1

Florence found herself standing in front of the mirror, dressed in white gown. It was a bride gown. It was beautiful and Florence thought that this dress was now a waste. She almost felt bad for that.

The room was a chaotic mess but she stood calmly , observing herself in the mirror. Violet had made her look beautiful. The staff were running around the house of her in-law.

Her off shoulder White gown highlighted her collarbone but she couldn't wait to take this gown off, it was too heavy for her. The gown was kind of irritating her skin as well.

It was her wedding day and her groom had gone missing. 

She adjusted her hair a little as she looked at her mother who was sitting on the chair with her head in her hands. 

Her mother was about to lose a fortune, of course she would be sad.

She wasn't surprised that Edwin, her fiance, disappeared. The man never wanted to marry her and he had subtly made it clear for her a lot of times by taking her on a date and not saying a single word to her or by not showing a single ounce of interest in the wedding planning. 

She understood him after all she wasn't interested in marrying him either and it had nothing to do with the fact that the man was sitting in a wheelchair.  

Edwin was a good looking guy, he was polite and rich . He had a beautiful smile too but Florence was not interested in marrying someone she didn't love.

They both were just pawns of a business deal. They had hardly spoken more than a hundred words with each other. 

Florence would have never agreed to marry someone at a young age of twenty-two but she was forced by her parents. Seeing how her stepmother was not very fond of her, Florence was not surprised when they arranged to marry her off to a man who couldn't even stand on his own two feet.

Instead of standing here , she would love to sit somewhere in a library reading her favorite book or painting somewhere in the serenity of nature.

She felt hollow from inside. For this wedding, she had to drop out of her art school because according to her parents she should be a good housewife and take good care of her husband. 

The said husband was gone. 

She dropped out of art school, for nothing. 

"Have some shame , Florence. " her step mother , Violet said as she stood from her seat and made her way towards Florence who eyed her with a blank gaze. " Your soon-to-be husband went missing! How can you be so calm?" Her voice was loud and it kind of gave Florence a headache. 

" Do you want me to sit and cry that the love of my life is missing?" Florence asked instead as ahe turned to face her stepmother. " You and I both know that this marriage was of convenience and I didn't know this man much. " she said as she turned to look in the mirror again. " Unlike you, I can't fake my emotions." 

"You–" her words were cut short when the door of the room was opened.

Mrs. Black, Florence's soon-to-be mother-in-law entered the room. She had swollen eyes from crying , still she gazed at Florence with hatred. 

" Edwin is no where to be found." Mrs. Black said, as she continued to glare at Florence. Florence however showed no response in return. " The guest are already waiting in the hall, there are reporters waiting for the news. We can't back down now." 

" What do you mean, Eva?" Violet asked . Florence can already see the hope in Violet's eyes.

" My older son will marry Florence. " Eva said and Florence felt as if all the air had left her lungs. "Tristan agreed to marry Florence. "

Tristan…

Oh no.

Florence would rather marry a handicapped person than marry a snob and a jerk of a person. 

Tristan Black, the CEO of Black enterprises. He was on a list of most successful young bachelor in the country. He is just thirty-three year old and had gained a lot by his hard work. His aura screamed expensive. He would wear branded clothes all the time. His face is made for modeling but his personality is made of trash.

Florence momentarily closed her eyes. Everything will be fine, she tried to comfort herself knowing pretty well that it was not true. Tristan was totally opposite of Edwin personality wise. Where Edwin was polite, Tristan was rude and cold.

Tristan loved Edwin, his baby brother and he always looked down upon Florence, thinking that she was a gold digger. In the sense she was a gold digger but what can she do?

She loved her father dearly . Their company is soon going to be bankrupt. Tying a bond with Black family will benefit them both.

Her father was not very happy with this arrangement but the Black's had promised that they would get good care of Florence.

Florence parents made a deal that their daughter would quit her art school and be a house wife just to take care of Edwin. They promised them that she would serve Edwin and that is why the marriage was taking place .

Now that Edwin was gone they didn't had to depend on Florence but now their reputation was on line.

The news that Edwin had gone missing should not be known to the world, it would be a secret.

" Don't be so stoic, Florence." She heard Violet say and Florence wondered if Violet was talking all along while she was lost in her thoughts. "If you are happy at least learn to express your emotions." Violet said and Florence only then noticed that Mrs. Black had already left the room.

Florence was too tired to correct her stepmother. She was not happy with this marriage at all. She would rather marry the handicapped brother instead of marrying this narcissistic jerk.