_Author's POV_
Roland Denver sat in the backseat of his car, his eyes closed.
He was on his way to the marriage bureau with his wedding in an hour, and he needed to be there.
It wasn't his choice to be getting married, but he had to do it.
His position as the Chairman depended on this.
Suddenly the car jerked to a halt, throwing him slightly forward.
Roland was about to ask the driver what happened when someone knocked on his window.
Roland turned, frowning.
A woman stood just outside, her face flushed with anger as she tried to peer through his glass.
He was already irritated and her sudden appearance made things worse.
Before he could react she leaned in, yelling through the glass.
"Hey! You almost ran me over!" Her voice was laced with anger, eyes filled with frustration.
Evelyn couldn't see who was sitting inside the car, but she knew he could hear her so she didn't stop her rants.
How could they drive that way, almost running her over?
Her heart still raced in her chest from fright and her ankles hurt.
"You can't just drive around like you own the streets!" She hissed.
She was late already and was in a terrible state and ranting wasn't going to help her.
"Ignore her and keep driving," Roland said coldly.
To him, this was merely a waste of time.
"We have more important things to worry about,"
He couldn't deny that she had left him irritated with her rants.
Something was already not going his way this morning and it left a bad taste in his mouth.
He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
For some reason, he kept thinking about the annoying woman and it made him more irritated than before.
As they drove into the Bureau, Aiden, who was his assistant, cleared his throat.
"Remember sir, this marriage is important. Without it, your brother will have a stronger claim to be the Chairman and we can't let that happen,"
"I know, Aiden. That's why today has to go perfectly," Roland replied, his eyes narrowing as the car came to a stop.
He stepped out of the car, adjusting his suit.
Everything had been planned for weeks.
His bride would arrive any moment now and they'd be married before the day was through.
This was a step taken to prevent his brother from being the Chairman/president of Imperial Grand Hotel.
At that, Aiden's phone buzzed with an incoming message, and he pulled out his phone.
Roland couldn't help but notice the sudden shift in his assistant's expression.
"What is it?" He asked, sensing something was wrong.
Aiden hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen.
"It's news about your fiancée, sir. She's… she's flown out of the country."
"What?" Roland's voice cut through the air.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
He refused to believe that the woman would go against their agreement, and on the day of the wedding too.
"What do you mean she's flown out of the country? This is our wedding day!"
Roland tried to control his anger, clenching and unclenching his fists.
"There's been some last-minute change in her schedule. She's headed to Europe for a film shoot. I'm afraid she's not coming back today."
Roland tried to understand the situation and began pacing.
His fiancée had abandoned him on their wedding day.
And she didn't see the need to let him know of this until the last dying minute.
"She left me stranded?" he muttered, more to himself than to Aiden.
Aiden panicked, unsure of what to do.
He had carefully planned everything and now it had been destroyed just like that.
This wasn't just about the embarrassment or personal betrayal, this was about everything he'd worked for.
Without a marriage, he could lose the President's position to his brother.
That could not happen.
"Sir," Aiden's voice broke through Roland's thoughts.
"Without a marriage today, the board might start questioning your ability to lead. We need to act fast,"
Roland knew that, obviously, and that was why he was thinking.
He took a deep breath, his mind racing. "We need a solution. Now,"
But what could he do?
Aiden was silent for a moment, then spoke carefully.
"There might be another option. We could find someone else. A temporary solution, just to secure the marriage,"
Aiden wasn't certain what Roland's reaction would be to his suggestion, but he had to try.
At this point, they had no other option.
Roland scoffed, looking away.
"You're suggesting I marry someone else? Today?"
Aiden nodded. "Yes. It would be unconventional, but desperate times call for desperate measures,"
"And where would you suggest I find a woman who would agree to get married to me on such short notice," Roland asked, his eyes pinning Aiden to the spot.
He couldn't deny that the other man's suggestion made perfect sense but where would they find another woman?
Anastasia was their best bet because she was an actress and could easily play the role of a loving wife.
Plus they were dating for a month before they decided to get married.
"We need to find someone we could buy and offer the position of your wife for money," Aiden suggested once more.
As Roland processed this suggestion, a figure walked past them.
Roland recognized her as the woman from earlier the one who had yelled at him.
She was talking on her phone, clearly frustrated and she didn't seem to have seen them.
Roland couldn't help but overhear her conversation over the phone.
"I don't know how I'm going to pay off my debts, but if I can just nail this interview at The Imperial Grand Hotel, I might get it, "
Roland's eyes narrowed as an idea began to form in his mind.
She seemed to be desperately in need of money.
And she had mentioned being in debt.
Roland didn't miss that she was headed to his family's hotel for an interview.
She could be exactly what he needed.
Aiden followed his gaze, then raised a confused brow.
"Her?"