Chapter 5: The Groom

 Sebastian’s POV

I stared blankly at the tablet screen, my vision darkening with every passing second as I watched the woman speaking confidently in front of the crowd.

It was her — Celeste Everhart. My bride.

I still couldn’t believe it had come to this — that I had to marry her. Or anyone, for that matter.

If it weren’t for my father’s insistence that I settle down, I would never have agreed to this ridiculous deal. He favored my stepbrother so much that he thought I should be the one to suffer instead of him. 

Even though they were the ones who created this problem—spreading rumors that weren’t true. Now, my father thinks I needed to get married to a respectful family to save our family’s tarnished reputation. 

What a dumb idea.

I could have refused — I didn’t need his fortune. I could stand on my own. But I wasn’t about to let his other family leech off his money and power.

And Celeste Everhart was the only “suitable” bride available. Naturally, my father chose her.

The Everharts had long been family friends — though I never cared to know any of them. They were just like my father’s second family, always clinging to him for influence and wealth.

And I knew exactly what kind of woman Celeste Everhart was.

Unlike the sweet, graceful persona she showed the public, she was nothing but a manipulative, power-hungry woman.

I could never like someone like her.

“Your fiancée sure knows how to shine, doesn’t she?” Marcus Brown’s voice broke through my thoughts.

My assistant. 

Marcus has been working with me ever since I took over our company. He sat casually on the long couch in front of my desk, watching the same video that had just ruined my mood.

“She’s the star of every event she attends,” Marcus continued, smirking. “She really knows how to charm the crowd.”

I scoffed. “A pretty face and a rehearsed speech — and suddenly everyone thinks she’s brilliant?” I shook my head in disbelief.

There was no way I could ever admire a woman like her.

Since the moment I learned about our arranged marriage, I’d kept a close eye on her. None of them knew I had been watching her — seeing her true face. I’d seen her countless times in nightclubs, flirting with different men every night.

How could anyone like her?

And now she was going to be my wife.

Unbelievable.

Frustrated, I tossed the tablet onto my desk, unable to watch her fake smile for a second longer.

“Marcus,” I said, my tone sharp. “Any updates on what I asked you to look into?”

Marcus set his own tablet down and grabbed a folder, handing it to me.

“There was a fire at the orphanage you mentioned five years ago,” he began. “Almost nothing survived. It was a miracle the children made it out alive.”

My brows knitted together in frustration as I flipped through the photos inside the folder.

The orphanage had been reduced to ashes. All that remained were the charred remnants of its foundation.

“Where are the children now?” I asked.

“They were relocated to a new site,” Marcus replied. “But the orphanage is under new management. I tried to obtain their records, but… they said everything was destroyed in the fire.”

I exhaled slowly, the weight of disappointment settling over me.

It felt hopeless.

How was I supposed to find her now?

“Okay,” I said quietly, closing the folder. “What about the wedding preparations?”

Marcus cleared his throat. “Everything is on track, Sir. Next week, you’ll be marrying Celeste Everhart.”

My hands clenched into fists, my eyes narrowing at the thought.

If the Everharts thought they’d hit the jackpot by marrying off their daughter to me, they were sorely mistaken. She would soon understand just how much I despised her.

But for now, that didn’t matter.

The real event was approaching.

Next week, my father’s infamous auction — a spectacle meant for his disgraceful son — would take place.

And I had to get my hands on that painting.