Chapter 1: Prologue

The continuous pitter-patter of raindrops was the only thing that comforted her. She stood still as the cold rain drenched her and the freezing wind swirled around her, staring at the spot where she last saw him walk away from her.

She welcomed the cold wind as it numbed her senses, distracting her from the emptiness in her chest.

Today was supposed to be the day that she'd been waiting for—the day that she would get married to the man she loved most and who loved her back and doted on her more than her grandfather did. Not even once did it cross her mind that half of her would die today, or that her heart would be shattered instantly by the man who promised to bring her joy and take away all her sorrows.

The sound of the bells from the small church wasn't a happy sound at all. For her, they sounded like the bells of death—her death at that moment. She wished she had died, but she was still there suffering. If she died, everything would be gone. Everything that happened would mean nothing to her. No life, no pain, no suffering. That's what she wanted at that moment—hoping and praying that God would grant that wish.

Long hours passed as she stood there, reminiscing about the time they spent together, waiting for him to change his mind and come back to her. Finally, two men in suits came to her with an umbrella.

"Miss, we will take you to the hotel."

She didn't say a thing. She knew he had sent them for her, but she wanted him to personally pick her up.

"No." She suddenly felt her lips wobble. She was cold, her lips had turned purple, but she didn't move.

"We'll have to force you then," a woman in a suit, one of the bodyguards, told her. She wrapped a warm blanket around her, and the bodyguard lifted her up from the ground.

And then it hit her. He was never coming. He had really left her, and it was probably her fault. She was dumb, stupid, and not good enough.

-------

Chapter 2: Arrange Marriage Part 1

She had just completed her latest assignment successfully. Her team managed to rescue the hostages held by the terrorists, as well as capture the terrorist leader for further interrogation. Just as she was about to celebrate their success, she was pulled aside by the general and told that she had an urgent summons from her grandfather. She rolled her eyes and groaned, implying that she was complaining. But she was sent first to the hospital to have her wounds treated.

Andromeda Mondragon looked younger than her age. She was 25 years old. She had sharp eyes and a fierce gaze, and her powerful aura shone no matter what she wore (which, at this moment, was very ragged and dirty combat attire). Wherever she went, everyone would bow or salute her. She was, after all, the heiress of Dragon Security Empire. These elites were sent on covert missions all over the world to help win wars or defuse potentially disastrous situations and prevent wars. These were the unsung heroes of the nation.

"The chopper is ready, Lady Andy."

"Thanks, Cardinal." She dismissed him, picked up her army bag, and entered the chopper, which took her from the army camp to the nearest airport.

It didn't take long for her to board a plane. She opened her phone and saw a lot of messages from her grandfather. She hadn't taken over the company yet. James, her elder brother and the first son, didn’t know much about their family's secret business. He was a technological genius and a great inventor. He only focused on raising their technology business.

Andy utilized the twenty hours of flying to sleep off the painkillers she took for her wound—a gunshot injury to her arm. But this pain was nothing compared to all the pain she had experienced before. Her grandfather had taught her a lot of things, and taking physical pain was one of them. He wasn't abusive, just strict in her training to ensure that she could take care of herself in any situation.

But the long sleep gave her a nice dream that suddenly turned into a nightmare. She jerked awake, her heartbeat racing. She reached for the water and drank it. The plane shook a little as it hit turbulence. She glanced at her watch, and since it was advanced technology, it immediately showed the standard time for where they were located. She got up and rang for a stewardess to ask for food.

As she ate, she thought about the dream. Somehow, it all felt so real, and the nightmare was the worst. She rubbed her chest over her heart. It still hurt her there whenever she thought about that time. She finally went back to sleep and woke up just when they landed in the Philippines. She changed her clothes first in the airport bathroom and hurried outside. Since it was already seven in the evening, she knew she was probably late for the party.

Outside the airport, her butler was ready with her motorbike. So she tossed her bag to him and took the keys. She turned the ignition and squeezed the handgrip of the bike. She made it to the mansion in just under 30 minutes while following all the traffic rules. If she had used a car, it would have taken at least two hours to get there.

Lots of cars were in the driveway, but she didn't stop until she reached the main entrance of the mansion. She removed her helmet as another butler came, and she tossed him the keys. She ignored the murmurs and whispers, as well as a few people who called her. She went directly through the guest area toward the family meeting room. She opened the door wide and greeted everyone inside in Spanish.

