The Runaway Bride of the Tyrant CEO

At midnight, a flash of lightning tore through the sky, yet the rain hadn't started, leaving a bitter, ominous taste in the air.

When Nora came to, she found herself crashing hard to the ground.

The boy beside her, his voice slightly hoarse, rushed over to help her up. "Nora, are you okay?"

Pain. It hurt so much.

With his support, Nora managed to stand, but her knee had been cut by something. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she almost cried out.

The boy, clearly anxious, lowered his voice. "Shh! Nora, don't make a sound. Let's move farther away. Don't be scared, I'll get you out of here."

Nora was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, her hair sticking to her face. But her eyes still sparkled, her lips were a soft shade of red, and her figure was graceful. Though only seventeen, she had already blossomed into a stunning beauty - a perfect blend of innocence and allure.

The boy couldn't see her face clearly in the dark but continued to lead her forward, urgency in every step. The noise from Nora's earlier fall had been loud, and if they didn't hurry, they wouldn't stand a chance of getting away.

But the pain was unbearable. Nora could barely keep herself upright and let out a small whimper.

A second later, the sound of security guards echoed around them, piercing through the night. Lights from the villa began flicking on one by one.

The boy froze, his body trembling. "He... he found us," he whispered, grabbing Nora's hand, trying to drag her along again.

Nora blinked. "Wait... who found us?"

What the hell was going on? She was sure she'd just been in her dorm room, fast asleep. Before bed, her roommate had been making them all laugh, narrating a ridiculous plot from a cheesy novel. But now, here she was, caught in the middle of the night, being pulled along by some boy she didn't even know, running for her life.

Nora didn't want to run anymore. She didn't know this boy, and on top of that, her knee felt like it was about to shatter.

She wrenched her hand from his grip. The boy stopped in his tracks, looking back at her, bewildered. "What's wrong?"

Tears fell from her eyes. Even though she could tell the boy wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, she was too pained to care. Before she could say anything, the security guards had already closed in, their flashlights cutting through the darkness.

All Nora could think of was the fear bubbling up inside her. This felt too familiar, eerily so. She had lived through a similar kind of chase once before when she was younger, and that paralyzing fear was something she could never forget. With her injury, there was no way she could run. Despair took over.

The boy, though obviously terrified himself, stood in front of Nora protectively, his body tense.

The guards moved quickly, their uniforms sharp and their gear top-notch. These weren't just any run-of-the-mill security guards; they were trained professionals.

Nora's tears fell freely now, her small hands gripping the boy's shirt tightly. Yet despite her fear, something clicked.

This scene... it was too familiar.

She remembered her roommate's laughter before bed. "I've got to tell you guys about this ridiculous novel I found on that overseas website. It's called The Tyrant CEO's Teenage Runaway Bride. The beginning is so over the top! The runaway bride tries to escape with the help of a boy, and the CEO's guards catch them and almost beat the poor guy to death..."

Nora's body trembled.

The guards didn't hold back. They had already begun attacking the boy.

One of them passed right by Nora, his tailcoat sweeping past as if she didn't exist. His focus was entirely on beating down the boy in front of her.

The boy gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain, but it was clear he wouldn't last much longer.

He might actually die...

Shaking violently, Nora's gaze fell on the blood pooling beneath the boy. She clenched her jaw and grabbed the arm of one of the guards, yelling, "Stop!"

The guard paused for a moment, turning his cold, threatening eyes on her. Nora's legs nearly gave out beneath her, but she forced herself to stand her ground, reaching out again to try and stop the others.

By the time she was done, she was too frightened to think. She collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

Suddenly, a group of men dressed in sleek black suits rushed over. At the center of them stood a man holding an umbrella. His polished shoes came into Nora's view first, moving at a slow, deliberate pace.

The man's steps were graceful, and his eyes lazily dropped to her. His voice was low, carrying a hint of amusement. "Are you having fun yet, hmm?"

Nora looked up, her eyes misty with tears. She couldn't make out his face clearly.

But the man radiated a cold, aristocratic air, the kind of power that sent a chill down your spine. He held a black umbrella above his head, even though the rain had yet to fall. The only shadow in the entire scene was the one he cast.

Nora's voice trembled as she spoke. "Liam Creighton?"

The man didn't answer, only let out a low chuckle, as if surprised she dared to call him by name.

Nora's heart sank. She really had fallen into the novel.

Which meant... right now, she was caught in the middle of a failed escape attempt, and the man standing before her was none other than Liam Creighton. The boy beside her had called her Nora, which meant her name in this world must be Nora, too.

Her roommate had mocked this name earlier, but Nora knew better...

Nora wasn't the protagonist of this story. That role belonged to her younger sister, Lena Harding.

This was one of those classic, old-fashioned CEO novels from that foreign website. At the start, Nora was given to Liam Creighton, and she begged her classmate, a boy who had feelings for her, to help her escape. Naturally, the boy agreed.

But the boy was beaten to a pulp, left gravely injured, and Liam Creighton had coolly said, "If you run, don't come back."

Nora was sent home, but her family was on the verge of bankruptcy. Desperate, they practically begged on their knees before they decided to send her younger sister, Lena, in her place.

Unlike Nora, Lena Harding was the classic righteous, strong-willed heroine. Despite the bad blood between the sisters, Lena despised Liam's domineering, heartless ways. And she... ran away, too.

Both girls were seventeen and in their final year of high school.

But a heroine is a heroine. Lena managed to run on her own. And even though she didn't escape, Liam found her charming anyway.

And so, after a long struggle of love and hate, the two of them ended up together.

But what about Nora? Her runaway attempt became a joke, while the boy who helped her was beaten so badly that his life was ruined. Once a top student, his future was shattered, and his family forced Nora to take care of him.

