"I will not marry a stranger!" Livia cried.

"Of course, you will," John Smith, Livia's father, replied.

"But where is Ada? She was supposed to marry him. He is her fiance!"

"Look, Livia, Ada is not here, and no one knows where she is. And we can't leave Aaron standing there at the altar."

"Then tell him the truth and save him from this waiting."

"Livia, don't test my patience. I am already at my nerve's end. Aaron Rodriguez is not someone we can mess with. If he felt wronged, he will destroy everything. This house, our business, and our lives." John tried to explain his situation.

"You mean your house, your business, and your life."

"Livia, I know you don't like me much, but you can't deny the fact that I am your father, and as a daughter, it's your duty to help in time of mess."

"You mean to go in front of a cold-hearted businessman just like a sacrificial lamb? And if you had ever considered me as your daughter, you would never have told me to do this. But for you, I don't even exist! Do I?"

"Livia!"

"I am saying it again: I will not marry that person." Just as she said these final words, Alicia Smith slapped her hard.

"Consider this a privilege that you are getting the chance to marry a billionaire. He was going to be Ada's husband if she hadn't left so stupidly. And as for you, you are getting far much better than you deserve."

Livia's father had an extramarital affair with Alicia, and after Livia's mother died, he married Alicia. Alicia Smith was the second wife of Livia's father, John Smith. She had a daughter, Ada, a year younger than Livia, and originally it was Ada. She was supposed to marry Aaron Rodriguez. Alicia had come into Livia's life when she was just 6 years old and had lost her mother. Even though Olivia's (Livia's mother) place was irreplaceable in Livia's heart but she still had accepted the changes. She had tried to be respectful and kind to the new member of the family. But Alicia had always considered her a burden. She always made nasty comments on her and had made her life a living hell. As for her dad, Livia doubted if he had ever loved her mother. He had always supported Alicia, even in times when he knew Alicia was wrong. This woman took everything from her- her life, happiness, and dad, and now she was talking about privileges.

"We have done so much for you. We raised you, fed you, and gave you everything just so that maybe one day-"

"You could use me as a sacrificial lamb," Livia remarked. "And as for what you have done for me, yes, I agree with you. You and my dear dad had done a lot for me like sending me to the hostel when I was just 7 years old, giving me the old clothes of your daughter to wear-"

"You unscrupulous daughter!" Alicia had just raised her hand again to hit Livia when John stopped her.

"Don't hit her like this. It will leave marks on her face. We need a good face at the moment, not a bruised one."

Livia always knew that, for her father, money had always been the priority, but she had never seen this in person. Today when she saw it, it took away the last remnants of respect she had for him.

"Look, Livia," John said, "it is not just about me but also about the employees who work for us. Their bread and butter depend on our hotel. If we anger Aaron, he will not spare anyone, and you will be the reason for everyone's doom."

Livia realized that now her dad was trying to touch on her weak spot by blackmailing her emotionally. He was trying to make her feel guilty because she is the only one who can save them.

"Do you think Aaron won't react if he finds me in place of Ada?"

"All he wants is a Smith daughter. It is just a marriage of convenience, a contractual marriage for business. It doesn't matter whom he is marrying as long as it is a Smith daughter."

"Smith, daughter!" Livia gave a sarcastic laugh. "Did you ever consider me your daughter?"

"We don't have time for this, Livia. Here, wear this dress, get your makeup done. We will be waiting for you outside. Just think of the consequences if you refused Your mother taught you to help others. I hope you still remember the values she taught you," John said and left the room with Alicia.

Livia never thought that her father would stoop so low to bring her mother's name in all this. 'Ok, fine!' She decided she will get ready as the bride - no, it's the sacrificial bride or maybe as a replacement? She was sure that Aaron would say no to her, and then it would be him calling off the marriage.

Even though Ada and Livia were half-sisters, but they were very different. Ada was outgoing, attractive, and liked flirting with men. She was the kind of woman that men called sexily. Livia was more introverted, a shy girl who never considered herself beautiful, especially after her boyfriend had left her for another girl. Livia wasn't a size zero because she had curves that she had never really liked. She wanted to be petite and had tried various exercises and diets, but none of them worked. She gave up on this and started sticking only to the 30 minutes or 1-hour aerobics. Though aerobics couldn't make her petite, she was happy the way things were. So there was no way Aaron would want a girl like her. The rejection was expected.

Some girls came in to help Livia with the dress and her makeup. Everything was done in record time, and when Livia looked at herself in the mirror, she was surprised at her reflection. Even if the gown was for her sister, it fit her perfectly. The only problem was that her curves were getting a bit more attention... much more than she would have allowed.

"The bride is ready!" one of the girls announced happily.

