Spoiled by the Comments, I Married the Big Villain Instead

At my wedding to my childhood sweetheart, Nolan Barclay, a stream of comments suddenly materialized before my eyes.

[LMAO, the poor side-character doesn't even know the groom is a fake! The real Nolan Barclay is at the hospital with his precious little damsel in distress!]

[Who the groom is doesn't matter. The male lead is only marrying her for a cash infusion into his company. After all, this story is a pure romance where the childhood friend never stood a chance against the girl who fell from the sky!]

[The side-character is going to have her family destroyed by the male lead in the end. I almost feel sorry for her.]

I buried the shock in my eyes and, feigning ignorance, completed the ceremony.

I refused to be a stepping stone for their love story, destined to be a casualty.

If he didnt want to marry me, then Id just make this fake wedding real with someone else.

Do you, the groom, take this beautiful bride to be your wife, for richer or for poorer

I do. The mans voice, muffled by a surgical mask, was deep and low.

The guests below the stage were whispering amongst themselves, marveling at the profound love Nolan Barclay, the heir to the Barclay fortune, had for me.

Mr. Barclay is so devoted. I heard he came down with a sudden high fever last night, but he insisted on wearing a mask to go through with this wedding of the century today, just so he wouldn't disappoint his childhood love, Seraphina.

Its true, the bond between childhood sweethearts is different. The union of the Thorne and Barclay families is a massive earthquake in the Crestwood business world.

Listening to the praise, I felt a wave of nausea.

Because the comments floating before my eyes were refreshing at a manic pace:

[Devoted my ass! Nolan is holding Isabelle in his arms at his mountainside villa, watching a livestream of the wedding! Theyre sipping red wine and laughing at what a fool the side-character is.]

[This stand-in is so pitiful. He gets a measly ten thousand dollars to take the fall for this, and hes about to be publicly humiliated by the bride.]

[Newbies upstairs don't know, do they? This stand-in is the biggest hidden powerhouse in the whole book, Alexander Reed! The invisible billionaire!]

[He's been in love with Seraphina for a whole decade. Later in the story, to avenge her, he completely uproots the Barclay family and scatters their ashes! A true champion of romance just bit the dust!]

My heart pounded in my chest.

Alexander Reed?

The legendary, mysterious tycoon who controlled a commercial empire was in love with me? And he was here, acting as my fake groom?

I took a deep breath and raised a hand, cutting off the officiant. "Wait a moment."

The entire venue fell silent.

The man before me averted his gaze, tiny beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Even his breathing grew ragged.

A small smile played on my lips as I asked gently, "Nolan, you don't look well. Were you so busy with the wedding preparations that you forgot to take your medicine?"

He coughed nervously, his Adams apple bobbing. "Yes, I I'm not feeling great."

I seized the opportunity, turning to the officiant and the guests. "My apologies, everyone. The groom is feeling quite unwell. I'm going to take him to the lounge for his medication. We'll pause for just ten minutes. Please, enjoy the champagne."

With that, I gripped the groom's wrist and pulled him into the backstage dressing room.

The moment the door closed, the phone on the table buzzed.

I picked it up. A dozen unread messages, all from Isabelle.

[Seraphina, you know the groom is a fake by now, right? Surprise! Nolan and I are watching your wedding live.]

Attached was a high-resolution photo: Nolan was wrapping Isabelle in a tender embrace, his chin resting on the crown of her head. They were both smiling sweetly.

[Forgot to mention, this was my idea. Nolan said that even though you two were childhood friends, hes truly in love with me.]

[This wedding is just a game hes playing to make me happy. Youre not mad, are you, Sera?]

I let out a cold laugh, my fingers flying across the screen as I typed a reply:

[Is that so? Do you want to bet that with one phone call from me, hed drop you and come crawling back like a dog?]

As expected, the other end went silent for a long time.

Good. The fish was on the hook.

I turned to the silent groom beside me.

He looked at me, a touch of panic in his eyes, his voice low and raspy. "Seraphina, the truth is"

I patted his shoulder. "Alexander, don't be nervous."

The comments were a flurry of confusion: [She knows! Why isn't the side-character following the script?]

Alexander instantly looked relieved. "So you knew all along."

After a moment of silence, he seemed to make a decision, taking a deep breath.

"Nolan Barclay isn't worthy of you. He planned this today just to humiliate you."

I suddenly leaned in close to him. "I didn't stop the wedding to expose you. I just want you to act out a scene with me."

Remembering how, in the book, he had avenged me by taking on the Barclay family, ultimately perishing with Nolan, tears welled up in my eyes.

Alexander fumbled, gently wiping them away.

"If you feel wronged, I can"

I looked at him, my gaze serious. "Alexander Reed, listen to me carefully. The man I want to marry is you."

