keep an eye

"I'll sign and leave them out of this; my scholarship is none of your business." Amira yelled in submission, stretching her shaking hands towards the paper and signing whatever she was required to sign.

"You can now kiss the bride.”

Amira felt tense, more like shocked. The wedding was forced; there were no vows recited or rings exchanged, just like in a typical white wedding. She was not even asked if she would marry him.

Andrea took out a small golden box from his pocket, made of pure gold, brought out the rings from it, took a tiny knife and pierced his finger, dripping blood on the rings, and held her index finger and pierced hers as well, ignoring the scream that came out of her mouth, and let her blood drip on the ring.

Following this little ritual, he slid the ring onto Amira's ring finger and forced her to wear his.

As Amira attempted to release her hold on Andrea, he said, quickly drawing her face in his direction and planting a passionate kiss.

He also refused to let her leave after the wedding, and they went straight to the car that parked in front of the mansion while he was still handcuffed.

"Can't I say goodbye to my family?" Amira erupted in anger, her makeup ruined and tears streaking her cheeks, giving her the appearance of a scaredy bride.

"You and I are aware that your family had nothing to do with you. They are not your family anymore. Amira, I am your new family, and you are not seeing them. Get in the car!”

Amira felt a sharp pang in her chest, knowing what he had said was correct. Even at that moment, none of her family members were present to say goodbye. She felt abandoned, alone, and broken; in the end, they had been successful in shattering her.

She just wanted to see their faces before leaving. Taking a deep breath, Amira got into the car and stared out the window, hoping to catch a last glimpse of her loved ones, even her own father.

However, as expected, none of them revealed their faces.

“Let's go.” Andrea mumbled to his driver as they drove away from the mansion, but Amira's gaze remained fixed on the mansion until it faded out of sight, at which point she noticed they were surrounded by other cars for protection.

"How wealthy is this man?" Amira wondered, feeling his full attention on her, but she refused to give him a second glance, and her hands remained bound in his.

Gazing at her fingers, she noticed that the diamond ring was caked in dried blood. She was now a married woman, having married at age 18.

Andrea observed her closely, noting her calm demeanor while staring out the window, which was a little concerning. Why was she so calm? Did she accept her fate?

He let out a sigh and shifted his gaze to his phone, scrolling endlessly.

Amira relaxed because the silence was all she needed to calm down and keep her mind at ease, and she made plans to flee. She couldn't stay in this marriage; it was too quick and unexpected for her, and the worst part was that she had never loved the man.

She was lost in her thoughts for so long that she was unaware of the time they reached their destination. They had already arrived in front of a second, enormous mansion decorated with gold, silver, and precious stone work.

The bodyguard opened the door and motioned for her to come out, but she shot him a furious glance, turned to face Andrea, and then to her linked hand.

Andrea, on the other hand, came down the other side, pulling her along with him indirectly. Amira hissed in pain as the handcuff tightened around her arm.

She was too tired to speak or fight, but she had to pretend she had given in to him.

"Welcome back, boss and Madam Martini." A middle-aged, petite woman in uniform spoke, giving a small respectful bow to which none of them responded.

Amira attempted to ignore the mansion's allure, which included the water fountains, gardens, and gazebos that welcomed guests, as well as the luxurious cars that were parked one after the other and partially exposed their reflections on the marble floor.

She wanted this life, but not in this way. She felt Andrea pull her closer to him as he walked faster, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Do not force me to pull you closer to me." Andrea said grumpily, which irritated Amira more.

"Could you have at least uncuffed me first? I am not a criminal." Amira said, but received no response until they arrived at an elevator, which she had not expected.

It was uncomfortably quiet in there until Atlas found himself in a massive bedroom with beautiful decorations. The bed was covered in rose petals, and their scent filled the room, which scared Amira.

She was not prepared for whatever happened on the wedding night, based on what she would heard about married couples doing on their first night.

"This is our room, so get used to it." He muttered before taking a key from his pocket and uncuffing them. Amira rubbed her wrist, feeling a gentle ache.

Then she returned her gaze to Andrea, then to the bed, and finally to Andrea. She shook her head in disagreement, saying, "I can't stay here with you; please give me my own room.”

In response, he took out his phone and requested assistance. Almost immediately, the door opened, revealing the maid she had seen before.

"Yes, boss. May I assist you?”

"Take my wife to her own room, show her around, and make sure she likes it.”

The maid bowed in response and took Amira, seeing this as an opportunity to further her plans. Amira followed her behind, inspecting everything as she passed by, admiring its opulence while trying not to get carried away.

She smiled kindly and stood quietly, watching the maid as she continued to walk around with no idea what to do. Suddenly, an idea came to her.

She walked back, seeing this as a perfect opportunity, recalling the halls she had taken to get here.

It was not as easy as she had hoped, and when she saw the elevator, her tired frown turned into a relief smile.

Without looking around, she entered the elevator and descended to the ground floor. And she dashed off to wherever she thought she could escape, despite the fact that the area was heavily guarded.

The maid came to a halt at the entrance door to Amira's new room, but noticed the unusual quietness and turned to see that Amira was not present.

“Madam? Madam?” She called, tense and sweating profusely. And she dashed straight to Andrea's room, knocking on the door.

“Come in.” She entered, falling to the floor in tears, after hearing his calm, deep voice.

"Boss, I can't find Madam. I was with her and then I could not find her.”

The maid stayed on the floor, waiting patiently to see what would happen to her, but surprisingly, nothing happened as she had expected. Andrea, on the other hand, wore a smirk and did not react to this.

“You may go.” He scoffed, noting how dramatic she was, and she bolted out of the room. Andrea could not help but enjoy it all; Amira was giving him more reasons to prove she was his.

Reaching for his phone, he dialled the head bodyguard.

"Rico, keep an eye on my wife and make sure she does not pass through the gate. I have an exciting game to play tonight." He hung up the phone without waiting for his response, smiling wickedly.