MARRIED TO MR PLAYBOY

Bella ran down the hotel hallway, her heartbeat echoing louder than her footsteps. Her mother had called to inform her that her groom wasn't at the altar and no one had seen him. As she searched, her heart thudded in her chest. The fear of being the news headline consumed her. It was bad enough the media had gotten wind of their arranged marriage, and now being left at the altar was not an option. Her father's company needed this. She imagined the headlines. *The Parker's daughter left at the altar* She sighed in frustration, and then a loud moan came from nowhere. "No, no way, this is not happening. Not now," she muttered, walking towards the left side of the hallway. She quickly opened the door, and there he was—her groom, Axel, kissing another woman in front of her. Both of them seemed not to notice she was there. Her head spun. She fought back the nausea she felt. "You couldn't even keep it down even on your wedding day," she said indifferently. Axel looked up, his lips curled up in a smirk, lipstick smeared all over his lips. "Haven't you been taught to knock, princess?" Bella stared at him in disgust, wishing she could take that sly smile away. She pushed down her disgust and let out a smile. "How about getting dressed so we could go attend our wedding? Guests don't have all day." "Yeah, about that, give me a minute," he said, voice dismissive. Bella did not need to be told she had to wait for him to clean up. She stepped outside the room and let out the vomit she had been holding into a trash can nearby. She did not care about the mess she had made. Her mind drifted back to a few days ago when her mother had informed her about the marriage. She had fought, screamed, disagreed, but for her father's legacy, she had sacrificed her happiness, her future—and all she got was her groom kissing another woman on their wedding day. She glanced at the door, which was yet to open, waiting. Just then the door opened. Axel stepped out. She looked at his features. From the outside he looked calm and demure, but inside he was heartbreak itself. "Done staring, so we can go?" His voice jolted her to reality. Something about him made her cower, no matter how hard she did not want to admit it. Just then the woman stumbled out, blowing kisses, slipped a paper into his suit, pecked him, and scurried off. Bella just stared in disgust. They got into the car and the driver sped off. The silence in the car was deafening. She glanced at him constantly, waiting for him to say something—maybe sorry, or it won't happen again. Then she remembered their marriage was forced. At last, they pulled over at the wedding venue. Guards quickly rushed over to open the door. Axel stepped out, leaving her alone in the car. She could not hear a word since the car windows were soundproof. She sighed heavily and leaned back against the car seat, her mind racing with thoughts. "Miss, it's time," a guard said as he held out his hand to help her step down. She fought back her reluctance. There was no one to walk her down the aisle. She glanced up at the heavens. "Papa, I hope I'm doing the right thing," she muttered. She marched down the aisle. As she walked towards the altar, she glanced at her mother, who wore a forced smile, and there at the altar stood Axel, standing nonchalantly, face cold, expression unreadable. He did not even bring out his hand to help her when she got to the altar. "Do you, Bella Parker, take Axel Knight as your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" The moment was finally here. Bella fought back the tears that threatened to fall. "I do," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Do you, Axel Knight, take—" "I do," Axel cut in before the priest could finish. The priest smiled. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Bella's heart pounded. A kiss? She hadn't thought of that part yet. She watched as Axel moved closer, his face inches away from her lips, her heart pounding loudly against her chest. "Oh God," she muttered and closed her eyes, ready for the kiss. Axel pecked her on the cheek in a way it wasn't visible to the guests and pulled away. When Bella opened her eyes, he wore a smirk. She flicked her forehead. "What was she thinking?" Applause erupted amongst the guests—guests she did not even know. Cameras flashed. She wore a fake smile as she flaunted her ring to the crowd. The reception was not any better. She stood alone, sipping her champagne as she watched her mom chat away with guests, wearing that forced smile she normally wore. "Hey," a voice called behind her. She turned to see a guy standing behind her with a bottle of champagne. "Hey," she muttered. "Cheers to you." He raised his glass to tap it lightly with hers, then continued, "Seems your groom isn't paying attention to you." Bella turned to glance at Axel, who was paying attention to his phone. Then she caught him wink at someone. She did not bother checking. She knew it would be one of the guests. "Nah, it's cool," she let out an embarrassed laugh, trying to smooth things over. "So typical of my brother." "Brother?" Axel never mentioned having a brother. She paused. Not like she knew him. Before she could have time to think, Axel stormed over, his face burning with rage. "What are you doing here, Matteo?" "That's no way to welcome your elder brother," Matteo said, his mouth curled up in a smirk. "Stay away from my wife." "Chill, bro. She's part of the family, or isn't she?" Matteo's smile turned wicked. Axel clenched his fists, his anger boiling. "That's none of your f*****g business. Stay out of my life." Axel then grabbed Bella's hand. "Let's go." Bella followed obediently as he pulled her through the crowd. He shoved her into the car and the driver sped off. Bella's thoughts were all over the place. Who was Matteo? How was he Axel's brother? What were the Knights hiding? And why had Axel been so protective about her just now?