CHAPTER 2: ABANDONED GROOM

MICHAEL

"Congratulations to the man who just got canceled. This toast is for you, Michael Montero," their cheers filled my ears, drowning out the loud thumping music from the club's speakers.

That disastrous wedding ended far too early. My bride vanished, along with the money I was promised.

"I was planning on asking how your honeymoon would go, but then..." they jeered at me.

My cousin, Aaron, nudged my shoulder, causing me to spill my drink on the floor.

"Hey!"

"Man, you could've hit the jackpot," he hissed.

Raising my eyebrows, I made a face. "Jackpot? Have you seen the bitch for you to say that?" I scoffed. "She's only 18 years old, clearly immature."

The twins, Cole and Enzo, burst into laughter while Aaron seemed confident in his choice of words to describe my supposed bride.

"You talk like you never had a red mountain on the top of your nose when we were in high school," teased Enzo, which Cole wheezed about.

"Can you not remind me of that nightmare?"

Aaron pulled out his phone and showed them a picture of a girl. "This was your bride," he said.

Not that I cared. I drank my liquor straight up and leaned back on the couch, watching the twins cross their eyes at the picture.

"Holy crap!" Cole exclaimed. "Bro, you missed out on something incredible!"

Showing them my left palm, I declined their invitation. "Enjoy indulging in her loose and promiscuous ways, gents. I'm good right here."

"Yeah, I definitely would," Enzo licked his lips.

Squinting my eyes, I opened another bottle and chugged down the beer.

Aaron turned his phone towards me. When I saw it, I choked on my drink. The cold liquid went up my nose, causing my lungs to burn.

"See? I told you, she's a jackpot," Aaron sneered at me.

"Fuck!" Wiping my mouth, I took a second look.

Those innocent pair of eyes that resemble the color of the greenest forest, lips that formed the shape of love and the face of an angel.

That girl. She's the one I bumped into this morning!

"He's whipped," Enzo threw a crumpled tissue at my forehead, and I didn't even flinch.

"Bro, if I got the chance to be with that young woman, I would..." Cole clamped his lower lip and made a suggestive gesture with two fingers thrusting in the air.

"You do realize you're pushing 30 this year, right?" Aaron grimaced.

"I like teenagers," Cole admitted. "Teenagers are wild. Besides, age is just a number when it comes to pleasure."

"Define 'jail'," Enzo mocked his twin.

"I saw her," I told them.

"Of course, you did." Aaron pocketed his phone. "Uncle Jack showed you her picture before you agreed to the marriage thingy, remember?"

Now that explains why she looked somewhat familiar.

"Nah, he was like 'I don't care, little girls ain't my type'." Enzo shook his head, and he guessed right.

"If I were you, the moment I saw that picture, I would have barged into her room and had my way with her," said Cole. "Imagine having that babe by your side every single day. I'd make her scream my name and spank her curvy ass."

"Man," chided Aaron. "That's just straight perversion."

As they indulged in their wild fantasies about her, my mind couldn't help but replay the vivid memories of our encounter. I could still feel the warmth of her body against mine, the way her hips effortlessly fit into the palm of my hands, and the softness of her breasts as they pressed against my chest.

The intensity of those moments made it impossible for me to forget it.

Yeah, she might be worth it.

"I saw her in person," I uttered, snapping their heads to look at me in sync.

"Say what?"

"When?"

"This morning," I answered. "Guess she wasn't ready to get married yet." Pouting my lips, I added.

"Or maybe she got scared of you," Enzo said.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"If you G****e Michael H. Montero, the definition says, 'a greedy wolf who likes to taste all women with shaved vulvas in the world'," Enzo answered.

Rolling my eyes, I drank the last drop of my beer and pointed my finger at him. "Your momma said you were adopted."

"Where are you going?" Aaron asked as I stood up.

"I'm thinking about facing a white-haired demon, so to answer your question, I'm going to hell." Patting his shoulder, I marched towards the exit.

"Hey!" Cole shouted. "You haven't placed your cut, you ungenerous greedy motherfuc--"

Closing the door behind me, I lit a cigarette and drove to the mansion.

Despite my deep aversion to setting foot on my family's land, I found myself compelled to do so. I reluctantly agreed to the wedding that my family had orchestrated, allowing them to dictate this crucial aspect of my life.

The sole reason behind this compliance was my unwavering pursuit of the vast inheritance that awaited me, an unimaginable fortune worth billions.

It should be in my hands right now if that young and sexy bitch hadn't disappeared.

"What do you mean you won't give me anything?" I asked, close to yelling, as I stared at an older version of myself looking back at me.

"Do you have a ring on your finger, Mike?"

"She ran away, it wasn't my fault. It was her choice, not mine," I defended. "Remember that I agreed to this stupid fucking wedding even though I didn't want to?"

"One more time you raise your voice, and you'll show up at the board meeting with a bruise on your face, hear me?" Dad clenched his jaw.

Looking away, I ground my teeth.

"I have no idea why Natasha would run off. I know that young girl, and she has a good heart."

"What are you implying?"

"There are many possibilities as to why she did that," he gave me a suspicious look.

I mirthlessly chuckled, "Are you seriously thinking that I scared her off or paid her?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation.

"Unbelievable!"

"Her family owns a good company, and I'm very interested in it," he said. "Whether you did something about her disappearance or not, you will find her."

"What?!" I smacked my forehead. "Why can't you just find someone else?"

"You will find her and marry her, or you won't get a piece of the money you want."

Three months later...

"Oh, Michael! Unh!"

She bounced on top of me like a leaping frog. I had penetrated her with my sword, and she was fucking loving it.

My phone rang for the third time, and I had been ignoring it. I was having a good time.

"You feel so good inside me," she giggled annoyingly.

My phone rang again and this time, I picked it up. "This better be good, Aaron."

"I found the one that got away as per your request. You're welcome, and I expect you to pay me ten grand right now."

Pausing for a moment, I forgot that a woman was choking herself with my manhood down there. "How?"

"It's called magic," he snorted. "I'll text you the address, and don't mess this up."

Without a care, I pushed the woman off of me and dressed up. I was literally in the middle of receiving a blowjob.

"Hey, what the hell?" the woman complained.

"Who was that?"

"Send me the address, I'm heading to her."

"May I suggest that you freshen up first? I feel like I interrupted a heavenly moment."

"Shut the fuck up, Aaron."

Ending the call, I jogged to the hotel elevator and left.

Holding a grudge against that girl, I still hadn't received my money, and she was going to pay for it.

"You are so dead, Natasha Kaufman."