The alternative bride

CHAPTER 1- A halt to the wedding

Riya's POV

'NEHA WEDS SIDDARTH!' said the board hung near the floral gateway, welcoming the guests to the whimsical marriage of the decade. I sighed in glee as I marched toward the main entrance of the mansion.

"Dad, I am back just in time to attend the wedding" I squealed trying to surprise my father. Everyone looked at me shocked as if I was a creature of some other world. I stepped inside the house leaving my bags outside the door after noticing my father's worried face. As I continued ahead, I saw a spectacle that shocked me to my core. I saw Neha Di standing near the wedding dais holding the hand of the famous model Jayant Kumar.

Di was answering questions related to her sudden marriage to Jayant as both of them were surrounded by the media. I walked towards dad with a heavy heart and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He turned his gaze towards me and for the first time in my life, I saw the arrogance in his eyes missing. He looked at me with a blank face. His attention turned to Siddarth Roy, the groom-to-be, and his family who were confused and angry. He bowed his head in shame at the actions of his daughter.

"Dad, how did all this happen? How did the groom get exchanged, and when did the wedding take place?" I asked in a low voice full of confusion. He answered "I don't know how she eloped at night and came back with all this nuisance in the morning" in a similar tone.

"She said she is not a runaway bride and hence she will face the media and there she is standing in the middle of the crowd giving a chance to the world to laugh at me," he said.

I was confused but I decided to handle the situation carefully.

"Let's talk it out in the room dad," I said comforting him and he obliged. As we moved towards the room the Roy family followed us and Di along with Jayant also came behind us. The whole troupe seemed to be gathered in that large study room built near the hall. Before any of us could speak Di screamed "Wait, hear me out first". Everybody looked at her stunned.

"This marriage is a deal which I had to do to gain a contract with the fashion star Jayant Kumar. It's all for one year and then I can leave him and return to the love of my life, Siddarth. Can't you guys even wait for me for a year to improve my modeling career?" she shouted. Then Di turned to Siddarth and said "Trust me, I will come back to you. One year is all it takes, and then we can live happily. Please wait for me for a year, baby".

"Don't nag him as I don't like my wife begging in front of others" Jayant said in an irritating tone as if he was trying to heat the situation even more.

"Just shut up for a while," Di said fuming at him. Then she turned toward Siddarth again and continued to convince him. Siddarth lost his temper at her constant babble.

"Are you out of your mind Neha? You have put my and my family's reputation at stake. I could have waited for you for more than a year if you told me the situation beforehand but now everything is over between us. My family will have to bear insults because of you and I cannot forgive you for your mistake. For the first time my family name is under threat because of your selfishness" Siddarth exclaimed in anger.

Then her facial expression changed as if she was getting ready to take some dangerous step and she stared at me weirdly. "OK, I get your point Siddarth that you want to save your reputation so I have a brilliant idea."

"What is your brilliant idea now?" Siddarth taunted Di sarcastically stressing the word brilliant.

Di came towards me and I looked at her startled and stood there like an idol. She grabbed my hand and said,

"You want a bride for a year who can marry you right here, right now at this Mandap so here she is- My sister Riya will marry you in my place for a year and after the contract is complete you can divorce her, and get me back in your life."

Everybody looked shocked at what Di had just said right now but like always dad supported her. I thought 'why is she dragging me into the mess she created? .... How can I marry someone who was going to marry her? How can she even think about it?'

While I was thinking about all this, my dad said "I don't know what will happen in the future but today the only alternative to save our images from getting tarnished is to get Riya and Siddarth married."

'How could dad agree to this marriage without even thinking about my future? I am not a toy kept in the exchange offer section who's going to get married for a year and then hand over Siddarth to my sister. Nobody is thinking about me. They are trying to save their reputations.' I was about to say no to the wedding when Siddarth rudely announced, his eyes traveling from me to dad,

"I am not interested in this deal"

"I won't take Neha back in my life after her insulting actions. I won't destroy my life for the image of my family" he declared shifting his gaze toward Di. I was completely on his side in this matter as I also didn't want this marriage. Then suddenly Vishal uncle agreed to this marriage and as I was about to say something dad asked everyone to leave him and me alone for some time. As everyone left the room he said,

"Riya, you have to save my image and get married to Siddarth today itself."

"Dad, I can't marry someone who likes my sister and I don't even know him. He is a stranger to me. How can I—" I protested when dad cut me short and said "You have to marry him or else I will never see your face again in my whole life"

These words came as a thunderclap to me. How can he say this to a daughter who has never disobeyed him throughout her life? However, he never saw my face clearly till now and guessed what I wanted. I still agreed to the marriage with a heavy heart and he hugged me and said "I am proud of your decision."

He was always proud of my decisions when they were successful in terms of business or were as per his wish but he was never proud of his daughter. I never got the place of his daughter in this house. I understood him well and to save him from humiliation I am ready to carry a burden all my life with a smile.

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Hello readers! This is my very first book. It's a simple story of a beautiful girl with some secrets of her own and a boy who is pretty good at handling relationships. Let's see if they can turn their encounter into a beautiful tale. Keep reading to know what happens next and motivate me through your votes and comments...Will Siddarth agree for the wedding or is a new twist going to spice up the story...