The billionaires unintended Bride

Chapter 1: The Unseen Future

I always thought my life would follow a predictable course. I was fresh out of college, armed with a degree in business management, and already had a job lined up at my father's company, Bennett Enterprises. I could see it all clearly: climbing the corporate ladder, making my mark, proving I could succeed on my own terms. But everything changed the moment my father decided to shatter the life I had imagined.

It was a typical family dinner-just me, my parents, and the usual humdrum of small talk. My dad, Gregory Bennett, sat at the head of the table, his presence as commanding as always. He was a man who ran the world like a business deal, cold, calculated, and unyielding. He never made decisions without thinking of the bigger picture, and for some reason, I had always hoped that the picture might include me-my ambitions, my dreams. But tonight, that hope evaporated.

"Jade, we need to talk about your future," he said, his tone unwavering.

I paused, my fork halfway to my mouth. Something about the way he spoke felt different, urgent. "What do you mean, Dad?"

His eyes, sharp and focused, locked onto mine. "I've made arrangements for you. You'll be marrying Alex Vance."

I blinked, unable to process his words at first. "Who?"

"Alex Vance, the son of the Vance Group. You know, the company we've been negotiating with for the merger? We've been in talks for months, and this is the final piece. It's already been decided. Your mother and I agreed on it."

My stomach dropped, a cold wave of panic rushing over me. "Wait, wait. You're telling me I'm supposed to marry someone I don't even know? Just like that?"

My dad didn't even flinch. "It's not about what you want, Jade. It's about what's best for the company. Marrying Alex will secure our future, and solidify the merger with the Vance Group."

I couldn't breathe. The words were suffocating, like a weight crushing down on my chest. "This is insane. I don't want to marry someone I've never met!"

"Jade," my father said, his voice sharp, almost like a command, "this is how things work. You'll understand when you're older. This is business. You'll marry Alex, and together, the two of you will merge our families' empires."

I felt my entire world start to unravel. All my plans, my hopes, my dreams of charting my own path, of succeeding on my own, now felt like a cruel joke. I wasn't being asked to marry someone out of love or even affection. I was being sold off like a pawn in a business deal, a merger that would benefit everyone but me.

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, my frustration boiling over. "I don't have a say in this? This is just happening, no matter what?"

My father's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. "Sometimes, we don't get what we want, Jade. But you'll see-this is for the good of the family. It's what's best for Bennett Enterprises."

I stood up abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. "I can't believe this," I muttered, turning away from the table.

"Jade," my father's voice called after me, but I didn't stop. "You need to understand, this isn't up for discussion."

I slammed the door to my room behind me, my heart pounding in my chest. How could he do this to me? My father, the man who had always been my rock, had just shattered my world. I didn't have a say in anything anymore. I had spent my whole life trying to carve out a future for myself, only to be told that my destiny was already decided.

Sitting down on the edge of my bed, I tried to breathe, but it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. My mind was spinning. My father's words echoed in my head, a constant reminder that my life wasn't mine to control.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was a message from Lila, my best friend since college.

"Hey, girl! How's everything? Want to hit the club tonight? You need a break!"

I stared at the screen, her words offering a tempting escape. I didn't know what I was hoping for, but I wasn't about to sit in this room and wallow. I needed to do something. Anything.

"Yeah. Let's do it."

---

The club was a blur of flashing lights, pulsating music, and an intoxicating mix of bodies swaying to the beat. The sound of the bass thudded in my chest, drowning out the noise in my head. I couldn't think about my father's business deal anymore, not tonight. Tonight, I was just Jade-young, free, and desperately trying to forget.

Lila was already at the bar when I arrived, and as soon as she saw me, she grinned and slid a drink in my direction. "What's going on, babe? You look like someone just took a sledgehammer to your soul."

I took the drink and downed half of it in one go. "You have no idea. My dad just told me I'm marrying some guy I've never met. It's all part of some business deal. I don't have a choice in the matter."

Lila's eyes widened. "What? No way! You can't just marry some random guy! You have to do something about this!"

I shrugged, trying to laugh, but the bitterness in my voice was unmistakable. "What can I do? He's already made the arrangements. It's happening, whether I like it or not."

"Girl, you need to forget about all that for tonight," Lila insisted. "We're here to have fun. No thinking about business deals or forced marriages. You deserve a break."

I nodded, feeling the alcohol start to work its magic. The night felt a little less heavy, a little more bearable. I let the music wash over me, my body moving to the rhythm. For once, I didn't care about my father's plans, the wedding that was looming, or the fact that my life was about to be turned upside down.

That was when I saw him.

He was tall, dark, and undeniably handsome, with an aura of confidence that seemed to command attention. His eyes met mine across the dance floor, and in that instant, I felt something shift. I couldn't explain it-this pull, this undeniable chemistry-but it was there, in the air between us.

Without thinking, I found myself walking toward him, drawn by something I couldn't resist.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, his voice deep and smooth, like honey.

I didn't hesitate. "Yes."

We moved together on the dance floor, the music blending with the electricity between us. His touch was confident, his movements smooth, and for the first time in days, I wasn't thinking about anything else. I wasn't thinking about my father, the merger, or the man I was supposed to marry. I was lost in the moment, lost in him.

Before I knew it, we were leaving the club, walking together through the city streets. The cool night air brushed against my skin, but I was too lost in the sensation of being with him to notice. We didn't speak much, but the silence was comfortable, filled with an unspoken connection.

I don't know why I did it, but when we reached his apartment, I didn't stop. There were no questions, no expectations. Just two strangers, drawn to each other by something neither of us could explain. It was wild, free, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt alive.

The night was a blur of heat and passion, a blur of forgetting. I didn't know his name. He didn't know mine. But it didn't matter. In that moment, we were just two people, sharing something intense and fleeting. Something that was ours alone.