The Billionaire’s rebellious bride

~HAILEY POV~

The chandelier above our dining table was too bright. It always was. It had hundreds of little lights and glass pieces that made everything shine.

My father liked it that way. He said light showed power. But all it did was make my head hurt and remind me that nothing in this house was really mine.

The table was full of silver forks and knives, polished so much I could see my face in them. Plates with gold edges, glasses that sparkled.

My father loved order, perfection, and control. He thought life should be clean like the table. No mistakes, no mess. Just rules.

I sat at the far end, the black leather chair too big, the mood too serious. My plate had food on it steak, potatoes, something greenbut my stomach felt tight and hard.

I didn't want to eat. I couldn't.

Then my father spoke, calm and cold like always, and my life cracked open.

"You will be married in three weeks."

The words fell into the room like stones dropping into water knocking my breath off. I froze. My fork slipped from my hand and hit the plate with a loud clatter.

I stared at him, thinking maybe I heard wrong.

"What?" I said my voice loud and shaky.

He didn't even flinch. His gray eyes that were similar to mine, always harsh and hard, looked straight into mine. He spoke again, slower this time.

"You will marry Santino Blackwood. The contract has already been signed."

My stomach twisted. My skin went cold. Santino Blackwood. The name was like a shadow people whispered about. Everyone in the city knew him.

The billionaire no one could beat.

They said he was smart but ruthless. Handsome but heartless. A man who smiled only when someone lost to him. A man who could ruin families with one phone call.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, I can't. I won't."

My father's hand slammed against the table. The glasses rattled, the plates shook. My mother jumped beside him, but she said nothing. She never did.

"Enough!" he shouted. "This is not up for debate. You will do as you're told."

My chest hurt. I wanted to scream. "You can't just sell me! I'm not one of your business deals!"

His eyes narrowed.

His face looked carved from stone. "That is exactly what you are. This family owes everything to alliances. Do you think our name, our money, our status came from love? No. They came from power, and power comes from deals. This marriage is the biggest deal of your life. And you will honor it."

My hands shook under the table. My mother reached for me, her fingers brushing mine gently. "Hailey," she whispered, her voice small, "please..."

I pulled my hand back. I didn't want her pity. I wanted her to fight for me. But she never did. She lived like a ghost beside my father, beautiful and silent, never loud enough to matter.

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked hard, refusing to let them fall.

"What about what I want?" I said, my throat tight. "What about love?"

My father leaned back in his chair. He smirked like the word was a joke. "Love is weakness. You'll understand that one day."

I felt something snap inside me.

My heart pounded, my nails digging into my palms. "Then I'll never forgive you," I said.

His eyes sharpened. "Tomorrow night you will meet Santino. Dinner has been arranged. Wear something suitable."

I stood so fast the chair scraped the marble floor. "I won't do it."

He dropped his fork. The sound echoed. "Then you are no longer my daughter."

The words stabbed into me. For a second, I couldn't breathe. My chest burned, my legs weak. But I forced myself to stand tall, even though my voice shook.

"Then maybe I never was," I said.

And I walked out, slamming the heavy doors behind me.