Betrayed by Him, Wanted by His Brother

Synopsis

The cathedral bells tolled like a death knell as I stood frozen at the threshold, my pulse hammering against the constricting corset of my designer gown. This was supposed to be my coronation—the day I finally earned my parents' pride by securing the Garcia dynasty's golden heir. "Smile, Victoria," my mother Eleanor hissed through veneered teeth, her manicured fingers digging into my arm. "The press cameras are rolling." I forced my lips upward, the expression cracking like porcelain. Even now, drenched in millions of dollars worth of silk and diamonds, I was still just a pawn in their social chess game. "Remember why we're here," my father muttered, adjusting his tie with a jerk. "This merger makes or breaks our family." Merger. Not wedding. The word slithered through my veins like ice. Then the doors opened. The scent of two thousand white roses hit me first—cloying, suffocating. Crystal chandeliers threw fractured light over three hundred judgmental faces. And there, at the end of the endless aisle, stood William Garcia in his custom Brioni tuxedo, his smile not reaching his cold, calculating eyes. Something was wrong. My satin heels sank into the carpet as if it were quicksand. Halfway down, I realized Chloe's seat stood empty. My maid of honor. My only friend. "If anyone objects to this union..." the priest's voice boomed. William's grip on my hand turned clammy. "I can't do this." His whisper detonated like a grenade in the sacred silence. The crowd gasped as he recoiled from me—from us—as if