9. Jane

"Iknew I liked you from the moment I met you," Kiara said as she beamed at me. I smiled back even though I was overwhelmed by nerves.

Kiara seemed to like me but I couldn't help wondering how she really felt about me marrying her son. Did she think I wasn't good enough? Did she think I was taking advantage in some way?

Maybe she thought I was a gold digger!

The thought almost made me throw up on the new Louboutin pumps Kiara bought for me. Earlier today, I received a call from an unknown number.

"Hello?" My voice was sleepy because I just woke up.

The voice that floated across the line in response was melodic and very lucid unlike my half asleep drawl. "Hi dear. It's Kiara."

My eyes widened and all traces of sleep disappeared. "K-Kiara?"

How did she get my number?

"Yes dear. I thought it would be a good idea for us go shopping for a wedding dress. I'm already on my way. I should be outside your apartment in thirty minutes."

As you can imagine, I panicked.

Thirty minutes should have been enough time to get ready but I was freaking out so I messed everything up. My apartment looks like a madhouse. After Kiara's call, I took a quick shower and tried to find something nice to wear.

It turned out that doing so was a waste of time because Kiara showed up at my door with a whole new wardrobe. At first, I thought she was trying to make me into someone worthy of her son.

I stared at the Chanel bags, Louis Vuitton heels, and Givenchy dresses and suddenly felt inadequate. "Thank you so much Kiara but I can't accept this," I said even though a part of me was itching to try on the red bottoms.

Kiara smiled brightly, seemingly unbothered by my rejection of her gifts. "Of course you can." She lifted the red bottoms and placed them in my hands as though she could read my mind. "I'll be honest with you, Jane. I don't have completely pure intentions here."

My gaze shifted from the heels to the older woman in front of me. She looked strange standing in my simple apartment wearing clothes that were anything but simple. That word could never be used to describe Kiara Aldaine.

"You don't?" I asked.

"The truth is that I've always wanted a daughter I could buy clothes for. You and William getting married gives me the daughter I've always wanted."

I felt in sharp pang in my heart. It had been a long time since anyone had seen me as a daughter. My parents passed away when I was fifteen so I never got the chance to go shopping with my mother for adult clothes. It felt nice to have someone do that for me.

Kiara waited in her car while I changed. She smiled when I stepped out of my apartment. Thankfully, she approved of the outfit I chose.

We were walking into the bridal store now and my nerves were through the roof. I felt bad for deceiving Kiara and it felt like at any moment I would tell her the truth. She thought I was marrying her son because I loved him. She had no idea that our marriage was simply a contract.

"Mrs. Aldaine," the woman in the store said as she smiled at Kiara.

Kiara smiled back. "Hi, Helen. This is my future daughter-in-law, Jane."

Helen gasped. "He finally did it?"

"Yes, he did," Kiara said with a laugh before turning to me. "Helen is an old friend. She was well aware of my many attempts to get William to settle down."

"That boy is as stubborn as a bull," Helen said.

"He'd probably take that as a compliment." The words were out of my mouth before I could pull them back in. Kiara and Helen turned to me, their eyes wide. I thought they were going to give me an earful but instead, they started laughing.

Helen recovered first. "She knows him well."

"Indeed, she does."

Kiara and I followed Helen into the showroom. The store was magnificent. It had a vintage style that made it feel like we'd been transported to another time. The wooden floorboard and antique furniture gave the store a homely feel. Stunning wedding dresses lined the walls and a huge mirror sat at the center. I saw myself in the mirror and I realized I was smiling. I told myself it was normal to smile. After all, I was in a bridal store.

What girl doesn't love wedding dresses?

It was easier to believe that than the other possibilities in my head.

Kiara took a seat on one of the plush armchairs. She gave me an excited smile as she clasped her hands together. "So? Do you see anyone you like?"

"They all look beautiful," I said.

"Is there anyone that stands out to you?"

I bit my lip. I wasn't sure what I wanted my wedding dress to look like. I always felt that I would know it when I saw it.

"Let me bring out a few of them for you to try on," Helen said. Then she walked away.

"Stay calm, Jane. Remember that this is your wedding. All that matters is what you want. I am only here to help."

Kiara had to be the kindest woman I'd ever met. It would have been a true pleasure to be her actual daughter-in-law. Sadly, in less than a year, William and I would be divorced. I'd go back to Bella's Elite and it would be like I never met the woman.

I sighed and turned away. "Thank you."

Helen returned accompanied by two young women each carrying two wedding dresses. "Let's start with these," she said.

The first three wedding dresses were breathtakingly beautiful. They were gorgeous in every way that mattered but they just didn't feel… right. It didn't feel like I had found my wedding dress.

Then I tried on the fourth dress. Even before I stood in front of the mirror, I knew this was the one. Kiara's eyes widened when she saw me and a smile slowly spread across her face.

My breath hitched when I saw myself in the mirror. It was the most beautiful wedding dress I'd ever seen. Full-length lace sleeves that led up to a stunning sweetheart neckline. The lower part hugged my hips before flowing out into a magnificent tail. It was simple and yet divine.

