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On the day that was meant to be the happiest day of her life. It became an unrealistic dream when she found out her best friend was the bride her fiancee was getting married to. To control the embarrassment and to avoid being disgraced, Ivy picked a man from the congregation and got married to him. Unknown to her, she picked the country's wealthiest bachelor. Dillon was shocked when the broken Ivy singled her out of the congregation. Not knowing how to reject the broken woman, he agreed to get married to her. Ivy was shocked when she found out the man she got married to was the country's billionaire and decided to run away but will it be successful? Dillon's mother already picked a bride for him, what will she do when she gets to know her son is entangled with a poor woman?
Ivy Hughes
"Praise my soul, the king of heaven," The cathedral choir sang as I prepared to walk down the aisle. I furrowed my brows uncomfortably because that wasn't the hymn I chose for the bride's procession. I paid little attention to it and assumed there must have been a mix up.
I will be getting married to my best friend today. I stepped out of a red range rover with my wedding dress stung on my body like I was born with it. The dress was designed by a popular designer and it costs a fortune. Many thanks to my soon-to-be husband, Ryan, I was able to look elegant on my wedding day.
The man I will be tying the knot to is one of the A-list actors in New York. I am also an actress but hardly recognized by anyone. I will be deceiving myself if I classify myself as a D-list actor. My grade is lower than that.
"Where is Evelyn?" I asked my sister, Kayla.
Evelyn is my best friend and my bridesmaid. She left the hotel we lodged last night because of an emergency and hasn't arrived since then.
"Dunno! I tried her number, but there was no pick," Kayla answered, checking her simple makeover in the car's mirror.
"We can't wait anymore. Let's go on without her. I am sure she had her reasons,"
Kayla nodded and smiled at me. We have learned to cherish each other since we lost our parents a few years back.
She clasped her hand with mine and we footed toward the church's entrance, putting on the cutest smiles ever.
Our faces were struck with shock as soon as we took a step into the church. The congregation in the church was more than my expectations. However, that was not the case.
Another wedding was going on in the church and Ryan, my soon-to-be husband was the groom and there was a bride beside him. Which definitely wasn't me because I haven't even walked down the aisle.
"I hereby present Ryan Austin and Evelyn Desmond as the newest couple in the world,"
The priest announced and I felt my world crashing. I was oblivious to the shouts and joyful screams that were going on. The last statement the priest made echoed in my ears.
Did Ryan get married to Evelyn?
Was that the reason she left the hotel last night claiming there was an emergency....?
"Arrgh!" I shrieked.
The shrill garnered everybody's attention and they all turned their heads, fixing their eyes on me.
Their stares were piercing into my skin. I felt like there were needles all over my body. I prayed earnestly to God to let the ground eat me up. My legs were transfixed. Thinking of the next thing to do was a problem because my head was aching badly.
The betrayals' lips were curled up victoriously. There was neither guilt nor remorse on their faces. It only meant one thing. It has been planned out, but I trusted them so much as not to suspect them.
I pushed the brimming tears back and looked at the congregation faces one after the other until my eyes landed on a man. His amber eyes were shining like a star and his cold expression did nothing to my body but gave me an idea.
I walked into the church, surprising everyone. Kayla tried to stop me by holding my hand, but I jerked her hands away. She thought I was losing my mind or maybe I was.
I stopped in front of the man with amber eyes, and in front of everyone, I asked him to marry me.
"Will you please, take me as your bride?" I asked, garnering another whisper from the congregation.
My mind was trying to chide me to stop, but my head wasn't comprehending that. All I wanted to do was to save myself from the disgrace and shame they had both planted. The man stood up from his seat and looked into my eyes. I felt shivers in my spine as he pierced his beautiful eyes into mine.
I was praying to God and hoping he wouldn't say NO.
"Okay... Let's have a wedding," He agreed and I forced a smile from my lips.
He took my hands and walked me down the aisle.
Ryan and Evelyn gave me their last glances and walked out of the church, majestically.
"Ivy, you are not in your right senses. You don't even know the man you are getting married to,"
Kayla spoke while shaking my shoulders, but I have made up my mind.
"Start the vow, priest," I instructed, looking at nowhere in particular.
"The groom should say after me,"
The priest began and we were asked to exchange vows. There was no ring and it was time to exchange the rings. I removed my veil and tore a little part of it. The man collected the torn part from me and split it into halves. He tied one to my finger and I tied the other to his. All these actions took place with a bright smile on his face. He looked like a man who has been in love with the woman in front of him.
"People of God, I present to you, the newest couple in town," The priest announced.
The church was as silent as a graveyard, a clap could not be heard and that was none of my business. The only thing I wanted to do after the wedding was to go home.
I gave the man a last smile and footed out of the church hurriedly, Kayla opened the car's door, I hopped into the car and she followed suit. The driver drove off.
The tears I have been forcing back moved freely out of my eyes. Ryan and I started from scratch. We'd been dating since our college days before he chose acting as his career and everybody knew us as a couple. Even if I was expecting to be betrayed, it wasn't from him. I wasn't expecting to be betrayed by them.
The car stopped in front of the mini flat I stayed with Kayla, but I was still sobbing. She circled her arm around my shoulders and patted me softly. These gestures were supposed to make me stop crying but they increased my tears instead.
We entered the small living room and Kayla helped me settle on one of the single couches.
She turned the lights on and helped me remove my shoes and veil. She flung them and took a seat in front of me. Of course, I knew it was time to listen to her endless nagging sadly, I wasn't in the mood for that.
"Ivy, why did you do.....,"
She started but I cut her off.
"Spare me that, Kayla. I am not in the mood for that,"
I stood up and strolled into my bedroom weakly. I just want to shut the noises in my head.
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." She stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You are not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked in a quivering voice. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She looked at me in the mirror. "You can't even look at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of looking at that face?" Heather Bailey had a surprise from her husband that night: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. But she was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman because that person was closest to her. Shortly after she put her signature on their divorce papers, shock waves caught her up. Her flower shop was severely burnt, beyond repair. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers who came from influential families, she started her action against Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted. But that was just the beginning.
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.