Chapter 1
The heavy silence stretched across the garden,
thick and suffocating.
My father's face lost all its color,
turning ashen as he stared at Blake.
He tried to speak,
but the words died in his throat,
leaving him gasping for air like a fish out of water.
Blake did not even look at him at first,
his entire focus completely on me,
checking my freezing body for injuries.
His large hands gently brushed the wet hair from my face,
his touch incredibly soft compared to the fury in his eyes.
"Are you hurt,"
he asked,
his voice a low rumble that only I could hear.
"I am fine,"
I whispered,
leaning into the comforting warmth of his heavy coat.
Blake finally turned his head,
and his slate-gray eyes locked onto my trembling father,
piercing through him like shattered glass.
"You have made a grave mistake,"
Blake said,
his voice now echoing clearly for everyone to hear.
My father swallowed hard,
taking a clumsy step back as the champagne glass slipped from his fingers.
It shattered on the stone pathway,
the sharp sound making my sister jump in terror.
"Mister Campbell,"
my father stammered,
cold sweat forming on his wrinkled forehead.
"This is just a family dispute,
a simple misunderstanding between my stubborn daughter and me."
Blake took one powerful step forward,
shielding me behind his massive frame,
daring anyone to come closer.
"You assault my wife,"
Blake growled,
the word hitting the crowd like a heavy explosive device.
"You humiliate her in front of the entire city,"
he continued,
"and you dare to call it a simple misunderstanding."
A collective gasp rippled through the hundreds of elite guests,
followed by a frantic wave of panicked whispers.
My mother covered her mouth in absolute shock,
staring at me as if she had seen a ghost,
completely unable to comprehend the situation.
My sister Penelope shook her head furiously,
her perfect wedding day instantly destroyed by the shocking revelation.
"Wife,"
my father choked out,
his terrified eyes darting frantically between Blake and me.
"That is impossible,
she is completely alone,
she has absolutely nobody."
"We were married six months ago in Aspen,"
Blake declared,
his commanding tone leaving absolutely no room for doubt.
"She wanted to keep it a secret,
simply to avoid ruining her sister's spotlight today,
out of the kindness of her heart."
Blake snapped his fingers,
and his imposing head of security stepped forward immediately.
The tall man handed Blake a thick,
confidential black folder.
Blake tossed it carelessly,
letting it land right at my father's expensive leather shoes,
scattering a few papers onto the wet grass.
"As of nine o'clock this morning,"
Blake announced,
"my holding company acquired all of your outstanding debts."
My father fell heavily to his knees,
his hands shaking violently as he stared at the horrible documents.
"I also purchased the mortgage to your family estate,"
Blake added,
a cruel,
merciless smile playing on his lips.
"And just an hour ago,
I bought this exact luxury hotel,
including this magnificent garden."
The massive crowd went dead silent again,
suddenly realizing the immense,
terrifying power this man held over all of them.
"You are trespassing on my private property,"
Blake said coldly,
"and this pathetic wedding is officially canceled."
He looked sharply at the venue security guards,
the very same men who had tried to drag me out earlier.
"Throw them all out,"
Blake ordered,
"starting with this miserable excuse for a father."
The guards did not hesitate for a single second,
instantly turning their backs against my ruined father,
eager to please their powerful new boss.
They grabbed him roughly by the arms,
hoisting him up from the wet,
slippery stones without any gentleness.
"Wait,"
my father screamed,
his precious dignity completely shattered in front of his wealthy peers.
"You cannot do this to me,
I am a respected,
influential businessman in this community."
"You were a businessman,"
Blake corrected him,
his dark eyes completely devoid of mercy,
shining with a fierce,
protective anger.
"Now you are nothing,
just a bankrupt,
pathetic old man who made the wrong girl cry."
The high society guests began to panic,
rushing desperately toward the front exits to avoid Blake's wrath.
They knew that angering Blake Campbell meant instant financial ruin,
and absolutely nobody wanted to share my father's terrible,
inescapable fate.
I watched the beautiful chaos unfold,
feeling a strange,
May you like
overwhelming sense of peace wash over my freezing,
tired body.