'Yeah, the sacrificial bride.' Livia laughed at her fate.

Livia started walking towards the altar. A long veil covered her face, and her hand rested on her father's arm as per the custom. Her father had placed his hand on hers and was holding it a bit too tightly.

'Afraid that I'll run away? You don't have to worry. I won't run away. You were the only family I was left with, and what I am doing today is not just for your business and employees but also you. You are the sole reason that I am doing this... sacrificing myself to a...stranger.'

They reached the altar where the groom, the great Aaron Rodriguez, was waiting for his bride. Livia was thinking about what he will do when he finds that he is being cheated...that he is not getting what he had paid for.

The ceremony started. Livia's stepmother was standing a bit too close and told her to keep her head down and not do anything foolish.

'I'm already doing the most stupid thing in my life. This act in itself seems foolish enough, and I'm not sure if there is something more foolish than this.'

The priest started the ceremony. Livia's stepmother stood close to her the entire time and would give a pinch or two on her arm when Livia couldn't reply.

'What on earth did I do that this is happening to me?' Livia wondered.

Finally, when they finished their vows, the priest asked Aaron to lift the veil and kiss the bride. The moment Livia had feared the most had finally arrived. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for her... Aaron slowly lifting the veil... and coming one step closer to her... she had her head lowered as if she had done something wrong. Aaron tucked her chin up so that he could look at her properly. She slowly looked up, her heart thumping in her chest, her brain ready for rejection, and the answers he would demand.

When she looked at him, she could see the anger in his eyes. He looked at her and then at her stepmother and then back to her.

"You may now kiss the bride," the priest repeated. Aaron looked at Livia again, and this time his expression had changed. Some other emotion replaced the anger that she couldn't name.

Livia's heart and brain were working strangely. They wanted him to say no to this, say that she isn't the bride he had paid for or chosen, but somewhere it had also wanted him to say 'yes' to her.

'No! No!No!' she cried to herself inwardly. 'He isn't mine!' She looked into his eyes, hers pleading his to let her go. But it seems that Aaron wasn't an expert in reading one's heart through their eyes because he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.

A kiss that should have been just a small and quick one lasted far longer. She wasn't sure how long exactly, but never in her life had she been kissed like this. His kiss did strange things to her heart and body, and a feeling arose. It was a need in her she never knew existed.

When he finally broke the kiss, the crowd cheered for them as the priest finally pronounced them as man and wife.

After that kiss, Livia was finding it hard even to stand up straight, and it took a lot of effort for her not to run away somewhere, hiding her face. How could she want him? And how could he kiss her like that in front of everyone?

When she looked up, Aaron was looking at her. His eyes were unreadable, but she knew there were many questions that he wanted to ask.

As the ceremony ended, Aaron shook hands with her father, and Livia moved forward to hug her father. Livia hugged her father and said in a low voice that her words were audible to her parents but not to anyone else. "This is the last thing that I am doing for you. You gave me life, and today you took it back, and now I don't owe you anything anymore."

And with this, she stood straight with Aaron on her side.

"Mr. Smith, I have something to talk about," Aaron said to her father. Her father looked at him nervously but agreed to a conversation.

They both went to one side and started talking. Even though she couldn't hear what they were talking about but she was sure that it was something related to Ada or her.

"Even though you made such a scene earlier, now you must be happy that you got to marry a billionaire," Alicia said bitingly, "but let me tell you one thing: Never think that he will love you because he is a man who sees and wants beauty. Even though he's married now, he can still have any woman that he wants."

Livia was tired and had no strength to argue with someone who thought that she knew everything. She was extremely curious about one thing, though. "Why didn't the crowd react when they saw me in place of Ada?"

Alicia had expected her remark to hurt Livia, but now she wasn't sure if it had done its job because Livia seemed unaffected by it. So she just decided to answer her question.

"No one reacted because they were told that Aaron Rodriguez is marrying Smith's daughter. They weren't told whether that daughter would be you or Ada."

"But the last time we met, it was made quite clear to me that Aaron is going to marry Ada. So why no one else was told about it?"

"That was what he had wanted, and that's why the announcement regarding the marriage was made two days before the wedding. Neither your dad and nor I were allowed to reveal more than he wanted. The piece of information that was delivered to the media and was made public was what Aaron had decided."

"That sounds absurd." Livia thought.

"But it was my daughter who was supposed to stand here as the bride by Aaron's side and not you. You don't even look good with him."

Livia didn't reply to this. It didn't mean that it doesn't hurt because she had no confidence in her appearance. She knew that if she and Ada stood together and Aaron was given a choice, it will be Ada whom he will choose and not her. Though hurt still, Livia tried not to look affected by that remark.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her waist, and that foreign touch nearly made her jump out of her skin.