It was perfect.

I turned to Kiara and nodded with a huge smile on my face. "I love it."

I found myself wondering about what William would think when he saw me in this dress. Would he be happy he'd chosen me as his wife?

Temporarywife, a voice in my head corrected.

For a brief moment, I forgot that everything William and I shared was fake. It wouldn't matter to him if I showed up in a black sac or a white wedding dress. I turned back to the mirror and smiled softly.

He wouldn't care and I didn't want him to care. Or at least, that's what I told myself.

I stumbled into my apartment on tired legs. I wasn't born to wear heels all day. It felt like my feet were about to fall off. I threw off the Louboutins and crashed onto my couch. My gaze scanned my messy apartment. The thought of cleaning up this mess filled me with dread.

I groaned as I snuggled into my couch. I'd clean the place up later. I was seconds away from falling asleep when my phone rang. Another groan escaped my mouth. I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep.

Dress shopping with Kiara was fun but it was also exhausting. After we left the bridal store, Kiara and I went to a cafe to grab a bite. From there we went to a Hermes store so she could buy a new bag. She insisted on buying one for me even though I told her I didn't need one. I smiled and accepted it when I saw that she wouldn't give up. The bag and my wedding dress would be delivered to me the next day.

I sat up and pulled my phone out of my current bag. I"ve been using this bag for three years now. I bought it with my first salary from Bella's Elite. I smiled as I remembered walking through the store with Skylar. The dark purple bag stood out to me so I bought it and it has been with me ever since.

My smile faded when I saw who was calling. I'd been avoiding his call for a while now but I knew I couldn't hide from him forever. I sighed and answered. "Hi, Ryan."

"Really? That's how you answer my call after ignoring me for a week?" He sounded livid and I had to admit that he had every right to be.

I was marrying his best friend, the man I'd claimed to hate throughout their friendship. The news must have been difficult for him to hear. William told me that Ryan was less than pleased when he told him about our upcoming wedding. I knew it would be worse if we told him the real reason we were getting married.

Ryan was too protective of me. On some days I loved that about him but he could also be a bit overbearing. If he found out I was marrying William because I felt like I had to do that to clear my name, then he would be even more angry than he was now.

I didn't want him to find out the truth so I did the only thing I could. "I know this is unexpected, Ryan but you have to understand that I love William."

"You love him? I had to force you to work at his company. You wanted nothing to do with him. You have always hated him."

"You know how these things can happen. People often say that there is a thin line between love and hate."

"And I'm supposed to believe that you crossed that line during the few weeks that you've been working at his company?"

It would be great if you did.

"It's the truth, Ryan. I love William."

The call did little to convince my brother. He'd heard me say ‘I hate William' too many times to believe I suddenly loved him. And I still hated William. I was only doing this to clear my name. Soon, we would be out of each other"s lives and we'd go back to seeing each other once a year at Ryan's birthday party.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I remembered the cake incident. It was a genuine accident but that never stopped it from being funny. William was such a stickler about the neatness of his suits. He was the type of person whose desk was always organized.

I, on the other hand—I looked around my apartment—was a mess. We would make a terrible couple. William was too strict and I was too lazy. As if on cue, a yawn escaped from my lips. I sunk into the couch and fell asleep.

The last thought on my mind was how insane it was that I was marrying William Aldaine.

There was an earthquake. Or at least it felt like an earthquake. Either that or someone was pounding my head with a mallet.

I quickly realized it was neither. Someone was knocking on my door like there was a fire in the building. I rubbed my eyes and pulled myself out of bed. My eyes landed on the clock on the wall. 8:06 am.

Who bangs on someone's door this early in the morning?

I mumbled incoherent complaints as I slid my legs into my fluffy slippers. I dragged my feet to the door and pulled it open. Skylar stood before me. We hadn"t spoken since the night I decided to marry William.

"Skylar."

"Have you seen it?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

"Seen what?" I rubbed my eyes as I waited for her to respond. It felt like I could just pass out right in front of her. I felt so tired.

"The article."

"What article?"

Skylar sighed. She tapped her phone for a minute before handing it to me. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness but when they did, I almost passed out. This time it wouldn't have been from fatigue. It would have been from utter shock. I couldn't believe what I was reading.

The Billionaire and His Thieving Bride

Is this a fairy-tale story or a nightmare that not even the Aldaine name can recover from?

Find out everything you need to know about William Aldaine's bride-to-be, Jane Hart.

The twenty-five-year-old orphan was working as an assistant to the illustrious Mirabel County at Bella's Elite. After three years as Mirabel's assistant, this Plain Jane decided she didn't want to be so plain after all. She stuck her hand into the company pocket hoping to steal enough money to…

I couldn't keep reading. It was all too much. My feet couldn't hold me up anymore. I sank to the ground while Skylar comforted me. I was glad she was here when I found out about the article. I didn't know what I would do if I was alone. Skylar was always there whenever something bad happened.