SADIE He calls back. Terror had filled me. My brother shot me a murderous glare as he talked to him over the phone. I just wished this call would be calling off the wedding then we could both live our merry lives. But as I stared back at my brother, his expression even cowered down. So, the wedding was still on the go. Kill me now. It was my third attempt to escape, but my father’s lackeys had done a pretty bang-up job keeping me in this horrible mansion since our engagement was official with a freaking twenty-five million dollars. My fiance was a private person despite being a self-made billionaire. He was known to be a whale on Wall Street. I was curious to look for him online, but I might not going to like what I would find out. If Jasper was right, his brother, Cas did all the public appearances since he was the expert in cryptography—he was the face of the decentralized digital currency called Centhaddeus or known as CENTH by the Crypto marketers. My heart had been beating a

SADIE My heart had been beating so fast, like I’d been running for miles. I wasn’t sure if I was going to pass out or from the discomfort of knowing that my future husband was waiting for me at the altar. I behaved like a royal princess for the last forty-eight hours as I kept telling myself that I wouldn’t want another mistreatment from my father before they handed me to my new owner wrapped in a big bowtie. My father walked me down the aisle around these two hundred fifty guests that I didn’t even know them. The venue went dead silent except for the live band playing the classic At Last by Etta James. The music alone didn’t feel right. At Last, I was free? Or, At Last, I was doomed? Either way, there was no going back. I would give credit to the event planner, though. They did a pretty good job. I felt like I had just walked into a fantasy land filled with flowers I didn’t even recognize. I wore a gown of my choosing, which was a strapless princess bridal gown with a v-shape back

SADIE As much as I’d like to plan an escape, he, I mean my husband, had not given me any reasons to do it. In fact, to start my freedom from my family, he gave me a phone. If he wanted to lock me up in his dungeon, he didn’t have to give me anything, did he? And small gestures should say something beyond this stupid arrangement. “Why are you looking at me like that?” His dark brow arched. “To Mr. and Mrs. Wollf.” I raised my champagne. To my surprise, he did the same and sipped it before he went back to reading whatever was so important in that folder. “We’re on a business trip, aren’t we?” He didn’t even raise his gaze from that thing. “Both. Besides, I can’t force you to sleep with me, and I’m not the kind of man who raped women for pleasure.” My jaw-dropped. I wasn’t sure what to say or how to react. I sipped my bubble drink. “How can you be so sure that you have to force me? I don’t even know if you wanted to sleep with me.” Now I got his attention. He put down the stack of

SADIE I was beyond grateful to him for the way he treated me. I was thinking of not seeing the light again, literally. That was how my brother wanted me to keep in my head, that marrying someone like Cenric was a horror movie come to life. I was hoping that this was not just his way to earn my trust, to keep me on his leash so that I would not be a pain in his ass. Or he was just kind without any hidden agenda at all, and he was getting bored with his life as a billionaire bachelor. But he made it clear that he didn’t want to get married. It didn’t make any sense right now, but I would find it out. Honestly, though, I had nothing left to offer to him. I had nothing. After our dinner, I took the glass of the finest wine with me to the terrace, facing the beach. As much as I wanted to soak my feet in the sand again, I was exhausted, but I still wanted to relish the luxury and fresh air I could have gotten for tonight. “I brought the bottle. I thought you might need a refill.” “Tha

SADIE “So, you’re looking into my things now, too?” I studied him across the table as we shared this lunch. I couldn’t call it a lunch date, but we were kinda on a honeymoon, so maybe, it was. And the seafood was delicious. Thank God I didn’t have allergies. “I can’t call it looking into your things. The screen just lit up while I was looking for a piece of paper.” He was unapologetic— that was his strong suit, the only thing my brother was right about Cenric. “I can’t call it snooping either. I mean, if you don’t have something to hide, right?” His eyes glinted. There was something he knew that I didn’t. “You’re fishing for info, Mr. Wollf, with double L?” “Is there info that’s worth fishing?” I dabbed my lips with the napkin. “I’m sure I have nothing to hide that you haven’t already known. How’s your trip to Rios?” “Successful.” He took his drinks. “To many more success.” “To many more success.” I sipped my white wine. The butter-poached lobster was to die for, and so as the Q