My Stand-In Groom Is A Secret Tycoon by Lydia Pierce

'Wait a sec. Why would I be scared of this guy? He's just some poor dude acting tough with his words. There's really nothing to worry about,' Sophie thought. Taking a deep breath, Sophie steeled herself and shot back, "You think you're so tough, but honestly, you're just a parasite. Are you really going to try and hurt me?" As soon as she said that, she felt a wave of icy stares filled with disgust and intimidation hitting her. It was like someone was gripping her throat, making her feel stiff.

But she didn't want to back down in front of Audrey, so she pushed on, "You're just a stingy loser trying to make a scene, coming to a nice place like this. Don't you even-"

Audrey was fed up with Sophie and was about to defend Alistair when someone suddenly came out from inside. "Excuse me, are you Mr. Hayes?" The gentle but firm voice cut through the tension.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man in a suit with a manager's badge.

He looked at Alistair with genuine respect, and as soon as he confirmed his identity, he bowed slightly and said, "Why are you queuing outside, Mr. Hayes? We've got a private room ready for you inside. You can dine whenever you like." That made everyone around them pause and look at Alistair in shock, wondering who he was. The restaurant manager came out to greet him personally and arranged a private room. Not many people in Riverdale got treated like that. Sophie was the most surprised. She thought the manager must have made a mistake and snapped, "John, I have to wait in line, so what makes this poor guy special enough for a private room?

"I've dropped over 200 thousand dollars here just this month. Why are you treating your customers differently?"

with that, you could always recharge 3.5 million dollars for a VIP membership, and then you could skip the line, too." But even then, she still might not be able

lashed out at him, wondering if he was trying to rob

this restaurant was, no

dollars for just a VIP? What about

eyed Audrey more jealously. She had thought Audrey stumbled upon a kept man, but now it seemed like she'd

completely baffled. 'Wait, how did Alistair

Audrey's shoulder and walking in. In the

ask, "How

not someone who was rolling in money. If he really was a low-key rich guy playing the flash marriage game with her, then... Audrey's mind raced, and her expression

didn't often come to Riverdale. The house he was staying in, the car he drove, even the membership card - all

huh? Guess I was overthinking it. What kind of wealthy guy would play the game of pretending to be broke?' Audrey felt a wave of relief but couldn't help but be curious. "What kind of friend? I can't believe