Five Years a Stand-In, Now I Marry Up

I'd been secretly dating Nathan for five years.

In our fifth year together, he publicly announced his engagement. But his fiance wasn't me.

On TV, he was on one knee, proposing to his first love with a diamond ring.

In the real world, I stood up from the cake I'd made for our fifth anniversary. I calmly dialed my grandfather's number.

"Grandfather, I accept the arranged marriage to the Foster family."

Five years as a substitute. It was time to end it.

This time, I would be the one marrying someone else.

Lily's POV

In the fifth year of my secret relationship with Nathan, the billionaire heir, he publicly announced his engagement. The fiance wasn't me.

I sat in a dim private room, staring at the melted remains of our fifth anniversary cake.

On the wall screen, a charity gala played live.

Nathan Sterling had hidden me away for five years. He refused to even hold my hand in public. Now he was gently placing a five-million-dollar diamond tiara on Susan's head.

"Welcome back, my princess." His voice came through the microphone, deep and tender.

Then the camera panned to the audience below, accidentally picking up his friends' teasing voices.

"Nathan, the love of your life is finally back. What about that woman you've been keeping at home? After five years, you two should break up, right?"

My entire body went rigid, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me. Even breathing hurt.

Through the screen, I couldn't see Nathan's expression clearly, but I heard his casual laugh perfectly.

"She's just a little toy. I'll write her a check later and be done with it. Don't mention this in front of Susan. She's soft-hearted and can't handle hearing about these things."

Five years.

We'd been together for five years. He pampered me, spoiled me, bought me the most expensive bags, let me live in the best house. But he never introduced me to anyone.

At first, he'd hold me and coax me. "Lily, just wait a little longer. The Sterling family's situation is unstable right now. I'm afraid making us public would put you in danger."

Later, I gave up my position as the family heir and became his company's chief designer. Then he said, "Office romances attract too much gossip. I don't want to put you through that."

I bought every excuse. I buried my pride and ambition. I became the understanding, obedient woman behind him. Invisible.

But now, I'd heard it with my own ears. The reason he wouldn't make us public wasn't to protect me at all.

It was simply because he didn't love me.

It was because from the very beginning, I'd been nothing more than a substitute for Susan!

I stared at the screen showing the two of them embracing, my eyes burning red. After a long moment, I let out a soft, self-mocking laugh.

I was laughing at my own stupidity, my own foolishness. I was laughing at how these five years of my youth had become a pathetic joke.

Just then, my phone on the table rang abruptly.

It was my grandfather calling.

"Lily, the Foster boy has returned to the country. Have you thought about the arranged marriage? You haven't come home for five years because of that Nathan, but he hasn't even given you a proper status! I know Damien Foster well. He's an excellent young man..."

My grandfather tried to persuade me as always, but this time, before he could finish, I cut him off calmly.

"Grandfather, I accept the marriage."

The other end of the line went dead silent. After a long pause, my grandfather asked in disbelief."Really?"

"Really." I looked at the screen where Nathan was kissing Susan's cheek, my voice completely devoid of emotion. "When I come back, I'm staying in New York. I'm never leaving again."

After hanging up, I threw the carefully prepared gift box from the table into the trash and walked out of the private room.

I'd just finished taking down the fifth anniversary decorations when the front door swung open.

Nathan walked in, carrying the faint scent of rose perfume. Susan's favorite.

He saw me on the sofa, walked over, and casually handed me a luxury jewelry box. His tone was gentle, like nothing had happened.

"The company was too busy today. I couldn't be with you. You saw the news? It's just for show, to build momentum for a collaboration between our companies. We're just acting. I'm not going to marry Susan."

My gaze met his deep eyes, but he felt like a complete stranger.

I already knew the truth, so naturally I knew how fake his affection was in this moment.

I didn't take the jewelry box. I simply nodded calmly.

"I understand."

Whether he married Susan or not, I didn't care anymore.

After all, I was going to marry someone else.

Lily's POV

Nathan probably hadn't expected me to be so calm. After all, I was so calm that I didn't even question him once.

