Legitimacy starts with a lie

My head throbbed, the last memory lingering like a bad dream: a group of my family's flunkies tossing me into a car. Slowly, I opened my eyes, expecting the familiar sight of the family parlor.

"…"

"…"

"Okay, I give up. Where in the world am I?"

The room was filled with flowers—flowers I loathed. A door adorned with a cross loomed ahead. "Am I in some sort of church?"

I tried to stand but tripped over… a fluffy white ballgown? "Why am I wearing this?"
After several attempts, struggling with the glittery fabric and high heels, I finally collapsed back onto the floor, surveying the room again. At the back, I spotted a floor-length mirror.

Reflected in it was a pale girl in a veil, perfect makeup, flowers braided into her hair. Panic rose as I realized I was alone—just me and this ridiculous gown. I managed to stand, ripping a small hole in the dress in the process.
"What kind of fool's prank is this?" I shouted, scrambling toward the door.
Just then, my stepmother entered, accompanied by a woman carrying a makeup kit.
"Oh! Looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake!" the stranger exclaimed. "Miss Alicia, you look stunning! You must have been so tired from wedding planning that you fell asleep before I arrived. How do you like it? Is there anywhere you want me to touch up?"

"... My name is Alex, not Alicia. You must mean—"

I was cut off.

"Yes, yes, Alicia. I know you prefer to go by Alex around family, but you need to grow up now. This isn't like the old days; you have to be more feminine." My stepmother's eyes sparkled with malicious satisfaction.

I stared blankly at her. She clearly knew I wasn't Alicia, so why the insistence? A pit of dread twisted in my stomach.

"Oh, she had all kinds of nicknames as a child—Alex, Lily, Sia. Don't pay attention to what she calls herself. This is our darling Alicia, isn't that right, dear?"
I blinked, then replied, "Uuuhh, sure." I felt utterly lost.

"I think Britney, the bridesmaid, mentioned needing help with her makeup. Why don't you go out? I'll have a few last words with my darling daughter." The makeup artist hurried out.

"Darling daughter, my foot," I muttered. "So your supposed darling daughter is confused about why she's wearing a wedding dress. What does darling mother plan to do about this? Was Alicia too busy doing her own makeup to bother with her own wedding?" I smirked.

My stepmother's lip curled. "Count yourself lucky to get this opportunity. If not, you'd still be scraping together money to save your mother's life. You can't even afford your own medical expenses, can you? Poor dear."

"Wait, so she really was late to her own wedding?"

"No, you daft girl. She ran away with her lover; she didn't want to marry that cold-hearted CEO. No proper woman should," she huffed.

"… So you want me to marry this horrible man? No, thank you. I'll just keep waitressing to pay off the medical bills."

Her eyes rolled. "You don't have a choice. Our family owns the hospital; we can make you pay it back immediately or delay treatment. Your mother won't survive long. In other words, you're marrying him. Have a nice life. If he finds out, you can bet he'll destroy you—no need for us to lift a finger." She flashed a wicked grin.
I gritted my teeth, knowing she spoke the truth. They owned all the hospitals in this part of the country. Moving was impossible—I didn't have the funds. I had to make this work somehow. "And who exactly are you planning to marry me off to?"

"CEO Qin."

"Oh yes, just marry me off to the cold-blooded man known for his hatred of women."

"Again, darling, you don't have a choice. Don't even think about running, because if you do, your mother won't live very long." She laughed, her footsteps fading as she sauntered out.

As the door slammed behind her, a flower bouquet fell from the wall and hit me on the head. "Yeah, this is going to be a great day."