CHAPTER FIVE: REMOVE YOUR VEIL I CANNOT MARRY A FROG

The sun barely peeked over the horizon when Leah opened her eyes, the morning of her wedding filled with dread rather than anticipation. She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, her mind clouded with confusion from the events of the night before. The stranger she had spent the night with-his touch still lingered on her skin, a haunting reminder of how she had lost something precious to an unknown man.

Her heart raced as the memory of his hands and the way he had looked at her came flooding back. He was cold, his face barely registering emotion, but his eyes-they had burned with a quiet intensity, something dark and consuming. She had never seen such eyes before, and yet, in the heat of that moment, they had both given in to the irresistible pull between them. Leah shook her head, trying to forget.

The cold reality of the day loomed over her: she was about to be married to a man who was a stranger in every sense of the word, an arrangement forced upon her to save face after what her stepmother had branded as "disgraceful behavior."

Leah dragged herself out of bed, staring at the simple white dress laid out for her-a mockery of the dreams she'd once had of a real wedding, with someone who loved her. This marriage was nothing more than a business transaction, a way to rid her family of the embarrassment she had supposedly caused. There was no escape now.

In the distance, she could hear the excited chatter of Vivian and Natasha as they prepared for Natasha's own wedding. Leah could only imagine the smug smile on Natasha's face, eager to marry Ethan Blackwood, one of the most powerful men in the city. A man Leah knew nothing about, but whose name Natasha couldn't stop mentioning.

Leah caught her reflection in the mirror, the dark marks on her neck barely concealed by her veil. Hickeys. Proof of her encounter with that stranger, whoever he was. She shook with a mix of shame and confusion. Why couldn't she remember more? What had truly happened last night?

---

Natasha, on the other hand, was in a state of glee, her laughter echoing through the halls as she admired herself in the mirror. Her gown was dazzling, the most expensive dress her family could afford, and she wore it with the air of someone who believed she had already conquered her prize.

"Ethan Blackwood," she whispered to herself, rolling the name around her tongue as if it were a sweet delicacy. Soon, she would be Mrs. Blackwood, and all her fantasies would come true. Little did she know, the man she was to marry had already been with Leah the night before, a fact that would soon unravel.

Vivian entered the room with a gleaming smile. "Everything is ready. Leah's marriage will happen quietly, as planned. But you, my dear, will have the wedding of the century."

Natasha laughed. "Leah? She's nothing. Her little scandal will be a footnote compared to my marriage to Ethan." She clutched her veil tighter, anticipation building. "I can't wait for everyone to see us together. Especially Leah."

Vivian looked proud, her eyes flashing with a mixture of triumph and malice. "The arrangements are in place. Just make sure you don't ruin it with your excitement."

---

Ethan stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the cufflinks on his black suit. His face remained impassive, his usual mask of indifference firmly in place, but his mind wandered briefly to the woman from the night before. The night had been a blur, filled with moments he hadn't intended to have. He had been drugged, that much he knew, but so had she. Whoever she was, she hadn't fought him. In fact, she had seduced him, drawing him in with a quiet desperation that had mirrored his own need to ease the effects of the aphrodisiac.

His jaw tightened. He wasn't one to make emotional decisions, but the woman's vulnerability had stirred something in him, something primal and beyond his control. He didn't like that.

He reminded himself of the reason for this wedding. Marrying into the Sterling family was simply the next step in fulfilling his obligations-to his grandfather and to the company. And the woman, Natasha Sterling, had been the one to share that night with him, or so he believed. He had pieced together the events with enough certainty to move forward. Whoever she had been in the haze of the drug, she would soon be his wife.

Ethan's expression remained unreadable as he prepared for the day. It wasn't about love. It never had been. This was about control, about ensuring that everything remained under his command.

---

At the wedding venue, guests were already arriving, some murmuring about the spectacle of a double wedding. The two brides were set to be married at the same time, a move orchestrated by Natasha, who had demanded that her marriage to Ethan eclipse Leah's modest ceremony.

Leah stood to the side, her heart pounding in her chest as she waited to be escorted to her groom. She hadn't even met the man she was to marry, a wealthy older man her father had arranged for her. Her eyes remained downcast, her veil hiding the tears that threatened to spill over. How had her life spiraled into this?

Across the room, Ethan arrived, his imposing figure immediately commanding attention. He cut a striking figure, his cold eyes sweeping over the room without betraying a single emotion. He moved with purpose, not stopping to engage with anyone. Today, everything would be finalized, and he could move on.

Natasha caught sight of him and nearly trembled with excitement. Soon, he would be hers, she said in her mind as her face burst into a wide smile in happiness.

---

The ceremony began, the air thick with tension. Leah could barely breathe as she approached the altar, her steps heavy with reluctance. She stole a glance toward the other side of the grand hall, where Ethan was waiting, though she couldn't see him clearly through the crowd.

The officiant began, first leading Leah through her vows. She repeated the words mechanically, her voice barely above a whisper. The man beside her, her soon-to-be husband, was already impatient, his hand gripping hers with an intensity that made her shiver. He moved to hold of her waist pinching her painfully as his disgusting breathe whispered in her ears. "I cannot wait for our wedding night dear, I am sure you have been taught how to please a man." She gulped an invisible spit as her body really roared in disgust from being this close to him, and she tried to shift to create space between them.

"Lift your veil so I can see what I bought" Mr Hargrove whispered in her ears. They have almost completed their vows, but everything must go as Natasha's wishes, she wanted to get married before Leah, so she told the priest to only take Leah's vows half way, then pause for a while so they can all watch as she takes her vow with Ethan .

"The priest said to keep it on till the marriage is over" Leah said through clenched teeth's.

"Are you mad, have your parents taught you no manners. I am your husband and you are to listen to my every wishes, now take off your veil, I want to see if you are indeed as beautiful as your step mother claim you where" Mr Hargrove said as he forcefully tried to remove the veil from Leah's head which she held tightly and that seemed to cause a commotion as the attention of some of the guest had now shifted to them.

Natasha turned to look at the guest through her veil to see that the attention is no longer on her. Her head turned to Leah's side to see her struggling with Mr Hargrove as she held on her veil. 'That witch, how dare she? She must be doing this on purpose, taking all the attention from me, I will make sure to teach her a lesson after the marriage is completed. It has been a long time since I have done that' Natasha sneered in her mind .

Ethan face contoured into a frown when he heard the hushed whispers in the hall, as his head turned to the other side in confusion. He knew that another marriage was also happening here, but he never bothered to ask about it.

"Stop sir, people are staring" Leah's soft voice came through from under the veil which made Ethan's head snap back to that side, feeling a familiarity with the voice . His expression turned to one of confusion as he looked at the woman who stood before him, a veil covering her face, and then he snapped his head to look at the woman who stood at the other side, still with a veil covering her head as she struggled with an older man which seemed to be her groom .

"Mr Ethan Blackwood, do you take Natasha Sterling to be your lawfully wedded wife" the priest said snapping Ethan out of his trance state.

"I ..."

"Remove the veil, I need to know whether you are beautiful or not, I can not marry a frog" Mr Hargrove harsh voice came through cutting Ethan off as he turned to face the other side again, his frown deepening. And just immediately as he turned, Mr Hargrove tore the veil of Leah's head making her and the crowd gasp in horror as Ethan's eyes widened at the familiarity of the face .