Carl POV
The sight of my bride-to-be was a shock to me. The woman standing at the altar was my naive and outdated-looking secretary, Miloslava.
This day couldn't get any worse, It was as if the universe had conspired against me, delivering the most unexpected twist to an already unwanted script.
When she got to the altar, I could clearly see the color of her gown and skin, and for a brief moment, I was happy to be regaining my sight.
But that happiness was short-lived when I realized it was Miloslava standing before me.
She was the only colorful person I could see, and I still didn't understand why.
There is something about her that made me hire her. Her name was the same as my late mother.
That had seemed like a good sign, but not anymore.
I couldn't see her face clearly; it was blurry like everyone else's due to my face blindness.
She wasn't wearing her glasses either, but I felt her gaze on me.
I'm sure she's happy about all this, that's why she came to work for me. This was all planned out.
The ceremony continued with the priest talking, but my mind drifted off.
The priest smiled. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.”
It was then time to kiss the bride, the last thing I wanted to do. I just had to get it over with.
I leaned closer to her, trying to avoid any real contact. As soon as our lips met, I moved back.
Surprisingly, Miloslava was quick to retreat, and she didn't even make an attempt to open her mouth.
Did that mean she didn't want to kiss me, or was she just pretending? I would deal with her later.
We left the church as we headed for the mansion, sitting in the car in silence. My mind raced with thoughts. She dared not talk to me.
I noticed my chauffeur stealing glances at us from the front mirror until we arrived.
The mansion was filled with guests I hadn't seen at the church. There were lots of them. We got out of the car like happy couples, taking pictures with friends, family, and well-wishers.
At the first chance, I escaped this nightmare and headed inside but then I remembered I needed to have a word with Miloslava.
Our honeymoon was planned by my father, but I wasn't ready for any of that nonsense, so I canceled it.
I didn't have time to be soaring away while I had work to do at the office.
"Your room is over there.” I pointed to a door at the extreme end.
“Go to bed early. Work resumes tomorrow as my secretary, I don't need you to do any wife duties, no falling in love just do your job”.I told Mia.
"Huh, what? Tomorrow? No honeymoon?" she asked, incredulous.
I ignored her questions and left the room, my mind still racing. This was a nightmare, and I needed to find a way to wake up from it.
**********************
The wedding day was weeks behind us, and I had hoped that distancing myself from Mia would make things easier. But this whole situation was a disaster.
After all, I was now married to my secretary, a woman I barely knew, a woman I didn’t trust.
Today was no different. She looked as if she hadn’t slept much, her shoulders stiff as she carried a stack of documents toward her desk. I glanced over, pretending to be engrossed in a report.
As I looked up again, I saw Hans at Mia’s desk. The sight made my blood boil, though I couldn’t quite explain why.
He always hangs around Mia ever since after wedding, they seem to always talk about what i have no idea of.
I walked over, pretending I had something urgent to say.
“Hans,” I called out. “Do you ever get tired of hanging around my secretary? Or do you have too much free time?”
Hans grinned, barely bothered by my tone. “Relax, Carl. I’m just getting to know my sister-in-law. You should try it sometime.”
My jaw tightened. I didn’t like the way he said 'sister-in-law'—as if it was some kind of game.
“You’re spending an awful lot of time with her,” I remarked, my voice dripping with suspicion. “Maybe you should focus on your own job.”
Hans chuckled, glancing at Mia. “Maybe I should. But I can’t help it. She’s… familiar.”
Mia’s eyes widened slightly, but she quickly looked down, pretending to sort through some files.
“What do you mean, familiar?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
Hans shrugged, his smile never fading. “I don’t know. I just feel like I’ve met her before.”
Mia’s hands trembled, but she kept her head down, refusing to meet either of our gazes.
“You’re imagining things,” I said firmly, stepping between them. “Now leave her alone.”
Hans raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. No need to be so possessive, Carl. I’ll back off… for now.”
Mia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her hands frozen over the keyboard. She didn’t say a word, but I could feel the tension radiating from her.
I turned to Mia. “Mia, come to my office. Now.”
She hesitated for a moment, glancing between us, then stood up.
As she followed me into the office, I could sense her frustration, but she kept it hidden beneath that calm exterior.
Once inside, she closed the door.
