Prologue – Planning My Escape

Sydney Bardot

Los Angeles, USA

“I’m just twenty-one, Dad! Why can’t I chase my dreams and not get married?” 

My agitated father, Philippe Bardot, looked down his nose at me. I faced his cynical glare with defiance, ready to fight for my rights. I was an adult, and they couldn’t force me to get married against my will. This time, I refused to be bullied and forced to surrender to their wishes. 

“Quiet, Sydney! Drop the attitude, or the consequences won’t be nice.” His stern baritone voice echoed around the austere study of our mansion. 

Of course, I knew of his punishments. They were as severe as his principles. He spared no one, not even my mom. And I wouldn’t feel surprised if she had died from his punishments. Shrouded in a web of mystery, the cause of her death was a forbidden topic. No one knew what happened to my mom, Evelyn Bardot, fifteen years ago. 

My oldest brother, Louis, stepped forward to support my father’s decision. It was always this way, and I was used to the scene. Almost thirteen years older, Louis was worse than Dad. 

“Dad is right, Sydney. This alliance means a lot to the Bardot Group. The man whom Dad wants you to marry is the multi-billionaire Rafael Ortiz. He’s the President and owner of Ortiz Global, and the boss in our commercial real estate business world. A collaboration with his business will help us reach the sky. We’ll be in the top ten positions in the entire world. Can you even imagine how much we’d earn?” 

My heart sank, and I gaped at my brother. I didn’t care about money. We had billions, more than we needed. Did he expect me to marry a widower eleven years older with grown children from his unsuccessful marriage? He might be a successful entrepreneur, but his personal life was in shambles after five unsuccessful marriages.

“He’s old, Dad. Please, don’t force me to marry him,” I begged, but without success. 

My older brother, Laurence, rose from his observation chair and finally stepped in. Eight years older than me, he usually refrained from intervening in Dad’s matters. But tonight, his interest was at stake, too. With all of them invested in our commercial real estate business, I was the only one unaffected by it. I had no interest in the business, and they knew it. 

My dream was to set up my fashion brand and get recognized in the fast fashion industry. After majoring in fashion design from the best college in LA, I was all set to achieve my dreams when my family stepped in to dash them. 

“Are you going to use me to achieve your ambitions? My life isn’t up for sale. I won’t marry anyone just to benefit the business. Dad, I want to set up my fashion brand. I can’t waste my life pleasing a widowed billionaire with a disturbed personal life?” My heart constricted at the thought as I faced them fiercely. All my life, I had bowed down to their wishes, but not today. 

A resounding slap across my right cheek had me staggering across the room! I winced as I gaped at my dad in disbelief. Did he just hit me? I hadn’t expected him to because I knew I wasn’t wrong. It was so sudden; I wasn’t prepared at all.

“Listen to me once and for all, young lady. You will marry Rafael, and that’s my final decision. I’ve given my word to him in return for a deal worth billions. As long as you’re married to him, he will invest in our business. Now, everything is in your hands. I won’t stop at a slap if you disobey me. Am I clear?” My father’s voice echoed around the still, dismal room. 

Tears formed in my eyes while my cheek burned from the brunt of the hit. “How can you do this to me, Dad? Don’t you want me to be happy? I thought you loved me.” The tears fell from my eyes as I stood sobbing helplessly. I knew I couldn’t win against him. No one had and no one could. My father was a bully who had climbed the corporate ladder through evil means. 

He looked away, unaffected by my meltdown. “You’ll be happy with Rafael. I’m sure he’ll support all your startups. You have a bright future awaiting you, Sydney, and I’m sure you’ll thank me one day. Keep yourself free tomorrow evening. Rafael wants to get engaged to you right away.”

My jaw dropped to the floor. “So soon? But he hasn’t met me yet.” 

“He knows you.” Dad walked away without answering me while I stood there reeling from his ultimatum. I had just graduated, but my life was over before I could enjoy myself. I had always lived a protected life with four bodyguards tailing me everywhere. Now, when I finally turned twenty-one, they sold me off to a stranger. 

“You better do as Dad says if you want to live, Sydney,” warned Louis, before following my father out. I expected no support from him. He followed my father’s footsteps blindly and therefore, at thirty-four, he was still a sworn bachelor. He was such a shrewd devil; no woman liked him enough to marry him. 

