THE CEO'S BRIDE REVENGE

Ariana's pov I was sitting in a bar drunken to a stupor, hoping the wine would help fill the void I felt within but it only made it worse. The stench of my fiance's betrayal lingered, leaving a deep impact on my heart. No matter how much wine I consumed, the sadness remained, refusing to be washed away. It was a heavy burden I carried, weighing down my spirits. "Gideon Douglas." I sobbed "How dare you." I muttered as I gulped down some more alcohol. The people in the bar watched me with a stern gaze. It was obvious I was going through a lot. They muttered against themselves as they took pity on me. "After everything we've been through." I cried. A tear escapes my eyes when I gaze over the diamond ring on my slender hand. I let out a soft chuckle with the tears pouring down. Tomorrow was meant to be the happiest day of my life. It was the day I was to wed my first love. But as it turns out everything was all just a sham, an illusion painted by my stepsister to ruin my life. I, Ariana Colson was the first daughter of the Colson family. Although I was the first born she was regarded as trash by my family. After my mom divorced my father due to cheating allegations and not quite long he remarried. I was treated poorly by my Father's new family. I was equivalent to a slave and they took it upon themselves to make my life miserable Even the public was not even aware of my existence. My father is aware of such actions but he wants peace to reign in the family so he lets them do whatever they want and not to mention he doted on my stepsister a lot. She was his precious daughter and he spoiled her to the core. He neglected me with the excuse that I was a grown-up and my step-sister Jessica was still a baby and she needed attention. I smirked with a sob and furiously flung the ring from my finger and tossed it away without a care. "What is a pretty lady like you doing all alone in a place like this?" I heard a voice from behind. I turned to see the person in front of me, fighting the drowsiness I felt. No matter how I squinted my eyes I couldn't see his face clearly due to the dim light in the bar but I could tell he was a handsome young man. "Damn this wine," I remarked, blaming the wine for my drunken state. The man took a seat beside me and ordered a drink. "You dropped this." The man said to me passing the ring to me. "Keep it, take it as a present from me," I replied taking a sip from my drink. "I'm ...."The man's voice trailed while he extended his hands forward but I was quick to wave him off. "I don't want to know," I muttered. I gave him a stern gaze ignoring his gesture. The last thing I needed was to get involved with any man, especially after what happened to my last relationship. My current relationship is because I was yet to break up with my fiance after finding out he was cheating on me with my step-sister. I confronted the couple, hoping for some remorse or an explanation. However, to my dismay, they showed no signs of remorse and their relationship seemed to have been going on for years. The realization left me feeling betrayed and hurt. I and my step sister never had a good relationship but I didn't expect such a thing. I mustered up the courage to confide in my parents about the issue, hoping they would understand my pain but it was the opposite. Their response only added to my distress, leaving me feeling even worse than before. The weight of the memories still lingered in my heart, a constant reminder of the pain I carried. "Dad, I want to break the engagement," I said to my father the moment I stormed into his study and unfortunately, my stepmother was there. "How dare you try to break your engagement." My stepmother yelled. My face contorted into a frown as I shifted my gaze towards my father. There was a mix of confusion, disappointment, and perhaps even a hint of anger in my expression. I had something to say but held back for the moment because I knew my father would lose it. "Dad, I just saw Gideon cheating on me with Jessica. I'm sorry but I can't continue like this." I said to my father respectfully. My eyes widened in disbelief as my father abruptly stood up, and before I knew it, a hard slap landed on my face. The suddenness of the action left me stunned and in pain, my cheek stinging from the impact. I blinked back the tears that welled up in my eyes, determined not to let them fall. "Who cares if he's cheating on you? It's just a temporary thing anyway. And Jessica is already engaged, so what's the harm if she wants a little fling with your fiance?" My father exclaimed angrily. That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks, everyone else seemed to know what was going on, and I was the only one left in the dark. "She's your younger sister, you should learn to sacrifice." He continued. I couldn't help but hold my cheek with a scoff. Throughout my life, I had always given Jessica whatever she wanted, even if it meant sacrificing my happiness. It was frustrating to constantly prioritize someone else's desires over my own. I realized that it was time to start standing up for myself and putting my own needs first. I often wondered if my father had lost his mind, but then again, what did I expect from a man who cheated on my mother and pushed her to the point of getting a divorce? It wasn't long before my mother passed away, and it was clear that my heart was shattered by my Father's betrayal. "Like father like daughter." I sneered under my breath. "This girl has grown up to be so mannerless. Honey, I always told you not to indulge In her so much." My stepmother said hurriedly to my father. "I can see that now. Ariana you know we need Mr Gideon's Douglas financial support because the company is going through a financial crisis but you dare try to break off the engagement and your wedding is tomorrow." My father groaned. "So you want me to get married to that monster that has no regard for me. Since your precious daughter is the best she should get married to Douglas besides she is already performing the wife's duty." I smirked. "You.." my stepmother trailed off as she bit her lips. "Jessica is engaged but she's fooling around with my fiance, you are all aware and you don't see anything wrong with it," I said in disgust. I felt a strong hand pull my hair harshly. "Nag all you want but you are going to marry Mr Gideon. It's the least you can do to repay this family after taking care of you all these years. Now get out of my sight and prepare for your wedding." My father yelled. "Hello! I'm still here." The man said waving a hand over my face. I flickered my lashes and realized I was still at the bar. The pain was so much that it made my throat dry and the only thing I wanted was a distraction to escape this cruel reality. I tilted my head at the man in front of me, slowly reaching out to his face with a smirk on my face. "Do you mind staying with me tonight?" I said abruptly. ***