Chapter 2 Cold And Arrogant

• "Why are you silent? Are you purposely trying to embarrass me by disappearing when our wedding is just days away?"
• The man's warm breath brushed against Alexa's face. His whisper sounded like the deep tones of a cello. Alexa was almost enchanted, but she quickly tried to snap out of her daydream. Before she could respond, Eric spoke again.
• "I'll remind you one more time: never mess with me, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life!" Eric's warning was filled with threats before he turned and walked away.
• He left Alexa standing motionless in her spot. She sighed in relief after Eric left. However, Alexa felt something strange. Why was Eric treating his future wife so poorly?
• Shortly after, Alice approached Alexa and led the young woman to one of the prepared rooms. Alexa didn't dare ask Alice many questions because the place was too crowded. Anyone could overhear their conversation.
• Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, a new day had arrived. Today, her status in life would change. Although Alexa was only playing the role of a stand-in bride, there was still a magical atmosphere in the air.
• Ever since she was asked to wear the beautiful, expensive gown and be made up as pretty as possible, her heart had been pounding as if this wedding were real.
• "Don't act foolishly and embarrass me here," Eric hissed right in Alexa's ear. Once again, Eric's threatening tone emerged after a long silence. Don't expect any sweet words from his mouth.
• Alexa rolled her eyes inwardly. She remained still as if she hadn't heard Eric's voice. Since last night, Eric had been blaming her even though she hadn't done anything wrong.
• What was really going on here? Didn't Eric know that the woman he was marrying was just a stand-in bride?
• Alexa would find out about this. The only person who could explain everything was Alice. The middle-aged woman had dragged her into this situation.
• "Don't frown; it could arouse suspicion from others," Eric warned again.
• The newly married couple was being photographed by a professional photographer. They should have been embracing each other lovingly or gazing into each other's eyes with affection. However, the opposite was happening.
• Alexa tried to appear natural, as if she were the genuinely happy bride. But Eric seemed reluctant to be close to her. They might be showing affection in front of the camera and the guests, but Alexa could clearly feel that Eric's actions were not sincere.
• Repeatedly, Eric warned Alexa not to act out and embarrass him. However, she had not made any mistakes since the beginning. She just followed all the instructions given to her.
• Eric always looked at Alexa with a sharp gaze, acting cold and curt, especially when they were alone. It was far from Alexa's expectations that Eric would treat her kindly.
• "Why are you angry? What did I do wrong?" protested Alexa, starting to get annoyed with Eric's intimidating behavior. Even though she was just a stand-in bride, she didn't deserve to be treated this way.
• Eric narrowed his eyes sharply. "Did you forget what you did before? Instead of apologizing, you're pretending not to know anything?" the man taunted.
• "I won't apologize if I don't feel guilty. I'm not the one acting foolishly here; you are. Don't you realize that your stiff behavior is actually making others curious?" Alexa retorted calmly. Eric's intimidating aura wouldn't scare her.
• Alexa was used to dealing with arrogant, power-hungry people like Eric. She wasn't a weak girl who would cower just because of his attitude. She might be paid for her role here, but no one had the right to treat her unfairly.
• It was evident from Eleanor's boldness in running away just days before her own wedding. It seemed that Eleanor was someone who didn't like being controlled. Perhaps Eleanor chose to flee because she couldn't stand Eric's domineering behavior anymore.
• Eric growled in frustration, the veins in his neck starting to bulge. It was clear that he was holding back his anger. "Never provoke me, or you'll face the consequences."
• Alexa smirked. "Go ahead, prove it, Mr. Power-hungry. I'm waiting for your proof."
• After responding to Eric's words, Alexa stepped back and sat down in the chair that had been prepared for her. She left Eric standing there, still glaring at her. If it weren't for the tempting offer, Alexa wouldn't have agreed to marry an arrogant man like Eric.
• Alexa also felt that she was still too young to enter the realm of romance. Her days were filled with work, hoping that one day she could leave the job that made others look down on her.
• Their photo session was over. All that was left was to greet the guests, offering fake smiles throughout the event. They had to stand for hours for this farce of a ceremony.
• During the reception, Eric and Alexa had to mingle with the guests. They embraced lovingly in front of everyone, perfectly acting as if everything was real.
• Alexa tried to ignore Eric's poor treatment of her. After all, her role was just as a stand-in bride. She didn't need to feel sad about his cold behavior.
• Consider her too crazy and reckless for accepting this offer without thinking it through. She needed the money to pay off her debts at work. She hoped that after this, she could be free from that environment.
• Alice had already given her a hundred million as a guarantee. The money had entered her account last night.
• "Can you walk slower? Do you know how heavy this gown is? There's no point in holding hands if you're dragging me. I'd rather walk on my own!" Alexa protested angrily.
• Besides being cold and arrogant, Eric was also impatient. It was evident from how he almost always dragged her when they moved places. He didn't care at all about Alexa struggling to walk in the luxurious gown.
• "You're so slow. We're just taking a few steps, but you're moving like a snail," Eric replied with a mocking smile.
• When Alexa let go of her arm around Eric's and started to walk away, he grabbed her waist. He held her so tightly that she struggled to break free.
• "Be quiet, we need to get this over with quickly," Eric whispered, not wanting to be contradicted.
• Alexa grumbled inwardly. Not even a day into her mission, and she was already extremely annoyed with him. As soon as she found an opportunity to break free from Eric, Alexa seized it before it was too late. Using the excuse of needing to go to the bathroom, she managed to escape from him.
• However, Alexa's destination was not the bathroom but her hotel room. After getting the room key from the hotel staff, she eagerly headed there.
• Alexa had barely slept all night because of Alice. The middle-aged woman had taught her various things she needed to remember and understand in a short time. Alice even prepared a book containing all the information she needed to know.
• "Wait a minute, Madam. I have something to ask," Alexa said, grabbing Alice's wrist.
• It was a lucky coincidence that the middle-aged woman passed by her room just as she was about to close the door. There were many things she needed to ask her. Alexa felt that there were many oddities here.
• "Don't call me 'Madam'; people will be suspicious. Now I'm your mother-in-law," Alice replied, freeing her wrist from Alexa's grasp. "What's the matter?"
• "I want to ask about—"
• A clearing throat interrupted Alexa, causing her to close her mouth again. She and Alice turned to the source of the sound and found Eric standing nearby.
• "Excuse me, Mom. I have some matters to discuss with my wife." Without further ado, Eric pushed Alexa into the room, and they both entered. Then, he locked the door.
• "What do you want to do?" Alexa asked with a wary look.
• Eric didn't answer. He kept walking towards her, closing the distance between them without taking his eyes off her.
• Alexa instinctively stepped back with a frightened expression. The faster she moved, the more she hastened until she finally fell onto the bed.
• Eric bent over her. "Be quiet, don't move. We need to do this to become a real husband and wife."