Chapter one

If he had been asked, Colonel Frederick Smyth could have put his hand on his heart and sworn that he had never met anyone as ravishingly beautiful as Samara Noel. She was beauty personified, from her pretty face, with a bright calling eyes, her well sculpted pointy nose, broad high temple, high cheek bones, curvy luscious lips, and piano keys-like dentition, to her curvy body and very smooth light skin. She was perfection.

As a child, Frederick was not a good looking boy. He was chubby, and had a huge round stomach. He was always bullied by his mate. When he became a teenager, he had lost some weight, but his face was filled with acne. He was still taunted and mocked by both boys and girls of his age. No one wanted to be friends with him. Frederick felt so inferior among his mates, that he swore he was going to find a way to measure up, and even get better than them. When an opportunity to join the army came, he grabbed it. He needed so bad to excel at something. And so he did.

Frederick may not have the looks, but he sure made a fine soldier. With a record of many accomplished missions, Frederick Smyth had service ribbons, medals, awards and specific badges to his name. His fellow soldiers revered him. Becoming Colonel Frederick Smyth was another feather recently added to his hat. Frederick has always been a driven and determined man who never lets anything get in his way, and he always gets what he wants. He was ruthless and arrogant in his dealings and never let feelings or emotions get in the way. He takes his missions dear to his heart, and accomplishes every one of them. Not ever as he come across any challenge he could not surmount. He always had a way.

Now as an Adult, Frederick did not still have the looks of many ladies dream man, with his sturdy posture and rugged face . But being rich and powerful made up for his lack in looks. With his wealth, he had women at his beck and call, a feat he could not accomplish when he was younger. He always got insulted and rejected by every lady back then. Now he could get any woman he wanted, they even begged to be with him and were more than ready to bear him children. But the sexcapades were more than enough for him. Love and marriage was never a thing he considered, it was in fact the last thing on his mind. So never had he expected to fall in love, so fast and so deeply for a woman he had just met. In his thirty-nine years on earth, he has never wanted a woman as bad as he wanted Samara Noel.

The other day when he heard that one of his soldiers has been attacked with a stone by a civilian, and currently hospitalized. He grew furious. Going through the army was not a walk in the park, and every soldier should be feared and respected. Immediately he ordered that the bloody civilian be apprehended and brought to him. But once he learnt the civilian was a young lady, it piqued his anger. He decided there and then that he was going to discipline her in a special way that will serve as a big lesson to any woman who forgot her place in the community. But as soon as he met Samara, he knew that the only thing he was going to do to such a beautiful creature is to marry her.

Samara Noel had a scowl on her face as she entered the barracks alongside a soldier. The colonel has sent for her, but she wished to be anywhere but here. After that dreadful visit at her house, the colonel has been sending all sorts of expensive gifts to her. As much as she wanted to reject them, her parents have always stopped her. They kept reminding her of the awful fate she had escaped, thanks to the Colonel. Assaulting an officer was a serious and punishable offence, but the Colonel was nice enough to let it slide.

“Colonel Sir”. A junior officer walks into his room and greets with a salute, “She is here”.

“Let her in you idiot”. He snaps.

Samara walks in reluctantly, the scowl still on her face. “Good afternoon Sir”. She greets halfheartedly.

“Please sit.” He gestured to a chair close to him. “And call me Frederick or Fred”. He tells her softly with a charming smile on his face.

“Sir Frederick, please may I know why I have been summoned here?” She said quickly as she sat, hoping to get the meeting over with as soon as possible.

The smile on the Colonel's face wipes off immediately at her response.

“You never replied any of my letters and notes, I was worried”. The colonel says calmly, staring at her with admiration. The red dress she had on contrasted well with her complexion. Samara’s beauty was driving him nuts.

“I didn’t read any of them”. She said bluntly, feeling uncomfortable under his stares.

“Why? It could have saved us a long conversation”. He said disappointedly.

“Why are you sending me all those gifts?” She asked impatiently. Wanting so bad to get him to stop sending her gifts.

He smiles at her. “Samara you deserve that and more…”

“I don’t want anything from you”. She retorts.

“But I want something from you”. He said to her instead, the smile he had on earlier resurfacing on his face.

“What’s that?” She inquired.

“Be my Wife”.