Chapter 2

Mr. President's Substitute Wife

Three years before…

Willow stood in front of the room, her shawl slipping off her shoulders, and a small smile on her lips. "Sophia, I'm here to get you, it's time," she called out, her eyes dazzling with excitement at the thought of her younger sister getting married. Everyone had been exceptionally excited and happy about this wedding between Sophia and Alejandro Holdings. It had been anticipated, especially because of the partnership between her family and the Holdings. The Holdings were the largest hotelier in the country with chains of hotels and restaurants under them. Their father had been overjoyed at the thought of Sophia getting married to Alejandro Holdings. The preparations had been going on for months now, leading up until today, the final day of the ceremony.

"Sophia, can I come in?" Willow voiced out more loudly than before, but she got no response. She looked around, back and forth before pulling the doorknob open, finally stepping into the room.

Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw the chair by the dressing mirror vacant. "Sophia? I'm here to get you. Father asked that I bring you out already," she called out again, looking around the rather scattered room. The bed was filled with suitcases opened and filled with clothes, shoes, and even makeup. Sophia had insisted that she would do her makeup for the day. Willow looked towards the bathroom, leaning closer to the door in case the other was in there, but she heard nothing.

"Sophia!" She called out a little louder than intended. It was weird, though. Sophia wouldn't just leave her room for no good reason. Willow held the hem of her yellow dress in her hands as she walked towards the bathroom door. She knocked on the door twice and still didn't hear a thing.

"Sophia," she called out again, this time pulling the door open. She looked inside the bathroom and didn't see her sister. She stepped back, confused now. Mother had specifically given orders for Sophia to stay in the room; she wasn't to be seen by any of her in-laws as it was some tradition in the family, something about it being passed down from generation to generation like that. Sophia wouldn't break whatever mother said purposefully. Willow was certain of that.

Willow walked back to the room, confusion setting deep inside her bones now. She hurried towards the door, her eyes filled with slight panic as she gestured at one of the guards outside the room.

"Has the bride stepped out?" she asked carefully. The guard instead looked confused, his mouth opened like a gaping fish, and he shook his head slowly.

"I'm not sure," he finally let out.

Willow smiled tightly, nodding her head. "Thank you, you can go back to your post now," she said and shut the door close again, panic settling inside of her fully. She ran her fingers through her neatly carded brown hair, digging out her phone immediately.

Mother had given stern orders that she look after Sophia today. She was supposed to make sure the other didn't leave the room no matter how much she wanted to see her groom, Alejandro. Willow paused when she noticed a roughly torn paper sitting on the table with a remote placed on it, keeping it from flying away. She slowly lowered her hand, walking towards the table. She picked up the paper, her eyes quickly going over the words written on it.

A little gasp escaped her lips, her eyes widened dramatically as she read the letter. 'I'm sorry, but I can't go through with this wedding. I'm leaving, don't search for me.' The letter read. It was short and callous, yet there it was. Sophia had written this and vanished all of a sudden. Willow swallowed hard, placing the paper back to where it had been.

She walked to the door and opened it again, beckoning on the guard from before. "Can you ask my mother and father to please come? Sophia would like a word," she said, her voice cracking slightly. She closed the door and stepped back, taking a deep breath.

What had Sophia just done?

~

It didn't take time. Her parents walked into the room full of smiles, her mother, Jasmine, and her father, Mitchel, both stepped into the room, eyes filled with excitement, waiting to speak to Sophia.

"Sophia darling, it's time you come-" The words died down her mother's throat, her eyes darting around for her darling Sophia. Her smile dropped at the sight of her, Willow. Willow's eyes darted between the two fearfully, she passed the paper to them. They didn't take it from her.

"Where is Sophia? I know she asked for the two of us," Jasmine spat out, her eyes quickly clouding with irritation at the sight of Willow. She wrapped her arms around her chest.

"I-" Willow stammered, swallowing hard, she pushed the paper forward.

"Sophia left something," she replied instead, not missing the confusion that coated her parents' eyes at her words. Her father was quick to snatch the paper from her hands, his eyes glazing through the few words written on the paper.

"What is this?" He snapped angrily just as Jasmine snatched the paper from him, reading through it too.

"Is this a joke because it's a very unfunny one. I get it, some pre-wedding jittery and whatever, but I'm not doing this. Get Sophia out here this minute!" Mitchel nearly screamed, his hands tightened into a fist, veins nearly popping out. It wasn't some joke.

"I agree with your father! Come out now, Sophia! You've got us, but we can't delay further. The Hodmings are here and seated waiting for the bride," Jasmine called out too.

Willow shook her head slowly, her shoulders hunched. "Sophia had truly gone. I came in here to get her, and instead, I got this note. I- she's not hiding anywhere because she isn't here. She left," Willow said with a trembling voice.

Jasmine scoffed, she threw the paper at Willow and walked to the bathroom, calling out for Sophia, and got nothing in response. She looked around, eyes filled with fright. She got on her knees, looking for Sophia even under the bed.

"She has to be somewhere around here. Sophia knows just what is at stake for us if she pulls this kind of prank," she laughed, panic embedded in her laughter.

"We get it now, come out now, Sophia!" She called out again, searching for the other around the room manically.

Mitchel looked at Willow, his eyes hardening with every second of his stare. "Sophia truly left and she dropped that message?" He asked.

"Yes, father."

This got Jasmine to stop searching around, she stood up, her dress painted with dust from kneeling down, and her face turned beet red at the confirmation, hands folded into a tight fist. She marched up to Willow, dragging the other to face her, giving her no time to adjust. She hit her tightly across the cheek. It stung.