“Mia,” I started, my voice low. “What exactly is going on between you and Hans?”She blinked, clearly startled by the question.
“Nothing.” Her voice was even, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes nervousness? Guilt?“
Nothing?” I raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me that he’s just being friendly? You expect me to believe that?”
She looked away, biting her lip. “It’s none of your business.”I let out a humorless laugh.
“None of my business? You’re my wife, even if only in name. I don’t want any scandals or distractions, especially with him.”
Mia’s eyes snapped back to mine, anger flashing in them. “I didn’t ask for any of this, Carl. You think I want Hans’s attention? Or this marriage? You think this is easy for me?”
Her words hit me harder than I expected. There was real pain in her voice, and for a moment, I felt something other than anger.
“Then why don’t you stop encouraging him?” I shot back, trying to regain control of the conversation.
“Carl, I’m not encouraging him,” she insisted. “Hans and I are just…….
Prologue "Hello, somebody help me, please! Anybody, can you hear me?" I called out, my voice echoing in the confined space."Keep your mouth shut and remain calm. No one can hear you," a gruff voice responded."Please, where am I? Why am I being tied up? I need to go back to my husband and family," I pleaded with my vision blurry.The short, bald man gave a long, mocking laugh. "Husband? The same husband who has rejected you and sold you out?""Sold? What do you mean sold? He would never do that," I said, my voice shaking."You have been sold, and you are going to meet your new owner. So stop screaming and preserve your strength. I will bring you food later." With that, he left.I sank to the floor as tears flooded my eyes….Being sold for the second time, here I was, tied up in a container on a ship in the middle of an ocean, heading to an unknown destination. The only thing I could remember was driving to the office to meet up with Carl for the investors meeting when a car ran int
Mia's POV****************My full name is Mia Miloslava Pankraz, and I'm 27 years old. After 3 years of struggling, I finally landed the job I'd dreamed of at LiveStrong, a prestigious company.Living in Harburg, I'd gotten used to the cold stares and whispers that followed me in the streets.My mother, Mathilda, used to be my world. But after my father’s death, everything changed. She turned cold, filled with hatred, convinced that I was responsible. She blamed me, as did everyone else. And I don’t blame her; it was easier to pin the blame on someone else, someone who was just a child at the time. But the weight of that blame has been crushing me ever since.When she left me, I thought maybe things would get better. I was sent to live with my grandfather, but life with him wasn’t easy. He was harsh and demanding.As I ran down the empty street, the wind whipped through my hair, and my tears streamed down my face, stinging my skin.My heart was pounding in my chest with each desperat
Carl's POVToday was supposed to be the day I surrendered to my dad's persistent demands to get married, but instead of feeling excited or nervous, I just felt irritated. I'm Carl Oswald. At 30, I’m the acting CEO of LiveStrong, a company I inherited from my father. On paper, I have everything—a powerful position, endless wealth, and the legacy of a thriving empire. But what most people don’t know is that I live with prosopagnosia, face blindness. I can’t recognize faces or read facial expressions, not even my own family’s.All I see are features that blur together, like pieces of a puzzle I can never solve. Voices, scents, and the way people move those are the only ways I navigate this colorless, faceless world.I looked at the neatly arranged suit beside me, feeling a mixture of resignation and frustration. I had more important things to do, yet here I was, forced into a wedding I hadn’t even agreed to willingly. My father, a man of practicality and power, had orchestrated this w
Mia's POV…….I was expecting to meet my unknown husband today, but definitely not my boss, Carl Oswald.I was staring at my boss, the man known for his icy demeanor and towering ego, dressed in a tuxedo and standing at the altar, ready to exchange vows with me. The man who had made my life a living hell on the first day at work, was now my husband.The priest's brow furrowed in confusion, but I managed to compose myself, giving Carl a light nod though the shock was still present. "What are you doing here?" he whispered harshly.“Getting married to you obviously”I whispered back, with a fake smile.Despite his condescending tone, I couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. "And what are you looking at, huh?" he whispered again, irritation creeping into his voice."I wasn't even looking at you, sir," I replied quietly with rolled eyes, trying to maintain my composure.I couldn't help but admire the way the tuxedo hugged his broad shoulders and chiseled jaw. But then, I reminde