The comments exploded in a sea of pink: [HOLY S**T! Did I hear that right? The side-character has awakened! A reverse proposal?!]

[I ship it so hard! Look at the sparks flying from the tycoons eyes!]

When we returned to the stage, the officiant smiled and announced, "And now, the bride and groom will exchange rings."

I picked up the ring, but as I slid it onto his finger, it got stuck tight at the knuckle.

He tried to force it on awkwardly, but I held his hand still.

The guests began to whisper.

"What's happening? Is the ring size wrong?"

"How could they mess up something so important? The Thorne and Barclay families are being awfully careless."

At the main table, Nolans parents faces turned pale. They exchanged a look, and I saw the panic and unease in their eyes.

It was clear they knew about Nolans ridiculous charade all along but chose to enable and protect him.

My own mothers brow furrowed, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at me.

I gave my parents a reassuring glance, silently telling them not to worry.

Then, under the bewildered stares of everyone present, I ripped the mask off Alexanders face.

"Oh my god! The groom isn't Nolan Barclay!"

"Then where is the real groom?!"

Nolan's mother was the first to react. "What what is going on! Who are you!"

His fathers face was ashen as he yelled at the chaotic crowd of guests and reporters.

"Everyone, be quiet! Security! Theres been a small incident with the wedding, it will be resolved immediately!"

The comments scrolled wildly: [YESSS! This is amazing! Popcorn and soda for sale!]

[In the original plot, it was Seraphina who was supposed to be a sobbing, panicked mess on stage. Now it's the Barclay parents. The irony is delicious.]

My mother also looked at me with concern. "Sera, what on earth is going on? Where's Nolan?"

I turned and gave my parents another comforting look.

Then, to the astonishment of the entire room, I took Alexanders hand.

"Thank you all for attending the wedding of Alexander Reed and myself today. Due to a small oversight, the wedding posters and rings had the wrong name."

I paused, then continued, "But no harm done. The wedding will proceed!"

Beside me, Alexander stood tall and proud, as if claiming his territory.

Mrs. Barclay was trembling with rage. "Seraphina, are you insane? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"You just found some random nobody to replace Nolan! Where does that leave the Barclay family's reputation!"

Mr. Barclay rushed up, hissing at me, "Seraphina, stop this foolishness! You and Nolan grew up together. Even if he was being playful and didn't show up today, you can't treat the union of our two families like a joke!"

"Stop the wedding now! We'll handle this privately!"

I ignored them, handing the microphone to Alexander.

"Alex, tell them why you're standing here."

Alexander met my gaze and smiled, his voice steady and clear.

"I am standing here today because Nolan Barclay paid me ten thousand dollars to impersonate him at this wedding."

The moment he spoke, the room erupted.

"What?! He hired someone to marry for him?!"

"My God, is Nolan Barclay out of his mind? This is like grinding the Thorne familys face into the dirt!"

Exposed so publicly, the color drained completely from Mr. and Mrs. Barclays faces.

My fathers anger finally ignited. He pointed a trembling finger at Mr. Barclay and roared.

"So this is the Barclay family! This is Nolan Barclay! Treating my daughter's wedding like a childs game! Youve gone too far! Did you really think the Thorne family would just stand by and take it?!"

My mother, her eyes red with fury, strode onto the stage and pulled me behind her, her voice icy as she addressed the Barclays.

"The wedding is off! From this day forward, the Thorne family and the Barclay family have nothing to do with each other!"

Seeing the alliance about to crumble, Mrs. Barclay panicked.

"Sera, it was Nolan being immature and foolish. Auntie will have him come back right now and beg for your forgiveness."

I scoffed. "Fine. Ill give him one more chance. If you can get him on the phone right now, Ill pretend none of this ever happened."

Alexander squeezed my hand, and I leaned in to whisper, "Don't worry, Nolan isn't coming back."

Mrs. Barclay clung to this last shred of hope, frantically dialing Nolan's number.

Once, twice, three times

The only response was the cold, automated voice: "We're sorry, the number you have dialed has been switched off."

I feigned disappointment. "It seems the great Mr. Barclay has no intention of returning."

"Security, please escort the irrelevant parties out."

Mr. and Mrs. Barclay were hauled away by security, a frenzy of reporters shoving cameras in their faces.

My mother took my hand, not asking a single question. "Sera, whatever you decide, your father and I will support you."

My father gave my shoulder a firm squeeze. A warmth spread through my chest, and I fought back tears.

A comment drifted by: [In the original story, Seraphina insisted on marrying Nolan, alienating her family. In the end, Nolan bankrupted the Thorne business, and her parents, their hair white overnight, both jumped from a building. Seeing this now, I really want to cry.]

I looked down to hide the emotion in my eyes. Since they had been merciless, they couldnt blame me for being ruthless.

As soon as the wedding fiasco was over, I called my executive assistant.

