She wished to escape from her father and the prison she called home, but she ended up in the hands of his enemy, the ruthless Mafia Don of K County. She proposes marriage to him in order to save herself.
Eloísa sat on the marble-tiled floor of the castle-like prison she had come to accept as her room. She stared at the ray of sunlight seeping in through the small cavity in the roof so high up. A warm smile appeared on her pale face. This was the only way she could get to see the world outside the confinement of these thick bricks and pillars surrounding her. It was the only shade of the world she had been allowed to see since she got to know herself.
She dragged in a deep breath and the sweet smell of fresh roses filled her nostrils and senses. Looks like the flowers had fully bloomed already. She heaved a long sigh. If only she could get the privilege of stepping outside, even if it was just for the briefest minute.
The door suddenly creaked, dragging her from her thoughts. Turning around, she saw her father, Pedro Vandez walk in. She immediately rose from the floor and walked to meet him.
"Father!"
Pedro Valdez smiled warmly at his daughter, his eyes holding lots of warmth for her. "My dearest child." He said sweetly.
"You're here," Eloisa said curtly. She was quite surprised to have him come visit. Last she checked, he only visited once every four months. But, it had only been a month since his last visit.
"Yes, it's important." Pedro Valdez answered, "You're getting married."
Eloisa froze in place. Marriage? How could she be getting married? The last time she checked, she had always been inside this room all her life. She's never had the opportunity of meeting real people or making any friends, so how was she to get married when she barely even knew anyone? It takes two to tango, doesn't it? How could there be marriage plans when the two involved didn't know each other and had never met, even once? But, on the brighter side, getting married would mean her freedom from this private penitentiary she had been in almost forever.
"If I marry, does that mean I can leave this room then?" She asked.
Pedro Valdez smiled warmly at his daughter. "No, you will continue living in this room, just as you always have been after your groom leaves on your wedding night."
Eloisa's brows creased, and a frown of confusion settled on her forehead. "If I'm still going to remain locked up, then why do I have to get married now?"
"We are planning to merge with the DeLa Cruz's in order to carry out a great cause and we want our both children to seal the oaths the two families have made to each other. The both of you do not necessarily have to live together after marrying, as he isn't interested in that. All that is important is that you bear his name, and his sons if he so wishes. He will come here to you whenever he needs you." Pedro Valdez replied.
Eloisa stared in disbelief at the man she had come to know as her father while trying her hardest to comprehend if indeed he was the one speaking.
"You're saying that I am forced to get married and remain here, just for some business venture, and to bear sons?" She asked and watched her father nod with a smile.
"No," she said, shaking her head in disapproval. "I don't want to, that- is not the kind of marriage I want to have."
Pedro Vandez's countenance dropped at once. "It has already been decided. Just do as you are told."
"But, if I get married just as you want me to, Father, that means I'll have to live my entire life inside of this room."
Pedro Vandez's countenance suddenly softened as he watched his daughter breaking down. Taking deep breaths, he started in her direction, stopping a few inches apart.
"Eloisa dear, you're my only child. After your mother passed from the cruelty of this wicked world, I can't afford to lose you as well. You're my precious daughter, the only thing I have left in this world, and you're going to stay in this room as long as it guarantees your safety."
"What is out there that I need to be protected from, Father? The world is a beautiful place, and if at all there are dangerous people as you say, then I'm sure I can take care of myself."
"No, you can't Eloisa. You've never left the four walls of this tower once, so you don't understand what I'm talking about."
"But father-"
"No buts Eloisa. You will do as I have said and you won't ask any more questions." Pedro Valdez concluded, raising his voice slightly. He snapped his fingers, the sound of it resonating in the room and a bunch of young maids bustled inside. While some carried boxes, others rolled in hangers full of every design of dresses.
"You will meet with your husband soon," He informed Eloisa, his smile fully returning. "Please, look good for your father, Eloisa."
Eloísa watched her father walk away, the huge double wooden doors closing behind him. She exhaled sharply.
"Young Ms." She heard someone call from behind her. Turning around, one of the maids was standing behind her. The girl seemed to be the same age as her, or slightly older. "Please come sit, let's get you ready."
Eloísa nodded and walked past her. The maid girl bowed and followed behind her.
AN HOUR LATER
Eloísa stood in front of the mirror staring with a stunned expression at her reflection. She was wearing a yellow corset-style sun dress with tiny diamond crests around the waistline, and her auburn hair was packed in a loose bun, making her look like a flower princess from a fairytale.
"You look stunning young Ms." A maid whispered from her side, and despite her heart filling with sadness, Eloise smiled at her from the mirror, her brown hazel eyes shimmering brightly as she did.
