CHAPTER 1

“Go inside and undress because you are not getting married to this useless man—get that into your head, Sarah!”

Mr. Richard shouted at Sarah, who was descending the stairs, clad in a whitish wedding gown like the shy with a bright smile on her face.

Sarah's expression darkened. She stared at her family in the living room and saw her stepmom, Mrs. Hannah, and stepsister, Agatha, smirking, while her dad, Mr. Richard, glared at her with disdain.

She heaved a deep sigh and replied calmly,

“I am not a child anymore, Dad; I'm old enough to make decisions for myself ”

“Collins is the man my heart beats for, and today is the day we are supposed to receive your blessings on our wedding” 

“Dad, accept this marriage for once, because I'm not changing my mind on my wedding day.”

Mr. Richard's eyes reddened with fury when he heard that from Sarah. He gazed at her and ranted,

“Never! There is no way I will allow you to marry this poor man, not today or ever. You deserve better than this, Sarah!”

“Marrying this gold digger will bring shame to this family and ruin our reputation.”

“What will people think when the media publish that I have allowed my heir to marry a pauper?”

Mrs. Hannah giggled and teased,

“That will be shameful anyway because they aren't suitable at all.”

“And she is expecting us to put on an expensive outfit and follow her to this cheap wedding,” Agatha mockingly added.

Sarah felt sharp pain in her heart hearing those words. She recalled the promise she made to Collins that she would never turn her back on his proposal even if her family disapproved because she loved him and was ready to sacrifice everything for their love.

Sarah knew Mr. Richard had warned them not to relate to poor men because he despised their presence. 

When Collins proposed to her during their college graduation, she knew Mr. Richard wouldn't approve of their marriage, but she thought she could convince him since she was his beloved daughter and the rightful heir to his companies.

Months passed by with Sarah still trying to convince her father to accept their marriage.

The last time she brought it up, Mr. Richard told her if she wanted to remain part of the family she should forget about marrying Collins and focus on the family business. 

But she proceeded with Collins, and they fixed a date for their wedding, considering her father would approve when he saw her in her wedding gown.

Sarah gazed at her dad, whose eyes were reddened with fury, and she retorted while tears were in her eyes,

“Das, I know you have always wanted the best for me since my mom died”

“You always put a smile on my face when my mother's memories fill up my mind. My happiness is your priority, but if you still want that for me, then accept our marriage”

“Collins is the one who holds my happiness because I love him so much and he loves me too. With Collins around me, we can fulfill all my goals for your companies”

“Don't judge him by his looks, because he is a hard worker and a visionary man just as you wanted, Dad.”

Mr. Richard's heart hammered against his chest when he saw tears soaked in Sarah's eyes, pleading for a pauper like Collins. 

He wondered what Sarah found attractive about Collins because he recalled when she introduced him to the family, he was smelling like a dead animal surrounded by houseflies on the street.

He thought about their marriage and felt anger clawing at his chest. He gritted his fists angrily and shouted at Sarah, which made her quiver.

“You aren't normal, Sarah!! What's coming over you?”

“Since your mom died, I thought you would grow and be decent and visionary like her. Due to your knowledge in business, I invested much into your education, got the best college, and organized expensive classes for you.”

“I exposed you to my top business partners and organizations. What will they think when they hear that you are married to a vagrant, stinky man like Collins? Your mom will be even shameful in her grave.”

“I don't care about people's opinions,” Sarah blurted out angrily. She gazed at them staring at her unblinkingly, and she fiercely continued,

“As long as Collins loves me, I will marry him today, and none of your words will change my mind.”

Mr. Richard gritted his fists, and he broke Sarah's cheek with a heavily slapped.

Splash...

Sarah groaned in pain, and Mrs. Hannah and Agatha's eyes widened with a pleasant shock. 

Mr. Richard gazed at Sarah while tears were streaming down her cheeks, and he hurled,

“If you leave this house, consider yourself a stranger. Your sister will inherit all my properties when I'm dead because you don't deserve to be my daughter and I will ruin your wedding”

Mr. Richard's words pierced through Sarah’s heart like daggers. She recalled the promise she made to Collins and barged out without sparing them a glance.

Mr. Richard's eyes watered when his gaze followed Sarah as she struggled with his bodyguards at the entrance to exit the house. He signaled them to free her, and Sarah angrily stormed out.

Agatha and Mrs. Hannah smirked when Sarah disappeared. They felt God had answered their prayers.

When Sarah’s mom, Mrs. Amina, was alive, they were jealous of how Mr. Richard loved her and Sarah.

