The room was silent.
Too silent for a wedding day.
Sophia Grant sat on the edge of the velvet sofa, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.
The white bridal gown wrapped around her body like chains—beautiful, expensive, suffocating.
The soft fabric brushed against her skin, but it brought no comfort. No joy.
Not even hope.
Her reflection stared back at her from the tall mirror across the room.
A bride.
But her eyes told a different story.They were cold. Broken. Filled with something darker than fear—hatred.
This was not how dreams were supposed to look.
Outside the thick walls of the mansion, music played faintly. Guests laughed. Champagne glasses clinked. Somewhere, a man waited at the altar… a man she was supposed to call her husband in just a few minutes.
Sophia's lips trembled as a bitter smile touched her face.
Never.
A sharp knock echoed through the room. "Miss Grant,"
a calm, emotionless voice said from the other side of the door.
"Sir is asking for you. The ceremony is about to begin."Butler Smith.
Sophia's fingers curled around the crystal vase beside her.
"I'm not coming," she replied, her voice steady but burning. "Tell him… I will not marry him."There was a pause."Miss Grant," Smith said again, softer this time, "please don't make this difficult. Sir does not like delays."
That was it.Her control snapped.
"No!"
Sophia screamed, standing up in one sharp movement. With all the strength she had, she hurled the vase toward the door.
The sound of shattering glass cut through the silence.
"Get out!" she yelled. "Tell him I refuse. I will not become his wife!"Footsteps retreated. Silence returned.
Sophia's chest rose and fell as she fought for breath.
Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from rage.
How did it come to this?Just weeks ago, she had been a journalist chasing truth, believing in justice, living a life of her own choosing.
And now—she was trapped in a gilded cage, forced into a marriage she never agreed to.
All because of him.Mr. Stone.
The man whose name alone had the power to destroy lives. The man who never asked—only took. His face had never appeared in public, yet his presence ruled cities, businesses… and now, her fate.
Sophia wiped the tears she refused to shed.She would not beg.She would not break.If this marriage was a war, then she would survive it.Because hatred had already taken root in her heart.And this was only the beginning.Who is Sophia Grant?Why is she being forced into this marriage?And what kind of man is Mr. Stone… whose name is enough to silence the world?This is not a love story.This is a marriage without mercy.