the vows

Amira stood frozen in place, unable to speak. Her body shook with fear, anger, and betrayal; her ears felt like they had rung a bell, and everything around her seemed to be spinning.

"We...wedding?" She stuttered, her hands on her chest, looking at the people in the beautiful hall, how they expected her response; she wanted to cry, but her eyes did not well up; this was the biggest twist of her life.

The groom, who she had recognized as Andrea despite the nose mask, took a paper from a waiter, opened it in front of her, and shoved it straight in her face without giving a vocal reply.

"Your father signed it, so there is no going back now. You are mine, Amira, and there will be no exceptions." Andrea smirked proudly as he responded in his deep husky voice.

Amira laughed at his reply, feeling embarrassed—her family had already made her feel bad, but this was the worst—a slap in the face. She was still a young girl with big dreams and a bright future ahead of her; she hoped to graduate from university with a degree, but not in this way.

As she skimmed the paper, it dawned on her that her father not only sold her for money and status, but also married her off. This implies that her father works for him.

"Dad, you sold me?" Amira whispered, tears welling in her eyes, and everyone sat silently, staring at the drama in front of them.

"It is the best thing I can do for you, Amira; be grateful and marry him, do it for your family, and stop being an ungrateful brat." He responded with a stone-cold expression, while her stepmother had a scun look on her face.

Without saying anything, Amira grabbed her dress and took off on her heels, running away from the aisle in desperation to avoid getting married, leaving everyone stunned.

"A runaway bride on the loose, huh?" Andrea mumbled, amused by Amira's escape, while everyone else waited for him to act, but he just stood there, watching.

Soon after, his bodyguards returned with her, but this time Andrea sensed something was not right—why was she calm after running off in that manner, and why was she so easily located?

Amira would always be stubborn, he knew that from the beginning, but was she really calm? In an instant, he removed his mask, exposing his bare face to the admiration of all.

Andrea knew something like this would happen, which is why he locked the mansion with his bodyguards to keep the paparazzi out and her from escaping.

"This is not my bride!" Andrea yelled as they approached him with his bride, who was now covering her face with a black veil. Furious, Andrea ripped off the veil.

Everyone was taken aback when they saw Claudia wearing Amira's dress and jewelry. Where was Amira and why was she so eager to take Amira's place?

Amira hid in a corner as guards searched for her. She looked at her dress, grateful that Claudia had agreed to take her place as Andrea's wife.

She was wearing Claudia's dress at the time, making it difficult to find her, so they ended up with Claudia. She removed her shoes as soon as she realized the path was clear and dashed toward the massive gate in front of her.

She felt a firm grip pull her in so tightly as she saw herself on the verge of running away with sweat streaming down her face.

"I found you, Miss Banks. Come on, everyone is waiting; don't irritate my boss, he hates disappointment." 

Amira was instantly thrown onto this bodyguard's shoulder, and despite her struggles, shouting, and hitting, none of it had any effect on him.

After that, he left her in front of the hallway and turned her over to a different bodyguard.

“Give her to your boss.” He muttered, staring intently into her eyes. Amira met his gaze, noting his good looks, but her thoughts were not focused on that.

"Please let me go, I don't want to marry him. My sister is ready to marry him; he should take her and leave me alone." Amira yelled as she was led to the alter, where Andrea patiently stood with an emotionless expression this time.

His emotions were difficult to read, but even in his most serious expression, his appearance drew people in. 

"Just say yes, and your life will be bittersweet as long as you are with me. There is no way out this time." 

 Amira released a tired sigh, knowing she couldn't escape this one.

After Andrea signaled to the priest that everything was being taken care of, the ceremony continued with a contract placed in front of her to sign rather than her having to repeat the vows.

"Once you sign this, you become Mrs. Martini officially." In a whisper, the priest spoke to both of them. Amira read the contract, which made Andrea impatient with her numbness, but she had to wait.For him, training a grown dog takes a lot of patience, and Amira was that dog.

Amira's eyes welled up with tears as she realized this was a bond contract that no divorce could cancel, and she would be bound to this man for the rest of her life.

"If you don't sign this contract, your family will be terminated and your scholarship will be worthless." Andrea's whisper sent shivers down her spine.

How did he learn about her scholarship? Her parents thought he was just threatening her, but most of the guests were surprisingly composed when several armed men entered the hall, locked the big door leading to the exit, and came right up to them. 

Who was this man? Who exactly is Andrea Martini? And why didn't he pick Claudia, her older stepsister, instead of her?