Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Chapter 2: Substitute Bride

Before she could leave, Elizabeth held her back. "Im not joking. You have to do this, please. I’ll pay!"

"This is absurd," Ruby said firmly, shaking her head as she started to pace the room. "I don’t even know Stefan. I’ve been out of town for years—I only came back for this wedding. You all know that," Ruby said incredulously.

Elizabeth Winters stood tall, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, her desperation barely concealed beneath her composed expression. "You don’t have to know him, Ruby. You just have to be his wife. Just for a year."

Ruby turned sharply, her heart pounding. "A year? That’s not a short time! You’re asking me to pretend to be Ivy for an entire year! To put my life on hold for an entire year? That’s impossible!" She looked at her mother, Regina Quinn, expecting her to back her up. "Tell her this is insane, Mom."

Regina opened her mouth, but no words came out. She glanced between Ruby and Elizabeth, her expression torn.

Elizabeth took a step closer, her voice gentler but no less firm. "Stefan’s surgery is scheduled in a year. Once his eyesight is restored, you can leave. By then, he’ll be strong enough to handle the truth. I don’t mind paying you just to be his substitute bride, please."

Ruby shook her head again. "No, I—I can’t. Paying me doesn’t change the fact that I have a life of my own. A boyfriend," she added, though Elizabeth could see the lie in that.

Elizabeth’s sharp gaze flickered with doubt. "Do you?"

Ruby faltered for a second but lifted her chin. "Yes."

Elizabeth let out a slow breath, clearly unconvinced, but she didn’t press. Instead, she changed tactics. "You don’t understand what this will do to Stefan if he finds out Ivy abandoned him because he’s blind. He loves her. He trusts her. If he realizes she left him at the altar because of his condition..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "He might never recover from that kind of betrayal."

Ruby swallowed hard. "I understand but it’s still not my problem."

is!" she hissed, her poised demeanor slipping as her desperation took over. "Do you know how

that, Regina stiffened. "Elizabeth—" f\ree

her off, her voice ice-cold, "I will terminate every

the room as Regina and Ruby processed

her mother. Regina was visibly shaken, her face pale. She knew what that would

step back. "I don’t want to do this. But I won’t let my son be humiliated like this. Your daughter put us in this situation so you’ll have to

she turned and walked out, leaving

to her mother, her stomach twisting. "You

with something

you expect me to marry him and pretend to be his wife simply because he’s

You’re the eldest, and our family’s future is at stake. You simply can’t stand here and have us all fall back to square zero.

Ruby

forever. While you’re with Stefan, I’ll look for Ivy. I’ll bring her back,

don’t even know where

I don’t find her, it’ll be for just a year. You’ll get paid and can use the money to do something tangible so we don’t have to rely on the Winters in the future. Please,

eyes, fighting the lump in her throat. This wasn’t just about her anymore. If she refused, her family would suffer. The business, her parents’ reputation, everything

sharply, pressing her trembling fingers

was wrong. So, so wrong

Ruby met her gaze and forced out the words that

"I’ll do it."