*

I woke up to the sound of someone banging loudly on my room door, I toused around trying to drown out the noise with my pillow but the knocking was ever persistent.

I turned around to see the time, it was almost 10:45 am. As far as I knew everyone was supposed to be busy with the preparation for Veronica's wedding today. I dragged my aching body off the bed as I stomped to the door throwing it open.

"What!" I screamed to the person in front of me.

Annette, one of the house maids stumbled back at my aggressiveness.

"W-well M-ma'am-"

"Get out of bed, you're getting married today!" My stepmother said coming out from behind Annette.

I looked at both of them simultaneously and in my head, this was just another stupid dream, I closed the door, walked back to my bed and threw the covers over my head.

I laughed as I snuggled under the covers, my step-mom would never say something as ridiculous as that on her own precious daughter's wedding day. No way!

The next thing I knew was my door being flung open and the covers were taken away by an angry witch who took pleasure in my pain.

"I don't have time for your nonsense. My Roni's wedding just got called off and your father still insists on this alliance taking place." Patricia said glaring at me as Annette drew open my blinds.

"That monster disgraced my daughter and I cannot jeopardise her future for any reason, so you will be taking her place." Patricia finished.

I mean, I knew Veronica was getting married but I didn't even know who she was getting married to like I've never even met the groom because I wasn't allowed to be seen at family functions and now I'm being made to marry him. Hell no!

"Look, I don't know what the hell is going on here and I definitely don't give two fucks about it, so if you'd be so kind, as you can see today's my day off and I'd like to use it to achieve maximum rest," I said picking up my blanket and laying it on my bed.

"How dare such an insolent thing speak to me like that," Patricia said as I rolled my eyes.

"You know you don't have to pretend Patricia, I already know the trash and bullshit that are capable of coming out of that garbage hole," I said bored as I walked past her.

It wasn't odd to say that Patricia Hudson never backed down from a fight, a fight with me at least. She caught me by my hair as she pulled me up to her view.

"Listen here missy, I told you, I don't have time for your bullshit today. The rear opportunity comes that I can get rid of you and I'm not going to pass that up for any fucking reason. Now be a good slut and put on your sister's wedding dress." She said throwing me to the floor.

"That's more like it Patricia," I said with a silly grin, which obviously irritated her.

"I'll be back in half an hour. The Hudson family has a wedding to host, and that wedding is yours." Patricia said jamming my door close.

"Like hell, I'm getting married to a prick I don't even know. He can go ahead and ruin Veronica's life for all I care." I said getting off my butt.

"Ma'am, pardon my intrusion but I bid you to ready yourself, I believe you'll suffer a worse case if your Father were to come to fetch you himself," Annette said from a corner.

"I understand." I sighed as I went into the bathroom to wash up.

Annette wasn't wrong anyways, if it were up to my father, he would barge in here, take me by my hair and marry me off ready or not ready.

I've always had this feeling that since my mother died, it caused my father pain to even look at me because of my uncanny resemblance to her. So it's no wonder if he wants to marry me off as soon as possible.

I got out of the bathroom and Annette already placed the gown on my bed but there was another uninvited visitor as well in the room.

"Veronica," I said uninterested.

"Congratulations on your sudden alliance, since this can be called a wedding right," Veronica said I'm sure to mock me.

"If you're here to make fun of me then I suggest that you leave because your dearest mother would have my head if I'm not ready. So do me a favour and take your pretty self and fuck off. Thanks" I said smiling in front of my vanity as Annette worked on my make-up.

"Oh please, I just wanted to make sure that the dress fits, that's all," Veronica said slyly.

"What the fuck is your deal girl, you've had everything you've ever wanted and if you don't want it you push the leftovers to me. What fucking tree are you barking up on this time?" I asked frustrated.

But when I turned around, I saw a sight that on a normal day I would be happy to see, but this... This was different, something was off.

"Veronica?" I asked standing up.

"Annette, leave us," I ordered.

"B-but M-ma'am-"

"I said leave us, Annette!" I snapped at her.

"Very well ma'am," Annet said as she quietly left the room.

"Now, I don't have time for us to reconcile as sisters and hug it out but I'm willing to hear what the fuck you have to say. I don't have all day." I said slipping into Veronica's supposed wedding dress.

"It was perfect, he was perfect, I was perfect, everything was going to be perfect. Dad was going to be happy with the investment. Mom was happy I had gotten a wealthy man. And I was happy to show him off after our marriage. But," Veronica stopped in the middle.

