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

Chapter 1 Married Someone Else

[Audrey, Guess what? Dominic is in my bed right now.]

When Audrey Rhodes received that text from Eliza Harper, she was standing in her wedding dress, getting ready

for her big day. The message hit her like a punch to the gut.

Just moments away from saying "I do," and the man she was about to marry was wrapped up in another

woman's sheets. And that woman was her best friend.

It felt like a vice gripping her heart, making it tough to catch her breath. But somehow, she managed to keep her

cool and called Dominic Hayes.

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before Dominia finally picked up. His voice was ice cold. "Eliza

needsright now, so we're going to have to delay the wedding. I'll make it up to you afterwards."

The words "make it up" landed like a heavy anchor on her heart. It was all real-while everyone was waiting for

the ceremony to start, Dominic was actually with someone else.

Audrey couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. Her wedding was about to kick off in front of all their friends and

family, and her future husband had left her to handle that chaos by herself.

Feeling utterly defeated, Audrey dialed another number. "Mom, where are you and Dad? Why aren't you here

yet?"

"Audrey, I'm really sorry, but Eliza suddenly fell ill. We might not make it," said Fiona Rhodes.

Hearing that made Audrey's heart drop. Just three days ago, her parents had seen the birthmark on Eliza's back

while Eliza was trying on bridesmaid dresses. That was when they realized Eliza was their real daughter. Audrey

had hoped that after twenty years of bonding, her family wouldn't turn their backs on her. But it turned out she

was wrong.

She thought her family would always have her back. But now, at the worst moment possible, they had

completely abandoned her.

Audrey felt completely out of place, not even sure how she ended up at the wedding venue. Standing in front of

the hall, surrounded by smiling guests and the lively atmosphere, she couldn't shake off the ache in her heart-it

felt like it was tearing her apart. At that moment, she made a bold choice. She walked up to the stage and

grabbed the microphone. "Hey everyone, I'm really sorry, but the groom has a bit of a situation and might not be

able to make it.

"So, I'm wondering if anyone here would be willing to marryright now. If so, let's do this!"

As soon as she finished speaking, it was like someone dropped a bomb in the room.

"What just happened? Did the groom really bail?"

"Seems like it. Otherwise, why would the bride be asking for a marriage proposal on the spot?"

"Even if he ran off, is it really necessary to ask someone else to marry her right here? Everyone here is

connected to the bride and groom in sway. This is super awkward."

Audrey realized her idea was pretty out there, but there was no turning back now. Just when the tension in the

room hit its peak, a tall guy stood up. "I'll marry you," he said, his deep voice cutting through the silence.

The shock wave rippled through the crowd. No one expected anyone to actually step up and say they'd marry

her like that.

"Who's this guy?"

"Honestly, no clue. | haven't seen him before. He doesn't look like he's from Riverdale's elite crowd."

With the Rhodes and Hayes families getting hitched today, all eyes were on the high-profile guests-celebrities

and dignitaries from Riverdale. This mysterious guy clearly wasn't on their radar.

Maybe he was sVIP they had just never met, or perhaps he was just an outsider who accidentally wandered

into the party.

"Isn't he sitting with the other guys? Sguest from the Hayes family?" For a moment, curiosity buzzed around

the room like crazy.

When Audrey spotted the man who suddenly stood up, she felt a bit taken aback. He had a face that stood out-

sharp eyebrows, a straight nose, and an overall strong presence that seemed to make people around him a little

intimidated. Standing at 5'5" in her high heels, Audrey only reached his collarbone.

Honestly, this guy was way more handsthan Dominic. He didn't look like someone on a hunt for a wife.

Audrey couldn't help but wonder if he had shidden secret that was keeping him off the market.

But right now, that wasn't Audrey's focus. She was determined to get married today and use it as a chance to

break away from the Rhodes family.

Taking a deep breath, she studied the man for a moment and then asked, her voice steady but assertive, "Are

you really willing to marry me?" She feared he was just flirting with her.

In the crowd, the man met her gaze, his eyes intense and steady. "I never joke about important things like this."

Curious, Audrey pressed, "And what's your name?"

"Alistair Hayes," he replied, his voice smooth and captivating.

Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Hayes? How are you related to Dominic?"

"I'm sort of like his little uncle," Alistair said.

"Little uncle?" Audrey arched an eyebrow.

"Just a distant relative," Alistair clarified, putting emphasis on the "distant."

That eased Audrey's mind a bit-"distant" meant no future worries, but she still couldn't help but reaffirm it.

"You're sure you won't regret it?"

"I don't have 'regret' in my vocabulary." Alistair's confidence was like a reassuring anchor for her.

"Alright, let's exchange rings then." Audrey popped open the ring box, slid the ring onto his finger, and instructed

him to do the same.

The handover was quick and simple, and both of them closed the rings on each other's hands. The emcee looked

a bit stunned, clearly caught off guard by such a casual ceremony.

"This is ridiculous. How can this whole marriage thing be so laid-back?"

"Is Audrey crazy? Her fiancé and the Hayes family didn't even show up. She shouldn't be going through with

this."

But Audrey brushed off all the chatter

around her. She turned to the guests,

: [1]

beaming, and pds (Ttariks

. H . : [

hs comiggIotie edding! Since I'm

arried to Alistair, from this point on,

f q q

| won't have any ties with the Rhodes

family from Riverdale. This ceremony

: ' : [1

is done, so let's kick off the banquet!

The banquet was already in full swing, but Dominic's parents were still on their way. About half an hour later, the

Hayes family's car finally rolled up in front of the wedding venue.

Zephyra Hayes was not thrilled about

this. As she got out of the car, she

yelled over to Francs Haves, ¢hold

ypugertastiEcso early. So

.r 1 1. .

at if we're late? If we don't give

f : |

Audrey a piece of my mind, she's

going to boss around as soon as she

: "

walks in our front door." The content

is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

To be honest, Zephyra had never liked Audrey much. She hadn't out any effort in the wedding, yet she still

wanted to maintain her authority on Audrey's big day. But now it seemed like their plans were falling apart.

When Francis and Zephyra walked

into the ballroom, they heard from

sguests that Audrey had left

with her new hushagd ordusidn set

infor thiirly as Shey realized that

f q oq

Audrey hadn't married Dominic but

had impulsively married someone

else instead. Zephyra was fuming

I" P .

and shouted, "That bitch is totally

disrespecting our family! | want to

' : "

see who she's marrying.” The content

is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

She grabbed Francis and rushed out of the banquet hall, just in tto spot Audrey in her wedding dress getting

into a car by the roadside. The guy next to her held the door open for her before hopping in as well.

By the tthey caught up, the car had already taken off. Zephyra was boiling with rage, stomping around in

frustration. Meanwhile, Francis seemed a bit dazed and chimed in, "Babe, don't you think that guy kinda looked

like Mr. Hayes?"

"Mr. Hayes? Alistair?" Zephyra shot him a look, shaking her head. "No way! Why would he show up here? You

must've seen it wrong."

Sure, they had sent invites to those distant relatives in Willowdale, but even the butler was reluctant to attend.

And Alistair was the youngest one running the Hayes family. It had to be a mistake. No way Audrey could

manage to hitch a ride with someone that important.