The Bride He Never Chose

Beginning: Vows Under Fire

My breath fogs against the cold glass.

The city sprawls beneath me, a vast sea of shimmering lights, each one a story I’ll never know. The skyscrapers rise like jagged teeth, cutting through the darkness with merciless precision. From up here, the world seems distant, controlled—almost peaceful.

But inside me, a storm rages.

I clutch the crystal tumbler, my fingers trembling so hard the amber liquid ripples with every breath. The sharp burn of whiskey is numb to me now. My gown’s silk skirt sways with my pacing—soft against marble, but I feel nothing gentle in this penthouse tonight.

“Why is it taking so long?” My voice shatters the silence, brittle and raw.

The guard stationed by the door remains unmoved, like a statue carved from obsidian. His eyes—dark, unreadable—never leave the hallway.

“They’re on their way, Miss Saavedra,” he replies flatly, voice clipped with professional calm.

I scoff bitterly. “That’s what you said twenty minutes ago. Is he resisting?”

A flicker of tension tightens the guard’s jaw. “No. But it wasn’t easy.”

My laughter is hollow, bitter as ash. “Of course it wasn’t. It’s Travis Forger.”

The name falls from my lips like gunpowder—dangerous, explosive, impossible to ignore.

CEO. Billionaire. The man who owns everything except his own heart.

And tonight, I’m supposed to marry him.

Willing or not.

I let the glass slip from my fingers, shattering against the Persian rug with a sound too loud in the stillness. My breath catches.

The contract lies on the glass table, smooth cream parchment sealed with gold—the ink still fresh. This marriage pact, inked in desperation and sacrifice, is my last lifeline.

I close my eyes, swallowing back the turmoil threatening to break free.

Static crackles sharply from the radio clipped to the guard’s chest.

“Target secured. Bringing him in.”

My heart stops.

He’s here.

The penthouse doors slide open without a sound. Six guards step inside, flanking a single figure.

My pulse thrums as I see him—blinded and bound—but still impossibly commanding.

His black suit is rumpled, the lapel creased, cuff torn, but even in chains, he radiates power. A lion caught, but still fierce.

They force him to his knees before me.

My heels click sharply against marble as I approach, every step a gamble—like walking into fire, knowing I might burn but unable to turn away.

“Remove the blindfold,” I whisper.

A guard pulls away the silk, revealing eyes that snap open, blazing under the chandelier’s light.

His gaze locks on me instantly—sharp, furious, calculating.

“Kourtney.” His voice is a low growl, my name tasting like a curse on his tongue. “Where am I?”

“In my home.”

“What the hell is this?”

His voice is a blade dragged over gravel.

I kneel beside him, fingers trembling as they brush a dark bruise blooming on his cheek. “It’s a conversation,” I whisper. “One you refused to have. So I made sure you couldn’t leave this time.”

“You kidnapped me.”

“I gave you a choice.” My voice breaks. “You chose silence.”

His anger is a living thing, wrapping around me like ice.

“And now I choose rage.”

His words cut deeper than any chain.

“I needed you to listen.” My voice is raw. “Letters. Emails. Calls. You ghosted me like I was nothing. But you forgot—I’m not some forgotten ex.”

He meets my eyes, fierce and wild. “I didn’t forget. I chose peace.”

“And I chose war.”

I stand, hands shaking as I pick up the contract.

His dark eyes narrow, staring at the parchment like it’s a threat.

“What is it?”

“A marriage contract.”

He laughs—dark, humorless, a sound that chills my blood. “You’re insane.”

“I’m desperate.”

His gaze pins me down, cold and unyielding. “Marrying me for revenge?”

“No.” My voice barely a whisper. “For survival.”

My throat tightens, tears threatening to fall. “My parents left me their company, their legacy. But there are clauses—ones that say I must marry before I can inherit. Or it goes to the board. To vultures waiting to tear it apart.”

“So you chose me.” His voice drips with disgust. “The one man who never needed your money.”

“I chose the only man powerful enough to silence them.”

His lips curl into that maddening grin I once hated and secretly longed for.

“You’re my only chance.”

“And what do I get?”

“Your freedom. Your silence. You’re free when it’s done.”

His eyes sharpen, calculating. “And if I refuse?”

I step closer, voice low enough for only him. “Then you stay. In this gilded cage. Until you say ‘I do.’”

He doesn’t flinch.

Instead, a dangerous smirk spreads across his lips.

“You really think you can keep me here?”

“No.” I exhale, heart pounding. “But I know you won’t leave. Not now.”

He cocks his head, intrigued. “Why?”

“Because I know you.”

His dark gaze locks on mine, heavy with something I can’t name.

“You’re too curious to walk away.”

He nods once, slow and deliberate.

“Fine.”

I blink, disbelief choking me.

“But on one condition.”

He rises—unfettered, untamed. The guards stiffen, but he raises a hand, silent command.

He steps closer—too close—so close I can feel the heat of his breath, smell the whiskey and danger mingling on his skin.

“You want a husband on paper?” His voice drops to a growl. “Listen carefully, Kourtney.”

I nod, throat tight, heart pounding like a war drum.

“After the wedding,” he murmurs, brushing a rogue strand of hair behind my ear with fingers that burn like fire, “you belong to me.”

My breath catches in my throat.

“What does that mean?”

He smiles slow, predatory, the kind of smile that promises both torment and ecstasy.

“You’ll find out.”

Then his lips crash against mine—hard, fierce, claiming.

It’s not gentle. Not tender.

It’s war.

His mouth devours mine with the fury of a man betrayed—and the hunger of a man who never stopped wanting me.