Capítulo 1: The Other Bride at the Altar

The priest’s words hung in the air—Speak now or forever hold your peace—when the chapel doors exploded inward. Every head turned.

Gasps rippled through St. Bartholomew’s as a woman stormed down the aisle, her ivory dress torn at the hem, her hair a wild mirror of the bride’s.

“Stop the wedding!” she screamed. “That woman is not Isabel Walker.

She’s an imposter—a murderer!” Beside me at the altar, Sebastian Hale’s hand tightened on mine. I didn’t flinch.

I’d expected this. I just hadn’t known when.

The woman—my twin sister, the real Isabel—pointed a shaking finger at my face. “That’s Alicia.

My sister. She tried to kill me and stole my life.

Arrest her!” Two security guards moved toward the aisle, but Sebastian raised a palm. “Let her speak.” His voice was calm, almost bored.

Isabel’s eyes blazed. “Sebastian, you can’t marry her.

She’s a liar. She’s been pretending to be me for months.” I turned to face the guests, letting the veil slip back.

Gasps turned to stunned silence. Our faces were identical, but my expression held none of Isabel’s hysteria.

“I am Alicia Walker,” I said, my voice steady. “And everything she says is true.

I did take her place. I did deceive you all.

But murder?” I tilted my head. “She’s alive, isn’t she?

More’s the pity.” Murmurs erupted. Sebastian’s lips curved.

Not a smile of surprise—of satisfaction. “You knew?” Isabel whispered, her fury freezing into shock.

Sebastian released my hand and faced her. “Of course I knew.

From the moment she walked into my office, I knew she wasn’t you. You forget—I’ve been watching the Walker family for years.” His gaze swept over me, lingering on the faint scar at my wrist—the one Isabel had given me when we were twelve.

“I planned this wedding to destroy you, Isabel. To expose the lies your family has buried.

But then…” He turned to me, and his smile sharpened. “You surprised me, Alicia.

You played the game better than I ever imagined.” Isabel’s face drained of color. “You’re both insane.

This wedding is a fraud. I’ll have it annulled.

I’ll—” “You’ll do nothing,” I interrupted. From the folds of my bouquet, I drew a document—thick, notarized, bearing the Walker family seal.

“Because this wedding was never about love. It was about control.

And I’ve already won.” I held up the will. “This was executed three days ago by Richard Walker, our father.

Effective immediately, all of Walker Group’s assets, shares, and voting rights transfer to me—Alicia Walker, the sole legitimate heir.” The chapel erupted. Camera phones flashed.

Journalists in the back row surged forward. Isabel stumbled, her mouth opening and closing.

“That’s impossible… Father would never…” “He did,” I said coolly. “When he realized what you and your mother had done.

The forged signatures, the offshore accounts, the fire that killed my real parents and left me with this scar.” I raised my wrist. “He signed this will in my hand, and then he died.

Peacefully. In his sleep.” A lie.

But a useful one. Richard Walker was still breathing, locked away under my supervision.

But the document was real. I’d made sure of that.

Sebastian watched me with new eyes—wariness, intrigue, and something darker. “You’ve been planning this longer than I thought.” “Since I was eight years old,” I said.

“You wanted revenge, Sebastian. So did I.

But I don’t just want to burn the house down. I want to rebuild it with my name on the deed.” I turned to face the stunned assembly, my voice ringing out.

“The wedding is over. The marriage will stand—for now.

But the war for the Walker fortune has only just begun.” I met Isabel’s horrified stare. “You should have killed me when you had the chance, sister.

Now, you’ll watch me take everything.” Sebastian’s hand found my arm, his grip possessive. “I’ll hold you to that, Mrs.

Hale.” The title was a mockery, but his tone was pure challenge. I smiled.

“Then let’s dance, husband. The game has just started.” And as the first strains of the recessional music stumbled into chaos, I walked back down the aisle—not as a bride, but as a queen ascending her throne.