When they were certain she looked perfect, a maid led her out to the front door where a huge bodyguard stood agile. With broad shoulders and thick rigid muscles, he looked like he was related to the legendary 'D Rock' or even still, from the lineage of Undertaker.
Seeing Eloísa, the bodyguard bowed slightly in greeting, then proceeded to open the heavy doors with just one push.
And as the doors spread wide apart, Eloise gasped in surprise and couldn't help staring in admiration at the scenery in front of her.
"Wow!" She exclaimed as she looked around the beautiful flowery yard. It was her first time being outside in seventeen years. After her mother's sad demise when she was four, her father, Don Pedro Vandez locked her up in that completely deserted house. According to him, he was trying to protect her from an evil she knew nothing about, but which existed.
The smell of roses was stronger in this part. She had been right, the flowers had fully bloomed. She spread her arms as the wind blew past her, sweeping her dress along with it. Her hair danced around her back. Looking around, she smiled more genuinely than she had in years. The world she could see right now was beautiful, how could anyone call this evil?
"This way, Ms." She heard the bodyguard calling to her. Bubbling with a different kind of enthusiasm that hadn't been there earlier, she followed behind him.
The guard led her into the main house, a three-story grand palatial-style mansion. As she walked inside, memories she could barely recognize flashed through her mind. She frowned as she wondered what those were.
"Eloísa!" Pedro Vandez's voice made her turn abruptly. Eloísa looked in the direction where her father's voice had come from, there, on the stairway, he was standing with a slightly younger man who looked to be in his early thirties. From afar off, she could notice the man's striking features, he was handsome, no doubt.
"Come dear." Pedro Vandez's voice called her out from her stunned state. She swallowed down the nervousness at the pit of her stomach, straightened her shoulders, then with calm precise steps, she ascended the stairs to meet her father. As she got closer, he offered her his hand. Eloísa stared at the man she called father with absolute uncertainty, but she still took his hand after a few minutes.
"Eloísa dear, meet Dion Carozza, your soon-to-be husband. And Dion, meet Eloísa, my beloved daughter." Pedro Valdez introduced them as they sat in the large dining room in the main house.
"Hi!" Eloísa waved at him, but Dion simply ignored her. Eloísa caught her lower lip with her teeth and lowered her hand in embarrassment.
She looked around nervously. The silence at the table was skin-crawling. She momentarily berated her father for choosing such a man out of every other man in the world he could marry her off to. She didn't want to get married, at least, not yet, but, if he was desperate to get her married against her will, then he could at least just pick someone better. She grabbed the glass of wine in front of the man and downed it after glancing briefly at the liquid, and she involuntarily groaned as the savory taste of blueberry touched her tongue. "This is nice," she murmured to herself, then glanced up at Dion, trying to strike a conversation. "What's your favorite wine flavor?"
"Why do you ask?" He replied, eyes fixated on the screen of his phone.
Eloíse sighed. "Because I'm trying to get to know you. Our parents are setting us up for their own selfish interests, and if we are going to be married, the least we can do is get to know each other."
The young man casually sipped from his glass and put it back down on the table nonchalantly.
"There's no need for that," he started. "We'd only be married in, nothing can happen between us, I
like someone else."
Excerpt: "I don't wish to be indebted to you in the near future, hence I'd like to repay you for saving me." The man's intense gaze fixed on Rina, his brows now drawn together in contemplation. "You don't owe me anything," he repeated, "but if you're truly set on repaying my kindness then, marry me." After being betrayed by her husband of seven years, and her best friend, Rina Powers is left with nothing. However, she decided to make a stunning comeback in the entertainment industry. She'd avenge all those responsible for her past misfortunes, and the family she sacrificed her past glory for. Then, she'd take back all that naturally belonged to her on her way back to the top. Many thought, "An ostracized former A-list actress? What can she possibly do?" but no one knew she was now the wife to the god of the Entertainment industry, and she had his backing. "Do whatever you want, wife, I solely support you."
When Veil Hart finds herself in an entangling twist with the play boy CEO 'Ander Rodriguez' she can only choose between saving her father's life, or letting him go.
Humiliated for almost all her life and then thrown out of the pack she had grown to call home, she didn't expect that fate could ever smile at her. Once a taunted girl, now an Alpha's stepdaughter. What more does fate have in stall for her? "Hey mate! Wanna play?"
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
Maria took her sister’s place and was engaged to Anthony, a disabled man who had lost his status as the family heir. At first, they were just a nominal couple. However, things changed when things about Maria were gradually exposed. It turned out she was a professional hacker, a mysterious composer, and the sole successor to an international jade sculpting master… The more that was revealed about her, the less Anthony could rest easy. A famous singer, an award-winning actor, an heir of a rich family—so many excellent men were chasing after his fiancee, Maria. What should Anthony do?
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.