Living With The Seven Bad Boys

Ellie’s POV. “Are you really sure about this?” My attention was directed to Lavinia when she asked me such a question. I could tell she was worried by the look on her face. I exhaled a deep sigh and nodded. “Yes,” I stated firmly. She placed her arms across her chest, and heaved a burdensome breath. “Fine. It’s not like I can stop you from escaping–” My ears seemed to expand and my eyes widened. Like a flash, I covered her mouth before she could finish what she was about to disclose. “Would you mind lowering your voice, Lav? They might hear us!” I hushed her and darted her a warning glare. While in my room, Lavinia sought approval from her parents to stay over. We were planning my escape for later because tomorrow is my wedding day, and there was no way my parents would call it off. I had to run away before the ceremony took place. No matter what, I couldn’t allow the wedding to proceed. There was a knock on the door. As soon as the door opened and Mom entered my room, Lavinia and I fell silent. “Ellie, are you ready for tomorrow?” Mom asked me in a jubilant tone. I simply nodded in response, not wanting to cause any conflict. But deep down, I wanted to scream and protest. How could they even consider this? Did they not care about my feelings? I couldn’t help but feel sad for her. I could see the glint of hope and sparkles in her eyes, as if she had been waiting for this moment to come. She had always dreamt of me getting married and settling down. But at the same time, I felt disappointed and angry. How could they even think of sacrificing my happiness for the sake of their business? I wasn’t just a piece on their chessboard, to be moved and used at their convenience. I wasn’t their puppy, whom they could toy and order around. I was their daughter, and they should have put it in mind before making such a decision. I’m sorry, Mom, but I can’t and I don’t want to continue with a marriage that I never approved of in the first place. It had only been a month since my parents had announced my engagement without even consulting me. And now, Mom was already pushing me to marry him as soon as possible? Did she see marriage as some kind of game or business transaction? Marriage wasn’t a trial-and-error. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly. I couldn’t simply go into it unprepared and then regret it for the rest of my life. “That’s good to hear. I think you should get some rest now, my dear. Tomorrow is going to be the best day of your life!” She smiled at me before exiting my room. Best day, my foot. “Your parents, indeed, are serious about your wedding, huh?” Lavinia, who was sitting beside me, whispered with a hint of sarcasm laced in her tone. “So, what’s the plan?” “I’ll wait until midnight to check if everyone in the house is asleep. Then, I guess that’s the right time to leave.” “I’m trying to weigh the possibilities, Ellie. What if… What if you fail to execute your plan?” I was taken aback by her question. She was right, I didn’t think of it beforehand. What if I fail to carry out my plan? What am I going to do after? What will happen to me? I will be tied to a man I don’t love for the rest of my life. I gasped for air as I clenched my fists. Only imagining it happening in the near future suffocates me. I swear, it will be the cause of my death. “Just trust me, Lav. I’ll make sure to succeed,” I said boldly. “Fine. Let’s say you succeed in escaping, so where will you go after?” “I’m not yet sure. I have my own car and enough money to rent an apartment or maybe I can stay at a hotel,” I replied and shrugged, uncertain. “Duh! The hotels here are way far from our city, and I bet your parents will do everything to find you, Ellie! You know how important you are for their business.” “Yes, I know, but I won’t let that happen. If I need to leave the country as soon as I get out of this house, even if it’s risky, I’ll do it. If they are willing to do everything to seek for me, then I’ll do the same thing to get away.” I was fed up by the fact that nothing else mattered to my parents but their company. Lavinia sighed with a sound. It was obvious that like me, she was stressed as well because of what was happening to my life, but I was glad she was by my side because I no longer knew from whom else I would draw strength to fight for my rights to choose what I think was best for myself. She sat across from me and caressed the back of my palm to somehow ease my mood. I smiled at her, so she would be less worried about me. “Whatever happens, I will always support you, Ellie.” The clock struck midnight, and everyone inside the house were all asleep, except for me and Lavinia. It was no surprise. My parents were workaholics and always went to bed early. All they did at home was fill the void in their sleeping schedule. Luckily, their early bedtime worked in my favor as it made it easier for me to sneak out of the house. As I gathered my things and prepared to leave, Lavinia and I made our way through the quiet hallways at a slow pace. She stayed up with me to make sure that I could escape without any trouble. The two of us were very cautious as we walked, making sure not to make any noise. We had to be careful because the bodyguards at the front gate could hear us at any moment. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, we took the route through the backyard. It was the closest and least guarded. Thankfully, there were no bodyguards patrolling this area at the moment. When we stepped outside, I hurried to say my goodbyes to her. We both knew that we had to move quickly and quietly to accomplish our mission without getting caught. I smiled at her. “Thank you for helping me, Lav. I owe you a lot.” “Take care of yourself. Call me, okay? Keep me posted. I will miss you, Ellie,” she reminded me despite getting emotional. I hugged her tightly. “I will miss you, too.” After a few minutes of deafening silence in the middle of the solemn night and embracing one another, we both loosened our grip on the hug. “I have to go now. Goodbye, Lavinia.” “Goodbye, Ellie!” she replied, crying while waving as I turned my back to walk away. God knew how much I didn’t want to leave, but I had to. I couldn’t let regrets fill me in the end just because I didn’t have the courage to stand up against this arranged marriage. I had been against it since the very beginning, but my parents were adamant. The Tan family was a powerful and influential one, and their investment in our company was crucial for our success. My parents didn’t want to risk losing the deal, and so they pushed me into this marriage. But I wouldn't trade a lifetime of freedom for a business deal. I knew the possibilities of the Tan family delaying or pulling out their investment, but I couldn’t give in to their demands. I had to follow my heart and make my own decisions, even if it meant going against my parents’ wishes. I put my belongings in the car compartment and started driving off. I had to leave tonight, as staying any longer would only make it harder for me to leave. I didn’t know where I was going, but perhaps it would be better to go to a hotel for the night. As I drove away from the mansion, tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t help but think about the life I was leaving behind and the uncertain future ahead of me. But deep down, I knew I had made the right decision. I couldn’t let myself be trapped in a loveless marriage and live a life filled with regret. Despite two hours of driving, I had yet to come across a single hotel, let alone pass another car. Just like Lavinia had warned me, hotels and buildings were too far from our town because we were in the rural side. I was hoping to find at least a small inn, but it seemed challenging. I pulled over as I watched the rain beat down on the windshield. I couldn’t see anything beyond the blinding sheets of water. It was frustrating to not be able to find a place to stay after driving for so long. I checked my phone when I heard it ring. “Hello?” I answered Lavinia’s call. “Are you okay? Where are you? The rain is heavy, Ellie!” she shouted over the line. “Don’t worry, Lav. I’m fine. Although I haven’t found a place to stay yet.” “But it’s raining cats and dogs! I’m afraid something bad will happen to you on the road.” “The rain will stop soon. So please, stop creating loud noises! They might wake up!” I hissed. “Fine. Then find a hotel or a place you can stay in as soon as possible, Ellie. It’s dark outside and you’re driving. Because of the heavy rain, something might happen to you, so be careful.” “Don’t tell me what to do, okay? I know what I’m doing. I’ll call you later, bye!” I said before I ended the call and turned off my phone. Over time, the rain seemed to be getting worse, and I could barely see the road in front of me. There were no lampposts around, only the dim red glow of my brake lights. I had been behind the wheel for nearly four hours now, my eyes heavy with exhaustion and my back aching from the uncomfortable car seat. I had been searching for a place to rest for the night, but there seemed to be no signs of hotels or apartments. I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that I was far from home and the city. Just when I thought my luck couldn’t get any worse, my car suddenly sputtered and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. I cursed every swear word I could think of. I tried to start the car again, but it wouldn’t budge. I was stranded in the middle of nowhere. I took out my phone, hoping for a signal, but of course, there was none. “s**t!” I cussed. “Of all times, why now?!” Feeling defeated, I got out of the car. I was too exhausted to care about the rain drenching me. I checked the gas gauge and I found out it was empty. I had run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. How much more unlucky could I be? There was no gasoline station in sight, and there was no one around to ask for help. I took a deep breath and decided to take matters into my own hands. I couldn’t just sit there and wait for a miracle to happen. I had to find a solution. Just then, I saw a flicker of light in the distance. I squinted my eyes and realized there was a house near where I was standing. I let out a sigh of relief and took my baggage from the compartment before I ran towards it. It wasn’t as big as ours, but it was a 2nd-storey house and it looked spacious inside, so I decided to knock. Perhaps I could stay here until the sun rose. I knocked several times, but no one answered nor opened the door for me. I thought that maybe no one was there. I was set to leave, but then, the door suddenly unclasped. A man appeared in front of me. “Do you need anything, miss?” I was about to speak when I turned to glance at the others behind him. There were seven in total and they were all men. I swallowed the lump in my throat in nervousness. “U-Uh… Nothing! I’m sorry if I woke you up. I-I’m leaving!” I stammered and hurried away. I was embarrassed by the fact that I had woken everyone up with the loudness of my knock. I shamefully turned away from them when the rain started pouring harder. The downpour had gotten so intense that I couldn’t even see the street in front of me. My feet felt like they were stuck to the ground, and I couldn’t bring myself to take another step forward. I closed my eyes tightly and heaved a deep breath before mustering up the courage to face them once again. I didn’t know what kind of house this was or who these men were, but with nowhere to run, I stepped forward and asked the only question I could: “Can I stay here?” My car was stranded. My phone had no signal. I was standing in front of a house with seven strangers, all men, in the middle of nowhere. What exactly had I just walked into?