Amira stood frozen in place, unable to speak. Her body shook with fear, anger, and betrayal; her ears felt like they had rung a bell, and everything around her seemed to be spinning.
"We...wedding?" She stuttered, her hands on her chest, looking at the people in the beautiful hall, how they expected her response; she wanted to cry, but her eyes did not well up; this was the biggest twist of her life. The groom, who she had recognized as Andrea despite the nose mask, took a paper from a waiter, opened it in front of her, and shoved it straight in her face without giving a vocal reply. "Your father signed it, so there is no going back now. You are mine, Amira, and there will be no exceptions." Andrea smirked proudly as he responded in his deep husky voice. Amira laughed at his reply, feeling embarrassed—her family had already made her feel bad, but this was the worst—a slap in the face. She was still a young girl with big dreams and a bright future ahead of her; she hoped to graduate from university with a degree, but not in this way. As she skimmed the paper, it dawned on her that her father not only sold her for money and status, but also married her off. This implies that her father works for him. "Dad, you sold me?" Amira whispered, tears welling in her eyes, and everyone sat silently, staring at the drama in front of them. "It is the best thing I can do for you, Amira; be grateful and marry him, do it for your family, and stop being an ungrateful brat." He responded with a stone-cold expression, while her stepmother had a scun look on her face. Without saying anything, Amira grabbed her dress and took off on her heels, running away from the aisle in desperation to avoid getting married, leaving everyone stunned. "A runaway bride on the loose, huh?" Andrea mumbled, amused by Amira's escape, while everyone else waited for him to act, but he just stood there, watching. Soon after, his bodyguards returned with her, but this time Andrea sensed something was not right—why was she calm after running off in that manner, and why was she so easily located? Amira would always be stubborn, he knew that from the beginning, but was she really calm? In an instant, he removed his mask, exposing his bare face to the admiration of all. Andrea knew something like this would happen, which is why he locked the mansion with his bodyguards to keep the paparazzi out and her from escaping. "This is not my bride!" Andrea yelled as they approached him with his bride, who was now covering her face with a black veil. Furious, Andrea ripped off the veil. Everyone was taken aback when they saw Claudia wearing Amira's dress and jewelry. Where was Amira and why was she so eager to take Amira's place? Amira hid in a corner as guards searched for her. She looked at her dress, grateful that Claudia had agreed to take her place as Andrea's wife. She was wearing Claudia's dress at the time, making it difficult to find her, so they ended up with Claudia. She removed her shoes as soon as she realized the path was clear and dashed toward the massive gate in front of her. She felt a firm grip pull her in so tightly as she saw herself on the verge of running away with sweat streaming down her face. "I found you, Miss Banks. Come on, everyone is waiting; don't irritate my boss, he hates disappointment." Amira was instantly thrown onto this bodyguard's shoulder, and despite her struggles, shouting, and hitting, none of it had any effect on him. After that, he left her in front of the hallway and turned her over to a different bodyguard. “Give her to your boss.” He muttered, staring intently into her eyes. Amira met his gaze, noting his good looks, but her thoughts were not focused on that. "Please let me go, I don't want to marry him. My sister is ready to marry him; he should take her and leave me alone." Amira yelled as she was led to the alter, where Andrea patiently stood with an emotionless expression this time. His emotions were difficult to read, but even in his most serious expression, his appearance drew people in. "Just say yes, and your life will be bittersweet as long as you are with me. There is no way out this time." Amira released a tired sigh, knowing she couldn't escape this one. After Andrea signaled to the priest that everything was being taken care of, the ceremony continued with a contract placed in front of her to sign rather than her having to repeat the vows. "Once you sign this, you become Mrs. Martini officially." In a whisper, the priest spoke to both of them. Amira read the contract, which made Andrea impatient with her numbness, but she had to wait.For him, training a grown dog takes a lot of patience, and Amira was that dog. Amira's eyes welled up with tears as she realized this was a bond contract that no divorce could cancel, and she would be bound to this man for the rest of her life. "If you don't sign this contract, your family will be terminated and your scholarship will be worthless." Andrea's whisper sent shivers down her spine. How did he learn about her scholarship? Her parents thought he was just threatening her, but most of the guests were surprisingly composed when several armed men entered the hall, locked the big door leading to the exit, and came right up to them. Who was this man? Who exactly is Andrea Martini? And why didn't he pick Claudia, her older stepsister, instead of her?"Stop…" Amira mumbled, trying to hide her moans. His hand moved slowly down her neck, eventually resting beneath her boobs. Andrea could feel the tension between them in the way her body fell and rose. He never imagined himself making out with her inside the school."Andrea, please," she exclaimed, clutching his hand. She attempted to stand up from him, but Andrea held her still with his other hand and drew her closer, their noses almost touching."What? "Why are you begging me?" Spit out the words. " He chuckled, their gaze locked, and pinned her down with his other hand."Let me go, Andrea," she moaned, but this fueled his desire to do more. Andrea ran his fingers up and down her waistline, creating an invisible line. Her cheeks reddened like cherries in the spring as I watched her every reaction, her tiny moans she tried to hide that did escape from her lips."Do you actually want me to stop?" His voice softened into a whisper. Amira paused; part of her wanted him to, but the other
