CHAPTER 1

Laura in the dimly lit room sat at the edge of her bed with a heavy tension, her finger tracing the intricate pattern of her milky silk and lace wedding gown.

It reminded her of a dream she couldn't accomplish due to her family's plight.

 She gazed out the window with tears rolling down her cheeks, she stared at the stars wishing all that she was going through was only a dream.

Laura's life turned into a misery, She was in pain and agony. She began to feel like a pawn in a game of fate.

It began a few months back when her father Markson made a Desperate plea to save his sinking business.

His warehouse was razed down, and he had borrowed a substantial amount of money from the ruthless billionaire Daniel Edward.

With the promise of expanding his warehouse and turning it into a thriving empire, the deal seemed like a lifeline at the time but fate had a cruel way of intervening.

Markson was given only two options by Daniel.

He was told to repay his debt or go to jail, but on the other hand, Daniel demanded that he marry Laura to spare him.

Mr.Markson received a call one fateful night...

A massive fire had consumed his warehouse turning everything in it to ashes.

She remembered how helpless and hopeless her dad was, she remembered her father standing amidst unrecoverable goods, his dreams, and many years of hard work crushing mercilessly.

He hoped the insurance would cover the loss but they couldn't and the debt of Daniel remained.

Laura's brother Bryan was the first to suggest the unthinkable. 

He suggested Laura get married to Daniel Edward to prevent their dad from going to jail.

Bryan knew Daniel Edward had always wanted his way with his sister and this was the perfect opportunity to use his sister to gain favor from Daniel.

The suggestion arose from protests, tears, and arguments.

Laura's parents were to choose between their love for her and their desire to prevent their family from going bankrupt and worst of all letting her dad go to jail.

Her room door creaked open and her mom Claudia entered the room.

Claudia who had been crying, her eyes red, her voice trembling as she spoke, "Laura darling, I know this is not the life you wished for, a lot has happened in our lives but we'd never imagined to be in this kind of situation."

Laura with tears rolling down her cheeks looked up at her mom.

"Laura, our family welfare and your father's life are at stake. We have no other choice." Claudia said with a low shaking voice.

She looked at her mom, a woman who had always stood by her, encouraged, and nurtured her.

"Mom I know, but I can't stand marrying Daniel Edward. I don't love him and he's so mean and arrogant. How can I achieve my dreams with such a person?"

Claudia held onto Laura's hand, her hands were trembling. "I know my dear, this is a hard choice to make, but please you have to do this."

"We will always be there for you no matter what. This is a hard situation but we'll try our best to manage it. Bryan believes this is the only way to save our family from this mess." Claudia said.

"Mom this is so unfair, I haven't finished my education, my life is going to be a mess," Laura said, her heart heavy with responsibility.

Laura knew her family's future was at stake.

She agreed to make the sacrifice but deep inside, her emotions raged within her.

She couldn't imagine surrendering her future to a man whom she despised so much.

Laura's family prepared tirelessly for the wedding.

Her dad was relieved as the wedding day drew nearer. Laura met with the wedding planner, tried on jewelry, and also selected a luxury venue for the wedding.

It was a desperate gamble to save their family from financial ruin.

The night before the wedding, she stood outside helplessly, gazing at the stars. The thought of her decision became a burden to her.

Laura thought deeply if there was a way she could get herself out of this difficult situation. She wondered if there was a chance for her to escape it.

"What troubles you Laura ?" a voice from behind said in a calm voice." 

She turned immediately, and there was her brother Bryan staring at her with a look of Pity written all over his face.

"I know this situation isn't easy on you, but cheer up girl, your wedding is tomorrow."

Laura was going through an emotional trauma and couldn't help it.

"Bryan, I'm about to marry a man I don't love and you expect me to cheer up?" Laura said, her voice tight.

Bryan signed and held her hands. "I know this is not what you or any of us wanted, but you're doing this to save our family's welfare, we will figure it out together."

Laura took a deep breath and nodded. She was helpless, her eyes reflecting with a mixture of fear and determination.

"I'm only doing this for the sake of our family, but I think there's something fishy about Daniel Edward that we don't seem to know, he's hiding something." 

Bryan looked straight to her face with his eyes locked to hers. " You are getting yourself worked up, I think you should get some sleep, it's a big day tomorrow."

She knew Daniel had a dark secret. Laura hesitated for a moment, she came closer and whispered, "I overheard Daniel talking to someone on the phone, he instructed that it should remain a secret but I couldn't hear the 

details."

Bryan became curious and he nodded. "We need to keep an eye on him." He replied.

He instructed Laura to be careful and told her not to tell it to anyone. "Laura I will stand by you no matter what, you have to trust me."

The day was finally here, and a sense of doubt enveloped her. Laura knew her life and the world she knew was about to change.

The mystery surrounding Daniel Edward's intentions gnawed at her.

Laura couldn't help but wonder if it was the beginning of a dangerous game, and the thought of what she was going to go through baffled her.

This was a risk she decided to take to save her family.

 She knew the truth was yet to be revealed, she braced herself for a journey she didn't know what the outcome would be.

She promised to find out what Daniel Edward was hiding and most importantly protect her family no matter the cost.