Chapter One

The white of the wedding dress glistened in the warm sunlight as I stared at my hollow reflection. Aunt Bella is humming as she rearranges my hair, occasionally saying words to convince me this was a wonderful day, not that I believed her in the slightest.

As she places the final wave into the bun, there is a knock at the door.

“Ms. Bennet, it's almost time,” the wedding organizer speaks with oblivious enthusiasm. I nod to signal my understanding and step closer to the nearby window.

My body is completely numb as I recall not even three days ago, before my life was ripped to pieces.

The airport in Columbus, Ohio is as clustered as ever with frantic humans running from one flight to another.

“Violet, are you sure you're alright with us leaving early? Your father and I can call out sick,” my mother sincerely asks, a gentle tone in her voice.

I smile as she strokes my dark hair, knowing full well I wouldn't ask them to lie for me. 

“Yeah and if that doesn't work we can just retire early,” father jokes as he rests an arm over my mother's shoulder. I shake my head and embrace them both in a warm hug.

After wiggling out from their stronger grip, an announcement for boarding is heard across the rows of seats. My mother raises her brows in a questioning motion and I laugh.

“I'll be fine. Just go and I'll see you when you get back,” I reassure her. I quickly gave her another hug for good measure, her embrace making me feel as safe as possible.

After exchanging words of love, I watch them approach the gate and turn to leave the noisy building. 

“Violet!” I hear my mother call from behind. When I spin around, she is standing at the gate with her hands in a heart shape, my father waving beside her.

I smile and wave back, my hands mimicking the heart shape in return. 

“Vee,” I hear my aunt say, shaking me back to cruel reality. “I'm going to go find my seat now. Remember to smile and get rid of that miserable look,” she commands while leaving the room.

The silence that follows weighs down on me as I take another look in the mirror. My eyes are dull and no amount of makeup would cover up the pain that lingers in my expression.

After my parents passed, I was informed of the contents of their will and what they left for me. It wasn't money or possessions, but a marriage. My aunt was more than happy to drag me all the way from Columbus to Miami overnight for my union with some random man. 

“Why did you want this for me, mother?” I ponder in my mind, glancing down at my left hand.

A sudden wave of unrestrained anger swells inside me and I'm furious, not just at the world that took them away from me, but at myself for not being stronger.

Tossing off the painful high heels and grabbing a pair of flats, I carefully crack open the bedroom door.

I sigh in relief after finding the hallway empty. The only sounds coming from the echoes of talkative guests in the distance. Taking extra care as to not make a sound, I scurry down the stone staircase and bolt towards the back door. 

The house is massive and at this moment that was my biggest advantage. After ducking behind a rather prickly bush to avoid the caterers, I raced towards the side pathway I had noted earlier, the bunched up dress in my hands. 

As the intimidating structure of a house grows more distant, I dare to become optimistic about my chances for escape. That is until I turn the next corner and slam into a firm form.

Losing balance, I tumble to the ground, my neatly done bun releasing all the restrained strands. 

“Well, that was graceful,” a deep voice chuckles above me. I glare up to see a young gentleman in a suit extending his hand. His body structure is wide and well built, his short brown hair neatly styled to complement his attire. 

Pushing myself off the rough stone path, the man gives a smirk as I brush off the dress. “Are you alright?” he inquires after analyzing my attire, an unanswered question hanging in the air. 

“I'm fine. Thank you,” I curtly reply, feeling rather defensive for no particular reason. Before either of us could say another word, alarmed voices were heard approaching and I felt a spike of adrenaline.

Noticing my change in expression, the dark haired man motioned to the bush behind him.

“Hurry up,” he whispers, the only sign of urgency showing through his wavering eyes. 

“Fine,” I retorted while quickly settling behind the dense shrub. Soon after, a group of bodyguards emerged onto the path. They scattered into different directions with one walking right towards us. 

“Care to explain what’s going on?” my mysterious new acquaintance questioned upon the man's arrival.

“Sir, Ms. Bennet has gone missing. We are searching for her now,” the bodyguard responded respectively. I quickly came to the conclusion that the mysterious man must be a high ranking bodyguard. 

