Bought by Marriage

Chapter 3:

Natalia's POV:

Today is my wedding day, but I'm alone.

I sat quietly on the wedding bed, a bitter smile on my face. This vast mansion… why does it make me feel so lonely? But just thinking of Edward brings a gentle smile to my lips.

I remember very clearly the first time I saw him at my father's company's year-end party. Just one glance, and my heart went out of control. I fell in love with him that very moment.

Roselight Enterprises is my father's lifelong passion. To develop it, he decided to partner with Everhart International. My father and Jonathan Hargrove have known each other for a long time, so the marriage alliance between the two companies was understandable. I've never blamed my father because marrying Edward is the greatest wish of my life.

Even though he disappeared without a word after the wedding ceremony… I still believe I can win his heart. I wanted him to know that I wasn't just a worthless decorative object. I was worthy of him.

Thinking that, my heart overflowed with happiness. I opened my eyes wide and looked around the room.

"This is truly luxurious…" I murmured.

I had heard that the Hargrove family was very wealthy, but seeing this kind of extravagance with my own eyes… still shocked me.

The architecture of Wynthorne House was romantic and elegant; the layout was incredibly complex. The large mansion was divided into small, labyrinthine sections. Every detail was so meticulously carved that it felt like I was stepping into a living work of art.

I walked to the window. The night breeze rustled through the silk curtains, gently touching my hair. I sat down, thinking softly: Edward, where have you gone?

Recalling the morning he coldly left, my heart tightened. I know you don't care about this marriage… but what about me…?

I leaned my forehead against the door frame, lost in my endless thoughts.

When the bedroom door burst open, I was startled by the strong smell of alcohol. Edward walked in. His eyes quickly swept to where I was leaning by the window.

I looked at him through my heavy, sleepy eyes. Perhaps he was surprised to see me still awake, still waiting for him, after all, it was my wedding night.

I tried to open my eyes, but sleepiness overwhelmed me. Then… I drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

In my drowsy state, I felt his gaze linger on me. The night breeze gently blew my hair. The wedding dress clung to my skin, my white calves exposed beneath the silk curtain… I heard his breath drawing closer.

I didn't know what I looked like in his eyes, but the feeling of being stared at made my heart tremble slightly in my sleep.

Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted. My body felt weightless in his arms. A soft surface of the bed brushed against my back.

A warm hand gently caressed my cheek… so tenderly that I unconsciously pressed my face against it.

"Mmm…" I murmured, curling up to find some warmth.

His hand continued to lightly stroke my cheek, my neck, my shoulder… sending shivers down my spine. An inexplicable wave of heat coursed through me. I unconsciously squirmed.

Then I felt his warm lips glide over my cold skin. His breath fanned my neck, down my collarbone…

It wasn't until his heavy body pressed against mine that I woke up with a start:

"Ed… Edward? You… you're back?"

I looked at him. His hair fell across his forehead, his deep black eyes, his sharp features, his thin, cold yet alluring lips.

It was Edward… the man I loved.

My heart pounded with panic, and… with a vague, budding happiness. He leaned his face close to mine, so close I could hear his breathing. I awkwardly raised my hand to lightly shield his chest.

“Edward… I…”

I was flustered. His eyes were filled with lust, frightening me. I wasn’t used to being this close to him… even though I was his wife.

He gave a wicked, cold smile that sent shivers down my spine:

“Don’t like it? You’re married to me. Don’t forget tonight is our wedding night.”

My heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. I lowered my head, biting my lip:

“I… I’m not used to it…”

My words made him pause slightly. Then his hand lifted my chin, his breath close to my ear:

“Do you know that your current appearance… is tempting someone to commit a crime?”

I panicked. His strong breath enveloped my entire body, making me feel unsteady on my feet.

I turned my face away, but unintentionally my lips lightly touched the corner of his mouth.

I froze.

“I’m sorry… I… I didn’t mean to!”

But when I looked into his eyes, they darkened—deep, dangerous, full of desire.

And I knew… tonight belonged to him.

Edward pulled me back forcefully, making me face him.

“I didn’t expect the eldest daughter of the Dyer family to know how to use the ‘It’s the gentle ties that hold the firmest’ trick. Foolish… but I like it.”

Before I could understand what was happening, my wrist was gripped tightly. He lowered his head, his hot breath fanning my neck, making me shiver with a mixture of tingling sensations and panic.

His hand suddenly tightened its grip on sensitive areas of my body, making me jump.

