Ellie Monroe is the heiress of Monroe, the company which her family owns, who used to live a life ruled by her parents. She has always been a good daughter. Nobody matters to her; what her parents think of her does. She enjoys giving her parents satisfaction. She never dared to defy their commands. However, a sudden announcement of her upcoming wedding with their business partner's son, Asher Tan, prompted her to change her mind. She can no longer stand being treated as if she isn't her parents' child, so she took the advantage and bet all her cards to escape. Her plan to run away was aided by her trustworthy best friend, Lavinia. But then, life was full of twist of turns, and you have to expect the unexpected. Her stubbornness led her to meet the seven bad boys, who are the same as her, are hard-headed and stubborn. Get ready to witness how she will cross paths with the bad boys and join her in her unpredictable adventure in life.
Chapter 1 A Night Well-Escaped
Ellie's Point of View.
"ARE you really sure about this?"
My attention was focused on Lavinia when she asked me that question. I can tell she's worried just by looking at her face right now. I exhaled a deep sigh and nodded.
"Yes," I said firmly and without hesitation.
She placed her arms across her chest, and heaved a burdensome breath. "It's not like I can stop you from escapingā"
My ears seemed to expand and my eyes widened. Like a flash, I covered her mouth before she could finish what she was about to disclose.
"Would you mind lowering your voice, Lav? They might hear us!" I hushed her and darted her a warning glare.
We are inside my room. Lavinia requested permission from her parents to spend the night in our home. We're discussing a concrete plan for my escape later. Because tomorrow is my wedding day, and there's no way my parents will call the wedding off, so I have to run away before that happens. No matter what, I can't allow the wedding to occur. I can't give them what they want.
There was a knock on the door. As soon as the door opened and Mom entered my room, Lavinia and I fell silent.
"Ellie, are you ready for tomorrow?" Mom asked me in a jubilant tone.
I simply nodded in response. Although, in my heart, I intend to respond negatively. I'm both disappointed and saddened for Mom. I feel bad for her because I can see the glint of hope and sparkles in her eyes, as if she's been waiting for me to marry. I'm disappointed because I can't believe they can sacrifice my life for the sake of their business. I'm not their puppy, whom they can toy and order around. I am their daughter, and they should've put it in mind.
I'm sorry, Mom, but I can't and I don't want to continue with a marriage that I never approved of in the first place.
It's only been a month since my parents announced our engagement without seeking my approval. Now, Mom wants me to marry him as soon as possible? What does she think of marriage? A game? A business deal?
"That's good to hear. Get some rest, my dear. Tomorrow is going to be the best day of your life!" She smiled at me before exiting my room.
Best day, my foot.
"Your parents, indeed, are serious about your wedding, huh?" Lavinia, who was sitting beside me, whispered as she ate the snacks I had hidden earlier. "So, what's the plan?"
"I'll wait until midnight to check if everyone in the house is asleep. Then, it's the right time to leave."
"I'm trying to weigh the possibilities, Ellie. What if... What if you failed to execute your plan?"
I was taken aback by her question. She's right, I didn't think of it beforehand. What if I failed to carry out my plan? What am I going to do after? What will happen to me? For the rest of my life, I will be tied to a man I don't love. I gasped for air as I clenched my fists. Only imagining it happening in the near future suffocates me. I swear, it will be the cause of my death.
"Just trust me, Lav. I'll make sure to succeed," I said boldly.
"Fine. Let's say you succeed in escaping, so where will you go after?"
"I'm not yet sure... I have my own car and enough money to rent an apartment or maybe I can stay at a hotel," I replied and shrugged, uncertain.
"Duh! The hotels here are way far from our city, and I bet your parents will do everything to find you, Ellie! You know how important you are for their business."
"Yes, I know, but I will not let that happen. If I need to leave the country as soon as I get out of this house, even if it's risky, I'll do it. If they are willing to do everything to seek for me, then I'll do the same thing to get away."
I was fed up by the fact that nothing else mattered to my parents but their company. Lavinia sighed with a sound. It's obvious like me, she's stressed as well because of what is happening to my life, but I'm glad she's by my side because I no longer know from whom else I will draw strength to fight for my rights to choose what I think is best for myself.
She sat across from me and caressed the back of my palm to somehow ease my mood. I smiled at her, so she would be less worried about me.
