Runaway Bride

Chapter Two

Unwanted Ties

Later that night, unable to sleep, Olivia slipped out of her room and down the grand staircase, each footstep silent against the plush carpet. She knew this was a terribly risky undertaking, but desperation had seemingly dulled her judgment enough to seize any opportunity that might get her out of this living nightmare. If she could only find something that would persuade her father to have a change of heart and call off this deal.

With her nervous heart beating like a jackhammer, she tiptoed towards her father’s office and swallowed hard as she reached for the knob. While she knew he would have the office door locked, she also knew where he kept the spare key. Peering left and right to ensure the coast was clear, she moved the small round white vase on the hallway console and located the key right where it was stashed.

The office was a dark, chilly place and the smell of varnished wood and leather filled the air. She paused for a moment and then reached for the switch for the small desk lamp. The room was lit just enough to make out the papers on her father's desk. Her fingers shook as she rummaged through them, hoping for something - for anything - to give her a way out.

It initially seemed futile. The documents were mostly business contracts and financial records, all stamped with the Bennett family crest. But as she dug deeper, a set of papers caught her attention. They were correspondence notes, each one marked with a familiar, looming signature.

Damian’s.

Her eyes scanned the letters, and with each word, her chest tightened. The messages between her father and Damian revealed a calculated plan, one that went far beyond a simple marriage arrangement. Damian had been manipulating her father’s business partners, using backhanded deals and thinly veiled threats to secure alliances. He had convinced her father that the marriage would not only solidify the family’s power but would also provide “insurance” against Olivia leaving again.

Cold dread settled over her as she realized the extent of their manipulation. Her father hadn’t just pressured her into marriage out of familial duty. This was a cold, calculated move to ensure her compliance — her obedience.

As she dug further, she came upon a folder filled with contracts from dubious investors, detailing shady partnerships that pointed toward money laundering and possibly even blackmail. Her father’s name was stamped on each document, his initials scrawled on the dotted line. Olivia felt a wave of nausea; Maxwell Bennett, the man who had built his empire on the image of integrity, was involved in dealings that could ruin them if exposed.

A new, chilling thought gripped her. What would he do if she tried to escape, if he was willing to go this far? If she stayed, her life would no longer be her own. Now she had the proof she needed - the evidence of her father's corruption and Damian's manipulation.

She carefully put back the papers and made sure everything looked just as undisturbed as it did before. “Last look and off goes the lights”, rushed the words through her brain and after turning the light out, she went out of the room, closing the door and locking it in a hurry as her heart pounded.

But when she was halfway down the stairs, she suddenly had an idea. She would escape — but she wouldn’t go quietly. She’d take this evidence with her and expose the truth if it came to that. That was the only leverage she had, and she was ready to make use of it.

She would be leaving this life behind once and for all when the cover of night was deepest tomorrow night. And this time, nothing would stop her.

The hours ticked by grudgingly, each one pulling tighter the knot of anxiety within Olivia's stomach. She went into her bedroom quietly and packed a few essentials in a small bag. Her fingers shook as she zipped it, her mind racing with the risk of what she was about to do.

As she was slipping on a plain jacket, her phone buzzed with a message. It was from her best friend, Maya Perez.

I’m here.

Olivia’s heart leaped. Maya was the only confidante who knew how desperate she was to run away. They had planned this whole thing, going over the details in hushed tones and late-night calls.

Meet me at the west gate in five minutes, Olivia replied, slipping her phone into her pocket.

She walked softly through the darkened halls of the mansion, light steps with caution. It seemed as though the walls were closing in on her, the familiar decor mocking her one last time. This was the house of which she had been a guest for too long - a house which demanded the complete silence of its inhabitants as well as conformance to certain unjustifiable standards.

When she got to the west gate, it was no longer dark in the parking lot. A few yards from her was Maya’s car parked with its headlights off. Maya was waiting, her face tense but determined as Olivia approached.

"You sure about this?" Maya asked softly, her eyes scouring Olivia's face for even a flicker of doubt.

Olivia nodded, her resolve hardening. “I can’t stay here, Maya. I can’t let them control me forever.”

Maya reached out, gripping her hand tightly. “Then tomorrow, we’ll get you somewhere safe.”

Once back in her room, she tried to imagine what it would feel like to finally be free from her father's tight reins, free from the life that had suffocated her.

But the reality of her situation started to set in. She would leave everything behind: family, wealth, protection. She had no plan; there was nothing in sight for the future. Yet, she would not be confined and that was about all there was to it for now.

The first morning rays filtered through her window, casting long shadows across the room. She had hardly slept, since the approaching events had thrown her into a fluster — a tangled mess of fear and frustration. She sat by the window, her eyes running over the vastness of her father’s estate—a sprawling reminder of the life she was about to escape. Considering her current predicament, she wondered if there could be people out there, outside of her family’s world, whom she might actually be able to trust.