Mia Dallas wakes up one day, just to find out that she will be getting married to a popular business tycoon, Elliott Taurus, whom she never met, but I've only read about online. She agrees and gets married just to make her mom happy, not that she has a choice, as she tries to balance her loveless marriage alongside her insatiable family. Turns out her marriage is the biggest scheme of the Taurus empire. Things soon get dark with twists and turns of events, as Mia's whole life becomes a tangled web of survival, filled with secrets, hidden and unhidden threats that she gains along with her marriage.
Mia's POV
"Mom, are you being serious right now?" I brushed off the strands of hair from my face as I stared at my mom, who was seated just two feet away from me.
She was quiet, but I found this hilarious and confusing.
"Wait, you're being serious?" I scoffed, my mouth wide open, as I waited for her reply.
"Mia, you have to do this, if not for me, but for your father. He had always wanted you to be married to Elliot." She explained, but I wasn't listening.
How am I expected to marry someone that I have never met?
"Mom, I've only seen Elliot in family gatherings, and it was just a glimpse of him. Mom, I do not know him. We do not like each other." I kept on going until she cut me off.
"Mia!" she snapped, and I pulled myself together.
Her eyes glowed with anger as she stared at me.
"You are getting married to Elliot, and that's it. Do whatever you want with that." She slammed the door behind her as she stormed out of the room.
I glanced at the window, and Jenna, my sister, slipped away.
What is wrong with everybody in this house? I lowered my head as I buried my face in my palm.
I flinched and turned to see my phone beeping.
"Hello." My voice was low and grumpy as I spoke on the phone.
"Where are you? The class started a few minutes ago." Sebastian's voice sent a jolt of self-consciousness to my body.
I looked at the wall clock hung just beside the door, and I sighed.
"Are you seriously in bed?" He queried, and I ended the call abruptly.
We had a 9am class this morning, and it was already 10am. A cry escaped my lips as I turned on the shower and sat in the bathtub.
My heart throbbed as I recalled what my mom said earlier. I did not see myself getting married to Elliot.
I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to drift away wherever it wanted to go. I didn't want to think of marriage.
A thought flashed through my head, and I remembered what Sebastian mentioned weeks back.
"He is the definition of arrogance, and his girlfriend is the pure definition of a snub," Sebastian said.
I opened my eyes and turned off the shower. "Yes, that's it. He has a girlfriend and will not agree to marry me." I beamed as I washed myself and got out of the shower.
I finished dressing as soon as I could and grabbed my bag as I walked out of the room.
"Your wedding is next week, Mia." My mom whispered from the dining room, and I grunted as I went out of the house.
My eyes darted across the large compound, and it came to rest on the carport.
"If you're thinking of getting a ride, then you better order one." Jenna's voice urged from behind.
"Why? Where is Dan?" I kept looking around, and Jenna frowned.
"Since mom could no longer afford to pay his salary, she relieved him of the stress of having to work without payment." My heart sank, and I clutched my bag straps.
Are we going bankrupt? I sighed and turned to look at Jenna, who was glaring at me as if I had something of hers in my possession.
"Well, I will just order one then." I groaned as I picked up my phone and scrolled.
"You know you don't deserve him, right?" I glanced at Jenna, whose arms were folded. I was confused, and I raised my brows.
"What are you talking about?" I peered at my phone as I continued to order a ride.
She chuckled and walked away, and I stood, surprised. I did not know what she was talking about, and now she just walked out on me.
She has been getting on my nerves lately, and I have yet to wrap my hands around it.
The sound came again, and I looked up at the gate. "My ride's here, I guess." I thought as I stepped out of our large greenery compound.
Sebastian's head popped out of the driver's window, and he huffed as soon as he saw me walk out of the gate.
"Miss!" He snapped and stepped out of the car.
"Sebastian please." I waved at him, and he sighed as he opened the passenger door for me.
"What is going on?" He asked when he got inside the car.
"Can we just go somewhere, anywhere at all, just far away from here?" I muttered, and his beautiful brown eyes rested on me.
"Is everything all right?" His voice was low as he turned on the car, and drove.
I looked at him, and all I wanted to do was just hug him and tell him everything that had been happening in my life lately, but I was not that type of person.
I was too secretive and always tried to keep things to myself. My eyes got heavy with tears and I looked out through the window.
I felt his hands rest on my thigh as he gently rubbed at it. I sniffed, trying to swallow the sob that was escaping my lips.
"I'm here, okay." He said, and I didn't turn to look at him as he drove far.
I clutched the flowers I had bought on our way to the graveyard as we approached my dad's grave.
"Here lies David Dallas." I chuckled softly, as I rubbed a tear that fell on my cheeks.
"I've missed you, Dad, every single day," I whispered under my breath while I placed the flowers on his grave.
I dusted the dirt on his grave as I knelt beside it.
It was still vivid, a day I will always live to remember.
It was a Saturday evening. I was only eight. Mom and Jenna had gone out to get some foodstuffs from the mall while my dad and I set the oven for the red velvet cake I had been throwing tantrums about in the house.
"Gently, Mia," Dad said, as he smiled at me and wiped my soiled hands with a tissue.
"I can do it, Dad. Why won't you let me?" I twisted and snarled as I watched him mix the batter gently.
The doorbell rang for the second time, and I wished he had never answered the door. I wished I had not been so stubborn to check who was at the door.
Maybe he would have been alive today.
My heart ached as I traced his engraved name with my fingers.
"We have to leave now, Mia. It will rain soon." Sebastian's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I wiped my face as I turned to look at him.
The cloud growled for the second time, and he helped me up from the ground as we made our way to the car.
The rain started with a rush as we reached the far end of the cemetery. I turned around to see once more from a distance, and I would have sworn that I saw someone standing in front of the grave with an umbrella.
I blinked twice, and it was empty. We were the only ones in the cemetery.
"Mia, what are you waiting for?" Sebastian's voice quivered, almost muffled by the sound of the heavy rain as he held the car door open.