Page 2 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

And this time was no different.

Even though I wanted to run out of this study, this house, out of my family’s estate, run from Lucas, run from the farce of marriage we would likely have, I wouldn‘t. Despite all my misgivings, I sat still and accepted my fate as I always did.

The following month was spent preparing for my wedding for Lucas. I numbly attended dress fittings and absentmindedly listened to my mother’s advice for married life. I didn’t contribute to any of the decision-making for the decorations, not that my opinion was asked anyway.

We were at the wedding venue, looking around and making plans. Or rather, my parents and Lucas were making plans. I was basically just watching it all unfold. “I was thinking white rose petals scattered all over the floor and pink magnolias on each table,” my mother said as she walked around the venue. She gave instructions to the event planner who scribbled away, endlessly taking notes about everything my mother wanted for my wedding.

I walked behind them, glancing around at the place where I would tie myself to Lucas Everett and condemn myself to a miserable life. A voice inside me begged me to speak up, begged me to end this before it got too far. But that voice was overshadowed by the part of me that needed to please my parents, even when it was at my own detriment.

And so I walked behind my mother and the event planner, and I tried to pretend like despair wasn’t eating at me from the inside out.

When the day of the wedding arrived, I’d grown completely numb to the whole thing. I expected I would remain that way for the rest of my life; numb to my marriage to Lucas and the things he would likely do when we were married.

Three women had to help me into my dress, a dramatic white ball gown with a sweetheart neckline and a cascading lower half. It poured out below me, sweeping the floor and flowing behind me. Lacy fabric decorated the bodice, making the dress look even more magnificent. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t my style. My mother chose it.

Everything about this wedding had been chosen by my mother. I felt like a guest and not the actual bride. This wedding was nothing like the wedding I’d imagined for myself. Everything was different and the groom was not the man of my dreams. When I dreamed of getting married, the only man Iimagined was Matteo. It broke my heart to know we would never have the future I’d envisioned for us.

Once the makeup artist was done with the finishing touches, I walked out of the dressing room with my mother. My dad was waiting outside. I held onto his arm as we walked to the hall doors and down the aisle. I knew I was gripping on tighter than I should, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to marry Lucas.

My husband-to-be stood at the end of the aisle with a look of pride on his face. I knew he wasn’t necessarily proud of marrying me but rather what his marriage to me would signify. It would be beneficial for his rocky reputation if he married me, the daughter of a billionaire. It would show that he knew what he was doing with his life, and he wasn’t the failure everyone thought he was.

I knew better than to assume the pride Lucas displayed had anything to do with me. He was simply proud of himself for managing to secure such a deal. His father must be proud of him too. The old man sat in the crowd beside my mother. His unsmiling features made me shiver with trepidation. I couldn’t imagine having a man like that as my father-in-law.

I shifted my gaze and did my best to focus on my surroundings rather than the vows I was about to take. As expected, my mother had done a wonderful job with the decorations. White rose petals covered the floors just like she had asked. The magnolia-covered tables were in the other room of the hall.

My parents had rented out the entire five-room building even though we only needed two. Lucas and I would say our vows in the first room. The priest would declare us husband and wife and then we would all move to the second room for the reception. I hadn’t seen it yet, but I was told it was even more beautiful than this one.

The walk to the aisle felt slow, or maybe time had slowed down to compensate me for what life would be like after I took those vows. After today, my life will never be the same. With that thought in mind, I willed time to go even slower.

I scanned the crowd, but I couldn’t find a single familiar face other than my mother and a few of her friends that I’d seen over the years. I could tell from all the pinstriped suits in the crowd that my father had invited a lot of his business partners. The sight served as a reminder that this wasn’t my wedding.. This was a business deal. When we finally got to the end of the aisle, my father extricated himself from me and walked away. Lucas offered me his hand, which I begrudgingly took. I stood beside him as we faced the priest. The music ended and silence fell in the room.

“Dearly beloved,” the priest began.

His words faded after that. Sadness clouded my heart, and I looked into the crowd as if I might find some sort of comfort within the sea of strangers. Except one wasn’t a stranger at all. My eyes widened when I saw him. I blinked repeatedly, certain that I had to be seeing things.

“Miss Pierson,” the priest called my name, forcing me to drag my gaze away from the man in the audience. “Do you take Lucas Everett to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I…”

I looked into the crowd again. I was determined to prove I’d imagined it but when I looked again, he was still there.

Matteo Hayes.

His brown eyes met my own and they held for what felt like an eternity. I blinked again, but he didn’t disappear. He was really here.

Chapter 2

Matteo

Istood in the park waiting for Amelia. We’d agreed to meet by four, but I got here earlier because I wanted to prepare. Today was the day I would finally ask her to marry me. We’d been dating for two years and I knew from the moment I met her that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

I pulled the velvet blue ring box out of my pocket and opened it. I smile softly as I stare at the small gold ring with its emerald gem. I knew the ring wasn’t as expensive as the type of jewelry Amelia typically wore but I was certain she would like it.

As a construction worker, I didn’t have a lot of options when it came to ring shopping. The type of jewelry Amelia wore was far too expensive for my paycheck. I couldn’t even afford to buy her a real diamond. I sighed and snapped the box shut. I didn’t have much, but I had a dream. One day, I would open a constructioncompany that would make me enough money to treat Amelia the way she deserved.

This ring would simply be a placeholder. One day, I would buy her a better ring. Something that was up to her standard. I knew she was used to a life of luxury. Being a billionaire’s daughter meant luxury was all she’d ever known. I was determined to keep it that way. It was my goal to give her that same life or a better one in the future.

I knew we had a promising future, and I knew we would get there one day. For now, I was just happy that we were together. I was certain that with her by my side there was nothing I couldn’t do. As long as I had her, all my dreams were possible and nothing was unattainable. Soon I would start a company and build it into an empire that would provide Amelia with the life she deserved.

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