"Whatever happens, I will always support you, Ellie. I'm rooting for your happiness!"
"You're the best, Lavinia!"
***
It's past 12 o'clock at midnight. My parents, the maids, and the guards are already sleeping tight. Good thing my parents go to bed early, perks of being workaholic. All they do at home is fill the void in their sleeping schedule.
Lavinia is with me at the moment. She hasn't slept yet because she wants to ensure I can escape from this house without facing any trouble.
After I finished preparing my baggage, we left the room at a slow pace. Every step we took was careful, nor did we make any noise because the bodyguards at the front gate might hear us in no time.
When we got down the stairs, we went through the backyard. The two of us decided to go to the nearest and easiest route, which is the exit at the backyard, because there were no bodyguards there at this time. When Lavinia and I got outside, I hurried to bid my farewell to her.
"Thank you for helping me, Lav. I owe you a lot." I smiled at her.
"Take care of yourself. Call or text me, okay? Keep me posted. I will miss you, Ellie," she reminded me despite getting emotional. I hugged her tightly.
"I will miss you, too..."
After a few minutes of deafening silence in the middle of the solemn night and embracing one another, we both loosen our grip on the hug.
"I have to go now. Goodbye, Lavinia."
"Goodbye, Ellie!" she said, crying while waving as I turned my back to walk away.
I don't want to go but I have to. I don't want regrets to fill inside me in the end because I didn't turn down this marriage. I'm aware of the possibilities that the Tan family may delay or pull out their investment in our company, but I can't sacrifice my lifetime to this arranged marriage that I've been against since the beginning.
I put my belongings in the car compartment and started driving off. I don't know where I'm going, but maybe it's better to go to a hotel only for tonight.
Two hours of driving yet I still haven't found a single hotel. Just like Lavinia said, hotels and buildings are too far from our city because we're in the rural side. It's hard to seek shelter.
I parked my car for a while when it rained heavily out of nowhere, without even a hint. It was dark so I couldn't see very well where I was going.
Over time, the downpour of rain only intensified. I can't find a place to stay in until now. I peeked at my cellphone when I heard it ring suddenly.
"Hello?" I answered Lavinia's call.
"Are you okay? Where are you? The rain is heavy, Ellie!" she shouted over the line.
"Don't worry, Lav. I'm fine. Although I haven't found a place to stay yet."
"But it's raining cats and dogs! I'm afraid something bad will happen to you on the road."
"The rain will stop soon. So please, stop creating loud noises! They might wake up!" I hissed.
"Fine. Then find a hotel or a place you can stay in as soon as possible, Ellie. It's dark outside and you're driving. Because of the heavy rain, something might happen to you, so be careful."
"Don't tell me what to do, okay? I know what I'm doing. I'll call you later, bye!" I said before I ended the call and turned off my phone.
I've been driving for almost four hours already but I couldn't find any hotels or apartments in this area. I had no idea where I was either. All I knew was that I was far away from home and from the city. I swore every bad word I knew when my car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road.
"Shit!" I cussed. "Of all times, why now?!"
I could do nothing but jump out of the car. I don't care anymore if I get soaked in the rain. I checked my car and found out that I ran out of gas. How unfortunate I am. There is no gasoline station near here.
Even though I couldn't clearly see the road because of the pouring rain, I roamed my eyes around the place. I was wondering if I could find a shelter. Good thing I noticed a house near where I was standing. I took my baggage from the compartment before I ran towards that house. It wasn't as big as our house but it had a second floor, and it looked spacious inside so I decided to knock. Maybe I can stay here until the sun rises.
I knocked several times but no one answered nor opened the door for me. I thought that maybe no one was there. I was set to leave, but then, the door suddenly unclasped. A man appeared in front of me.
"Do you need anything, miss?"
I was about to speak when I turned to the others behind him. There are seven in total and they are all men. I swallowed the lump in my throat in nervousness.
"U-Uh... N-Nothing! I'm sorry if I woke you up. I-I'm leaving!" I stammered and smiled raw.
It was embarrassing that I even woke them all up with the loudness of my knock. I would have turned my back on them when the rain got heavier to the point that I could no longer see anything in the street. I closed my eyes tightly and heaved a deep breath before facing them again.
I have no other choice...
"C-Can I stay here?"