"I do."

ASHLEY'S POV

"Let's get this over with."

Those were the longest words I heard him say ever since his entrance to the room. His hoarse voice which held no sign of emotion rumbled like a distant thunder in the large sitting room that was now occupied by his mother, Jane Jordan - the heiress of Jordan Jewelleries, the dark haired judge who sat by an oak table that had been placed in the center of the room for this purpose, Mother, and I , the I-know-nothing-about-this bride dressed in a knee-length lavender gown and silver stiletto heels, nothing befitting for a bride on her big day.

I had been in bed this morning, tossing from the sweet dream I was having when Mother stormed into my room cussing and fussing at the top of her high pitched soprano voice. She looked disheveled with bloodshot eyes, like one who had just woken up from a hellish nightmare.

"Get out of bed, Miss Lazybones." She screamed as she ripped off my bed cover leaving my skin bare at the mercy of the harsh December winter. "Our guests will be here soon and you need to get ready."

I forced my droopy eyes open as my sleep-fogged brain was now conscious of what she was saying. Mother never talked about us expecting any guests over dinner last night.

Who could the guests be? I thought as I sat up in bed, but I knew better than to question her orders.

"There's no time to heat water for your bath. You can use the water in the steel bucket while I go through your wardrobe for some nice dress you can wear."

I refrained from bursting into bouts of heavy laughter at her last sentence as I got out of bed. We both knew I had no presentable clothing for our honorable guests, as all my nice wears had been taken by my sister.

Rita was more like an enemy than a sister to me as she was always jealous of whatever I owned and had no rest till she took all of my good things leaving me with no resolve than to dress like a pauper in this house.

My stomach churned and I gave out a loud yelp as the water cascaded down my body, leaving my teeth rattling in the cold. Not wanting to spend any more time in this cold bathroom, I hurriedly took my bath and stepped out of the bathroom in my white towel which I wrapped loosely around my petite frame.

"I couldn't find anything good here, so I had to borrow this from Rita's wardrobe." Mother announce as I closed the bathroom door firmly behind me, her right thumb pointed to the lavender gown and the string of white pearls which hung over the frame of the oak chair beside my dressing table.

"We both know Rita took those from me," I foolishly blurted out before the consequence of my tacit response dawned on me.

In a swift motion, I saw Mother take two long strides to where I stood with rage in her eyes as she gave me a hot slap on my right cheek.

"I can see you've lost your manners in a short while." She fumed. "How dare you say that about my daughter?"

I fought back the silver tears that threatened to spill, but it was a futile attempt as it came down my cheeks in tumultuous torrents. My breathing was shaky as she grabbed me by the arms and pulled me as she walked.

"Stop crying," she snapped at me, roughly shoving my buttocks to sit on the edge of my bed. "You'll only make a mess of your pitiable self," she said and clicked her tongue in disapproval.

I sat in silence as I watched her comb my long auburn hair with a sharp bristle edge brush. I winced in pain, my brown eyes silently pleading with her not to hurt me. I knew she cared less about my pains as she tugged harder at the edges of my hair.

After what seemed like hours, due to the still silence that had enveloped the room, she was finally done dressing me up.

"There you are!" Mother exclaimed in admiration of what she had done. "Though you can never be a perfect bride, you still look presentable to him."

A bride? Him?

I was caught off guard by her words and was about to interrogate her when we were interrupted by the ding sound of the doorbell. I rolled my eyes in disgust as she clasped her hands together with a smile plastered to her hard chiseled face.

"They are here. Don't fuck this up, else —" she lifted a finger to her throat and imitated a slaughter with her hands, threatening to kill me if this whole arrangement ends in a bad way.

In fear, I straightened my back and smoothened the edges of the gown which fit snugly on my tanned skin and followed mother. Soon we came to a large door, which I held open while she passed through.

I stopped right in my tracks as I rounded the arched doorway leading to the sitting room with the stylish comfy chairs and black marble center table that were in it.

"The Jordans?" A faint gasp escaped my lips. My mouth gaped open, eyes fastened on them in utter disbelief, and hands clutched firmly to the edge of the long mahogany dining table.

I couldn't believe what was about to happen. Mother was marrying me off to a Jordan?

This has to be the biggest nightmare of my life.

The Jordans are the largest brand of jewellery makers in Canada. They take pride in their collections because they produce the best diamond collection for jewelry lovers. Though the best jewellery brand, they are also known for their ruthless way of dealing with anyone who stands in the way to more fortune. The name - Jordan - was a formidable name on the lips of Canadian citizens.

The last time I heard about them was when Jane's son, Alexander Jordan was involved in a scandal with a runway model, Prisca Andrews. His scandal made more news in the newspapers than his relationship with her had.

I once had a crush on him when I was a teen. But that was way before I heard tales of him being ruthless in his dealings, both in business and women.

He was as dangerous as his looks. His daring black eyeballs, his long golden brown hair tied into a knot, and the bulge of biceps - which made his veins visible only made him look more intimidating. Yet, here he was standing right in front of me in my sitting room.

"Ashley, why don't you come over here instead of standing over there like a scaredy cat that you are." Mother rasped at me, her vicious tone did less to hide the hatred she had for me.

I stared numbly as my feet turned and took me to where he stood. "Hi —," I barely managed to draw out before I was cut off mid-sentence by the brash tone of his voice.

"Let's get this over with."

Really??? Is that all he could say? My stomach churned in disgust at his emotionless statement. I raised my head in anger which dissipated merely at the sight of his masculinity.

The way his black jacket fitted him, revealing the hard lines of muscles beneath the fabric sent my hormones roaring, begging to be released.

My fingers brushed his hands as I took my place beside him, and I saw his face shot up in a daring look which made me want to cower in fear.

Mr Judge stood up from where he sat. I wondered how much he was paid for this as I watched him readjust his red tie, which looked like it would strangle him anytime soon, and clear his throat.

"We are here to join Ashley Roberts and Alexander Jordan in holy matrimony. Before then, I'd like to read out the contra…"

"No," Alexander said sharply.

A cloggy lump formed in the back of my throat at his words. This was meant to be more difficult for me than it is for him because he had nothing to lose, while I had everything to lose - my freedom, my life - and nothing to gain from this contractual nuptial which had nothing holy about it. I wish I had some superpowers to make myself disappear from here.

"Alex, stop being rude." His mother said to him.

If he heard her, he didn't act it for his face tightened into a frown, eyes fastened on the judge who now looked frightened.

"Do you, Alexander, take Ashley to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"Yes."

He turned to me. "And do you, Ashley, take Alexander to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

This was the it moment for me, I thought as I forcefully swallowed the lump in my throat. I glanced at Mother through a corner of my eyes and watched her face darken into a scowl as she murmured threats to me.

I sucked in a sharp breath as I closed my eyes. "I do."

The judge smiled as relief flooded his cheeks. "With the lawful power vested on me, I pronounce you husband and wife." After which he made us sign our names on the marriage certificate to make it official. Alexander signed it in haste while I slowly collected the fountain pen from him and signed mine.

My fate has been sealed. Just like that, I'm married to a man I know nothing about.

I watched Mother shake hands with Jane Jordan like this whole thing was a business transaction for her. If it is, she must have been able to milk a good amount of money off them.

Alexander turned in the direction of the door as he dragged me along. "Let's go," he ordered before stepping out first.

I balled my hands into tight fists and gritted my teeth.

Don't fuck this up.

Mother's parting words blared loudly in my ears as I sank my feet into the early December snow.

Well, I make zero promises.