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CHATPER 1

Amelia stood in the men’s restroom, holding her ball wedding gown tightly against her chest.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she contemplated the shattered dreams of her marriage.

The realization had hit her hard.

Her supposed fiance, the man she had trusted and loved, was nothing more than a cheating opportunist who had set his sights on her family's wealth.

Lost in distress, Amelia failed to notice her surroundings and accidentally bumped into a masculine chest.

Startled, she slowly raised her gaze and found herself in a pair of cold, piercing eyes.

The intensity in those eyes sent shivers down her spine, but desperation clouded her judgment as an idea pumped into her head.

She held his suit and looked straight into his eyes.

“ Please marry me,” she pleaded, her voice trembling.

The man raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by her sudden request.

“ Why should I marry you?” He asked, his voice cold.

Amelia’s heart raced, knowing she had to find the right words to convince the stranger in front of her to save her from the monster she had pledged her life to.

“ A contract marriage!” She proposed, her voice quivering as she tried to control the tears in her eyes.

“ We can stay married for six months, and after that, we can both go our separate ways. I'm begging you, please save me from this embarrassment, from the man I thought I loved, but he turned out to be a deceitful, money-driven person.”

The man looked at Amelia quietly for a moment, his face showing no emotion.

Still holding the stranger's hand, Amelia noticed how cold his hands felt on her skin.

They were as cold as his eyes.

But the fact that she was desperate to escape her situation made her not think too much about it.

All she wanted at that moment, was to get away from her cheating fiance.

“ What would be my gain in this marriage?”

The man’s voice was low and menacing.

Amelia thought for a while before replying, “ I will do whatever you want.”

“ Okay, now, tell me what happened.” He said. “ I want to understand what's going on before I make any decisions.”

Amelia felt a huge burden being lifted off her heart.

She took a deep breath before narrating her story to him.

Her fiance had been cheating on her with her best friend, Lilith, and also using their relationship as a way to extort money from her family.

Everyone regarded him as the perfect son-in-law, but only Amelia knew the evil behind his smiles.

The man listened to her, his face devoid of any emotion or sympathy, and when she was done, he sighed.

“ I can't promise you a happy ending,” he said slowly. “ But I can help you escape this bad situation, after all, I also need you.”

Amelia frowned, she didn't understand the last statement he made.

“ What do you mean?”

She asked but he avoided her question and continued,” If you think a contract marriage is the answer, I'll consider it.”

“ Thank you so much.”

Amelia smiled, her eyes filled with gratitude.

She knew it was a lot to ask, but she wanted to get away from her fiance.

Amelia stretched her hand for a handshake, which the man accepted.

“ I will draft out the contract and how long it would last, but first, I need us to get married.”

As they shook hands, Amelia felt his cold hands again, but she didn't say anything.

“ Let's go, it's almost time.”

She led the man, back to the busy wedding hall, where everyone was laughing and having a good time.

As they made their way through the crowd, whispers followed.

Eyes watched them curiously, speculating the unexpected turn of events.

Amelia was embarrassed, but she had to push forward.

She knew she had made a deal with a stranger, but at that moment, her escape was all that mattered to her.

As they stood there, a man in formal attire approached them with a scroll in his hand.

“ I am the officiant,” the man announced. “ Are you ready to proceed with the wedding?”

Amelia glanced at the stranger, her eyes searching for a hint of reassurance.

After searching for a few seconds, she found none, so she took a deep breath and nodded.

“ Yes, let's proceed.”

The exchange of vows was quick, and soon, the wedding came to an end.

As Amelia and the stranger made their way towards the exit of the hall, her family was disappointed.

Most especially her grandfather, Grandpa Lawson.

He was filled with anger and disbelief.

He couldn't fathom why Amelia had chosen to marry a total stranger instead of her fiance, Tristan.

“ Why did you get married to a stranger instead of Tristan?”

Grandpa Lawson demanded, his voice filled with anger and his eyes burning with fury.

Through her tears-filled eyes, Amelia mustered the strength to respond.

“ Grandpa, Tristan is a bastard, a cheating freak. I caught him with Lilith, my supposed best friend, this morning.” she sobbed.

But her explanation only seemed to fuel Grandpa Lawson’s rage.

He couldn't believe that Tristan, who came from a noble family, would betray Amelia in such a way.

So he took sides with Tristan and didn't believe his granddaughter.

“ Tristan is from a noble family. He can never cheat on you, and Lilith is your best friend,” the old man declared.

“ I can never and would never marry a cheat who is after my family's fortune,” Amelia said, her voice firm.

Pahh!!!

Her grandfather slapped her across the face and her cheeks turned red instantly.

“ You're a disgrace to the Bernardino family, Amelia. Don't ever come back to this family, I have disowned you as my granddaughter.”

“ It's a matter of time before you come crawling on your knees begging for me to take you back!”

Grandpa Lawson spat.

“ Let's get out of here, hubby,” Amelia said as she touched her red cheeks, before reaching for the stranger's hand and intertwining their fingers.

She walked out of the wedding hall with her new husband, leaving her parents and her grandfather behind.

“ Come back here, Amelia!”

Grandpa Lawson shouted desperately, his voice echoed through the hall, but his words fell on deaf ears as Amelia and her husband disappeared.

Argghh!!!!

Holding his chest, Grandpa Lawson crumpled to the ground. He was overcome by a sudden bout of intense pain.

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