Chapter 1

Charlotte’s POV

I stood frozen, my heart hammering in my chest as I watched my supposed groom exchange vows with another woman. My vision blurred, but I forced myself to hold back the tears threatening to spill.

Laughter and chatter filled the event hall, but all I could hear was the deafening ring in my ears. This was supposed to be my wedding. Instead, I was nothing more than a bystander at someone else’s.

I clenched my fists, the embarrassment and betrayal suffocating me. My parents had sold me off like a commodity, forcing me into this marriage for their own selfish reasons, and now… there was no marriage at all.

The pressure in my chest grew unbearable. I needed an escape. Just then, I felt a light tap at my left shoulder and I immediately turned to face the cab driver that had just dropped me off a few seconds ago. 

You forgot…” he started, as he raised his sceptical brows at me, with his magical eyes roaming on me.

Without hesitation, my lips crashed against his before he could react.

I felt the crowd’s attention shift to us as gasps of surprises erupted around us.

His entire body went rigid, his hands gripping my arms as if debating whether to push me away. Then, just as suddenly as I’d kissed him, he pulled back, dropping my purse on the ground and running a hand through his dark hair as he stormed outside. 

I stood there, stunned, my lips tingling from the abruptness of it all. Whispers filled the air, eyes bore into me from every direction, but all I could focus on was his retreating figure.

Without thinking, I followed him. There was no reason to stay back and witness my own humiliation unfold any further.

He was already making his way toward the car when I found my voice.

“Wait,” I called out, my voice cracking slightly. “I'm sorry okay, but can we just…?”

He halted mid-step, turning around with an incredulous look. His gray eyes darkened with irritation.

“What the hell just happened in there?” His voice was sharp, demanding answers.

I hesitated, pressing my lips together. He had every right to be angry, I had just dragged him into a public scandal.

“Or is it in your nature to throw yourself at any man you see?” he continued, his gray eyes burning with fury. “How dare you disgrace me in the middle of a crowd like that? Don’t you have any shame?”

The words hit like a slap. My humiliation was already unbearable, but his harsh tone sliced through me like a blade.

I swallowed back the lump in my throat, trying to ignore the murmurs that were starting to grow around us. 

“Wait… isn’t that Liam Blackwood?”

“No way! Why would someone like him be here?”

He exhaled sharply, running his hand through his hair again. He glanced toward the direction of the murmurs, his frustration evident. Then, without another word, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the stairs.

“Get in the car,” he ordered.

I didn’t argue. I also needed to get away from here. The moment I settled into the passenger seat, silence enveloped us. Liam’s knuckles went white against the steering wheel as he drove, jaw clenched, his gaze locked on the road.

Then his phone rang.

He groaned, tapping the screen and putting it on speaker as he sped up.

“What is it?”

A deep voice responded, “Master, your grandfather is refusing the surgery. He has locked himself in his room, and the doctors say they can’t force him.”

His grip on the wheel tightened. “What the hell do you mean he’s refusing?”

“He says if you, his only grandson, can run away from your bride, then why should he fight for his life? He’s being stubborn, Master.”

My breath caught in my throat. Did I hear that right?

Liam huffed, shaking his head. “Damn it, Grandpa.”

So… he ran away from his bride too? I squealed in my head

“I'll be there in a moment!” He assured. 

“I'm sorry, Master. He says he doesn’t want to hear from you unless you’re calling to tell him you’re getting married.”

He let out a bitter chuckle, but there was no humor in it. “Keep an eye on him. I'll be home soon.”

The call ended, leaving only the sound of the engine filling the space.

Then, as if pushing the conversation aside, he turned to me. “Where do you live? I’ll drop you off.”

The mention of home made my stomach churn. Go back? To my parents, who had tossed me aside like I was nothing?

He must have noticed my hesitation. His gaze flicked toward me before returning to the road. “What? Don’t tell me you’re homeless.”

I swallowed hard. “Going back isn’t an option.”

He exhaled, muttering something under his breath. Then, after a long pause, he said the words that would change everything.

“Wanna play a game real quick?”

I turned to him, confused. “A game?”

He glanced at me, his gray eyes sharp. “I’ll triple whatever you're to get from marriage to Oliver Keller. Let’s get married.”

I stared at him, my pulse quickening. “What?”

“You heard me.” His lips curled slightly. “I need a wife, and you need a place to stay. Let's say we both get what we want.”

I was breathless, my mind spinning.

He smirked as if reading my mind. “I know what you’re thinking. How can a cabman afford to make this deal? Well, I’m not a cabman.”

I blinked, the realization slowly sinking in. No wonder he’d been so aggressive when I kissed him back at the event hall. He was probably some powerful figure.

He stretched out a hand toward me. “Let’s have a proper introduction, my beautiful bride-to-be. That is, if you’re saying yes.”

My blood ran cold.

“I’m Liam Blackwood.”

The name hit me like a thunderbolt as my eyes widened in disbelief. I knew that name sounded familiar earlier, but I couldn't quite place it. But now, it all finally came into focus.

I sucked in a shaky breath. “I’m Charlotte Knight.”

The hum of the engine was the only sound between us for what felt like an eternity. I couldn’t wrap my head around what had just happened. The whole wedding fiasco, the kiss, and now Liam Blackwood? The name swirled in my mind like an insistent whisper. How had I not recognized him sooner?

I shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat, my fingers playing nervously with the edge of my dress. I had just kissed a man I didn’t know, only for him to turn out to be a man of power, and now, he was offering me something I wasn’t sure I wanted but could hardly refuse.

“So, what do you say?” Liam said, his voice breaking the silence, but his eyes stayed focused on the road.

I glanced at him, unsure of how to respond. There was so much going on in my head. “I don’t even know what to think,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he kept his gaze straight ahead, his grip on the wheel tight, his jaw clenched as though he was holding back something volatile.

“You don’t have to think. Just… make a decision.” He said calmly. “I don't know what the matter is, but it's obvious you don’t want to go back to your parents, and I also don’t want to deal with my grandfather’s stubbornness. So we made a deal. You get a place to stay, and I get the wedding done, problem solved.”

My heart skipped a beat at the implications of his words. “A marriage of convenience?” I asked, feeling the weight of the situation sink in.

His lips twitched into the faintest smile. “Exactly, nothing more. I won’t force you into anything. I just need the damn title for my grandpa to get the surgery.”

“Why?” I asked, the question slipping from my lips before I could stop it. “Why would you need a wife so badly, yet you ran away from your own wedding?”

He glanced at me briefly, “That's none of your business.” He stated sharply.

“Fine,” I said, my voice steady despite the whirlwind in my chest. “Let’s do it. I’ll marry you.”

His eyes flicked toward me, and his lips quivering in the smallest of smiles. “Good.” He said it as though the matter was settled, and maybe in his world, it was.

“We’ll head to the registry right away, and after that, we can go visit my grandfather,” he added.