They thought Mr. Richard would give all his properties to them when he died because he had acute myeloid leukemia, in stage four. 

Mr. Richard was desperately in need of a child when he married Mrs. Amina. 

Years passed by, but Amina couldn't reproduce, so Mr. Richard married Mrs. Hannah, and in a month's time, Mrs. Amina became pregnant. 

Mr. Richard's heart raced with joy when he heard, and when Mrs. Amina delivered, Mrs. Hannah also became pregnant, and she gave birth to Agatha.

Agatha was a clubbing girl, while Sarah became a visionary lady who was given special knowledge in business by nature. Due to that, Mr. Richard showcased intense love to Sarah and took her to every meeting.

When Mrs. Amina died, Mrs. Hannah was overwhelmed because she thought the properties would be handed to them. 

They planned to clear Sarah from their path, but when Sarah left, they knew she had concluded everything for them. 

Mrs. Hannah and Agatha neared Mr. Richard, who was burning with anger sitting on the couch, and they consoled him.

—------------

Sarah paced around for twenty minutes in search of a cab on the main road but didn't spot one. 

She reached out for her phone and called Collins, but it was unreachable. Instead, she saw multiple messages from him, which made her worried. She tapped on the messages and started reading.

[ Babe, we have been waiting for you for an hour now. Where are you? Please don't disappoint me because I love you so much. ]

“An hour,” Sarah muttered, and many questions conflicted in her mind. 

“What if they called off the wedding? What if Collins is angry at me now?”

Sarah intended to stand between the road and stop any car, but suddenly a black Range Rover pulled over in her direction, and a man appeared from the driver's seat. From the look of the man, Sarah could tell he was the driver.

“Miss, my boss awaits you in the car,” the driver asked shyly.

“Why don't you tell your rude boss to come instead?” Sarah replied rudely.

The driver turned and whispered some words into the car, and a man dressed in an expensive suit, with a pointy nose and a well-shaped beard, emerged from the car. His body aura induced the atmosphere with a fragrant smell as he walked confidently towards Sarah, with a pleasant smile on his pink lips.

Sarah smiled broadly when she saw him because he looked familiar. She studied him for a while and shouted in agony,

“Isn't Raymond Dickson from Fordham University?”

Raymond nodded with a pleasant smile and Sarah recalled she was in a haste to her wedding,

“Please give me a ride to Times Square Church for my wedding.”

Raymond felt sharp pains in his heart when he heard that from Sarah. 

When they were in university, Raymond proposed to Sarah, but she turned him down because of Collins in their first year. 

Raymond left and applied for a different school in another country because he couldn't bear to see the woman he loved with another man. 

When he graduated, he thought that Sarah had broken up, so he came back to see if things could work out for them because his heart still beat for her. 

When he saw Sarah in her wedding gown, he felt his heart sinking but suppressed it and pretended to be cool.

They got into the car, and at the drop of a hat, the driver parked at the church’s garage. Sarah gazed around and was amazed by the multiple cars around the compound. 

Immediately she entered the church, everyone's eyes directed to her as she walked diligently on the red carpet, staring at the love of her life, dressed nicely with the priest behind him.

“Wow, the bride is so beautiful!” A compliment arose from the guests. 

“Why is she alone? Where is her father?”

“Maybe Mr. Richard didn't approve of their marriage because they aren't comparable.”

Their compliments pierced through Sarah's heart like bullets, but she suppressed the pain and barged to the altar. Collins engulfed her with a pleasant hug, and he whispered in her ear,

“I knew you wouldn't betray me, honey. I love you so much.”

The priest cleared his throat, and they turned to face him. Staring at both with a warm smile on their mouth, the priest started with Sarah.

“Do you, Sarah Richard, take Collins Stones as your lawfully wedded husband, to cherish in love and friendship, in strength and in weakness, in success and in disappointment, to love him faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as you shall live?”

Sarah gazed inwardly into Collins' bluish eyes and felt intense happiness in her heart that their four-year relationship had reached its potential as they envisioned.

She heaved a sigh and replied with a smile,

“I do.”

The priest repeated the same words to Collins Stones, and when he responded, all the guests shouted,

“You may now kiss the bride.”

They put the rings on each other's hands, and when Collins was about to kiss Sarah, a deep voice from the church’s door sent shivers down their spines.

“Stop this wedding, now!”

Sarah's heart hammered against her chest. She turned and saw everyone staring at Mr. Richard, who was standing at the door with Mrs. Hannah, Agatha, and some journalists.