"Audrey!" her father, Robert, bellowed from the stairs, his voice echoing through the house. "Get downstairs now! Don't make me come get you."
After a moment, he began to climb the stairs, his footsteps heavy and deliberate. When he reached Audrey's door, he pounded on it.
"Open up, Audrey!" he shouted, his face twisted in anger. "You need to pick out a wedding gown today. The wedding is tomorrow, and you can't show up looking like a mess!"
Audrey's heart sank as she heard her father's words. She had been reeling from the shock of his announcement just two days ago. He had told her that she would be marrying Adrien Morano, the CEO of Morano Group, in a desperate bid to save their family's company from bankruptcy.
"Go away!" she shouted back, her voice laced with fear. "I'm not going to marry that man tomorrow, no matter what you say!"
"That man is going to save our company, you fool," Robert retorted. "Open the door, get dressed, and go pick out a wedding dress."
"I'm not going anywhere," Audrey said, her voice firm. "Leave me alone. How could you do this to your own daughter?" Her voice cracked with emotion.
Robert's face turned red with anger as he pounded on the door again. "You'll do what I say, young lady!" he commanded. "You'll pick out a wedding gown today and you'll marry Adrien tomorrow, just like we planned. You're not going to embarrass me in front of his family!"
"We planned? You mean 'you' planned it," Audrey sobbed. "I love Harry, and I'll never marry anyone I don't love, no matter how much money they have or how much power they wield."
Audrey had been with her boyfriend, Harry, for over three years, and her father's sudden announcement of her engagement to a stranger had come as a shock.
Robert sighed, his frustration evident. "Fuck Harry! I'm giving you ten minutes, and then I want you out of your room." He pounded on the door again. "Go get that wedding dress!"
"I hate you! I hate you so much, Dad!" Audrey shouted, her voice trembling with rage. "How could you try to marry me off when you know I'm with Harry? How could you sell me off for money to save your company?"
"I had no choice, Audrey," Robert replied, his voice firm. "My company is going down, and Adrien's family is the only one who can save it. They're not asking for too much. Just get married to him, for God's sake, and stop whining like a baby!"
"Mum would never—"
"Shut up, Audrey," Robert cut her off, his voice cold. "Don't you dare bring her into this."
The room fell silent for a moment before Audrey broke the silence.
"Fine, I'll marry him," she said, her voice calm and low. "I'll pick out the wedding dress alone."
Robert's demeanor changed instantly, his voice gentle. "That's my girl. You'll have a beautiful wedding tomorrow."
After a few minutes, Audrey opened her door and slipped out of the house. She drove to a coffee shop, where she found Harry waiting for her.
As soon as he saw her, he stood up and walked over to her, hugging her tightly. "I'm never going to let another man marry you," he whispered, his voice filled with determination. "Let's leave, now."
Audrey nodded, holding his hand in hers. They walked out of the coffee shop and got into Harry's car.
As he drove, Harry asked, "Do you think your father really bought it? Did he suspect anything?"
Audrey shook her head. "I don't think so. I tried to act like I was going along with his plans, but I was really just trying to stall for time. I told him I'd pick out the wedding dress alone, hoping he wouldn't suspect that we were going to get married."
Audrey and Harry had decided to defy her father and get a marriage license, determined to get married to each other before she could be forced to marry Adrien.
As they stepped out of the car, they began walking towards the building, but before they could enter, four men in black suits surrounded them. Two men stood in front of them, and two stood behind them.
Before Audrey and Harry could react, the two men behind them pulled out guns and pointed them at their backs. "Don't move, and don't make a sound," one of them warned. "If you alert anyone, I'll pull the trigger on him."
Audrey and Harry froze, fear etched on their faces.
"Start walking," one of the men commanded.
They quietly walked away from the building, the guns still pointed at their backs, poking them as they moved. People passing by were oblivious to the danger unfolding before them.
The men led them to two black-tinted cars parked nearby. Audrey got into one car, and Harry got into the other. The ride was quiet, punctuated by Audrey's occasional sobs.
After an hour, the cars stopped in front of a warehouse. The men pulled Audrey and Harry out of the cars and led them into the warehouse.
As they entered, Audrey saw that the warehouse was empty, spacious, and dimly lit, with few windows that cast eerie shadows on the walls. A few chairs were scattered around the warehouse.
The men brought two chairs and forced Harry and Audrey to sit down, tying their hands behind their backs.
"Did my father send you?" Audrey asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
The men remained silent, their faces expressionless.
"Was it Adrien?" she asked, her voice rising with anger. "What do you want?"
Still, there was no response from the men.
"Audrey," Harry whispered, shaking his head. "Don't."
"We can't just be tied up here," Audrey said, frustration evident in her voice. "They must want something."
One of the men suddenly walked over to Harry and began beating him, punching him in the face.
Audrey's eyes widened in horror as she begged him to stop. "I'll pay you, I'll pay you three times whatever they're paying you. Please, let us go."
The man ignored her and continued to beat Harry.
"Please just let him go," Audrey cried out. "I won't try to run away again. I promise I'll listen to my father. I'll marry Adrien. Please, just let him go."
Harry spoke up weakly, his eyes bruised, his nose cracked, his lips busted and bleeding. "Don't...Don't say that, Audrey. I'm fine. I promise."
Just then, a phone rang, and the man beating Harry stopped and stepped outside to take the call.
When he returned, he walked in with a tall, muscular man with messy auburn hair and brown eyes. He wore a dark suit and looked intimidating.
As he approached, Audrey's eyes locked onto his face, and her eyes widened in shock as she recognized him - Adrien's younger brother, Dante Morano. "Did Adrien send you to do this?" she spat out, her words laced with venom.
A wave of unease washed over her as she wondered if she had been followed, and how Adrien could have possibly known about her plans.
Dante leaned down, his face inches from hers, a smirk on his face. "Did he?" he taunted.
"Was he not coward enough to come by himself?" Audrey asked, her voice shaking with anger.
"Ouuu, I see you're a feisty one," Dante laughed. "You don't look so bad in person, but I didn't expect him to settle for something so...so less." He looked at her with disgust.
"Fuck you!" Audrey spat on his face.
Dante pulled out a handkerchief to wipe off her spit, then looked at Harry and smiled. "Your little boyfriend over there is going to pay for what you just did." His voice sent chills down her spine.