Nora, the illegitimate daughter despised by her own family, had started out full of pride and grit. She actually stayed with the boy, tending to him. But over time, the hardship became too much for the young girl. Both of them missed their chance to take the SATs, and with no higher education, their lives turned bleak. Later, as Nora watched her sister marry into a wealthy family, she saw Liam Creighton-the man she had once feared-standing tall, impossibly handsome.

Resentment festered in Nora's heart. She couldn't bear to see her sister's glamorous life while she suffered in misery. So she abandoned the boy and tried to win Liam Creighton back, only to be crushed. The story ended in tragedy for her.

The runaway bride the story focused on should have been Lena Harding.

But right now, Nora was the one playing that role.

As the memories of the plot came flooding back, Nora wanted to cry.

She had transmigrated into the body of an illegitimate daughter who'd made the terrible mistake of running away, only to meet a tragic end. And the worst part? She was now seventeen years old, which meant if she wanted to avoid this awful fate, she had to take the SAT all over again!

Nora, in her real life, was already a college freshman, eighteen years old, and had finally finished the SAT. But now? Now she was back at square one.

The thick Kaplan SAT Prep guide she had used felt like a distant memory. Right now, her first priority was to save that boy. She had to live as Nora, and she couldn't afford to be seen as some kind of freak.

Her hands were filthy, and she didn't dare touch Liam Creighton.

She knew her role in this story-she was a supporting character. If she laid a finger on the male lead, all she would earn was a one-way ticket to disaster.

Wiping away her tears, Nora realized that dignity and pride weren't worth a boy's ruined future. Swallowing her fear, she crawled in front of Liam Creighton, her voice soft and trembling as she whimpered, "Mr. Liam, it's all my fault. I was foolish. I'm sorry."

She was pitiful, sniffling and sobbing like a frightened kitten.

Liam raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

Three of his security guards stood ready at his side, waiting for his command to beat the boy to a pulp.

The boy-Ryan Harding-wasn't one to back down easily. Seeing Nora bow her head in submission to this "devil," he gritted his teeth, pushing himself up to help her. "We don't need to beg this monster."

The "monster" glanced their way with icy eyes, the cold in his gaze sharp enough to freeze them in place.

Nora avoided Ryan's hand. She knew exactly what kind of man Liam Creighton was-a true devil. His possessions were untouchable, and anyone who dared would be destroyed. If she wasn't careful, he would crush both her and Ryan Harding without a second thought.

After all, it was her fault Ryan was even in this mess. If it weren't for her, Ryan would have gone to an Ivy League university. Now his future was in ruins because of her.

She couldn't let things play out the way they did in the story.

Wiping her tears, Nora lifted her gaze to meet Liam's.

Lightning tore through the sky, and the villa's lights flickered on, flooding the scene with brightness. For the first time, Liam could clearly see the disheveled face in front of him.

Even in her current miserable state, she was as beautiful as a peach blossom in March-delicate and pure. Her clear, pleading eyes stared up at him.

Liam's gaze was cold as it swept over her.

After what felt like an eternity, he reached out, his hand suddenly wrapping around Nora's neck.

Her slender throat was fragile, like a delicate flower, and with just a little pressure, he could stop her from running ever again.

The girl beneath his hand trembled slightly.

Tears streamed down her face as she desperately tried to pry his hand away.

Liam's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the beauty mark by her tear-stained cheek. He prided himself on his exceptional memory-he remembered every face, every feature, down to the smallest detail.

Nora had never had a tear mole before.

His grip tightened.

Those beautiful, tear-filled eyes stared up at him, pleading silently. Something electric and unexplainable surged through Liam's heart, a kind of thrill he couldn't name.

His dark eyes narrowed as he stared at her. Not just the tear mole-her entire demeanor had changed. Her face had shifted, too-this wasn't the Nora he remembered. The original Nora had never had this kind of allure.

So beautiful. Even the way she struggled for breath was mesmerizing.

Oddly enough, Liam felt a rush of pleasure.

The delicate girl in front of him gasped for air, her eyes turning red, her cheeks flushed with a soft pink hue, while her lips grew pale. Seventeen years old, just like a flower bud on the verge of wilting.

Damn, she was beautiful.

Nora?

No, not her. Liam stared into her eyes. In his thirty years of life, he had never felt his heart race like this-wild and out of control, as if it would break free from his chest.

Nora was choking, her sobs stifled as she looked in despair at his merciless face.

She didn't want to die...

In the book, the male lead only tortured the boy for a bit before sending the supporting female character, Nora, back home. Then the heroine would take center stage, and Nora's story would come to a close.

But now, the boy was fine, and it was her who was about to be strangled to death by the male lead.

"Please... please..." Her tears fell onto his hand.

Liam's pupils constricted, a flash of rage flickering in his eyes.

His grip tightened further.

The last thing Nora saw was the red tint in Liam's eyes, along with an expression she couldn't comprehend.

His voice was rough as he leaned in, whispering in her ear, low enough that only she could hear, "You're not Nora... You're exquisite."

Nora could betray him, could run from him, but you cannot.

He let out a cold chuckle. "Die before I fall in love with you."

Fear flooded Nora's heart as death closed in. In all her years, she had never felt so close to cursing out loud.

Damn this psychopathic CEO!

And then, a sharp pain shot through her neck, and her world faded into nothingness.

Her breath stopped, and her long lashes fluttered gently as her eyes closed. Nora died on her very first day in this world.

She hadn't even survived an hour.

Thunder rumbled, and the skies finally opened, rain pouring down in torrents.

The only sound left was the boy's heart-wrenching cry, "Nora!"