Chapter 1
Everyone knew Vincent, the ruthless crime lord, was allergic to women, except for me, his fiancee. No other woman could get within three feet of him.
Yet that college student he'd casually rescued refused to believe it. She wouldn't leave him alone.
Until her 99th attempt to sneak into his bed. Finally fed up, Vincent had his men dump her in the frozen wilderness.
Then came avalanche. Buried alive, her fate was unknown.
Vincent lost all control. He dove into those deadly peaks himself, vanishing without a trace.
Until drone footage went viral, the two of them locked in a passionate kiss atop a snow-capped summit. Overnight, I became the laughingstock of high society.
That same night, Vincent's allergies sent him to the ER. Lying there, ghostly pale and allergy-swollen, he wheezed at me, "She just wants a child. Don't make this difficult."
I scoffed. "Her desperate need for a kid? Not my problem."
I'd already picked a new groom the moment he charged into those mountains.
He had it backwards. He was the one who had to marry me, not the other way around.
I'd just finalized the wedding invitations when Vincent barged in, his gaze locking onto the embossed cards. His brow twitched.
"You've ignored my calls. My texts..."
It took me a heartbeat to process. I'd tossed my old SIM card a month ago. He'd only just noticed?
When I stayed silent, his expression softened. "Eva Green's pregnant. She's emotional from the hormones. We'll postpone until after the baby comes."
I barked out a laugh. "Relax, Vincent. You're not the groom."
He gave me that infuriatingly dismissive glance. "Kate Bennett, spare me the theatrics. You didn't even change the venue. You expect me to believe you'd replace me?"
My fists clenched. The audacity. How dare he feign ignorance?
On her deathbed, my mother's unseeing eyes had fixed on Northwood. I'd sobbed until my voice cracked. That night, Vincent held me, whispering, "We'll marry there. Your mother will know you returned for her."
No matter the groom, I'd keep that promise.
"She only wants a child. It won't threaten your position as Mrs. King." His voice dropped to a growl. "But..." He leaned in, eyes darkening. "Your wedding plans are too public. Eva's too distressed to eat. You ignored my requests to delay. This calls for... consequences."
His knuckles cracked as he shoved his phone toward me. Ice flooded my veins. I looked down and my lungs locked.
A few familiar faces swung baseball bats with reckless force, each strike shattering my painstakingly crafted masterpieces.
In mere minutes, they turned the exhibition I'd waited twenty years for into complete devastation.
My expression darkened, my gaze locked onto Vincent like a predator's, my hands trembling into tight fists.
This Northwood exhibition was my mother's dying wish.
He knew better than anyone how long I'd dreamed of this after following in her footsteps.
I grabbed the glass from the table and hurled it at him. "Vincent! I'm from the Bennett Family! Did you think I'd just take this lying down?"
He didn't dodge. The glass hit his forehead with a wet crunch, blood streaming down before it shattered on the floor.
The room turned frigid as his eyes darkened like gathering thunderclouds until he spotted the blood dripping from my fingers.
His expression faltered. He let out a weary sigh.
"If you can't paint," he murmured, "you'll be devastated again."
Ignoring his own wound, he snatched the first-aid kit and tended to my cuts with unexpected tenderness.
Just like that night when we'd knelt before my mother's coffin, drenched in blood.
