Bargain Bride: The Billionaire’s Forced Wife

THE NEXT MORNING, Chiara and her maids hurriedly started their plan when they saw Ezio left for work. Her heart is thumping, not because she’s worried that she might get caught, but because she’s not sure if she can be on time.

It’s already 9:30 in the morning. The wedding will start at 10 AM. The pressure and anxiety is on.

“Signora,” one of the maids named Fara called her. “I have checked the back gate. There are no guards there, but there’s two CCTV cameras.”

Chiara turned her head towards the maid. “Is there anyway to close the cameras just for a few moments?”

“Don’t worry, signora. I already blocked the lenses so they won’t see you go out,” Fara responded.

While they were talking, two other maids entered Chiara’s room.

“They will help you exit the back gate, Signora,” Fara spoke while motioning her hand towards the workers before looking back at Chiara. “But would you mind telling me where are you going? Signor Ezio will surely be mad if he found out that you went outside without his permission.”

Sighing, Chiara spoke. “I can’t tell you the details, but one thing is for sure. My happiness depends on this.”

She looked at her maid with pleading eyes. “I need to go now. I might not arrive on time. Please, help me.”

Fara smiled at her, reassuringly. “No need to say please, signora. I’ll gladly help you.”

She looked at the door before looking back again. “Once you heard a scream about a fire, run towards the emergency stairs beside the music room. Go down and you will see a brown sliding door,” she put her hand on inside her pocket and revealed a key. “Use this to open it. The door will lead you to a shortcut to the back gate.”

Chiara reached the key and grabbed it gently. “Thank you so much, Fara. I owe you one.”

“There’s no need to thank me, signora. It’s my job,” she responded before telling Chiara that she will now start the plan.

As soon as they heard Fara screaming about a huge fire on the kitchen, Chiara and the other two maids ran to the direction of the music room. There, they used the stairs.

Chiara’s hands were trembling while trying to shoot the key to the lock. When her shoots kept in missing, one of the maid volunteered to help her.

“Let me open it for you, signora,” the maid spoke before helping her open the door.

“Thank you,” Chiara replied while wiping her sweats on her forehead.

When they heard the “click” sound, they hurriedly ran outside. Chiara’s heart is thumping so loud when she saw the back gate. It didn’t took them long to reach it.

“Please be safe, signora,” the maids said. “Use this to ask for a ride.”

The maid gave her some bills and coins, and she accepted. She just nodded before dashing through the neighborhood.

Her feet were not used on running long distances, but even if she felt like they were going to give up, she kept on running.

At last, she arrived at the bus station that will pass near the church. Her whole body is covered in sweat and everyone is looking at her with curious eyes.

She didn’t even wait for the change. Chiara rode the bus that’s ready to leave even though there are no seat available. She stood near the door while grabbing the safety handrail beside her.

The road was bumpy, and Chiara couldn’t count how many times she almost fall. She wasn’t used on using public transportation after all. Her mind was too occupied on the fact the Simone might be already near the church, or maybe the wedding is already starting.

She’s too focused on the scenarios that might happen when she was slapped back to reality when she felt the bus stopped.

“What happened?” she asked the driver while looking outside to see the cars and other vehicles stopped.

The driver opened the window beside him and put his head outside. “I’m not sure. The lights must be faulty, ma’am.”

“Can it be fixed immediately? I have something to catch,” she responded while looking at her phone.

“I can’t say. If it’s just the faulty lights, it can be fixed with-”

The driver’s voice was cut short when a man walked to him from the outside. “Hey! You have to find another route. There was an accident on the intersection. The road will be closed until everything is settled.”

Chiara stiffened when she heard that. The driver immediately followed the other vehicles making a u-turn to find the other route.

“How long is it going to take to arrive at this church?” Chiara asked the driver while showing him the invitation letter from her phone.

The driver took a side glance before answering. “Hmm, I think it will take about 45 minutes. That is, if there’s no traffic.”

It’s currently 9:47 in the morning. Just thirteen minutes before the wedding starts. The bus will arrive on the church by 10:32 AM. She wouldn’t be on time.

Her legs started trembling. Her mind was in chaos. She’s starting to look for solution, but everything seems empty. The only thing in her mind is that she has to arrive on time, and stop the wedding.

She opened her phone and look for something – a shortcut towards the church. When she already found the answer, she hurriedly told the driver to stop.

That’s it. She ran her way to the church using the shortcut that the map gave her. According to the map, it will take her almost 30 minutes to walk to the church. She chose to shoot her shot.

Chiara was too focused on arriving at the church that she didn’t notice a familiar car following her. Her steps are fast, but not fast enough for a car, yet this car moves slow in order to match her pace.

“To the right,” Chiara thought to herself while going to the said direction. She felt like her feet are going to give up. Her knees are starting to tremble and she’s covered with sweat. But that didn’t stop her.

Hope filled her whole body when she started to see the facade of the church she’s looking for. Little did she know that she ran for almost 25 minutes.

“Simone,” she muttered under her breath while running towards the entrance.

There are no people outside the church, but the speakers outside it made her realized that she’s already too late.

“I do,” the first words that echoed on the church’s speakers when Chiara arrived.

The voice sounds very familiar. Of course, it’s the voice of the man that she loved for years. The voice of the man that captured her heart for the very first time. The voice of the man she spent her childhood with.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

The voice of the man that she kept on loving even after marrying another one.

It’s Simone. Saying “I do” to a woman that’s not her. Even if Chiara is just peeking on the window of the church, her eyes can see the two people in front.

Her eyes landed on Simone. He’s still fine as before. He still has those shiny eyes that always looked at her with so much love.

But right now, this man is looking with love at another woman – the same way he looked at her before.

“I know that I have my own lapses. I’m not yet successful and rich enough to support you. There are a lot of richer and prettier men compare to me, but you chose me. Thank you, babe,” Simone started saying his vow to his bride.

While the two lovebirds are smiling from ear to ear, Chiara is right there with tears falling from her eyes like avalanche.

“No,” she whispered and touched the glass window as if she’s trying to reach her beloved man. “Stop.”

Simone took a deep breath before touching Alessandra’s hands. “You’re the best woman in my eyes. You’re intelligence makes you so sexy. The way you carried yourself cannot be compare to others. Your smile brightens up my lonely days. You laugh sounds melodic in my ears. Everything about you is so perfect. You’re perfect.”

The whole crowd inside the church makes an “aww” expression, for the vow that the man stated is so heartwarming and unique.

But those people didn’t know that the vow the man gave is the same as the words he said to another woman.

Only Chiara knew. Simone told her the same vow before afterall. He told her the same things, before they were separated by destiny.

“I promise to be with you for the rest of our lives. I promise to fight against whatever hinders our way. I vow to cherish, protect, and love you every day. I commit to give you the happiness you deserve and to be a responsible partner. I will be there in your ups, and comfort you in your downs,” his face moved closer to his bride and touched her cheek gently. “I love you.”

She was late. Chiara knew that. The man who promised her forever is now in another woman’s arms, cherishing their new marriage that’s full of love.

“But you promised me,” Chiara whispered while watching her man kiss another woman passionately. “You promised that you’re gonna marry me.”

Of course, Simone couldn’t hear her. The claps and cheers of their visitors covered the whole church.

Defeated, Chiara slowly walked away from the scene. Her mind is blank and tears kept on falling. She can’t even breathe properly.

She’s too occupied by the fact that her greatest and first love is now owned by another, and she didn’t notice that Ezio was right there, watching her cry because of another man.