Chapter 1: Chapter One the runaway bride
Kathe stared at herself in the mirror, glammed up as a beautiful bride, but no smile could be found on her face. This was not the type of marriage she wanted—not one arranged as part of a business deal by her father. God knew how many times she had tried to put on a fake smile, but none of it worked.
"For how long will you keep that expression?"
She turned toward the door and found her mother leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed as she stared at her.
"I don’t know, Mom."
With a sigh, her mother walked closer and gently lifted Kathe’s chin.
"You know there’s still time for you to make a different decision."
"Mom, not this again."
Kathe stood up, avoiding her mother’s eyes in an attempt to hide her sadness, but her mother gently turned her face back.
"I can’t stand by and watch my only daughter’s future get ruined."
"Mom, what about you and Dad’s business?"
Her mother whispered softly,
"I’ve told you not to worry about that. I can take care of myself. Your dad won’t go bankrupt. Be selfish for once, Kathe."
After much persuasion from her mother, Kathe finally agreed.
"Don’t worry about anything. I’ll arrange for you to leave."
Kathe simply nodded.
Thirty minutes later...
"Sir, we can’t find your daughter!"
One of the guards rushed into Douglas’ dressing room while he was entertaining his business associates.
"What do you mean you can’t find her? She must be somewhere around her room. Search properly."
"Sir... she isn’t there."
Douglas immediately rushed to Kathe’s room and searched everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found.
"Honey, why are the guards everywhere?"
Kathe’s mother hurried in, pretending to look confused.
"We can’t find your daughter! I hope she didn’t run away!"
Douglas shouted at Sarah.
The once peaceful event instantly turned into chaos as everyone began searching for the missing bride.
Meanwhile, Kathe was running toward an unknown destination with nowhere in particular in mind. Her heavy wedding gown made every step difficult. Before she left, her mother had advised her not to use her credit card or any form of transportation so she wouldn’t be found easily.
She knew they must have noticed her disappearance by now and could already be close behind. She needed a safe place to hide before they caught up with her.
As she scanned her surroundings, a church came into view.
That was the only safe place she could think of at that moment.
Believing no one would look for her there, she gathered the remaining strength she had and ran toward it, ignoring the weight of her wedding gown.
As she pushed open the church doors, she was greeted by an unexpected scene before her. It was another wedding ceremony, with only a few people seated inside. The moment she stepped in, all eyes turned toward her, followed by a few whispers.
She slowly lifted her gaze toward the altar and saw him—a handsome man with sharp, perfect features staring back at her, his expression cold and unreadable.
A strange feeling of unease ran down her spine.
She was about to turn around and leave when someone dressed in black suddenly stopped her.
"Put your hand through my arm," he commanded in a cold voice.
"No, this is a mistake. I’m not the bride," she tried to explain, but he ignored her and continued leading her toward the altar.
When they were close enough, he leaned in and whispered so only she could hear,
"When you get to the altar, make sure you smile."
Kathe was completely confused by what was happening.
They arrived at the altar, where the mysterious man was already staring at her. Even the priest looked at her with confusion.
Only then did she glance down at herself and realize that her once beautiful wedding gown was now covered in mud stains.
The priest proceeded with the wedding ceremony.
Throughout the marriage rite, Kathe silently cursed her fate. She had run away from a business marriage only to end up in another marriage with a complete stranger she knew nothing about.
Despite everything, she was forced to recite her vows with a smile on her face.
After signing the marriage certificate, guards escorted her to a waiting car.
A few moments later, the mysterious man entered the car and sat beside her.
Kathe could no longer remain calm.
"Please, you’ve made a mistake. I came to the church by accident. Please let me go."
He didn’t even spare her a glance.
"Drive," he ordered coldly.
The driver immediately started the car, and it sped away.
Throughout the journey, neither of them spoke. The silence inside the car was heavy with tension.
After some time, they arrived at a dark mansion, its dim lights barely illuminating the surroundings.
"Get out of the car," he ordered.
Kathe stared at him in disbelief.
"You want me to get out? Are you serious? I don’t even know where I am."
"Just get out of the car. I hate noise."
Having no other choice, she stepped out.
The moment both of her feet touched the ground, the car sped away, leaving her standing there alone.
Just as she began to panic, the lights around the mansion suddenly came on, and she heard approaching footsteps behind her.
"Good evening, Young Miss."
She turned around and found an elderly man and woman standing before her.
"We know you must be confused. We are the house butlers. Sir ordered us to make you feel comfortable and at home until he returns."
With no choice left, Kathe followed them into the mansion.
The car pulled up in front of an abandoned building.
Rain poured heavily as they arrived.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment to calm his nerves before stepping out. A guard was already waiting outside, holding an umbrella. As soon as he got out of the car, the guard raised the umbrella over his head, shielding him from the rain.
"Where is he?" he asked.
"He’s in the basement, Boss," the guard replied as they headed inside.
"Has he spoken?"
"Not yet, Boss."
The two of them made their way down to the basement in silence.
The basement was dimly lit, with only a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling, casting its light on the captive. His body was covered in blood, and his head hung low.
Jark walked forward before stopping in the darkest corner of the room.
"I don’t like wasting my time. Who sent you, and why were you following my car?"
The captive laughed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"I won’t say a word. I can’t betray my organization."
A faint smirk appeared on Jark’s face.
"Alright."
He signaled to one of the guards, who immediately placed a file on the table.
"Your name is Victor Stone, also known as Blade Killer. You’re from America and work for the Red Pirate Organization. You’re the eldest son of your family. You have a pregnant wife.... and a son."
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