wedding instantly. You know what you stand to lose, don't you, Mrs. Miller?"

Isobel swallowed the thick lump on her throat.

"She won't do anything that would ruin your reputation, Xavier," she assured him, and he hung up.

Miguel heaved a sigh of confusion. "Your daughter just ran away and you're telling Xavier that she won't do anything to ruin his reputation?"

"We have to find her today."

"What if we don't find her? What if she left the country already? Can we find her then in just a few hours?"

Isobel frantically paced up and down the room. This marriage had to happen. Nothing would ruin her plans...absolutely nothing. If she didn't find Alisha by the end of today then...

"You said Amanda is in town, right?"

Miguel froze. "You can't possibly want her to—"

"Right now, I would do anything possible, even if it means killing a person. Someone has to walk down the aisle and marry Xavier Da Silva tomorrow!"