Chapter 1

Sarah's POV

“In three days' time, you'll be getting married to Adrian Moretti.”

My father's words kept ringing in my head.

The first punishment life gave me was making me born into the Sinclair's family by my father's mistress. She kept my pregnancy even after constant warnings from my father to abort the child. Then she dropped me at the doorstep one week after I was born and vanished into thin air.

Since my birth, I have always been treated like an outcast, receiving bare minimum treatment from my father, his wife and their golden daughter, Ivy. I have tolerated every single thing and swallowed every disrespect, but I'm never going to marry an unknown man against my wish just because the company is on the verge of going bankrupt.

I stormed out, going straight into my father's study.

I knew it wasn’t going to be a normal conversation the moment I stepped into his study.

Marko Sinclair.

CEO of Sinclair Sport group.

He sat behind his desk, flipping through a stack of files.

My father.

And my biggest problem.

I locked the door behind me.

“Dad, cancel that wedding. I'm not getting married to that man,” I said calmly.

He closed the file in his hand and set it aside, finally giving me his full attention. “Mr. Moretti called today.”

I scoffed. “And…?”

He leaned back slightly, his fingers tracing the edge of the desk. “He has already wired me half of the said payment and will pay the rest of the money when the marriage is official.”

“I will not marry someone I don’t love!” I shot to my feet, my voice rising before I would know it.

This couldn’t be happening. I had plans for my life, real ones, and none of them involved being handed over to a brute like Adrian.

“Sarah!” My father slammed his fist against the desk.

I flinched at the sharp sound, but forced myself to stay upright. The door opened slowly, and mom walked in.

I walked to her immediately, holding her hands. “Mom, please,” I said, my voice unsteady. “Talk to him. I can’t marry Adrian. He doesn’t love me, and …”

Pain spread across my cheek as I lost my balance and fell to the floor. A ringing buzz filled my ears and I pressed a trembling hand against my face as tears blurred my vision.

My mother stood over me, her expression cold and unyielding.

“You dare complain?” she snapped. “If we don't act fast, we will lose everything. The house, our status, the cars… everything we worked for will be gone.”

Dad sighed deeply. “The company is going down. Investors are drawing back. We are losing clients. Workers are resigning. This is the only way out!”

“Ohh… please don't give me that excuse,” I retorted, standing up to my feet. “Am I the only girl child in this family? What about Ivy? Or you can't watch her being thrown to someone like Adrian?”

I paused. “Everything has always been about Ivy!!!” I shouted, my voice cracking with raw emotion. “Ivy’s college, Ivy's goals, Ivy's youth, Ivy's future!!! What about me? I have my own life too! I have dreams. I want to build something for myself. I'm young too, the same age as her!!! Why do I have to cut my life short and sacrifice everything just so I could fit into my own family?”

Mom rolled her eyes. “Sarah, lower your voice, you’re being disrespectful.”

“Disrespectful?” I stepped forward, breathing hard. “I've spent years staying quiet, helping behind the scenes, accepting whatever scraps of attention you throw my way. But you see this particular one, I'm not doing it. And if you think you can stop me, then you need to think again.”

“Enough!!!” Dad slammed his palm on the table again. “Shut up, Sarah.”

But I couldn't stop. The anger felt too good, too freeing after years of silence.

“Why should I shut up? For once I'm saying what I feel!!! Everything in this house has always been about Ivy. Her happiness, her comfort, her future. I'm your daughter too, your blood! I have goals. I have a life I want to live. I don't want to be married to an unknown man, especially not in exchange for money. It's not fair!!!!”

Dad stood up slowly. “Fair?” You want to talk about fairness after the scandal you brought upon this family three years ago? We protected you. We kept the news quiet. And now, when we need you to do one thing for this family, you start throwing tantrums.”

Mom joined in. “You are strong. You can endure this marriage. Stop being so dramatic and think about all of us for once. If the company collapses, we will all suffer, including you.”

I stared at her for a while, then dad, before shifting my gaze back to her. “So I should throw away my life to protect all of you?”

Dad's patience snapped completely. “Shut up, Sarah! The decision is made. You will marry Adrian in three days. The arrangements have already started. If you refuse…” he paused, taking a deep look at me. “You can't even refuse, you don't have a choice.”

I took a step forward, looking at him straight into his eyes. “Then watch me break this rule. Because no matter what you do, even if heaven falls, I'm not getting married to Adrian and that's final.”

I walked out before he could respond and walked straight to my room shutting the door loudly behind me.

My room felt suffocating the moment I stepped in.

I ran a hand through my hair, pacing once, twice, trying to shake off the anger burning under my skin.

It didn’t work.

“I need a distraction,” I muttered to myself.

Clubbing.

Yeah… that would do.

I grabbed my phone from the table and sent a message to the one person I could think of.

Kael.

My best friend, and only friend.

ME: Clubbing tonight. Come pick me up by 10 p.m. in my compound. Let's ball till morning.

He replied almost immediately.

BUDDY: At your service, her majesty.