Leia's legs felt like they didn't belong to her. Each step forward dragged as if she were trudging through quicksand, her stomach twisting with disbelief. Just hours ago, she had been in her own apartment, stuffing her clothes into a bag, planning to vanish and free her brother. Now…now she was walking down a makeshift aisle, her body wrapped in white silk she hadn't chosen, her hair brushed until it gleamed, her lips bare of even gloss.
No music played. No flowers scattered. No smiling family, no trembling joy.
This wasn't her dream wedding. She has always wanted to have her wedding by the beach. Colorful. Sweet. Surrounded by family and friends. She has been dreaming of her fairytale wedding since she was six. A grand wedding with her ball dress and the man of her dreams.
Nothing had prepared her for this moment in her life. She had always felt she would end up with the love of her life and have a glamorous wedding. She got a reality check back to where she is at the moment.
Only silence. Heavy. Suffocating.
Her eyes darted around the room, and the sight only made her pulse slam harder against her ribs. Men. Dozens of them. All in black suits, shoulders squared, jaws locked. Bodyguards. Not guests. Not witnesses who cared. Jake hadn't brought an audience for love. He had brought an army to remind her there was no escape.
Leia swallowed hard. What kind of monster arranges a wedding like this?
And then her eyes found him.
Jake Blackwood stood near the front, hands tucked neatly into his pockets, suit sharp enough to cut, posture relaxed, as if this was nothing more than a business deal. Which, for him, it was. His gaze landed on her instantly, locking her in place like a hawk watching prey. When she reached halfway down the aisle, his lips curved. Not kindly. Not warmly. A wicked smile, laced with triumph.
When she got close enough, he tilted his head and subtly motioned to her lips. "Smile, sweetheart," he mouthed.
Leia's jaw tightened. She lifted her chin high instead, eyes burning, lips pressed in a stubborn line. Smile? For him? Over my dead body.
If Jake was offended, he didn't show it. His smirk only deepened, like he relished her defiance.
The officiator, a bland, balding man who looked like he had been bought just as easily as the rest, cleared his throat and opened a small black book. "We are gathered here today…"
Leia's chest squeezed. Gathered? This wasn't a gathering. This was a funeral dressed in white. Her funeral.
"…to unite Jake Carter and Leia Simmons in matrimony."
Her nails bit into her palms. Every syllable of her name sounded wrong in this setting.
"Do you, Jake Carter, take Leia Simmons as your lawfully wedded wife?" the officiator asked.
Without hesitation, Jake's voice rolled out, smooth, strong, and merciless.
"I do."
Leia flinched. Two words, spoken with such certainty as if he were agreeing to a lucrative deal. His dark eyes burned into hers, daring her to run, daring her to fight, daring her to defy him here and now.
The officiator turned to her. "Do you, Simmons, take Jake Carter as your lawfully wedded husband?"
Silence.
Her lips parted, but nothing came. Her throat felt thick, clogged with every emotion boiling inside her: rage, disbelief, fear, and the bitter taste of betrayal.
Jake raised a brow, eyes glinting like polished steel. "Careful, Leia," he murmured under his breath, low enough only she could hear. "Your brother's freedom hangs on those two little words."
Her nostrils flared. Her voice, when it came, dripped with venom.
"I'd rather choke on them."
A few of the guards shifted uneasily, glancing at each other, but Jake's expression didn't falter. He leaned closer, lips brushing dangerously near her ear, his whisper a sharp blade.
"Then choke, sweetheart. I'll still get what I want."
Her entire body burned with fury. She wanted to scream, to claw, to rip that smug look off his face. Instead, she spat out words laced with acid.
"You're the kind of man a woman prays she never meets twice."
Jake chuckled, a dark, rich sound that sent a chill crawling down her spine. "Funny," he said smoothly, "you're the kind of woman I plan to meet every night…starting tonight."
"I hate you."
"I've heard worse…Say something new, sweetheart."
"I can't believe I'm doing this."
"You do realize that the officiator is waiting for us?"
"Why? You can't wait to marry me? Obsessed much?"
"We can spend all day here if you want, you are definitely still going to say I do."
Her breath hitched. Her hand twitched as if to slap him, but she clenched her fist, nails digging crescents into her palm.
The officiator coughed awkwardly. "Miss Simmons, your answer?"
Leia's heart pounded. Her brain screamed Say no, scream no, fight this monster! But her brother's face flashed in her mind, his voice, his laugh. Her brother. Her father. Her best friend. Her family.
Her throat burned as she forced the words out, each one tasting like poison.
"…I do."
The officiator smiled stiffly, relieved that the tension had broken. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you…"
"Wait," Leia cut in, her tone sharp enough to slice the air. Her glare locked on Jake. "I want to make it clear. I am not marrying you because I want to. I am marrying you because you left me no damn choice."
Gasps rippled faintly from some of the staff lingering near the edges of the room, but Jake's smirk only widened.
He reached for her hand, lifting it deliberately, and brushed his lips across her knuckles. His voice carried, cold and mocking.
"Darling, history won't care about your excuses. They'll only remember you said I do."
Leia's chest heaved. Every word felt like a shackle tightening around her.
"Congratulations," the officiator finally announced, his voice shaky. "You may now kiss the bride."
Leia stiffened, eyes widening, but Jake didn't move toward her…not immediately. Instead, he studied her, savoring the flicker of panic she couldn't quite mask. Then, with cruel leisure, he cupped her chin, tilting her face upward.
"Relax," he whispered, so only she could hear. "It's not the kiss that binds you to me, Leia. It's the deal. The moment you said yes, you became mine."
His lips brushed hers lightly, not tender, not passionate, simply a seal, a brand. His claim.
Leia froze, fists shaking, heart screaming.
Jake pulled back slowly, his voice low and wicked. "Finally, my wife."
________________________________
The moment the officiator signed the last paper and closed the file, Leia's world tilted.
She wasn't just trapped anymore; she was legally bound to Jake Carter.
Jake reached for her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she hadn't just spit venom at him minutes ago. His grip was firm, commanding.
"Smile and pose," he murmured without looking at her, his voice a low, dangerous warning.
Leia yanked her hand slightly, but his hold tightened. "No."
"You are so stubborn."
"I am not stubborn. I just won't do what you want." Her tone was razor sharp, every syllable dripping with defiance.
His head tilted the slightest bit, the corner of his lips curving like he'd expected nothing less.
And then…
The heavy double doors flew open.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
A wall of light assaulted her vision. Cameras. Dozens of them. Paparazzi, reporters, every lens in the city had descended like vultures.
Leia's entire body went rigid. "What the…"
Jake leaned down so close she felt his breath tickle her ear. "I told you so."
Before she could snap at him, before her brain even caught up with what was happening, Jake spun her around in one fluid motion and crushed his mouth to hers.
The room exploded.
Flashes went wild. Reporters screamed questions. The crowd surged forward.
Leia's eyes flew wide. Her hands shot to his chest, pushing, but it was useless. He didn't budge. His lips were firm, deliberate, claiming her like she was nothing more than his prize on display.
She could hear the chaos around them—click-click-click, Madam, how do you feel, Mr. Carter, congratulations!, but her brain was caught in the surreal nightmare of Jake Carter kissing her like this was real.
When he finally pulled back, his smirk was already back in place. Her lips tingled, her lungs screamed for air, but he looked maddeningly untouched.
"Welcome to your new life, Mrs Carter."