Ruthless Husband Secret Ruler

The fabric of the wedding dress scratched against Elena’s skin like coarse sandpaper. It was tight in the chest, loose around the waist, and smelled faintly of damp storage.

"Look at you," Cassandra sneered, leaning against the doorframe of the dressing room while swirling a glass of expensive champagne. "A discarded rag wearing a discarded dress. How fitting for the future Mrs. Adrian Vance."

Elena didn't look up from her reflection. She adjusted the cheap, scratchy veil that was pinned haphazardly into her dark hair. "If the dress is so fitting, Cassandra, why aren't you the one wearing it? After all, the marriage alliance was originally yours."

Cassandra’s face contorted in disgust. She set her glass down with a sharp clink. "Marry him? Are you insane? Everyone knows what happened to Adrian after that accident. He’s a monster! Wheelchair-bound, completely disfigured, and word is... he can’t even perform as a man. I am destined for greatness, Elena. Not to be a nursemaid to a limp, useless freak."

"So you made me your substitute," Elena said, her voice eerily calm despite the fire burning in her chest.

"You should be thanking us," her stepmother, Rebecca, chimed in as she walked into the room, draped in silk and diamonds. She didn't even look at Elena, instead adjusting Cassandra's perfect hair. "The Vance family is a dynasty. Even their cast-away, crippled son has more money than a bastard child like you could ever dream of. You’ve been a burden to this family for years, Elena. At least now, your existence is serving a purpose for your father's business."

Elena turned around, her eyes locking onto Rebecca’s cold, calculating gaze. "A purpose? You framed me. You leaked those fake financial documents to the media to make it look like *I* was the one embezzlement-prone daughter, threatening to ruin the family name unless I agreed to this farce."

"Perception is reality, darling," Rebecca smiled, a viper in human skin. "And the reality is, you are going to that altar today."

The door slammed open, and Richard Hunt, Elena’s biological father, marched into the room. His face was flushed with anger, checking his gold Rolex. "Why isn't she in the car yet? The Vance family's lawyer is already waiting at the venue. Do you want to ruin my company, Elena?!"

Elena walked up to her father, the cheap lace of her train rustling softly. "Father, please. Look at me. You know Cassandra was the one who signed the initial betrothal contract. You know Rebecca set me up. How can you let them do this to me? Adrian Vance is a stranger, a man everyone says is cruel and broken!"

"Silence!" Richard shouted.

"I am your daughter!" Elena’s voice cracked, a rare crack in her armor. "Does my life mean absolutely nothing to you?"

SLAP!

The force of the strike spun Elena’s head to the side. The cheap veil tore slightly from her hair. The room fell into a dead silence, save for Cassandra’s muffled, delighted giggle.