"One thing, Willow! Just one thing, and you couldn't do that. Take care of Sophia, and even that you failed woefully. You're such a disgrace to the family, how could I have entrusted such a task with your kind because you apparently cannot look after Sophia!" Jasmine's words hung in the air, a heavy tension enveloping the room. Willow, still reeling from the shock, touched her stinging cheek, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Mother…"

"Don't mother me!" She growled out, turning to face Mitchel. "Your lowlife of a daughter just made the worst mistake she could ever do. This is the most important merging in our family, and this is what she does? She loses Sophia? How are we going to face the Holdings? They'll have our heads on a stake for this humiliation. Do you understand how deep in trouble we are in? We have been fucked, and it's all thanks to this thing you call a daughter," she nearly screamed, her chest heaving heavily like she's run a marathon.

None of her insults were new to Willow as it was a daily and constant remark. Willow trembled with fear, her eyes filled with tears, she looked at her father with the tiniest bit of hope. "Father, I didn't…" she didn't get to finish her words.

Mitchel looked away from her at once, his eyes on Jasmine. "It's okay. We don't have to lose face and humiliate the Holdings right now. Willow will stand in for Sophia at the altar," he declared easily.

"WHAT?" Willow and Jasmine both yelled at the same moment. Mitchel only cocked an eyebrow up unimpressed. "You will replace Sophia at the altar and get married to Alejandro Holdings until we find your sister," he said again as though it was supposed to make some sort of sense.

"How is she supposed to do that? Sophia's shoes are rather wide to fill," Jasmine said again.

"Considering it's your fault Sophia could even leave in the first place. This is the least you can do to save our family's name. The minute the Holdings find out what has happened. That will be the last of us and this luxury you enjoy," he spat out unreasonably.

Willow stood there stunned to her core. 'Luxury you enjoy?' What luxury? She wanted to scream.

"And after? How do we sort out the Holdings after?" Jasmine asked, her voice slowly going calm as though she was considering the option. Willow's eyes widened, panic settling in her bones.

"I- I can't. This is too much, Father. I can't. Let's come clean to them. Let's-"

"Shut your mouth, you ingrate. All of these wouldn't be happening if you had done what was asked of you. This isn't your choice, it's an order that you will carry out," Mitchel snapped angrily, his eyes darting back to his wife whose arms were now crossed against her chest.

"We will cross that bridge once we get there, but at least Willow and Alejandro will be hitched and that too with the media present," he said.

Mitchel slipped his hands into his pocket, her glances at Willow's hunched form. "Make her look presentable and bring her out for the wedding. I'll give them some excuse to buy time. Have her ready in two minutes if you may and cover that up," he pointed at the finger marks on her cheeks.

Willow watched with tears as her father stepped out of the room, leaving her alone with Jasmine. She gulped thickly, looking at her mother.

"Now, let's get ready. We won't have another Sophia's case happen, will we? Don't worry though, Sophia will have her place back once we find her. She's just going through a phase," Jasmine said, grabbing Willow by the arm and dragging her towards the chair by the dressing mirror. "It's time to have you substitute for Sophia."

~

Willow stood at the very end of the aisle, her father, Mitchel, beside her, a thick veil covering her face so no one could see her, but instead, she could see them. She gulped nervously, her palms clammy with sweat as they walked down the aisle. Alejandro stood by the altar in his black tuxedo, a smile on his face.

That's right, he's waiting for Sophia.

Willow had only seen the man twice in the whole wedding planning process, and even in those two times, she'd spoken to him just once when she uttered 'hello' to him. The man was tall, she'd give it to him. Now, he stood some feet away from her with an overwhelming commanding presence. His broad shoulders exuded confidence. His chiseled jawline framed a face sculpted by handsome features. A mane of dark, wavy hair fell in a carefully tousled manner.

"Don't let him lift your veil here, no matter how much he tries or wants to," her father warned quietly. Willow stiffened when her hand was placed into the man's. Her heartbeat tripled, in the meanwhile as the priest read out the Bible and verses. She couldn't hear a word, her eyes darting around, waiting for Sophia to show up and giggle about how it was a big prank. Sweat beads formed around her forehead, fear almost paralyzing her to the core.

Willow lowered her eyes as the rings were brought out to be slipped into each other's fingers, she gulped hard again, praying to every god in the universe to bring Sophia back.

They didn't.

"Do you, Alejandro Holdings, take Sophia as your wife to love and to obey till death do you part?" The priest voiced out.

"I do," Alejandro said.

"Do you, Sophia Anderson, take Alejandro as your husband, to love and to obey till death do you part?" The man said. Willow gulped hard, looking back to the audience, their eyes all wide and anticipating her answer so they could conclude the wedding. Willow looked at the entrance once again, hoping to see Sophia right at the door just in time to stop this from happening. She didn't come.

"I do."

"With the power vested in me, I pronounce you wife and man. You may now kiss your bride." The words echoed in her head over and over again, clashing with her father's own warning. Panic filled her entire being, it was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Willow's eyes darted to her father and mother sitting in the first row, they also looked tight and uncomfortable. Willow quickly faked a cough right at that moment. It didn't deter Alejandro, though. He shook his head, his eyes filled with adoration towards her. Willow wondered for a brief second why Sophia would ever leave someone who looked at her so tenderly.

Alejandro slowly lifted her veil, his eyes sparkling with excitement, lips curled with a smile. Willow squeezed her eyes shut, her nerves nearly shooting up the roof as the veil was lifted finally. She opened her eyes to see Alejandro staring at her with the most disgusted expression she'd ever been given.