He pulled me into his arms, his large hand caressing my waist. He lowered his head, trying to find my lips. "Lily, you're not angry?"

"Didn't you say it was fake? Why would I be angry?"

I turned my head, avoiding his kiss, and used the momentum to slip out of his embrace.

"I'm not feeling well today. I'm going to bed early."

Nathan's hand froze in mid-air. He watched my retreating figure without any trace of reluctance, his brows furrowing slightly. But in the end, he didn't press the issue.

"Alright. Rest well then."

The next morning, when I woke up, the space beside me was already empty.

I didn't pay it any mind. After washing up, I took a cab to the office myself. When I arrived, I didn't go to the design department. Instead, I went straight to HR and got a resignation form.

After filling it out, I tucked the resignation form into a stack of design drafts that needed signing, went upstairs, and pushed open the CEO's office door.

My steps faltered slightly when I saw the scene before me.

Nathan, who was always cold and decisive in front of others, was now half-kneeling on the floor with an ice pack in his hand, carefully tending to the ankle of Susan, who sat on the sofa.

"Why wear such high heels? You don't need to look perfect for me. I just want you to be comfortable." His voice was so gentle it could drip honey.

Hearing the sound, they both turned around.

When they saw it was me, Nathan's expression instantly shifted. He unconsciously stood up and cleared his throat to mask his embarrassment.

Before he could speak, Susan on the sofa frowned, her voice coquettish yet condescending. "Nathan, how can your director have such poor manners? She didn't even knock before entering."

I opened my mouth, finding it somewhat laughable.

Not knocking was a privilege Nathan had once given me. He'd said his office was always open to me.

But now, this privilege had become a crime in front of his true love.

I turned to look at Nathan. His gaze shifted away, not daring to meet my eyes. He just said coldly."What is it?"

"Mr. Sterling, there are some documents that need your signature."

I walked forward and handed him the papers.

Nathan took them, looking through them as he signed his name. When he got to the last page, I held my breath slightly.

It was my resignation form.

"Ah!"

Just as Nathan's gaze was about to fall on that page, Susan suddenly cried out. The coffee cup in front of her tipped over, the scalding liquid splashing onto the back of her hand. It instantly turned red.

Nathan's expression changed dramatically. He couldn't care less about the documents in his hand. He hastily signed the last page, threw down the pen, scooped Susan up in his arms, and rushed out the door.

"Hold on, I'll take you to the hospital right away!"

Watching their figures disappear beyond the door, I stood there, my heart completely calm.

I pulled out the signed resignation form, carefully tucked it away, and headed to HR.

"Since Mr. Sterling approved it, you can resign once the one-month handover process is complete." The HR manager looked at the signature and stamped it.

I nodded. When I returned to the design department, the group chat on my phone was already exploding.

"Mr. Sterling is so good to Miss Susan! She just got scalded a little and he literally carried her out!"

"I heard Miss Susan is entering the jewelry business. Mr. Sterling is planning to put her in full charge of our core project next quarter."

"Now that's true love. Our company is about to have a first lady."

Looking at the messages in the group, I turned off my phone screen.

Nathan really did love Susan. As soon as she returned to the country, he couldn't wait to lay everything at her feet.

And as for me, the substitute. It was finally time to exit the stage.

Lily's POV

During lunch break, just as I was about to go downstairs to eat, my colleagues gathered around me.

"Lily, I heard you submitted your resignation? Why? You're a key member of our department!"

I smiled, not hiding anything."I'm going home to get married."

"Married?! So sudden? Who are you marrying? We never heard you had a boyfriend!"

"Congratulations! You have to invite us to your wedding!"

I smiled and agreed.

After work that evening, I'd just walked out of the company building when a familiar black Maybach stopped in front of me.

The window rolled down, revealing Nathan's handsome but somewhat gloomy face.

"Get in."

I didn't move, acting as if I hadn't seen him, and walked straight toward the curb to hail a cab.

Nathan's expression darkened. He pushed open the car door, strode over, grabbed my wrist, and half-forced me into the passenger seat.