“Very well. Continue your search,” he ordered with a cool tone. After the other had left, I slowly rose from my hiding spot.

“Trying to run away are you?” he playfully comments, amusement evident in his voice. The young gentleman turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I am,” I fully admit with no shame, earning a hard laugh in return from the handsome man. His laughter was genuine and despite his stern look, he came off as rather laidback. This fact was the only reason I proceeded forward and asked, “Do you know the way out of here?”

The strange man finished laughing, took a small but immense step forward and looked me straight on. His strikingly blue eyes seemed to swirl as the sun lowered in the sky and I found myself growing warm in the cheeks. 

“Alright,” he finally spoke after a moment of contemplation. “Follow me,” he added while walking towards the lot of parked cars. 

Realizing there was no turning back now, I picked up the pace and walked behind him. He confidently strolls over to a large black vehicle and unlocks the drivers side door, turning to look at me.

His face still wears a slight smirk as he extends his hand out with the keys, waiting for me to take them. A light blush resurfaces as I shift my gaze away and mumble under my breath.

“I don't know how to drive,” I quietly said, realizing that I didn't really think this through. As no response is heard from my new acquaintance, I gaze back to see his face contorted. I frown before noticing his body slightly shaking before he bursts out in amazed laughter.

“You're really something else, Ms. Bennet,” he breathes between laughing fits. I can't help but smile a little at his reaction.  

“Here, I'll drive. There's a beach not too far off the estate,” he states before placing himself in the driver's seat. 

Not waiting to be found and forced back, I jump into the passenger side and watch as Mr. Mystery drives us towards the front gates.

As the vast expanse of private property rolled by, I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my shaking hands.

The air was cool and contained a hint of citrus. I glanced around for some kind of air freshener, only to realize that the pleasant scent was emanating from him. 

“What's your name?” I inquire, casually trying to distract my attention from his pleasing scent. He gives me a very strange side eye before answering with a shrug.

 “Hey,” I start, mildly irritated. “Would you rather I keep calling you Mystery the whole time?”

“Is that what you’ve been calling me? I’m flattered by your gracious title, Ms. Bennet,” he mocks. I huff at his refusal to cooperate and quietly give up, deciding to stay silent till we reached the sand. 

As the endless horizon comes into view, Mystery parks the car and waits for me to exit. The salty air hits me and I find my feet pulling me to sit down on the coarse earth, tears finding their way back to my face.

“You really didn't want to marry him that much, huh? Do you hate him or something?” Mystery asks whilst taking a seat beside me. His voice sounds pained and his expression is no longer playful.

“I don't hate him. In fact, I don't know him. This whole marriage wasn't even my idea nor did I have any say to begin with,” I speak comfortably.

I find myself more relaxed than before and begin releasing information that has no business being said to someone I just met. 

“My parents are gone, my aunt brought me here and now I am told to marry a stranger.  Also, I don't even know what he looks like. This entire situation is so messed up!” I shout towards the sea, my frustration easing with every word.

Mystery smiles as he stares at me with an expression I can’t quite identify. I stare back briefly before flopping back on the sand with a loud thud. Mystery chuckles before laying beside me, his blue eyes meeting mine once more.

“I didn't have any say in it either,” he softly whispers next to me. I furrow my brows and frown at his words, confused by the implications.

Before I can interrogate him on the bizarre statement, loud engines are heard parking behind us. Jumping up from the sand, I feel my heart drop as Aunt Bella stomps over with a murderous look. 

“You think this was funny?! Running off like a little brat! You're lucky Mr. Whitlock and his son are so forgiving,” she screeches at me.

Seeming to finally notice Mystery's presence, Bella suddenly shifts into a smile and begins apologizing.

“I'm so sorry for her problematic behavior, Mr. Leo,” she states while gripping my arm. I freeze as the truth hits me and I see him glance with a guilty look. “Let's go, Vee,” Aunt Bella orders as she yanks me towards the car.

I hear him shout for me in the distance, but I can't help wanting to throw up at the deception. He was the Leo I was supposed to marry. Why is this happening to me?