[Five years ago.]
New Orleans, Louisiana.
10:30, pm.
~~~
< Singh Family House>
The sweet blaring music played by the performers tonight was a memorable one, as it stands out from the other days they performed, at any given event hosted by the top wealthiest family in Louisiana.
The Singh.
A significant name that made history in the business world, not just around the state but globally.
Amongst everyone present tonight, stood him, Alex Singh. The overlord, and top second among the wealthiest guru the city has. He was spotted conversing with one of his friends, while making sure that they enjoyed tonight, the day he gives his daughter's hand out for marriage to the White Household.
To the eyes of everyone out here, who were all smiles and eager to see the only daughter that had the spotlight tonight.
They spotted him out to be a good, kind man because of his down-to-earth nature, they called him a philanthropist but that was just to generate a good name for himself and the family.
But beneath all that, stood a man who would willingly sacrifice the happiness of his family members, just to keep his head high in society.
A very good example of that, Polina could testify because she had experienced that beneath that smiling face, he kept through tonight just as she watched from her window.
He was anything but kind and forgiving, and she was already getting scared about what was her choice of the marriage imposed on her.
The makeup artist and her stylist were done preparing her for the night, but the constant thumping of her heart against her chest tonight, made her know that this was going to be a long night, and things wouldn't end up fine.
Her phone was snatched away from her, and her father has banned the maids from allowing her near any device she could use, to communicate with anyone outside the house.
Figures! He knew his daughter so well to know that she might be planning on escaping, and just as she was lost thinking about what life has in-store for her tonight, her room door burst open and the one person she wasn't interested in meeting tonight, walked in unwelcomed into her room.
Adrian, her stepbrother.
The instant she saw him through the mirror, she had a horrified look on her face, and found herself thinking of how to run away immediately.
That's it.
She needed to run.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Adrian asked, clicking his tongue in an amused way as he loved the way she stiffened when he's nearby, he could see the light die right there in her eyes.
"What are you doing here? You should be down there with your father, planning on how to bundle me away like some sort of goods."
She snapped, and was really surprised at the little courage she had tonight, maybe it was as a result of how angry she was at everyone.
But lashing it out at Adrian was something she should have reconsidered, because unlike her father who would never lay hands on his princess, Adrian was different.
She saw his expression change at her words, and knew that she just got him angry. The mention of her marriage to Blake was a sensitive topic for him, but she was a little bit happy that it was finally happening.
She was going to leave this prison, and away to a life she knows nothing of with someone she had zero interest in, all this could be stopped if he stepped in.
All these can be stopped if Adrik Ivanov steps in, but he can't. At least not at this crucial moment, because her father would murder him at first sight, just like his father too would do the same with her too.
"Are you happy about it?"Adrian broke into her thoughts, and she flared her nose at the disturbance and inturn ignored his question.
"I need to go," she said, her eyes starting to water at the thought of leaving Adrik for someone else.
But it can't be helped.
Their families were sworn enemies, the Singhs and the Ivanovs had nothing to do with each other. It was just like how Iran and Iraq were sworn enemies, so, whatever it was, she was thinking about Adrik, being her prince in shining armor was totally out of the question.
Their secret relationship has been going on for two years. It was an entanglement that shouldn't have happened but as usual, love is blind and its actions can't be questioned.
Especially, when it had to do with two young souls that loved each other to death, regardless of their family's opposition.
"Answer me!" Adrian yelled, and inturn grabbed her wrist tightly that earned a hollow cry to escape her lips at his harshness.
"You are hurting me,"She warned him, well this is not the first time it had happened. This was their dirty little secret that no one knew, no one, including Adrik too.
"Don't think that just because you are getting married, and leaving here would change anything, you hear me?!" He dragged her to his face, closing the space between them as she got tensed up really good.
"Adrian.." Polina slurred.
"You are mine Polina, only mine" He declared to her, just as he would always do. Adrain was obsessively, and insanely attracted to her, there's no way she would admit that he was in love with her.
He might be her stepbrother, but they were family. So, there's no way on earth she would concede to this, but it was different with Adrain.
"I'm..I'm your sist..er", she stuttered, reminding him of this, while she knew how he hated that word with passion.
It seems to be the only thing stopping him from making what he felt for her, obvious to the eyes of other people, and yes, it was the truth. It was because of that entitlement, his sister!
"I dare you to repeat that," He wrapped his hand round her throat, not pressing much on it as he didn't intend on killing her…yet.
Not before he ends their father, and had his properties and also his daughter, who was an added bonus since he was the only male the family had.
But Adrain knew that wasn't the truth, the first son and legitimate son of the family had run away from the family. He didn't want the kind of life his father had offered which sounded stupid to Adrain.
It was hard for Alex, but he declared his real son dead and forbade him from making any appearance even if he was really alive.
Polina whimpered, while using her hand to try pushing his own away from her throat, he was going to leave a mark for everybody to see and tonight was a special one.
Her engagement to Blake White!
"Why?" He snickered, "You don't want them to think that he would raise his hands on you?" He smirked, and released her while she squatted down, coughing and touching her throat.
She saw his clean, expensive Italian right in front of her, before she raised her head up to him.
Adrain pulled his finger up to his lips, silencing her short while gesturing with his finger.
She knew the consequences of spilling anything to anyone, he had threatened to kill her friends, on a daily occasion she wanted to report his behavior to their father.
"You are a ..monster," she managed to spit out, and heard him snort in laughter.
"A monster who loves you, babygirl,"He bent down and patted her head but not without whispering to her.
"Congrats on your marriage to the loser, well that would be if he would be alive to actually get married to you".
He said with a malicious grin on his face, a look that Polina was fond of because she knew that he was up to something.
Does he plan on Killing Blake?
She thought, asking no one in particular, but when she realized that this might somehow end up in her favor, she had a second thought about caring if he killed Blake or not.
After all, Adrik is the main catch, not Blake and neither would it be Adrain, the jerk head of a brother.
"It's time,my lady!"