Everyone turned to stare at her. There were a lot of people—more than just her immediate family. Besides her mother, father, and brother, there were also her relatives. Her father's brother and her cousins, and then a few bastards of her uncles who were now accepted in the family. She didn’t notice the Pattinsons as the family guests. Everyone looked dazzling, and they all wore expensive designer clothes to impress—mostly women who would show off their beauty together with the dress. If the party wasn't about her grandfather's gathering announcement, she would have thought that it was a party of dresses.

"It must be a big announcement. That's why everyone is gathered," she murmured. However, she didn't glance around and walked directly to her grandfather, who was standing at the center of the stage.

"You are late," Former General Alexandro Mondragon said aloud with a small, indulgent smile on his face.

"You can't blame me. There's a lot of traffic around. Besides, I still got jet lag from the 24-hour flight." She hugged her grandfather. She then greeted her mom and dad, then James, her brother, who threw his arms around her, and she winced. James shook his head.

"Trying to get yourself killed?" James asked. She just winked at him.

"So, what's the fuss? Was it my birthday today? But I distinctly remember that my birthday was last month." Andromeda rubbed her chin, thinking about the purpose of the party.

"You didn't come home," her father Aaron said coldly. "No call."

"Hey, Dad, I was in the middle of having a good time at that moment." She hugged her father, and he embraced her.

"It is indeed a big fuss today." She looked around and found a few annoying people—her relatives. She never liked Kathleen, her uncle's daughter. Then there were her annoying cousins from her mother's side. She called for a server and was served a margarita.

Everyone was dressed up in gowns and looked glamorous—except her.

"Dress up upstairs. Your gown is there," her mother Fiona told her.

"No, thank you. I'm comfortable with these." She was wearing black leather pants, a leather jacket, and a T-shirt with a print on it: Badass.

"I don't like the shirt that you are wearing," Fiona frowned.

"Mom. It's trending these days. Also, I got Grandpa one as well." She called her butler and told him to get her bag.

"Here." She removed the shirt from the plastic and showed it to her grandpa. Cool Grandpa was printed on the front, and on the back was Badass Grandpa.

"Thank you," her grandpa said sarcastically, knowing quite well that he would probably never wear it but still treasure it. "Greet the Pattinsons. You haven't greeted everyone here yet."

She froze on hearing that name. Her face darkened as she clenched her fist.

Once, she knew a man so well, and his last name was Pattinson. She wanted to strangle him at that moment, but she calmed herself and faced the Pattinsons. The head of the Pattinsons, Former General Manuel Pattinson, was pushed forward in his wheelchair toward her.

"The Legendary Heiress of Mondragon."

"Former General Manuel, you look very old." The elder laughed aloud, and he looked younger than his age as he laughed and smiled.

"I am indeed old, Lady Andromeda, and a little bored."

"We could start firing at the lawn and scare off these people." She joked, which made them laugh. She didn't dare to look around again, afraid to see the one she hadn't seen for two years.

"Should we break the news now?" Elder Pattinson asked Elder Mondragon.

"Let's head to the dining hall first. I am sure that she's tired and hungry."

They started eating in silence, but the gentlemen soon started discussing business.

Andy ignored all the questions thrown at her and concentrated on eating. But she was acutely aware that the-man-who-shall-not-be-named was sitting right in front of her, and he kept glancing at her throughout the meal.

Their dessert came. If she turned back first, it would mean that she lost. So, she pretended to enjoy the food even though she wanted to puke at that moment. Kathleen didn't stop talking about shopping with the Pattinson girls and how she got a limited-edition Chanel bag.

"Next time, they'll probably talk about all the ugly, expensive things their (future) husbands would buy for them, just to show off," Andy thought to herself. She was tired of hearing these useless gossips, so she chose to live away. Also, she couldn't take bullies. Kathleen was the biggest bully of all.

"Excuse me." She stood up and went to the washroom.

She washed her hands and face, trying to calm her racing heart. She didn't know why her heart reacted like this every time her eyes met his. She slowly bit her lower lip and wanted to punch the mirror, but she punched the wall instead. She felt nothing at all but the pain in her chest.

She breathed and composed herself. She had expected the Pattinsons to be present—but not him. She hadn't heard from him for two years. They broke off, and he left without a proper explanation.

She smiled at the mirror and fixed herself before going out.