Amira tapped her nails on the desk, nervously and impatiently, as she checked the time every minute. Her phone was constantly buzzing. She turned to Mrs. James, who was still reading the magazines as if her entire life depended on it. "Mrs James?" she called softly, her eyes darting around the classroom, like she was expecting something. She felt almost crazy, sitting in one spot for hours. “Miss Banks? What is it? Your detention isn’t over; you have an hour left.” Oh fuck…Amira groaned exhaustively, her patience running out. "No, that's not what I'm looking for; my phone has been ringing, and could you please pick it up? I just want to know who has been calling." She said, constantly tapping her finger, hoping to get out of the hellhole finally. Mrs. James shrugged her shoulders and nodded at her. Amira breathed a sigh of relief as she approached her, her fingers wrapped around her phone, and then walked to the window, her eyes darkening as she noticed students leaving and a
“Ouch! Come on, leave me alone." With a frustrated whimper, Amira got up to check who was ahead of her. She could feel and smell the familiar scent as her eyes initially fell on various pairs of shoes in front of her.“Oh no!” she exclaimed, slowly raising her head to see the man standing before her. Andrea stood tall, hands in his pockets, with a cold expression on his face, surrounded by other men and women dressed in fine suits."A...," she gasped. Her body froze in disbelief, her gaze fixed on his, his icy face became slightly warmer, and she saw the hint of teasing on his face that no one else could see but her."What is happening here?" Mr. Wales, the principal, asked while glancing at Amira and the hall monitor, who arrived with a terrified expression on her face."Please forgive me, Mr. Wales. I tried to stop her, but she kept running."Mr Wales walked towards Amira, whose gaze remained fixed on Andrea's. "Miss Banks, the last time I checked, you weren't the stubborn type; I a
Two Months Later…“Didn’t she sleep at night? I don't understand why she returned to school after being absent for months; who does she think she is?” As soon as Amira returned to her high school, rumors began to circulate.Even the fact that the school let her return without repeating surprised her. She was proud that neither her family nor Andrea had contacted her, and she was also on the verge of renting her own apartment.Her Yale scholarship was still in effect. Amira felt as if everything was a dream, and she wished she didn't have to wake up from it."But, Claudia, I thought your sister had gone to another school or something; why is she even back?"Claudia responded, "I believe she left or was suspended. Im not sure." Amira could hear their voices even though she was half asleep, which wasn't surprising given that she had avoided everyone, including Claudia, her stepsister.The mutterings and giggles became increasingly louder, and Amira could not take it any longer, so she
A sudden voice cut her off, focusing her attention on the voice she didn't want to hear, the one that had caused her so much pain."So you finally came; I assumed you had no business here." He paused and then saw Reagan, who was sitting in the living room with his leg crossed. “And who is he?” "I'm her bodyguard, sent by my boss, and you have a lovely home, sir," he smirked, raising his other foot to the couch. Amira pressed her lips together before turning to look at her father, who was angry.She knew her father was a clean freak who despised feet on the couch, but that didn't bother her; instead, she walked past him toward the path to her room.That nostalgic feeling returned as soon as she stood in front of the door. Grasping the handle, she twisted it open. She was pleased to see the room was still in the same condition as when she had left it.It did, however, smell like lavender and dust. She felt a pang in her chest as she looked at her photo frame on the wall, which showed h
“A.M.? Are you kidding me? Who the hell is this person?" Greta frowned, grabbing the envelope from her hand and reading it repeatedly.Amira's peace of mind was reversed when she read the signature and realized it was Andrea. She wondered how Andrea knew where she lived, or was it Reagan?"Hold on, I'll call Reagan; maybe he left it on the doormat." Amira uttered those words before entering her room, grabbing the phone, and looking through the contact list. As soon as she saw Reagan's name, she dialed his number, her hands shaking.“Yeah? Amira? I had no idea you were missing me so much," Reagan said, laughing, before being cut off. "Did you drop an envelope in the front yard? I mean, you would have given it to me!""What envelope are you talking about, Amira? I never dropped an envelope, and it is too late to play games with you." He let out a groan, and Amira ended the call at once."Who else dropped this if he isn't the one? How did he or she know where I was? Or could it be Brenda