After my family fell from power, my fiancé made me the prize on a business deal. "Whoever can make this mute moan gets the 50-million-dollar contract." The room erupted. My face went pale. I grabbed Thiago's sleeve, opened my mouth, and tried to beg him, but not a single sound came out. The car accident three years ago took my parents from me. Along with my voice. Thiago only shoved me away in disgust and walked out. "If it weren't for this engagement, I would've married Ruby a long time ago." The men closed in around me. They forced liquor down my throat while I fought them in silence. I could not even scream for help. Just before everything went black, a tall man carried me out of the room, and I spent the night tangled in his arms. Later, my fiancé stood in the rain and begged me to forgive him. But that man had already pinned me gently against the window, his breath hot against my ear. "Babe, tell him to get lost."

William Vance was the most ruthless Don the mafia had ever seen. In just one year at the top, he opened up nearly 20 new shipping lanes, and that same hunger for business pushed our wedding back 20 times over.   The other families laughed at me behind my back, and he acted like he never heard a word of it.   Even when my father, on his deathbed, begged him to marry me while there was still time, William gave the same answer he always did. "Right now, family business comes before everything else. Annie will just have to hold on a little longer."   In the end, my father died with that regret still hanging over him. It was only at the funeral, when William finally remembered how my family had backed his rise to power, that he finally softened and agreed to the wedding.   But on the day itself, when I showed up in my wedding dress, his men blocked me at the door.   "Miss Ashford, the Don is marrying his childhood sweetheart. Don't flatter yourself. It's not like he'd marry you."   While I refused to accept it and tried to force my way inside, William called the police and had me hauled off to a cell.   The next morning, a photo of me being dragged away, disheveled and wild-eyed, ran across every tabloid. All of a sudden, I became the running joke of everyone we knew.   A week later, as I walked out of jail, William was waiting for me at the gate. "Her birthday wish was a wedding, so I gave her one. You're still the woman I think of as my real wife. There's no reason to blow this up, is there?"   I heard him out, and I nodded.   If he couldn't give me a wedding, then I didn't want one at all.

I had just put a bag of rolls in the cart when my boyfriend, Colton Marsh, reached over and placed it back on the shelf, ruffling my hair, grinning. "Since when did you start spending like this? Free samples are right over there."   His voice was gentle as he picked a piece off the sample tray and popped it into my mouth.   Then, without missing a beat, he turned around and grabbed the most expensive bag of bread and a box of chocolates for his sister, Julie Marsh, before making a point of lining up at the deli counter for a rotisserie chicken.   Right before checkout, I set a bag of chips on the counter, a cheap one that cost only $1.99, but Colton didn't hesitate to take it back from the cashier.   "Sorry, Julie doesn't eat this stuff."   "I want them, though." I smiled and handed them back to the cashier.   Colton let out a soft laugh. "Still no. The crunch sound would bother her. Besides, I'm helping you stick to your diet."

The day before my foster sister Lilian Lewis's wedding, she suddenly burst into tears completely out of the blue.   Figuring she was just upset about leaving home, I tried to comfort her. "I know this is an arranged marriage, but honestly, he's a decent guy, and he'll be good to you. And you can always come back home anytime you miss us."   But out of nowhere, my mother slapped me and snapped, "When are you ever going to leave Lillie alone? Back then, just because she scored higher than you on the SAT, you lost control and said you were going to kill yourself. Later, just to spare your feelings, she ended up going to a community college instead of somewhere better! And now you're making her marry someone she doesn't love at all!"   I hurried to grab Lilian and begged her to set the record straight for me. "Didn't you tell me you liked that guy? And back then, you made up all those lies about me…"   Before I could even finish, my boyfriend, Howard Ingram, stepped in front of Lilian, who was totally terrified, blocking her with his body.   "Lillie used to give in to you on everything and hand over whatever you asked for. Would you please just stop ruining her life? To tell you the truth, Lillie and I had been in love all along. The only reason she ever gave me up to you was that she was putting up with your instability. But now, we both regret that decision."   He looked at me, his eyes full of hatred, and added, "If you think that stranger is such a wonderful catch, why don't you go ahead and marry him yourself?"   My parents chimed in as well, "After all, you're our real daughter, and you've enjoyed a comfortable life all these years. It's only fair that you be the one to take on this arranged marriage."   Watching everyone I loved turn their backs on me like that, I suddenly felt completely drained.   It finally dawned on me that all the kindness they had shown me over the years had never been genuine.   "Alright," I said. "I'll marry him."