“Edward… you’re drunk… stop…” I whispered in fear, completely at a loss for what to do in the face of his roughness and aggression.

“Stop?” he smirked, his cold, sarcastic smile playing on his lips. “You are my legal wife. I want you; you should feel honored, not trembling like this.”

His voice sounded gentle, but every word was filled with provocation, making my face flush and my heart pound.

I gradually stopped resisting, partly out of fear, partly because the unexpected gentleness in his voice made my mind hazy.

Seeing that I was no longer struggling, he smiled wickedly, his hand sliding down my thigh. A strange, both terrifying and sweet flame slowly spread through my body, making me tremble slightly.

Then his voice, low and sharp as a blade, whispered in my ear: “Open your eyes. Look at me.”

I trembled and opened my eyes. His gaze locked onto me, deep, dark, and full of power. I felt as if I were being swallowed whole.

“You certainly know how to use your beauty…” he growled softly, then suddenly embraced me tightly and tore off my dress, revealing my bare skin except for my underwear. I gasped softly and instinctively tried to cover my naked body, but Edward quickly grabbed my wrists and pinned them behind my head.

“You… you…”

“What are you shy about? Aren’t you used to this already?”

No…it’s not like that… I really wanted to cry out and explain to him, but my lips no longer had that chance as he swallowed all my words with a kiss. His tongue intertwined in my mouth, the overwhelming sensation of lust making my brain numb and my legs begin to rub against each other. At this moment, Edward’s other hand gently slipped behind my back, skillfully unfastening my bra and then slipping his hand under it, caressing my soft breasts. His body pressed against mine, and a moment later, I felt something gradually hardening, warm and pressing against my lower abdomen. The hormonal reaction made my body begin to surge, my heart pounding, and a burning desire to possess something.

Edward's hand slowly moved downwards, touching the forbidden zone, the sensitive part of my body. Each movement made my whole body tremble, and I felt as if my limbs no longer belonged to me. He didn't completely undress me, but slipped his hand inside, his fingers quickly finding the most sensitive spot and playing with it. That action made me involuntarily let out moans from my throat.

"What a slutty woman," Edward uttered after ending the long kiss. I was breathless, my face flushed. Actually, I didn't know if it was from embarrassment or suffocation. But my mind didn't care much about that anymore because Edward had started to undress. His shirt fell to the floor, revealing his beautiful and muscular body, then his belt, and finally his pants. He didn't take them all off, leaving his underwear on, where I could see something bulging. My eyes shyly averted, but at that moment, a hand grabbed my chin and forced my head back to look directly at him.

“Look at me, look, look at what you crave.” His gaze was directed downwards, but that wasn't really the case. Before I could say anything, Edward pressed down on me again, his hand taking mine and placing it on that warm, sensitive spot. Then he slipped my hand inside his pants, letting me touch the most sensitive part of his body.

Touching that for the first time, I felt a little strange, but then Edward spoke, snapping me out of my reverie:

“Take off my pants.”

“Huh… huh…” I was stunned, while he repeated the command:

“Hurry up.”

My hands fumbled as I pulled down his pants. Edward, unable to wait any longer, kicked them down with his foot. Then he pressed my hand against that sensitive spot again, his breathing heavy and rapid, sometimes exhaling as if satisfied.

“Touch it, caress it.”

I complied. It was large, long, covered in veins, with a soft tip that occasionally secreted mucus. Edward lay on top of me, breathing heavily and comfortably, then suddenly pushed my hand away and thrust straight into my most sensitive spot.

“Ah…” I cried out in excruciating pain, my whole body numb. Despite my mental preparation, my body couldn’t adapt. Everything was so new, so intense.

The tight, painful sensation made Edward pause slightly. I saw a look of surprise flash across his eyes, as if he’d realized something about me.

“You… are very clean.” His voice was hoarse, a mixture of desire and suppressed anger.

His movements gradually slowed, no longer as brutal as before. A strange tenderness flickered amidst the wildness, making my body go limp, my eyes misty.

“Edward… I love you…” I don’t know where I got the courage to say those words, but my heart… it was true.

He stopped abruptly.

His eyes, filled with complex emotions, stared straight at me, then immediately turned icy cold. His smile curved, full of sarcasm.

My vision blurred, my mind reeled, unaware that at that moment, Edward was thinking of another woman.

Nancy…

The next second, he cruelly gripped my waist, exerting force.

“If you love me, don’t hold back. I will lead you to another world.”

I couldn’t bear it. A moan escaped my lips despite my attempts to suppress it.