"Lily, have you made enough of a scene?" After the door locked, Nathan's voice, suppressing his anger, echoed in the cramped car. "I told you Susan and I are just acting. Why were you throwing a tantrum in the office today? Who was that for?"

I stared straight ahead, my tone flat without any fluctuation."I didn't throw a tantrum."

"Then why'd you resign?" Nathan rubbed his forehead, his voice softening.

"Lily, Susan just came back. She needs to make a name for herself. That jewelry exhibition next quarter is her big chance. I need you to help her. Stick it out, and I'll take you to Iceland for the Northern Lights. Deal?"

I turned my head to look at this face I'd loved for five years, and suddenly felt somewhat nauseous.

He wanted me, the substitute, to work for the woman he truly loved?

"Nathan, you already signed the resignation form." A mocking smile appeared at the corner of my mouth. "Also, I'm not throwing a tantrum. I really am going home to get married."

Nathan froze for a moment, then burst out laughing as if he'd heard a joke.

"Married? To who? That distant arranged marriage partner of yours?" He grabbed my chin, his eyes confident and contemptuous. "Lily, don't use such clumsy excuses to test my limits. You can't leave me."

He was too confident. So confident he didn't believe I would actually leave him.

I slapped his hand away and didn't bother explaining further.

The next day, to punish my "disobedience," Nathan issued a CEO directive requiring me to serve as Susan's personal assistant and accompany her to a snowy mountain to shoot a jewelry promotional video.

The snowy mountain was below freezing, with biting winds.

Susan sat in a windproof tent wearing a thick down jacket, drinking hot coffee. Meanwhile, I was required to take off my coat and stand in the snow wearing only a thin sweater, holding a heavy reflector for Susan.

"Miss Lily, hold it higher. The lighting isn't right." Susan held her coffee, smiling innocently.

My hands were already frozen red and stiff, almost losing all feeling.

Nathan stood not far away, watching this scene with slightly furrowed brows, but he said nothing. He just walked over, draped his coat over Susan's shoulders, and asked if she was cold.

I watched them embrace in the snow. The cold wind cut into my bones, but it wasn't even one ten-thousandth as cold as my heart.

I gritted my teeth and held the reflector until the shoot was over.

"Nathan, Lily looks really cold." Susan leaned against Nathan and spoke mockingly.

Nathan walked over. Looking at my purple lips, a trace of reluctance flashed in his eyes, but his tone remained firm."Have you realized your mistake? Just withdraw your resignation and you can continue as my chief designer."

I lifted my head and looked at him, my frozen lips pulling into a cold arc.

"Mr. Sterling, there are twenty-eight days left in the handover period."

Lily's POV

On the second day of the mountain shoot, Susan's harassment escalated.

In the break room, Susan's gaze suddenly landed on the vintage pocket watch hanging around my neck. It was the only memento from my late father. I never took it off.

"Miss Lily, that pocket watch of yours has quite a vintage feel. Let me borrow it as a prop for the shoot." Without waiting for permission, Susan reached out to grab it.

My expression changed drastically. I quickly stepped back, protecting the watch."No. This is my father's memento. I can't lend it."

"So what if it's a memento? Nathan put me in charge of the entire project. You're about to resign anyway. You still won't cooperate with me?" Susan's face darkened, and she came forward to snatch it forcefully.

During our struggle, the watch's chain snapped with a "crack."

Susan held the watch, a malicious smile curling at her lips. Then she let go.

The watch fell onto the hard rocks. The glass face shattered instantly, gears scattering across the ground.

My mind went blank.

I stared at the broken watch on the ground, all the blood in my body seeming to freeze. The next second, I raised my hand and slapped Susan hard across the face.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the break room. Susan clutched her face, screaming in disbelief."You dare hit me?!"

Hearing the commotion, Nathan rushed in. Seeing the red handprint on Susan's face, his expression instantly turned dark as a storm cloud.

"Lily, have you lost your mind?!"

He shoved me hard. Already weak, I was thrown backward by his force, falling heavily onto the rocky ground covered in debris.

My palm scraped across a sharp stone, immediately opening a long gash. Blood poured out, staining the white snow red.

