Chapter 4 Strip.

~Elena~

Restlessness was imprinted on my face as my gaze roamed my reflection.

The wedding dress was an embodiment of wealth, it flowed down my legs in steps and felt a bit weighty.

I would never have thought that today would be the day I get married and worse still, to a person I barely knew.

I didn't even get to finish college. This was totally not how I planned my life.

I sighed deeply as I covered my forehead. How did I get into this situation? Was it really not an impulse to make such a deal with Janet? What if the Waltons find that I am fake?

A myriad of thoughts flashed through my mind, intensifying my uneasiness. The mirror no longer reflected a stunning wedding dress but an omen of a nightmare.

Damn, Elena! Cheer up! It was the only way to save Father. And you could also be completely free from Janet and Julia's troubles. You would be no longer indebted to them.

I heard the door click open and my father appeared beside me, flashing a fake smile.

"They're here," he announced.

I dropped my hands from the corset that was squeezing my lungs and walked toward the door.

"You're not coming?"

He shook his head, "none of us were invited."

"But--" A honk outside cut through my words.

"That's for you. Let's go."

Dad clutched my arm and we walked out of the house together. Parked outside was a car convoy from the Walton, a fleet of cars lined up behind a limousine with the back door opened and a guard waiting beside it.

After a brief hug from Dad, I hopped into the car and buried my gaze into space as the ride started. It took a moment for me to realize that aside from the two guards seated at the front, I was the only one in the car.

I had expected to see Asher or perhaps, a few members of the Waltons but it seemed they had sent a convoy to take just me. It felt weird.

After a two hours ride, the car finally parked in front of the seaside Villa. The door was opened and I climbed out, staring around I found no special decoration for a wedding ceremony.

The atmosphere was so serene that I felt a touch eerie.

Did Janet fool me? She was not going to make me the substitute bride of Julia but sold me to some tyrannical pervert? For a moment, I had the urge to pull my legs out and run. But this seemed to be an island. I had nowhere to run without their vehicles.

"This way, Miss.." a bodyguard led. I nodded and followed him into the villa. My glass heels knocking on the marble and porcelain flooring stone produced a rhythmic sound.

My hands remained clasped as we walked down a long narrow corridor. Ascending the staircase to the first floor, we finally stopped in front of a door.

The doors were thrown open and we walked in, "Please, wait here."

"Wait!" I stopped him before he could leave. "Where is here?"

"I'm only following instructions of the master, Miss," he replied plainly. "Please wait here, he will join you soon."

Before I could ask who he meant by 'the master', the bodyguard was already out of the room and I heard the locks click.

Why did they lock the door? Were they afraid I would escape?

I band on the door hard and called out but no one answered. I quickly checked all the doors and windows in the room and then came to the conclusion.

I was imprisoned.

Numerous ghastly speculations spurred my nerves, making my palms sweat.

I kept pacing around the spacious luxurious room and finally stopped at the dispenser. I wanted a cold drink but stopped at the end. What if they were going to drug me?

I licked my dry lips and sat back on the bed, pondering a way out of the trap.

Slowly, it got dark and I could no longer contain my restlessness. I rushed to bang on the door again.

"Open the door! You have no right to imprison me like this!"

With only two seconds, I heard the door lock being fumbled with and the door was pushed open.

A man in a wheelchair moved in without assistance. Although his face was hidden behind that strange mask, the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned hot and uncomfortable.

"Who...who are you?" I asked with nervousness as I stepped backward.

He glared at me like I was an idiot and then moved over to the bed. The moment I recognized the family tattoo on his wheelchair, I realized he was Asher, my new husband.

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine despite it being our first meeting, even in his state the air around him showed how powerful he was.

My heart popped into my throat as he looked at me. The way he glared at me gave me a feeling that he could already see that I was not the woman he chose. Or like I was nowhere close to his expectation.

I cleared my throat, meaning to start a conversation when he spoke.

"Strip."

The monosyllabic word almost made me choke on my saliva.

"W-what?"

"Get naked." His voice was even colder now.

I froze, lowering my gaze as a wave of shame rushed up to my face. Was he serious? Even though I knew a normal family like us was definitely the weaker party in this marriage, that didn't mean he was free to trample on my dignity like that, did it?

"But, sir-" I tried to reason with him but he wasn't patient at all.

"Don't make me repeat again."

The moment he frowned, I felt death was approaching me. What was I thinking? Father's life was still in their hands. I should have realized from the moment I agreed to this deal that some things would be unavoidable.

Tears collected in my eyes as my fingers strolled to the zipper but I couldn't bring myself to move it. This would be my first time undressing in front of a man and I was nervous.

I had hoped that we would talk first before getting down to the lovemaking, I hoped to tell him it was my first time and perhaps plead with him to be gentle.

But I couldn't utter a word. His aura was too powerful and his attitude had shown me that he had no intention of caring for me.

I heard him cuss under his breath, I couldn't hear the words but I felt the weight. It was violent.

"Should I directly rip that fuckin dress off?"

I was shaken by the outburst, and my palms felt sweaty making the metal zip slip from my fingers.

"I-I'll do it," I gulped, rubbing my greasy palms on the dress.

Another cuss.

My heart clenched as I unzipped the dress successfully. The wedding dress slipped off, revealing my plump body. Standing here in just my underwear made me feel like a slut.

"Move away your hands and come here to me."

I closed my eyes to force my tears back and started to walk towards him but ended up tripping over my dress and falling forward.

I crashed to my knees, my face buried into something warm and bulgy. It felt alive but suddenly grew hard and stiff.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A raspy voice reached my ears in stutters.

Oh God! I swore I never expected such an embarrassing scene to kill myself.