"But?" I urged her to continue, but what I saw next sent chills down my spine.

Veronica had eyes of absolute fear that what she was terrified of was staring her right in the eye.

"He's a monster, he's perfect but there's a monster living inside of him. His eyes... His eyes-"

Knock! Knock!! Knock!!!

The knock on the door made both of us jump in fear, it was noticeable that Veronica was more anxious by the sound.

"If you're not ready, you little- oh, Roni? You're here? W-why are you here?" Patricia asked.

Veronica turned away immediately as she tried to dry the tears from her eyes and compose herself.

"W-well, I... I just wanted to congratulate Cyra on her new arrangement, and since she's wearing my dress, I just wanted to see if it fit" Veronica said with her voice climbing with every word.

"Oh my sweet daughter, I'm so happy you're taking this so well, I want you to know that I'm so proud of you. You could learn something from her you know," Patricia said praising her daughter.

"Well it's not your fault anyway, not every mother can birth perfection." At this point, all I wanted to do was make Patricia eat her words but unexpectedly something stopped me.

And by something I meant Veronica, she went in for a hug with her mother but made sure she was facing me as she mouthed the words:

'Run while you still can. Run!'

She said, her eyes filled with terror as another round of cold sweat drenched her forehead, she could barely keep her posture.

But why was she telling me all this now? Sure Veronica's a nice girl but she's also a mummy's girl, she would do anything to make her mother happy, even if it meant making me suffer.

"My dear are you alright? You look pale as a ghost." Patricia said breaking my train of thought.

"O-oh, I'm fine, i-it's just that a lot is happening at the time, I was supposed to be getting married but now I'm not and Cyra is going to leave us soon. It's all so much to process at once." Veronica said although she could see she was lying, her mother failed to also see it.

"Awww, come now my child. I'll make you some comforting tea that'll make your whole body relax. You there! Get ready." Patricia said taking her daughter away but not before Veronica mouthed Run to me again.

The door closed finally leaving me to my thoughts. What did she mean by a monster, I have never heard of a perfect monster before. It's as if she was retelling the tale of the beauty and the beast, but her eyes, her eyes could not have been mistaken.

Does Patricia really want me to get married to a monster she wouldn't let her own daughter marry, no? This must be a trap and I'm gonna avoid it in every possible way.

I picked a few things and stuffed them into a small bag, with the money I saved from my job I could always buy new stuff, at this rate, I had no time to lose. As I was fully concentrated on packing my stuff, my door was opened slowly and I didn't even notice.

"I see you're eagerly getting ready." I jumped at my Father's voice.

Father rarely speaks to me not to talk of coming into my room, I cleared my throat before speaking.

"Father! You're here. What brings you to my room." I said politely.

I mean I hated my father but ultimately it wasn't his fault, his beloved was taken away by the clutches of death, leaving her to look like his daughter.

Such a cruel fate but not one that I should be made to suffer for my own father's shortcomings.

"I didn't send you to America to study for nothing now, did I? Call me Dad," Father said taking a sit on my bed.

"I'm just fine with father. Father." I answered straight forward making him sigh.

"I know very well that you hold a grudge against me and a huge grudge at that, but I want you to find it in your heart to forgive an old man who will be giving you away today," Father said as I snickered.

"Did I say something funny?" He asked.

"Yes Father, everything you just said is funny. Because I've been apologizing for the past 21 years of my life when I've done nothing wrong and now you want me to forgive you just like that. It would have been better if you had come to drag me to the marriage altar, that's more like you." I said touching up my make-up in front of my vanity.

"Can we just bury the hatchet for one day, your mother wouldn't be happy if we were to fight on your wedding day?" Dad continued.

"Mother? You've forgotten about her a long time ago, and me? I was just a burden all those years. You hit me for every mistake I made, you proved to me that you had no love for me and that all I was was just an investment which I guess today is working out for you." I arranged the dress.

"Of course, it worked out for you, you didn't send me halfway across the world to study business for nothing. Right?" I said still struggling to fit the dress on.

"I understand how you think that was, but I was doing all this for you. So you could find a nice man and settle down with him and not be"

"A burden. Like I was to you, right Father? Look, I want to say that you love me but that would be a lie, so do both of us a favour and just leave. Thank you." I smiled turning still struggling with my dress.

My father sighed standing up as he walked towards me and helped with my dress.

"I just wanted to see you happy before I go," My father started.

"You see, I don't have much time left," Father said as he left.