Chapter 1 The wedding that never happened

I should have known when the violin stopped.

one moment,I was standing at the altar, bouquet trembling in my hands,veil gently swaying from the breeze drifting through the cathedral grand doors. The next silence swallowed the room,sharp hollow , final.

I blinked.

my fiance, Charles,was supposed to be here. late maybe. Nervous,sure, but here.

instead my father wouldn't meet my eyes,my maid of honor looked pale. And the officiant cleared his throat awkwardly trying to avoid the question he was about to ask;

" Do you take this man......."

But there was no man, just me alone

In a designer gown I'd begged a sponsor to loan me.

Gasps ripped through the pews, Cameras clicked like vultures.phones raised. And just like that my dream day became a headline waiting to happen .

"HEIRESS ZARA WHITMIRE ABANDONED AT THE ALTAR"

THE FALL OF A SOCIALITE PRINCESS -LIVE

my throat tightened but I didn't cry, not in front of them, not yet.

instead I turned towards the crowd,walked down the aisle not as a bride but as a woman who has been stripped bare.

And then I saw him leaning against a black car, sunglasses on, dark suit sharper than the sting in my chest- leonel Wolfe.

Billionaire, ruthless, Cold and the last man who should have been at my wedding.

He didn't smile. Didn't blink, just looked at me with

And for a moment the world fell away because in that look I saw something unexpected.

Not pity

Not mockery

But a deal

That's what I saw in leonel Wolfe eyes, He didn't flinched when I looked at him. Didn't glanced away like everyone else who couldn't stomach the

wreck that I'd become. There was no false sympathy in his gaze just- just sharp calculation, cool interest and something darker I couldn't name.

The way he stood there, black suit immaculate, posture like he owned the street, city and the sky above - It made something in me tightened .I hated that it made me feel seen, and It made me feel chosen.

I should've walked right past him. I should've gotten into the limo, disappeared from the world, and cried into a pillow like a proper abandoned bride.

instead I found my self walking towards him.

not because I wanted comfort but because I wanted control.

The closer I got the heavier the silence became, His driver opened the door without a word, but leonel didn't move, His expression also remained unchanged.

" are you here to enjoy the show?"I asked keeping my voice steady even though my heels wobbled slightly on the church steps.

Leonel's lips twitched, not kind of a smile. "I don't enjoy chaos miss whitmore. I capitalize on it.'

I stiffened "so you are here to mock me".

No" he said removing his sunglasses and sliding them into his jacket pocket. His eyes dark grey, and unreadable,met mine." I'm here to offer you something."

I laughed, short and bristle"unless it's a time machine, I am not interested".

" it's better he said simply.

God, the arrogance it rolled off him like expensive cologne. But I didn't walk away

instead I asked"what are you offering, Mr Wolfe."

He looked at me for a moment longer-like he was trying to decide if I was worth the effort. Then, quietly, he said:

"Marriage."

I blinked.

The church behind me might as well have collapsed from the absurdity of it. "Excuse me?"

He stepped forward, voice still maddeningly calm. "A contract marriage. Legal. Strategic. Short-term."

I stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You want to marry me... now?"

"No." His gaze dipped to the chaos behind me-reporters swarming, my family in meltdown. "I want to marry you before your story becomes theirs to control."

"Why me?" I whispered, genuinely stunned.

He tilted his head. "Because you're the perfect face for reinvention-and I need a solution that keeps my investors from thinking I've lost control. This isn't a fairy tale, Zara. It's business."

"And what exactly do I get in return?"

Leonel's answer came without hesitation: "Protection. Power. And a new story-one where you weren't dumped, but made a better choice."

The way he said it... like this whole mess could be reframed with a single headline.

"Zara Whitmore Chooses Power Over Scandal - Marries Billionaire Leonel Wolfe in Shocking Turn."

God help me, it almost sounded better than the truth.

I hesitated. My throat tightened. "I don't trust you."

His voice dropped an octave. "You don't need to. You just need to understand this: no one out there will offer you mercy. I'm offering leverage."

The wind picked up. My veil fluttered behind me like a flag surrendering to gravity.

And maybe that's what this was-surrender.

But as I looked into the eyes of a man who didn't flinch from my ruin, who didn't reach to save me but offered me a sword instead...

I realized something.

Maybe I didn't want saving.

Maybe I wanted to rise-and burn everything that had tried to bury me.

So I took a breath. Lifted my chin.

And got in the car.