The Substitute Bride || Minatozaki Sana x Female reader || (On-going)

substitute || 24

Y/N DELOS SANTOS

Everyone except Mr. Minatozaki-gasped. I stared a Sana in disbelief. I didn't know why she was pulling this stunt.

I glanced at the rest of the people at the table When my gaze met papa, he discreetly placed his hand over his heart. I wondered if he was trying to tell me that his heart was fragile.

"Amber?" Sana whispered. I forced a smile on my face. "Err...yes..."

Sana slipped the enormous diamond engagement ring onto my left ring finger; it fit perfectly. The scene that Sana had staged was met with silence. It was Papa who broke the deafening stillness.

"Excellent, Sana!" Papa exclaimed, his joy evident as he clapped his hands in approval. "You've truly made me proud tonight. No more room for speculation about your relationship with this woman you've introduced." With a warm smile, he raised his glass of wine. "Let's propose a toast to the newly engaged couple. Congratulations, and a heartfelt welcome to the family. Amber..." His words trailed off, leaving an unspoken question in the air.

My gaze met Papa's expectant eyes, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then, with a graceful smile, I raised my glass, my voice is steady as I completed the toast.

"...to new beginnings, shared laughter, and the bonds that tie us all together," I said, choosing my words carefully. A collective sigh of relief swept through the room, and a warm applause followed as the tension was finally diffused.

"Thank you, sir." I murmured as I looked at the diamond ring; it shone whenever it caught the light. "Congratulations," the rest of the table echoed gravely.

Sana kissed my forehead. "Well done, princess," she murmured into my ear. "Thank you for playing along."

"We're not done," I whispered angrily at her with a smile as she drew back to look at my face. I couldn't wait for us to be alone. She has a lot of explaining to do.

The dinner continued; the housekeepers kept bringing in food. It was probably the quietest dinner I've ever had in my life-even more silent than dinners I had with Cesare and my twin Amber back in the days.

"So," the woman with the Botoxed face started. "Did you enjoy shopping here, girl?"

I frowned at her. Her face looked like it had gone through so much plastic surgery. I had gained another adversary.

"She's Eunha's mother," Sana whispered into my ear. "Eleanor Evans."

They had decided long ago to have Sana and Eunha marry to unite their families. It was too bad that I came into the picture-or rather, that Amber came into the picture.

I knew how to deal with these kinds of women. "It was great, Ma'am," I answered. "I almost forgot what time it was."

"You seem to love shopping, girl," Eleanor heatedly commented.

I smiled at her as I sampled the food on my plate "You don't, ma'am?" I asked, eyeing her signature outfit and jewelries.

Don't try me woman im already angry at Sana so don't make it worse than it already is.

She looked at me disapprovingly, while Papa laughed heartily. "What do you think about the daughter-in-law that I've chosen, Eleanor? She's one of a kind, isn't she?"

"She doesn't respect visitors," Eleanor muttered darkly while raising a brow at me.

From the very beginning, it was clear to me that she harbored no affection for me; she had her heart set on her daughter marrying Sana. However, for Amber's sake, I was determined to win this over.

Despite the age difference, I firmly held the belief that respect should be earned through actions and character rather than granted based solely on one's age or position. This principle had been instilled in me from a young age, shaping the way I approached relationships and interactions with others.

"She's not disrespectful," Papa said proudly.

"What wrong with stating the truth when it's so obvious? My daughter-in-law is right, isn't she, Eleanor? You do love shopping, don't you?"

"I-" Eleanor stuttered. "I-" Papa stared at the woman intently.

"Over the years we've spent in each other's company, one thing that has always caught my attention is your habit of never wearing the same dress twice."

"That's not true..." Eleanor replied.

"Oh, really?" Papa asked dryly. "My heart might be fragile, but my memory is razor-sharp. It's that very memory that helped me amass my billionaire status, Eleanor."

"Can we please stop?" Mrs. Minatozaki said, annoyed. "This is going nowhere. Please stick to safe topics, all right?"

"I agree, Mama," Sana said, sipping her wine as shee stared at me. "This is a special day for myself and my fiancée." Sana had the nerve to kiss my palm in front of everyone.

"When do you plan to hold the wedding?" Papa sked so eagerly that I choked on my juice. It felt like things were moving way too fast.

The continued absence of any information about Amber's whereabouts weighed heavily on Cesare and I, and Papa's anger towards this union only intensified. My fear grew with each passing day, dreading the possibility that Cesare's men might not locate Amber in time. I couldn't escape the haunting notion that, by then, I would already be wedded to Sana, with the die cast and our fates sealed.

I needed to calm down. I had to come up with a plan. "Actually," I started, unsure of what to say. "We just got engage"

"We'll marry as soon as you are a hundred percent fine, Papa." Sana proudly said. My jaw dropped. I didn't know why she was pulling me even deeper into this sinkhole  that Cesare had created. I honestly wanted to strangle her neck for how annoying she's getting.

"Really now?" Papa asked enthusiastically.

"Yes," Sana answered, as if she had already planned everything out in her head. "That's why you shouldn't refuse the private nurse that I hired for you. I want you to be able to walk down the aisle."

"All right," Papa agreed happily, his dark eyes dancing with laughter. "I promise to regain my health as soon as possible."

"What are you doing?" I whispered, glaring at Sana.

The devil had the guts to wink at me. "Just play along, won't you?"

"What's the rush?" Mrs. Minatozaki inquired, her voice filled with concern. "They've only just become engaged, for heaven's sake!"

Papa, on the other hand, simply shrugged and replied, "We all know this engagement is a precursor to marriage, so why prolong the inevitable?"

Tensions at the dinner table were escalating rapidly, and just as I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, my mobile phone chimed with an incoming call. Relief washed over me as I glanced at the screen, but my heart sank when I saw the name displayed there.

"Hello..." I answered "Cesare..."

"Y/N," said a commanding voice on the other line.

•••

Sorry took me awhile to update it's so hard to come up with a chapter especially when I'm very occupied with my school works but don't worry if I'm not busy I'll try my best to update on the weekends