"Terminate all partnerships with the Barclay Corporation immediately. And pull every single dollar of our invested capital. I want it all back, down to the last cent."

The news that I had swapped grooms and married Alexander on the spot didn't spread quickly.

The Barclay family, desperate to stabilize their stock price, paid to have the story suppressed.

Right after the ceremony, Alexander and I went to get our marriage license. Afterwards, he told me he had urgent business and had to go abroad for a few days.

Meanwhile, a completely oblivious Nolan spent two days living it up with Isabelle at his suburban villa before he finally sensed something was wrong.

Usually, by now, I would have thrown a massive fit, demanding he come back. But this time, there was nothing but silence.

Nolan scrolled through his phone distractedly, not even hearing Isabelle when she called his name.

"No, that woman Seraphina must be playing hard to get," Nolan sneered, tossing his phone aside.

Isabelle tested the waters. "Nolan, do you think Seraphina is really angry? Maybe you should go back and smooth things over. Its not worth offending the Thorne family over me"

"Smooth things over with her? Does she deserve it?" Nolan pinched Isabelles chin, his face a mask of arrogance.

"Shes head over heels in love with me. Twenty years of history she cant live without me."

"I bet you in less than three days, she'll come crawling back, begging me to marry her with a fresh injection of cash. Ive been spoiling her too much."

A comment floated by: [I'm dying, has this male lead lost his brain? He doesn't even know the Thorne family has already pulled their funding and the Barclay Corporation is about to face a catastrophe.]

[Oh, honey. Your house is being robbed and you're still here patting yourself on the back.]

I never expected to run into those two disasters at my father's business gala.

Nolan spotted me immediately. But when he saw me chatting with another man, his expression darkened into a stormy scowl.

When Isabelle saw me, she casually placed a hand on her stomach and whined to Nolan, "Nolan, my feet are so sore, I can't walk anymore. It's so stuffy in here."

Nolan dotingly supported her, though his eyes kept darting in my direction.

He was probably waiting for me to make the first move.

Unfortunately for him, I was about to disappoint.

From start to finish, I didn't spare him a single glance.

He finally lost his patience, striding over to our table and slamming his wine glass down.

"Seraphina, are you still mad that I had someone stand in for me at the wedding?"

I didn't even bother to look at him and started to get up to leave.

"The wedding was an emergency. Isabelle was sick, thats the only reason I wasn't there."

Isabelle swayed over, blocking my path. "Seraphina, please dont blame Nolan. Its all my fault, my body is just so weak. Im so sorry I delayed your wedding"

Nolan listened, then let out a humorless laugh. "Seraphina, I never realized you were so petty. It was just a wedding."

"We didn't even sign the papers, so what does it matter? Are you really going to team up with your dad and pull funding just to force my hand?"

As he spoke, he reached for my arm with an air of entitlement.

My eyes turned to ice as I yanked my arm away.

"Mr. Barclay, please have some self-respect."

"As for the wedding, didn't your parents tell you?"

Nolan froze. "Tell me what?"

Isabelles expression flickered with panic as she grabbed my wrist. "Sera, please don't be like this. Nolan really does care about you in his heart"

Her words were placating, but her nails dug viciously into my skin, the pain making me gasp.

The comments went wild: [Whoa! What's with the female lead? She's already getting physical?]

I violently shook her off. "Get lost!"

"Ah!"

Isabelle tumbled to the floor in a pathetic heap.

Nolans eyes blazed with fury. He rushed to help her up and roared at me, "Seraphina! Do you have any idea how fragile Isabelle is? Apologize to her, now!"

I sneered and motioned to the security guards who were approaching the commotion. "Security, throw them out!"

Nolans face was livid. "Don't think this will get my attention. If you behave, I'll go with you to get our marriage license in a few days."

[LMAO, what is with this guy? Doesn't he love the female lead? He's acting like a textbook narcissist.]

[This is hilarious. He has no idea the side-character already married the tycoon and hes still waiting for her to come running back to him.]

I laughed. "Get a license? But I'm already married."

The smile on Nolan's face froze. He stood there, stunned, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

He took a step forward, his tone arrogant. "You say you're married? Then why isn't your husband here with you?"

A mocking curve touched my lips. "My husband is away on a business trip. Unlike some useless loafer who needs a woman to survive."

Before he could explode, Isabelle's eyes reddened, and tears began to fall on cue.

"Sera, how could you say that about Nolan? He works late every night for the Barclay Corporation. Not only do you refuse to help, but you're making up lies to hurt him. You're breaking his heart."

She paused deliberately, making Nolans gaze, now fixed on me, fill with disappointment and anger.

"Seraphina, look at yourself. So bitter and cruel. Who else would ever want you but me?"

"Let me tell you, stop playing these games. It only makes me look down on you even more!"