chapter 1

Elizabeth’s Pov

Being the only daughter in a family of three brothers has never played in my favor.  Of course,  many times,  it would seem that looking up to my brothers for protection and care was the most rational way possible. But not with my family. Not with my situation. Things were tight right now. Not that anything has been better for the past few years but at the moment, the financial problem at home has been getting out of hand.

I help out where I can. I pay the bills and do a little cleaning here and there when I don't have class. But based on the fact that I'm also the one paying for my Law School,  working two jobs at the same time does not provide enough financial assistance for me. 

There are a lot of things that I have given to my family. Things that have left me with scars.  After finishing High School,  I had already saved up enough for my University admission. And while I was preparing to leave home and go to the big city in hopes of starting Law School,  Dad revealed that the large debt he owed needed to be paid quickly. He had taken a loan from the wrong people. In adherence to this, I found myself working as I maid for six months in an extremely dangerous household. I've always suspected that they were the mafia or something. And things were extremely difficult there. The man of the House,  whom I assumed was the person my father had taken the loan from,  ended up falling in love with me. Or at least trying to give me the deception of love. I was supposed to be a slave in that house for two years. I overheard the conversation he had with his brother over the phone. That he planned on taking me somewhere different. making me at a  slave in a completely different country.

While the imagination of that scared me more than anything, that night that I decided to make a run for it also seemed to be the night that everything fell apart. When the authorities raided the place. when I came back home everything was perfectly normal. They didn't even seem like they worried about me. They were all ok I'm stuck with my absence. with the burden of working in that house,  and the reality that I couldn't change my family even if I wanted to,  I enrolled in law school and started working on my dreams and ambitions.

Even though I still live in my parents' house,  it has enabled me to cater for the bills as much as I can.

‘Bella!’ I hear my mother calling out to me from the kitchen.  Rolling my eyes,  I fight the irritation that creeps up before I rise from my chair, setting down my laptop, and advance towards the kitchen. It's like I already knew what she wanted to tell me. I wouldn't be surprised if it was yet again another complaint from her. 

‘You need to take the cake out of the oven? It has been 3 seconds past..’ She says with a frustrated tone, setting down the carrots she’d been peeling before turning to the side of the sink.

‘Mum I'm busy with school right now and I have an exam coming up. Can't you just do the baking?’ I ask,  irritation flagging down my senses once again. I hated this. But for some reason, my mother acted as though today was going to be something special.

‘ We have guests today.’  she finally spoke,  avoiding my eyes as she opens the oven and pulled out the carrot cake she had backed just earlier this morning.

‘What kind of guests? You did not tell me we had guests?’ I speak, panic suddenly rising inside me. My interaction skills with other people have never been great. I'm always an introvert. I prefer being by myself than making conversations with other people. I have social anxiety most of the time and the idea of having people in the house doesn't sit right with me.

‘We never have guests. And you're even cooking for them. What are you not telling me, mother?’  I ask with sudden suspicion.

‘Elizabeth,  come on daughter… There is no need for you to worry yourself so much. You are going to love the visitors that we are having today. And besides, it's time for you to get out of that shell and meet new people.’  Comes the booming voice of my father. When I turn around I notice yet the same excited expression on his face that is on my mother's.

‘And by the way,  I used the money for groceries that you gave me to have the house cleaned by a professional.’ 

Those words only cause my eyes to widen. And here I was thinking that I'm going to have a break this month. That I do not need to worry about anything. but it would seem that trouble always follows me.

“Elizabeth you don't need to worry about anything. it is all going to play out. you'll see. you're going to thank us later. and besides…’  She doesn't finish her sentence before a fleet of flashy cars moves past our house. Advancing towards the open kitchen window, I stare with furrowed eyebrows; wondering who the hell had even arrived in the neighborhood. 

Looking back at my parents, I realise that I was the only one in the kitchen and that they had already left.

Something was off about everything and I have a feeling I'm soon going to find out what.

It's moments like this when I hope my brothers will be here with me. Philip, The eldest of us all is always good at getting mum and dad to open up. Dad trusts him more than he trusts all of us. sometimes we even suspect that Philip sends Dad money but father chooses to use it for his gambling operatives and not to take care of things here at the house. 

My other two brothers Lucas and Isaac I've also been away to the city and they hardly visit or communicate. sometimes I feel like I have been left behind to take care of the home while still chasing my dreams. I wanted to become a lawyer. in the objective of fighting against the unlawful termination of my father's employment contract 13 years ago that had gotten us in this financial mess in the first place.

Everyone always had an objective for what they truly wanted. this was mine.

“He is here!” my mother whispers to my father with a voice of nervousness and panic. They stand at the entrance of our house staring outside. When I move towards them and cast my eyes upon the beautiful tarmac roads of the street,  I spot the fleet of cars that had been passing by, parked right outside our compound. confusion flares in me but for some reason, there is a pang of nervousness and fear inside me.

“Mum,  who is here? What’s going on?” I ask attracting both the attention of my mom and dad as they turn. The expressions on their faces have not yet eased up. My father is on edge. Acting differently. Even though he's always acting like this; being the strict father, something is completely different about him today. Something I can't quite wrap my head around.

“Mum,  dad,  what is going on?” I ask, my heart suddenly beating drastically as I stare outside. 

My questions are only ignored as they step out of the house and towards the luxury Porsche cars parked outside. I felt like a stranger in this neighborhood. like this compound wasn't my home. because something sinister was going on and I had absolutely no idea about it. I didn't even know that this was going to happen or who these people were, to begin with. My parents were hiding something or at least they were not willing to give me all information.

This had something to do with my mother's nervous breakdown while preparing a meal in the kitchen this morning. She's been over the edge as well. and that is unlike her. mother hardly ever steps in the kitchen. She will always wait for me to get back from school and prepare a meal. if not she was always going to order pizza or Italian. But this right here might just as well be the answers to the questions I had the whole morning. what the hell was even going on? The posture with which my father stands as he stares at the cars is a look of nervousness. believe me when I tell you that my father is the scariest man I've ever met and I have never seen him nervous about anything.

When the door is opened,  an immaculately dressed man steps out. He has a black suit,  his hair combed backward and he looks like some dangerous mystery man. assuming he’s the driver, I watch,  as he steps around the Porsche car and opens the passenger seat.

With suspense,  I step outside the house and towards the stairs that welcome the entrance.  My mother beacons me, urging me to come to stand next to her but I can only stare perplexed at the shoes that step out of the car before the tall manly figure finally stands. I am dazzled. Breathing deeply, I stare with wide eyes at the godly gentleman who greets both my parents with a beautiful smile on his face.

When hands are pointed towards me, I freeze on the spot, watching as the greek-god-like man approaches me. He had a dark bristly mustache, an earthy scent swirled around him as he moved with leopard-like grace. 

I only notice now that his lips were moving, he was saying something. To me…

My eyes spot every crevice on his face. Not a single flaw. He had defined cheekbones, Viking dark hair, and a concrete jaw that I ached to trace my fingers over. 

His next words, however, took me out of my trance and caused me the shock of my life. 

“I'm Nathan Anderson Tate, Your husband!”