But Nathan didn't even glance at me. He just anxiously pulled Susan into his arms.

"Nathan, I just wanted to borrow her watch as a prop. Not only did she refuse, she hit me..." Susan leaned against him, crying pitifully.

Nathan glared at me on the ground, his eyes cold and cutting."It's just a broken watch! It's not even worth anything! I'll compensate you one million dollars! How dare you hit someone? Apologize to Susan right now!"

A broken watch?

I sat collapsed on the ground, watching my blood drip into the snow, suddenly finding it all absurdly laughable.

He knew perfectly well it was the last keepsake my father had left me.

Once, when I accidentally lost this watch, he frantically mobilized everyone to find it. When it was recovered, he held me, heartbroken, and said."Lily's things are my life."

But now, when my life had been shattered, he called it just a broken watch.

I didn't cry. I didn't apologize. I just silently knelt on the ground, using my bleeding hand to pick up the shattered gears and glass pieces one by one, clutching them tightly in my palm.

The sharp glass cut into my palm, but I seemed to feel no pain.

Nathan didn't look at me. He carried Susan and left.

I took leave and went to the hospital alone to bandage my wound.

Coming out of the hospital, I received a call from my good friend Sophia. Sophia was Nathan's younger sister and the only person who knew about our relationship.

At the caf, Sophia looked at my bandaged hand, her eyes immediately reddening.

"Lily, did my brother bully you again? Since Susan came back, he's been completely bewitched!"

I calmly stirred my coffee, saying softly."Sophia, I'm getting married."

Sophia froze, then tears spilled from her eyes."Married? To my brother? Is he finally willing to make your relationship public?"

"Not him." I shook my head. "It's the arranged marriage from my family. I'm going home."

Sophia stared at me blankly, then suddenly threw her arms around me, sobbing uncontrollably."Good! My brother is trash. He doesn't deserve you! Lily, you have to be happy..."

Suddenly, someone appeared beside us. It was Nathan. He frowned slightly."Sophia, why are you crying?"

Sophia looked up, glaring at him with red eyes."Lily is going back to New York to get married, why shouldn't I cry?!"

Lily's POV

Hearing Sophia's words, Nathan's steps halted abruptly, his expression instantly darkening.

He stared at me intently, his voice seeming to squeeze through clenched teeth."Say that again. What are you planning to do?"

"I'm getting married." I met his gaze without backing down. "Mr. Sterling, if you have time, you're welcome to attend my wedding."

Nathan laughed coldly in anger, stepped forward, and grabbed my wrist, using so much force it felt like he might crush my bones.

"Lily, to force me to make us public, you'd even tell such lies? You think a random excuse will make me give in?"

Ignoring Sophia's attempts to stop him, he forcibly dragged me out of the caf and shoved me into his car.

The car doors locked. Nathan pressed me against the seat back, his eyes fierce yet with a trace of imperceptible panic.

"I told you, Susan and I are just acting! What exactly are you making a fuss about? I'll get the best craftsman to fix that watch for you. Stop using marriage to challenge my limits!"

Looking at his enraged appearance, I just felt pathetic.

"Nathan, does acting require you to treasure her like that? Does acting require you to push me into the snow for her sake?"

My voice was very quiet.

He was speechless. After a long while, he irritably loosened his tie."She just returned to the country. She's emotionally unstable. I'm just taking extra care of her. You used to be so understanding. Why have you become so annoying?"

"Yes, I was too understanding before." I laughed self-mockingly. "So now, I don't want to be understanding anymore. I really am getting married. My fianc is Damien Foster."

At the name Damien Foster, Nathan's eyes narrowed.

The Fosters were New York's most elite family. And Damien Foster was famously unapproachable in their circle.

"At least find a believable lie." Nathan sneered, not believing me at all. "Just stay home and reflect these next few days. When you realize your mistake, then you can come back to the office."

He slammed the door and left, leaving me alone in the villa.

That evening, I sat on the sofa. My phone kept receiving photos from my grandfather. Wedding dresses and wedding venues.