“I’m sure you’ll live a better life with Rafael than here. Why don’t you embrace the opportunity and get out of this hell-hole?” said Laurence with a scoff before walking out of the room. 

What did he mean?

Devastated, I crumpled to the floor, my legs feeling like jelly. My world crashed around me, my dreams shattering to a million pieces. I had never expected my life to take such a drastic turn. 

The tears cascaded down my cheeks while I tried to get a grip on myself. My father didn’t give me time to digest the news. How could I get engaged to a stranger without seeing him even once? Did the deal mean everything to him? Didn’t he love me at all? 

I picked myself up and staggered towards my room. Thankfully, I didn’t meet my dad or my brothers for the rest of the evening. No one bothered me with dinner. It didn’t matter to them if I skipped dinner. 

I remained locked up in my room, thinking of a way out of this mess. There seemed no way out. Convincing my dad was out of the question. He would lock me in the basement if I crossed my limits. I didn’t want to die there like my mom did. 

Then what could I do? 

I must avoid the engagement tomorrow. Could I spend the night at my close friend Emilia’s apartment? She was the only one at the university I was close to. But I hated her creepy boyfriend, who lived with her. 

No, that wasn’t an option, even. Once I returned home, my father would punish me in the worst way possible. He could tolerate anything but disobedience. 

If I escaped, I would have to leave home forever. But where would I hide? My father’s reach was everywhere. His minions would seek me out from any place in the world. So was death the only way out for me? 

Fresh tears pooled in my eyes. I searched for Rafael Ortiz on the internet, and images of the man flooded the screen. He wasn’t handsome in the conventional way, but he wasn’t ugly either. The scar across his cheek proved his ill-tempered, arrogant nature. There were tales about his first wife inflicting it when he had attempted to kill her for betraying him.

How could I marry such a monster? 

No, I had to flee. I wouldn’t give up my life for my so-called family. They didn’t deserve my love. 

Leaving home was my only way out. I would figure out a hiding place far from Los Angeles, maybe in a remote village at the end of the world. But I wouldn’t surrender to my dad’s evil plans ever. 

I packed all my important stuff: clothes, certificates, jewelry, laptop, bank cards etc, into two trolley cases. There would be no looking back. I would never return to this house again. So I had to pack my indispensable belongings fast and escape before they realized my intentions. 

I waited for them to go to sleep. Dad went to sleep early at 10 o’clock while Louis had already gone out after dinner. I saw him leave from the window of my room. The only hindrance was Laurence, who was still up. 

I waited in vain, but Laurence was still awake and watching a football match in the living room. How would I sneak out? 

After an hour, I lost my patience. Laurence hadn’t budged from his position, and I had to go out of my room to check. Maybe I could make a trip to the kitchen to check. 

I opened the door of my room as silently as I could and walked out to the kitchen. Taking out a bottle of water and a small container of leftover mince pie, I turned to go back to my room. My glance fell on Laurence, lying sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep, with an empty bottle of whiskey on the table in front of him. 

So he wasn’t waking up soon. 

Relief washed over me as I tiptoed back to my room. This was the opportunity I was waiting for. Stashing the food and water in the backpack, I carried everything out of my room. Closing the door behind me, I carried the heavy suitcases to the back door. It was unguarded, and I could sneak into the garage easily. 

My heart thumped with fear. If I got caught, my dad wouldn’t spare me at all. I unlocked my car and loaded my luggage. Now I would have to think of an excuse to bluff the security. 

I drove out of the garage towards the main gates. It was almost midnight, and time for a change of duty. The night guards hadn’t arrived yet, and the outgoing guards were busy wrapping up. Jonathan was the only one stationed at the door, and he came over to check. 

His eyes popped at the sight of me so late in the night. “Miss, where are you going?” 

“To my best friend Emilia’s house for a night's stay. I’ll return tomorrow morning. Dad knows about it. You can call him and find out.” I flashed him a sweet smile. 

He hesitated, knowing how cross Dad would be if someone disturbed his sleep. “Okay, you may go.” He opened the gates, and I drove out of my home forever.

I couldn’t believe my luck. I had escaped!