Chapter 1 Chapter 1

~ Celine ~

It was 10 pm on Friday night when I was preparing to climb into bed and sleep. My door suddenly burst open.

"Celine, you have to take Clara's place tomorrow," my father, Mr. Morris Mason, said as he rushed into my room with my mother.

"Dad, I don't understand. Why do I have to take Clara's place tomorrow? Where is she?" I asked. I knew Clara had gone to her bridal shower. How could she flee on the eve of her wedding?

"Something came up," my father said. "According to Clara, she had to take care of it."

I sighed, standing in my bedroom. I hadn't attended the extravagant bridal shower of my twin sister, Clara Mason.

Clara and I were identical twin sisters. We were both 25 years old, and I knew many of Clara's friends claimed I was jealous of her because she was getting married before me. But that wasn't the truth.

I was in a relationship with Martin Enzo, a construction worker. However, Martin wasn't the type of groom my father wanted, so he rejected him.

Everyone was proud of my twin sister. She was the apple of everyone's eye—even our older brother, Luca's. But I was the opposite.

I owned a bakery shop in this part of the city. Last month, I pleaded with my parents to allow me to marry Martin, but my father plainly refused and said only a rich man could marry me.

Despite my pleas, my parents refused and chased Martin and his uncles away after they came for my hand in marriage.

Because of this incident, I refused to attend my sister's engagement party or bridal shower. Now she had disappeared and wanted me to take her place on her wedding day.

"How could Clara disappear without explaining to her manager that she's getting married to a wealthy man—the groom you all wanted?" I queried my father, who stood in my doorway with my mother.

My father had dark skin, while my mother was fair like me and my twin sister. We were her exact replica.

"Celine, I know you're finding this hard to believe," my mother said. "But Clara said she worked so hard to be selected for the Stars Award and cannot miss the modeling shoot. Please, you're her twin sister, and Jace Augustus will never find out."

I looked at her face in horror.

"Mom, I cannot do this. You and Father need to order Clara to come back right now. Where's my phone?" I moved back to my bed, picked up my phone to contact my sister. She owed me an explanation for this sudden disappearance.

How could she expect me to stand in for her on her wedding day? Was she crazy? I had stood in for Clara before, and many people wouldn't know I wasn't her.

Worse, her fans visited my shop, took photos of me, and tagged me as Clara. But I'm not my sister. Dammit.

"Clara!" My angry voice boomed over the phone as soon as she answered.

"Hey, Celine. I'm sorry I took so long to call you. Please, can you stand in for me tomorrow? Please, please, sister," Clara begged me in her sweet, seductive voice that rendered me speechless.

I was ready to do anything for this silly sister of mine—just to make her happy and help her achieve her dream as a top model.

"Clara, I don't think I can do this. How do you expect me to stand in for you? During the wedding, the priest will ask us to exchange vows and kiss. How can you trade your wedding day for business?" I needed an explanation because I couldn't understand my sister.

"Celine, I wish I could explain this to you, but my phone battery will soon run down. After this, I won't ask you to stand in for me again. Please, please," Clara begged me once more, rendering me speechless.

"Are you saying I should kiss your groom? What if he finds out I'm not you? You know I'm not as talkative as you, and I'm not close to him. Did you already tell him that I'm not you?" I asked, wanting clarification.

Jace and I weren't close.

I knew he was my sister's fiancé. He showed her off to his friends and other politicians because my sister was very popular with more than ten million followers online.

"No, Celine. Please, don't tell Jace I'm not you. You have to act as me and pretend you're me. You know how I behave, so mimic me very well," Clara said, and I sighed heavily.

"This is too risky. What if Jace finds out and locks me up? What do I tell him? You have to explain to him so we don't kiss or he doesn't think of me as you. I don't like your fiancé, and I cannot stand in for you. I'm sorry," I said.

I wanted to end the call, but she begged me: "Please, Celine. I'm begging you. If you don't help me, then we're no longer sisters."

"Clara!" I was tongue-tied. This was her usual threat.

"I don't think I can do this," I said, and she threatened while sobbing over the phone: "Then don't call me again."

The call ended, and I looked at my parents' worried faces, especially my father's, which was filled with dread.

"Celine, you have to stand in for Clara. If Jace finds out your sister is missing, we're doomed," my father begged me. He even went as far as kneeling down.

I guessed this was the price I had to pay for being born a twin. My twin sister used me for most of her silly schemes, threatening to disown me if I didn't cover for her. Now it was her wedding.

"Fine. I'll try to do this, but I hope Jace doesn't find out. If he does, I won't go down alone," I warned my parents, and they shivered.

"No one will know. You'll learn to smile and act like Clara until she's back. Besides, this isn't your first time taking her place," my mother said, making me sigh heavily.

"Fine, Mom. I'll give it a try. You guys should excuse me and let me sleep. It's past midnight," I told my parents, and they smiled and wished me goodnight, before leaving my room.

I shut the door and muttered, "I hope I can do this." I went to bed to sleep, but dread filled my heart.