Chapter 1

Lyla hurriedly got down of the taxi, rushing into her family's apartment across the street without even bothering to check for incoming vehicles. She hung her coat and proceeded to the room.

“Lyla” her dad called as she walked in.

“What did the doctor say?” She sat beside her I'll mother, taking her palm in her hand and pressing her lips softly against it.

“Same thing,she needs the surgery immediately or we'd lose her”

She felt a burning sensation in her heart as the thought of losing her mother crossed her mind. She had just lost her best friend to a car accident the previous year. One more loss of a loved one and she could go down the drain.

“This is the only option Lyla,”her father's voice said gently, pulling her out of her thoughts. He had a brown envelope in his hand which was stretched towards Lyla. She stared at the envelope curiously before taking it slowly.

“What's this dad?” she asked, tearing off its sealed top and reaching for the paper inside.

“That's the only solution”

Lyla felt her heart drown into her stomach as she stared at the paper. Her eyes widened in bewilderment,still trying to take in what her eyes were reading.

“A marriage arrangement!” She blurted, bearing her eyes to those of her father.

Mr. Thompson padded to where she sat and grabbed her hands,but she pulled them off immediately. “Tell me this is a joke dad!” 

“Lyla, listen,I had no other option–”

“Don’t tell me that dad!” She interrupted. She flung the papers and walked to the window.

Her lungs were failing her. Her breathing got stiffened. She clenched onto the window seal, trying to get her racing heart to a normal pace.

Ever since her mother fell ill,the pressure to provide for the family grew on her. Her father was getting minor pay checks from his menial job at the Blackwoods Company. 

She had to take on three jobs a day, working round the clock,with barely enough time to spend on herself or with friends and family. She was doing her best for the family. How could get father sell her off like she was a piece of clothing?

She felt his hand on her shoulder, trying to turn her around. She resisted. “How could you agree to something like this! I barely know who this is! I am struggling to make ends meet and you think selling me off to some billionaire is the only solution?”

“Don't be selfish Lyla” her father lashed out. He had listened to her speak about herself and prioritize herself to the problem at hand. 

“You're not doing this for me. You're neither doing it for yourself. It's for the family. We need liberation. Ain't you tired of working round the clock all day and yet having little or no result to show for it?”

Lyla could only imagine what her life would have been like if she wasn't denied the opportunity to the Olympics by her so-called parents when she was still in high school. Things would have been a whole lot different.

“How about my happiness,dad?” she started. The tears brewing in her eyes began to trickle down her cheek. “What about my goals? My desires?” She burst into tears, burying her head in her palm.

“Lyla, desperate times call for desperate measures. We need this now. Your goals,your desires,they're going nowhere love” he managed to get her to face him.

He took her hands in his palm, rubbing them gently with a fatherly smile engulfing his face. His eyes were already getting clouded with tears which were stubborn to let go.

“Your happiness? Your family is your happiness. We are your happiness” she added. 

Lyla let out a soft chuckle, cleaning her tears with her hands. It gave Mr. Thompson a glimmer of hope. She was going to accept it. “It's just a silly marriage. No one really cares these days”

“I’m sorry dad,but i won't be marrying someone I do not love” she ended the conversation and stormed into her room.

She locked the door behind her, hurriedly taking out clothes from her wardrobe and stocking them up in her small traveling bag. Never was she going to be a mere commodity to be traded.

She got all necessary clothes and documents into the bag and clenched onto its handle tightly. Her door squeaked as she opened it a little,enough for her eye to look through.

The parlor sounded quiet. She could hear her father on a phone call inside his room. He was probably talking to her mum. She crept down the stairs,till she got to the door.

The front exit door made a creaking noise as she pulled it open. She suspected it must’ve attracted her father's attention as she heard his room door open.

She took to her heels,heading for the nearest train station.

 It was already getting late. The cold wind blew across her face, dumping the thoughts of her father's actions in her mind. It pierced her like the edges of steel swords, knowing he would betray her in such a manner.

She paced about the train station, wondering why it was taking eternity to get to the stop. Her time was ticking. She could bet they were already looking for her.

‘How could he do such a thing? How could he agree to sell me off in such a manner. I'm worth more than that’ she thought to herself, trying to get a hold of her breath.

The droplets of rain on her skin sent shivers down her spine. She folded her arms across her breasts, squeezing into herself. Her cellphone rang. It was her dad. She ended the call abruptly and pocketed it.

It rang a second time,but she didn't bother looking at it. If they wanted her around that much, they wouldn't have done such a thing to her. 

The blaring horn of the train echoed from a distance. Finally, She was going away. Far away from them. Her patience itched as she could finally get a sight of the train.

It came to a stop at the station and the doors opened. She grasped onto her bag and hurried to the door.

Lyla froze instantly in her tracks seeing the elegant and muscular guy highlight from the train. She contemplated running,since he hadn't seen her. His eyes bore into hers instantly,like he was reading her thoughts.

He walked slowly to her, watching as her hands trembled. Lyla's face went numb all of a sudden. Her heart raced. She took in a large gulp of her saliva, trying to get hold of her gittering teeth.

“We meet again, Lyla,” he said with an evil smile playing around the edge of his lips.

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