The Billionaire's Duplicate Bride

“The Millers are coming in a few minutes, and you’re still not prepared?” John Parker yelled at his daughter Hailey, who was still painting her face in front of her vanity mirror. She was dressed in a dark blue fitted midi dress, and was exceptionally low cut, and did not leave much to the imagination.

Today, they were anticipating the arrival of Blake Miller, as well as his parents, so that they could discuss the preparations for their upcoming wedding. Hailey was making her best efforts to impress the handsome wealthy man.

“Just a minute, dad...” Hailey rolled her eyes after the final touch of her lipstick. “I should look more gorgeous in front of Blake and his family.”

“Make it quick! I want you to be standing in the doorway when Blake arrives!” he rasped, turning away and was about to step out of his daughter’s bedroom, when he almost bumped with Brianna. "What are you doing here? You should be in the kitchen, helping the maids! Where’s your father? Has he replaced the flowers in the vases?”

Brianna was John’s niece, and the daughter of his brother, Rob. She was working as a helper in her uncle’s house, while her father was the one taking care of the lawn and flowers in the garden.

Their family had formerly resided in a rural community known as Genesee, which was located in the countryside. Their means of subsistence consisted of cultivating grapes and planting crops. On the other hand, when her Uncle John finally tied the knot with a wealthy woman, he relocated to Manhattan with his new wife, Daphne, and left his hometown and family with his daughter, Hailey.

One day, Brianna’s father had a mild heart attack. He was able to survive, although he needed medication for maintenance. In the absence of any other options, Brianna was forced to make a request for assistance from her Uncle John.

“I’ll pay for your father’s medication, but you have to work for it!” That was Daphne’s final decision, and Brianna had no choice but to accept it for the sake of her father’s health.

“Uncle John...” Brianna’s lips trembled as she spoke, brushing away the thought of the past. Tears started to well up in her big sapphire eyes. “Dad was brought to the hospital this morning. He--”

"What?" A tear had just escaped Brianna's eye as she shuddered in response to the stern voice of Daphne coming from the hallway. “Does it mean that you need money again?”

“Oh honey, don’t worry about other people's problems. We’ll talk about this matter later.” John met his wife in the hallway, giving her a peck on the forehead. “Brianna, the Millers are coming today. We don’t have time for your drama at the moment. Go and help the maids in the kitchen first!”

“But Uncle...”

“No buts! You heard dad! Just go!” Hailey pushed her out of her room, a hint of disgust was seen on her face when she accidentally touched Brianna's skin.

Instead of getting mad, Brianna stared at her cousin in awe. She looked like a living barbie doll, and her make-up was done to perfection.

They shared the same dark brown locks, but Hailey's hair was swept to one side, looking so lovelier and had a far shinier appearance than hers. A short dress that stopped at her mid-thighs revealed her long, slender legs.

They were the best of friends when they were still living in the countryside. But when she got a taste and socialized with high-class people, she had forgotten about her cousin and best friend, Brianna.

"I said, go!" Hearing Hailey's angry voice again, Brianna’s heart was shattered into a million pieces as she walked past them with her head hung low. Following her descent to the lower level, she assisted the maids with setting the dining table.

This morning, she heard about guests coming. It was the Miller family. She had heard about Blake Miller from Hailey and Daphne a few times, but she hadn’t met him yet. She had high hopes that Hailey would alter her bad attitude once she married the man of her dreams.

When she told her dad about the visitors, she had already noticed that he wasn’t feeling well, but he still had this smile on his face as he engaged in conversation with her.

“Sweetheart, I had a talk last night with your Uncle John about you going to school this year.” Rob remarked as he gently stroked his daughter’s hair, and tucked a lovely white daisy behind her ear. It had always been his goal for Brianna to complete her education and attend a reputable institution.

Brianna’s eyes immediately lit up. “Really? What did Uncle John say, dad?”

Rob didn’t want to break his daughter’s heart, so he said, “He promised to enroll you and pay for your tuition at Manhattanville University.”

“That's Hailey's school!” she squealed in happiness, flinging her arm around her father’s waist. “Thank you, dad. At long last, I can continue my studies. Your dreams for me will finally come true!”

“Of course, baby. And I know that's your dream too.” he kissed his daughter’s hair and hugged her back, but suddenly winced when he felt the squeezing pain in his chest.

When Brianna walked back inside the house, the tremendous thud that she heard coming from behind her caused her to turn around and discover her father lying on the ground with his palm pressed on his chest.

“Dad!” she cried out, rushing back to her father. “Daddy, wake up!”

“Brianna, what happened?” Tom, the Parker’s driver, helped her take her father to the hospital.

The doctor told Brianna that her father needed to have coronary artery bypass grafting as soon as possible if she wanted to save him. And the surgery would cost two hundred-thousand dollars.

Her Uncle John was unaware of what had happened because they were busy preparing for the lunch that would take place later with the Miller family.

She went upstairs to tell her uncle about what happened to her dad, but it seemed that the meeting with the Millers was more important than his own brother.

John Parker never cared about them anyway. Only Rob was constantly worried about his younger brother. After the passing of John's wife, they provided financial assistance for them, and Rob even sent Hailey to high school. John didn't even bother to express gratitude to his older brother after everything that he had done for them. And now that he had a lot of money, it was so difficult to approach him and ask for assistance.

“Brianna...” She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Claire, one of the maids who worked in the house, and eventually became her close friend. “It’s okay. Your dad will be okay.”

She nodded, giving Claire a small smile, before she started working in the kitchen.

“Brianna!” Daphne’s voice made her stop from scooping soup from the container. “Stay here in the kitchen. Don't you dare go out to the living room, and never ever show your face to the guests, understand?”

She furrowed her brows, struggling to comprehend the reason why the guests couldn't see her.

“Mom, let’s go! They're here!” Hailey’s excited voice boomed, her heels click-clacking on the floor as she dragged her mother back to the living room.

The doorbell chimed, a sign that the visitors had finally arrived.

“Good afternoon Mr. And Mrs. Miller, and of course, Blake!” Brianna heard her uncle greet them warmly as she continued what she was doing before Daphne