All Chapters of Runaway Groom, Thanks for Setting Me Free: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Dad took in my real face with mixed emotions in his eyes. Sighing, he said, "You foolish child. Why did you even bother to pretend to be ugly if you were going to end up doing this anyway?"I studied my reflection in the mirror. With these dark eyes and fair skin, I bore a striking resemblance to my mother in her youth.Mom's marriage into Dad's family, the Scotts, had been an arranged one as well. And after spending over a decade in a loveless marriage with a husband who never shared her bed, she became heavily depressed, dying from the emotional neglect.On her deathbed, she clasped my hand and said, "Ellie, don't ever put your life in someone else's hands."That was why, upon learning I was to be engaged to Austin Hammond, the heir to the Hammond family—and a man with exacting standards when it came to a person's looks—I used that to my advantage and destroyed all photographs of me.I didn't want to go through with the marriage alliance. I didn't want to end up living the life

Over the next two days, Isabel kept sending me relatively cozy and intimate photos of her with Joshua. The background ranged from hospital rooms to high-end restaurants and even the front passenger seat of Joshua's sports car.In every single one of the photos, Joshua stared adoringly at Isabel.I didn't bother responding to her at all.…The night before the wedding, I received a message from Joshua's best friend, Derek Thompson."Ellie, Joshua is just being stubborn. You're still the one he loves the most. Come over to Celestine Hotel tomorrow. He'll propose to you then and plan another wedding ceremony for you!"I snorted at the screen before typing out a reply. "Sure. I'll be there."Why wouldn't I be there? Austin and I were about to have our wedding ceremony at Celestine Hotel, too.Meanwhile, Isabel seemed discontented with all of her previous attempts to get a rise out of me. She quickly sent me another video.In the video, Joshua's friends were cackling and jeering te

My heart jolted, but my expression remained calm and unruffled. I met Austin's probing gaze, my fingers lightly tracing over the unfamiliar face in the photo as my red lips curved into a faint smile."And? Didn't you marry me solely to fulfill the promise Mr. Hammond Senior made, Mr. Hammond? Since I'm now your wife, I won't bring shame to the family."My rational and frank response seemed to have caught him by surprise. A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes before he chuckled. "Now that's interesting."He didn't seem the least bit angry. On the contrary, he slid a black credit card and a document toward me."There's no limit to the credit card, and this letter of authorization gives you access to all of my assets, along with some of my equity in the company."When I didn't reach for them, he bent down, his breath washing over my ear as he said in a suggestive yet dangerous tone, "Take them. Those will be your weapons, Mrs. Hammond. Our marriage is a business transaction."Sinc

The way Austin stared at me made my heart jolt, but I didn't let that show. Meeting his unreadable gaze, I smirked and said with a hint of barely detectable provocation, "I thought you liked watching a show, Mr. Hammond. It's only right for me to play along with you. Otherwise, your entrance would seem a little too abrupt."He let out a low chuckle and pressed no further, but his arm tightened around my waist. It didn't feel like a warning but a kind of silent declaration instead.…The incident at the charity gala was akin to a boulder crashing into a still lake. By the next day, the ripples had turned into a tidal wave that swept through all of Jarlesbury.Farrell Corporation was jointly blacklisted by the entire industry overnight.All of its business partners unilaterally terminated their contracts with the company. Banks started demanding repayment, and the company's stocks fell as far as they could go. The company was left without any money.Joshua's father finally found

The possessive desire in Austin's eyes surrounded me like a cage, trapping me in.That night, I didn't refuse him.The next day, Austin chartered a luxury yacht and threw an extravagant private party for me.As the sea breeze brushed against my red dress, I stood among the guests with a glass of champagne, like a queen surrounded by her subjects.Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a figure that should never have been allowed onto the yacht.A heavily dolled-up Isabel was clinging to a pot-bellied, middle-aged businessman. Her gaze swept through the crowd with greed and jealousy as she searched for her next target.But when she saw me, her carefully made-up face twisted. She probably never expected me to be the host of the party.Not wanting to waste my time on a clown like her, I turned to head off in search of Austin.Austin had gone off to the side to take a phone call when all of a sudden, he heard a scream from behind."Eliza, you bitch! I'm going to ruin your face!"