"Lily, Damien says you can choose any wedding venue. Which one do you like?"

I carefully looked through the photos and selected the simplest wedding dress.

Nathan came out after showering. Seeing me focused on my phone screen, he walked over and glanced at it. His expression immediately turned livid.

"Still acting?" He snatched my phone away. Seeing the wedding dress photos on the screen, he roared."Lily, are you determined to make me angry?"

I didn't try to grab the phone back. I just looked at him calmly."Nathan, you already signed the resignation form. And I'm not throwing a tantrum. I really am going home to get married."

Nathan stared blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing as if he'd heard a joke.

"Married? To who? That distant arranged marriage partner?" He grabbed my chin, his eyes confident and contemptuous. "Lily, don't use such pathetic excuses to test my limits. You can't leave me."

He was too confident. So confident he didn't believe I would actually leave.

I knocked his hand away and didn't explain further.

The next morning, I received a string of numbers from my grandfather.

"Lily, this is Damien's private number. You young people should chat and develop your relationship."

I saved the number to my contacts. When entering the label, I paused, then typed in a name.

"Future Husband."

Since I'd decided to marry, I would completely sever all ties with the past.

Lily's POV

With half a month left in the handover period, the company held a team-building event to celebrate the launch of a new project.

I didn't want to go, but as the soon-to-depart chief designer, my colleagues enthusiastically invited me, so I agreed.

It was supposed to be just a design department dinner, but when I arrived at the private room, I discovered that Nathan had brought Susan along.

"Nathan said everyone has been working hard, so he specially brought me to show appreciation." Susan held Nathan's arm, completely acting like the lady of the house.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became somewhat awkward. Everyone knew Nathan and I used to be close. Now that Nathan had a girlfriend, no one dared say a word.

Halfway through the dinner, someone suggested playing "Truth or Dare" to liven things up.

In the first round, the bottle landed in front of Nathan.

Given his position, no one dared make too outrageous demands. Someone said."Mr. Sterling, choose Dare! Show everyone the first photo in your phone's gallery!"

Nathan didn't refuse. He took out his phone and opened the gallery.

On the projection screen, a solo photo of Susan at the snowy mountain appeared. In the photo, she was smiling happily, the shooting angle full of affection.

"Wow! Mr. Sterling and Miss Susan have such a great relationship!"

"This is truly enviable love!"

Amid everyone's praise, Susan shyly leaned on Nathan's shoulder. Nathan's gaze, however, passed over the crowd and landed directly on me in the corner.

He expected to see jealousy and heartbreak on my face. But I just gave him a cold glance, then lowered my head to drink my juice, never making eye contact with him again.

Suddenly, I received a text from Nathan.

"Just acting. Don't take it seriously."

I looked at the message on the screen, a mocking smile appearing at the corner of my lips. I flipped the phone face-down on the table.

In the second round, the bottle stopped squarely in front of me.

"Miss Lily, what do you choose?"

"Dare." I said lightly.

My colleagues exchanged glances, then boldly said."Then please call the first contact in your phone, and put it on speaker!"

I didn't hesitate. I picked up my phone and opened my contacts.

On the big screen, the first name at the top of my contact list was clearly displayed.

"Future Husband."

The room instantly fell silent. Everyone's eyes secretly glanced toward Nathan.

Nathan's expression darkened the moment he saw the screen. He stared at me intently, both hands clenched into fists, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

The phone rang twice before it picked up.

A deep, magnetic voice came through the speaker, with a hint of authority.

"Lily?"

My heart skipped. I answered softly. "It's me."

"Calling this late? You miss me?" There was a faint, almost hidden warmth in his voice.

Everyone in the room gasped.

Nathan shot up, his chair scraping the floor with a screech. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at me, like he wanted to tear me apart.

"Ridiculous!"

He spat the word, kicked the chair aside, and stormed out, dragging Susan along.

And that was how the party ended.

I hung up, said goodbye to my colleagues, and walked out alone.

Just as I reached the intersection, a black Maybach stopped in front of me. The door opened, a hand reached out, and I was pulled inside.