The Wrong Bride: Marrying My Twin Sister's Fiance

Chapter 1

Alisha

I awaken abruptly, startled by the sounds of my mother's sobs emanating from the adjoining room. I question if I am still in a dream. Why would Mom be crying? This was supposed to be one of the happiest days for her, as my sister Lisha – my identical twin – was getting married. We both left home at the age of sixteen to attend college, and since then, we've been living away from our family. Graduating with gold medals in English literature, we made our parents immensely proud. I secured an internship in our hometown of Mysore, working as an assistant editor at the renowned publishing house, "The Blue Quill Publishers." On the other hand, Lisha chose to embark on a journey, explore the world, and gain exposure before commencing her novel.

"Alisha, come with me. You can always pursue the internship later. It will be an adventure. The cruise from Lakshadweep is set to explore the entire coast of India. Evana, Ashok, Ram, Diya, Skanda, Monica – they'll all be a part of it. This is the age to explore and take a break from books," Lisha urged me to join her on the cruise.

"Lisha, books are not mundane for me; they are my life. Why would I want to spend time globetrotting when books encompass my world? An opportunity to intern at Blue Quill Publishers is rare; they've opened their doors to hire someone new after a whole five years, and I'll never know when such an opportunity will arise again. You go ahead and have fun; I'll find my enjoyment in my internship," I persuaded her to embark on the cruise without me.

She shook her head, placed her hands on my shoulders, sighed heavily, and said, "Alright, my dear sister. You have fun at the publishing house too."

Off she went, only to return a month later with a ring on her finger, announcing her engagement to Adil Suryavamshi, the sole heir of Suryavamshi Industries. Mom and Dad exchanged glances before welcoming her inside.

"So, where is this Adil Suryavamshi now, and how did you meet him?" Dad inquired once she had settled down.

"He went back to his home, of course, to meet his mother Vaidehi Suryavamshi and share the news about his new fiancée, which is me. Oh, Papa, Adil is wonderful. He was on the cruise with us, disguised as a commoner. Until the end of the cruise, nobody knew that he was a billionaire. He acted like an average guy, and we had a few casual encounters, which led to us falling in love with each other. He only revealed his identity as a Suryavamshi heir to me at the end of the trip," she gushed.

I couldn't believe it. Lisha seemed to have all the luck in the world. Despite feeling a twinge of jealousy that my sister was getting married, and to a billionaire no less, I put my envy aside. She is my sister, after all, and I was genuinely happy for her.

"Congratulations, Lisha," I hugged her.

"Thanks, Alisha. See, I told you to come on the cruise with me. We could have had so much fun pranking him. We can still do that since he doesn't know I have a sister," she laughed.

"Lisha, don't be a child," Mom chided her. "You are getting married to him, for God's sake. Are you sure you heard him right? Did he really promise to marry you? You are saying he is a Suryavamshi. They are the cream of the crop in this country. I find it hard to believe that his mother would approve of this alliance. We are nowhere near their league. I am feeling queasy just thinking about it."

"Mother, please don't do this. Just because we are not on the list of billionaires doesn't mean that we cannot dream of marrying someone like Adil Suryavamshi. He has fallen in love with me. Besides, what's wrong if he gets married to me? We have been raised well by you and Papa. Papa had a respectable job as the bank manager and provided us with a good education. And you have raised us well.