Chapter 1

Camila sat in front of the mirror with her eyes closed, allowing her makeup artist to work on her face. There was no other way out; she had to get married. It was for the sake of her sick father, her family business, Perez Innovation Design. She was the only one who could save her family from crumbling after so many years of struggling to stay on top.

She wouldn't have minded getting married if only the groom wasn't Alejandro Ruiz, the boy she once rejected during their childhood—a memory that haunted her no matter how hard she tried to forget.

She could still see the hurt in his eyes when she told him no. She had liked him, but she was the beautiful Camila Perez, everyone's crush, and he was seen as a disgrace. Camila would always remember the day he knelt, offered her a flower, and asked, "Would you be my date for the Valentine's party?"

Camila looked around, surrounded by people on all sides. She could already picture the look of disappointment on her face if she said yes. One wrong move, and her image would be destroyed. That wrong move was Alejandro, just like her father’s wrong move that led to his accident and their current predicament.

Cursing herself for being a people-pleaser, she mumbled, "No." But it wasn't enough to avoid more attention. Her eyes turned cold, her face twisted in mockery. "No!" She repeated, slapping the flower from his hands and stepping on it with her Chuck Taylors. "I would never go out with you, Alejandro. You're just a fat, broke, ugly boy who doesn’t know what he wants in life. You're a disgrace!"

Alejandro was a nobody in everyone's eyes, and his looks were nothing to write home about. He was overweight, had acne, was a dullard, and broke—everything no one wanted for the beautiful Camila Perez. Her father, Carlos, was close with Alejandro's parents as business partners, and Alejandro had been transferred to her school.

She wouldn't miss watching him from her window. He would draw different love symbols just for her, and she liked them but pretended she didn’t care. One thing Camila liked about Alejandro was that he gave her attention each time her parents were away for work, even when she didn’t want him around.

When she turned him down, he never spoke to her again. His family left Chicago for a business offer that changed their lives. She hadn’t seen or heard from him until now, when he agreed to marry her as a 'thank you' to her family for being part of his success.

Camila didn’t know what Alejandro looked like now. She tried stalking him a few times but found little besides his status as a real estate mogul, owner of Ruiz Royal Estate, one of the biggest and best estates in the world, making him a self-made billionaire. He didn’t post pictures of himself, only of his family.

Camila felt nervous about seeing him again but wanted to, maybe then she could finally apologize—something she couldn't do back then.

"Ma'am, how do you like your makeup?" The soft voice of her makeup artist brought her back to reality. She opened her eyes to the mirror. She couldn’t deny she was beautiful, blessed with a good face and body, good curves, long legs. Qualities other girls envied.

"I love it," she said, flashing a simple smile.

"Ma'am, your wedding dress is here," her stylist announced, bringing in a beautiful white gown. Camila stood tall as her stylists removed her robe and helped her into the dress.

When Camila stepped out of her room, her mother, Sofia, wheeling her father, looked stunned. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had always wanted to see her daughter in a wedding gown. Although Alejandro wasn’t the man of her dreams, he was a good man, trusted to take her hand in marriage.

"Sis, you look stunning," Isabella, a younger version of Camila, gushed as she came out of her room dressed for the wedding. "If a wedding dress makes a girl look a hundred times prettier, I can’t wait to get married!"

Camila smiled at her sister’s cuteness, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair and ruin her perfect look. "Wedding isn’t always about the gown, but thank you, darling," she replied with a smile.

"You look beautiful, my dear. Thank you for doing this for us," her father, Carlos, said gratefully.

"Dad," Camila said, holding his rough hands, her voice cracking with emotion. "You’ve done so much for this family. It’s only right I repay you by doing my best."

"Hello... wedding, guys, remember?" Isabella clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention. "We don’t want to keep the groom waiting. I’ll meet you in the car." She rolled her eyes before walking away.

Sofia wheeled Carlos outside, and the guards helped him into the car. Isabella and Camila entered a separate car as Isabella would escort her down the aisle.

CHURCH

Never in Camila’s life had she seen a bride walk down the aisle without her groom waiting at the altar. His best men were present, his family was seated, and Camila recognized them, but Alejandro wasn’t there.

What if he changed his mind? She knew she had hurt him deeply in the past. If he hadn’t forgiven her, why agree to marry her and help her family? What was going on? Various thoughts clouded Camila’s mind, making it hard to think straight.

"Have you tried calling your son to check if he is okay?" Sofia asked Daniela, Alejandro's mom.

"Sweetie, I’ve called him a hundred times, but I can’t reach him. Rest assured, Alejandro is a man of his word. He will be here," Daniela assured Sofia and Carlos.

"And besides, he was really excited about this wedding," Valeria, Alejandro's sister, added.

"I hope he's really the man of his word like you claim," Isabella mumbled, using air quotes for 'man of his word.'

"What? Don’t forget we’re helping your family, so don’t be a brat about my brother," Valeria scoffed.

Isabella was about to retaliate when the door opened, drawing everyone’s attention, including the two girls. The first noticeable thing was a pair of Tom Ford shoes, then a tall frame emerged.

Camila was taken aback. Not only had her groom arrived late, but he was also wearing a business suit instead of a tuxedo.