Married To The Cruel Duke

8

Elena’s POV

I still could not stop thinking about the fact that the man I had almost had s*x with was the same man I was going to marry in place of my sister.

I was going to be married to a man that came from a family with generational wealth, a man from a family who rivaled the royal families from almost every country in Europe, a family that was feared and respected by the masses. I was in so much trouble.

“Are you going to keep standing there? Get into the store… I cannot believe that your sister had to get pregnant,” mother said, then walked away from me, making her way to the salon upfront. “This sickens me but this will save our family from disgrace.”

I fisted my hands and took a deep breath. Maybe marrying Duke Valen wasn't such a bad idea.

I followed her into the store and stared around in awe at how beautiful the place looked. Ever since I was born, I have never been to such a place before. It was pristine, matching the value of their customers.

“Welcome, Mrs. Halden. It’s glad to see you,” an older woman said as she approached us.

“Hello, Melissa,” mother said and hugged the woman. “I'm here with my daughter.”

“Oh. Your older daughter that lives abroad?”

I furrowed my brows, wondering what she meant. What did she mean by that? I lived abroad.

“Yes. Meet Elena Haldin. She stays in the US and often visits us,” mother said, motioning for me to come closer. “We are here for a special occasion.”

I forced a smile onto my face and walked over to where they stood. The woman, Melissa, held my arms and hugged me briefly.

“You are so beautiful. Your mother always talks about you whenever she is here with your sister. It's finally nice to see you.”

I clenched my jaw and glanced at my mother. They were lying about me when they treated me like s**t. They lied to people so they didn't know that I was treated like a maid in my own home.

“What brings you here?” Melissa asked. “Are you here to make a new hair style? I have got some new styles in my catalogues.”

“Oh, no, no. It's not me. I'm here for my daughter,” mother said and chuckled. “My daughter, Elena Halden is getting married.”

The loud tone she had used made me realize she was trying to brag. It was something I was familiar with.

“She is marrying a Draconhart,” she said at the top of her voice.

The customers and staff around gasped and started to stare at us. Being associated with a Draconhart was a sign of success and great connection and seeing I was marrying into the family, they would let the whole country know. I was even surprised that the news hadn't reached the tabloids.

“Wow. This is great news,” Melissa said. “Which means this calls for a celebration… Don't worry, Elena, I will give you the best makeover… Ooh, this is such great news. I am making the hair of a Draconhart.”

My life was a mess.

☆☆☆

I felt clean, different and light.

I was a new person as I stood in front of the floor length mirror of my new room in the family house. My eyes took in every part of my body. My skin was glowing, my hair was long and bouncy, with a healthy shine. My face no longer had signs of fatigue and lack of sleep.

I was beautiful.

A knock on the door made me blink and look away from the mirror. Before I could give permission to the person, the door opened, revealing my sister Zara.

Zara stood at the door with a grimace on her face as she stared at me. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall by the door while staring at me with judgement heavy in her eyes.

“What do you want, Zara?” I asked and faced the mirror.

“You must think that you are going to be lucky because you're marrying the man I was supposed to, right?”

I furrowed my brows at my reflection as confusion filled my head. What was she talking about?

“You're lucky that the Draconhart family doesn't know which daughter their son is getting married to,” she said and scoffed. “Do you think you will stand a chance against me? You are just a second hand wife for their son. If our parents weren't such a conservative family, I could have had this child aborted and married Valen Draconhart.”

“Zara, can you not?” I turned around, facing her. “I'm really not in the mood for this.”

“Oh, I shouldn't?” She laughed and approached me. “Just because of a little makeover, you now think you're better looking or beautiful? No matter how dolled up you are, you will always look like a maid.”

Zara covered her mouth and laughed mockingly at me. She eyed me as she laughed hysterically.

“I can't wait to see you standing with the Draconhart family. Beside them you will look like a maid,” she said and kissed her teeth. “It's so sad that you always get my hands down… But let me make one thing clear to you, Elena… If you ever open that filthy mouth of yours to speak about what happened to me, you will regret marrying a Draconhart. If they don't kill you, we will when they throw you out.”

Zara eyed me with disdain and stepped away from me. She smirked and walked over to the door.

“Before I forget, mom wants me to tell you that Valen Draconhart will be coming over with his parents for dinner tonight. Dress nicely and wear perfume to hide that stench of yours,” she said and left the room.

The room suddenly felt small and cold. Her words echoed in my head. I slowly faced the mirror and took in my appearance. I started to see what she meant. I was unhealthy looking, barely looking like a maiden compared to my sister. Beside a Draconhart, I was going to be looking out of place. I might be looking pretty with my freshly washed and pressed hair, but tomorrow, I was going to look like my usual self.

What's worse, I was going to be meeting Valen Draconhart tonight? The same man that had seen almost every inch of me, the man who had touched me. He was going to see me as a loose woman, a woman with no honor and the whole country would hear about it.

The Draconharts were obsessed with nothing staining their honor and name and I was going to be the first one to do so. Valen Draconhart would most likely see me as a whole, a cheap woman marrying into their family.

What was I going to do?

“Please, Duke Valen. Please, don't ruin this for me. Please, accept me as I am,” I whispered with passion.

☆☆☆

Valen’s POV

I scribbled my signature onto the last document and dropped my pen then turned to my laptop. As I typed on the laptop, my heart burned, making me stop to press my hand against my chest.

I grunted when the heat expanded to my chest, moving to my arms and down my body to my feet. A fluttering sensation filled my stomach, the same feeling that woman evoked inside me. Why was I having those feelings that woman made me feel? I had forgotten about her after our time at that place and now, it felt as if she was close by.

Something was going on. Something was wrong with me.

“Please, Duke Valen. Please, don't ruin this for me. Please, accept me as I am.”

I gasped at the voice in my head.

The voice drew me into something that felt strong and soft. Something that made me feel a yearning heat that gnawed in my heart.