Chapter 2. Substitute Girl

Everyone in the banquet hall dispersed one by one, leaving only the Crawfords there. Selena snorted in annoyance, she had never liked Lylia in the first place. She thought picking up Lylia and putting her into the Crawfords would one day bring them great shame.

Sure enough, what the woman had feared came true. Selena stared around the room, the supposedly happy party turning into the unexpected.

Alan and the Crawfords took Helena to the hospital immediately. After arriving at the hospital, they were seen discussing something in the hospital corridor.

"I told you, Lylia would someday embarrass you, but you never listen to me, do you?" said Selena in a sarcastic tone.

Myra, who was standing near her mother, just smiled at what Selena just said. Actually she had always intended to approach Amier, unfortunately she never had that opportunity. Until today, Lylia disappeared, thoughts and intentions arise in her heart, who knows she can replace Lylia.

"Yes, Ma'am. If Lylia disappears so be it. I'm not sure something bad happened to her, because that girl has always rebelled against our family," said Mrya while gently touching her mother's shoulder.

Myra looked at Amier who looked sluggish and disheveled, thinking about her and Lylia's annulment of the engagement.

"Amier, you don't have to be sad. I'm sure Lylia is fine out there. Who knows she's deliberately avoiding you. Are you sure she really accepts this engagement?" Myra asked purposely to lure Amier.

Lylia isn't here now, she's running away, who knows she's gone with another man. The ugly thought was in Myra's brain, who had always felt that Lylia was her toughest rival to get Amier.

Myra had secretly loved the man since a long time ago.

Alan also opened his voice, "No, it would be a shame if this engagement was really canceled. I will no longer have the face to face my business relations."

Selena approached Alan, then gave a suggestion that made everyone astonished as well as Amier.

"I have another solution. Currently there was only one daughter of the Crawford Family left, and that was Myra. If you're scared and don't want to lose face, then this engagement will continue, with Mrya as Lylia's replacement, how about it?"

Amir shook his head. He stepped back, then tried to get away from Selena and Myra, but Alan held him back.

"I thought it was a great idea. Amier… you have to think about it again, after all I don't want this engagement to be broken!"

Amier could not move at all to hear what his father had just said. He was the only son the Rodriguez Family had, and he was the main successor of the company, if he resisted, then he would get nothing.

Should he put the feelings aside and accept the proposal that Selena and Alan just said—his father?

Selena who was standing next to her husband—Harley—heard the man repeatedly cursing Lylia for causing trouble on such an important day. Although Harley is Lylia's biological father, the treatment given to his two daughters is completely different.

Often times Lylia thought, Harley could not be her biological father.

The girl is depressed, lives in a rich family, despite having everything, she feels alone in living her life.

Selena is not Lylia's biological mother, Harley remarried when she was very small and Myra was taken by Selena.

From what she knew, her mother had an accident with her personal assistant while traveling to another city to meet her maternal grandmother in another city.

After that incident, not long after, three months later his father remarried to another woman.

"That girl really is so unprofitable, she embarrassed two families at once!" cursed Selena. Selena looked at Alan and Amier who seemed to be whispering. It seemed that the man was trying to persuade his son to comply with the wishes of the two families.

"This engagement has become a mess, if it is really canceled then our family will be ashamed of the public. You know, Myra's reputation? She's a public figure, what if her fans find out about her sister's failed engagement, and create rumors that corner our position?" Selena said in a deliberately raised voice for Alan to hear.

"Like what?" asked Harley cluelessly.

"What if rumors circulated that this engagement was postponed because the girl to be betrothed ran away, or other bad things made up by the mass media?"

Harley seemed to be thinking, what Selena just said was true. They didn't know the reason why the engagement event was postponed.

Selena glanced at her biological daughter—Myra—who was sitting on a long bench in the hospital corridor.

"Honey, you also agree, right, if Myra takes Lylia's place. As far as I know, Myra also likes Amier," said Selena with a sly smile on her pale, oval face.

She wasn't very pretty, no make-up, lots of brown spots on her face, she looked much older than Harley.

"You mean?" asked Harley cluelessly.

"Myra who replaced Lylia to get engaged, then married Amier, what do you think?"

Mother and daughter were happy to see Lylia struggling. This time, they seemed happy to know that Lylia had disappeared without leaving any messages, so Myra could marry the man she had loved for a long time.

Many times Myra tried to separate Lylia so far she never succeeded.

But tonight, it seemed like the gods were on her side.

Myra, who overheard her parents's conversation, got up and approached Selena, then kissed the 50-year-old woman's cheeks.

"Mom, you always think of my happiness. But wouldn't it be an exaggeration to continue the engagement while Lylia hasn't been found?"

"That's none of our business, in fact it would be better if she didn't have to be found again forever," Selena whispered into Myra's ear.