Chapter 2: The Bride They Sacrificed
997 Words
POV: Rihito
People know the name Rodriguez Empire.
A powerful multinational company with branches across different countries. Feared by competitors. Respected by the wealthy. Untouchable.
But nobody truly knows me.
Nobody knows how I live. Nobody knows what I became.
Ten years ago, I had something far more valuable than money.
A family.
And in one horrible night, they were taken away from me.
Ever since then, my life has been filled with shadows, unanswered questions, and enemies I still haven’t found.
The world sees me as a successful businessman.
But behind closed doors?
I am just a broken man surviving another empty day.
Every morning feels the same. Another meeting. Another business deal. Another silent dinner eaten alone in a mansion too big for one person.
Money was supposed to make life better.
Instead, it only made loneliness more comfortable.
I slowly adjusted the black mask covering half of my face and stared at my reflection through the glass window.
Even after all these years, I still hated mirrors.
The scars on my face were a cruel reminder of the accident that destroyed my life.
The day my parents died, we were traveling for a family vacation.
We never reached our destination.
Our car crashed.
I survived… But part of me died with them.
As if fate wasn’t satisfied enough, another accident years later left me unable to walk properly.
For now, I relied on a wheelchair.
And because of that, people feared me.
Or maybe they pitied me.
To the outside world, I was nothing more than a scarred cripple hiding behind a mask.
A monster wearing expensive suits.
A bitter smile appeared on my lips.
And today, apparently, that monster was getting married.
My assistant pushed my wheelchair into the Martins mansion while the servants welcomed us nervously.
The moment Jones Martins saw me, sweat immediately formed on his forehead despite the cold air conditioner.
That amused me.
“Mr. Rodriguez,” he greeted with a forced smile. “It’s an honor to have you here.”
I simply nodded.
His wife, Leah, sat beside him pretending to look comfortable, but I could see the greed hidden in her eyes.
People always looked at me in one of two ways: Fear… Or opportunity.
And this family clearly saw me as opportunity.
“I’ll go prepare Veronica,” Jones suddenly said before excusing himself upstairs with his wife.
Veronica.
My so-called future bride.
Honestly, I wasn’t interested in marriage.
Love was meaningless to me.
This marriage was nothing more than a business arrangement.
Still, I came here out of curiosity.
I wanted to see the woman willing to marry a man the world considered broken.
But a few minutes later, angry voices echoed from upstairs.
“I can’t marry some ugly crippled man, Dad!”
The sharp female voice made me pause.
Interesting.
“You don’t have to love him,” Jones replied quickly. “Just get close to him, steal his money, and leave him with nothing. He’s extremely wealthy.”
I leaned back silently, listening.
“Dad, everyone knows he’s a monster,” the girl snapped again.
Monster.
I had heard that word so many times that it no longer affected me.
Or maybe I had simply grown numb to it.
“Veronica, you have to help this family,” Jones pleaded desperately. “If he destroys my company, we’ll lose everything.”
“Because of your useless company, you want me to marry that cripple?” she yelled.
Then another voice joined in.
Cold. Sharp. Cruel.
“Jones, why not send Aaliya instead?” Leah suggested casually. “She’s useless anyway. At least we can benefit from her marriage.”
Silence followed.
Then Jones spoke again.
“You’re right… I didn’t think about her.”
Aaliya.
The name sounded unfamiliar.
“Call her immediately,” Leah continued. “She should be grateful we’re even giving her this opportunity.”
I slowly smirked.
So they were willing to sacrifice another daughter just to save themselves.
What a disgusting family.
A few minutes later, Leah returned downstairs with a fake smile on her face.
“She’s on her way home already,” she informed me politely. “Sorry for keeping you waiting.”
“No problem,” I replied calmly. “A man should learn patience when waiting for his future wife.”
She laughed awkwardly.
But my mind remained on one thing.
Aaliya.
Who exactly was she?
Quietly, I picked up my phone and sent a message to my assistant.
Find out everything about Aaliya Martins.
A few minutes later, my phone vibrated.
“She is the first daughter of Jones Martins and the late Alexa Martins. Very little information available. Currently works as a chef.”
A chef?
That alone surprised me.
Children from wealthy families rarely worked ordinary jobs.
Before I could think further, Jones returned downstairs.
“We apologize for the delay,” he said nervously while sitting down. “She just went upstairs to change.”
I said nothing.
But for some reason…
I suddenly found myself curious about the girl they were so eager to throw away.”
Honestly, I should have left already.
Any decent man would have walked out the moment he realized a family was willing to throw away one daughter just to protect another.
But I stayed.
Maybe because I was curious.
Or maybe because, for the first time in years, someone else sounded just as trapped as I was.
Aaliya.
Even her name carried sadness behind it.
The more I thought about the conversation upstairs, the more something felt wrong.
They spoke about her like she didn’t matter. Like she was disposable. Like giving her to me was some punishment.
A dark smile slowly formed on my lips beneath the mask.
Interesting.
They feared me so much that they would rather sacrifice the daughter they hated than the one they loved.
Little did they know…
Monsters recognize broken people better than anyone else.
- Writer
