The Playboy's Bride

Episode 1

"How did it come to this?", Sabrina thought to herself. She was getting married in a day but she was nowhere close to feeling like a bride. All she felt was fear and doubt if she was doing the right thing. How did it come to this and why did she allow this to happen. Her mind started replaying what had led to this bizarre situation. She was fearful for her future.

Sabrina belonged to middle class family. She lived with her parents and two siblings. Her father Jack was not much of an role model or a father figure for them. He was not only an alcoholic and a gambler but also use to abuse her mother everyday.

Her mother Karla was a very patient woman and a loving mother but a little timid when it came up to standing up against her husband. There wasn't much she could do for herself or her children but to gradually see her husband blow up his money and savings over of his alcohol and gambling addiction.

Sabrina had grown up watching her mother being abused day after day which almost shook her belief in marriage. Karla used to get beaten almost every night when her drunk husband got home but the next day she would cover her bruises and act like everything was normal. What did she think, her children couldn't hear her screams or their father's yelling but they continued to never speak about it. At a very young age she had seen her share of troubles, her mother's pain, her parents troubled marriage and a very unstable financial condition. But she also saw her mother's immense love for her and her younger brother Chris and sister Kiara which always gave her the strength to carry on and fight for a better future . Sabrina being the eldest felt the urge to protect her mother and her siblings so had started helping her family financially at the age of 15 as their financial condition was terrible and there was only so much her mother to manage alone. While her friends were busy planning which college to join, where to vacation and who to date, Sabrina had to go in search of jobs just to make enough to help her family get through. It was a difficult start but she was always hopeful that things will turn around eventually.

She wanted to become a chef and had a dream of opening her restaurant some day as she didn't want to believe life would be unkind throughout if she worked hard. And maybe even fall in love and get married to a guy who respects her and cherishes her unlike the marriage she encountered at home. But today, when she is one day away from her wedding all she felt was that she had no escape from this uncertain and unkind life.

After many years of part-time jobs she did land this job at Hotel La Praire. This was the job that could bring her closer to her dream of owning a restaurant some day. Sabrina was working at the as an assistant chef and had already completed 4 years as an assistant chef . After working for several years at smaller joints when she got an an opportunity to work at La Prairie she was nothing but grateful. She was working very hard to be promoted as a chef. La Prairie was one of the posh dining and party location of the city. It had both fine dining and parties . La Praire was known to host the elite parties of the city for the rich and the richer which made it quite busy on weekends, she was working harder then ever. Suddenly things changed a month ago.

It all started that Friday night. It was way past her shift time, her shift was usually over at 9 but that day she was asked to stay back and help with the preparation for the party as one of her colleague was on leave. After she was done helping out with all the preparation she informed the chef she would be leaving. The chef, turned around. His name was Ken and he was Sabrina's senior. He was quite popular amongst the young female guests coming to dine in and all the waitresses had their eyes on him. His innocent smile and his grey eyes were a combination to die for. He looked at Sabrina and all he wanted was to be with her but Sabrina who barely showed any interest. Ken smiled saying, "I'll drop you if you can wait a little longer".

But Sabrina insisted on leaving alone. She knew Ken had a soft corner for her and it was one of the things which made her female colleagues hate her. Well Ken, was somehow responsible for this hatred he did put his heart out to her two months after she joined La Prairie and for every little thing he would rush to Sabrina and check on her even though they were not a couple not even close friends which had those envious eyes rolling. She never accepted his proposal as she had just started her career then and now that time had passed she knew it was the right decision. She barely had time for herself so a relationship was out of question. And the other reason for not accepting the proposal as she felt it will be unjust for her to bring Ken into her family mess. She still had to get her brother and sister through college and take care of her family financially so she almost gave up the thought of marriage or love. She tried to stay away as Ken always tried to help her and she didn't want to give him false hopes.

She went inside and got out of her chef's whites which included a white hat, white double-breasted jacket, pants and apron. She changed into her comfortable baggy sweatpants and long tee which didn't flatter her figure at all, she almost stopped taking care of her appearance over the years. All she wanted to do was reach home and get some sleep. Karla kept calling and panicking, asking Sabrina to hurry as it was getting late. She had been working for several years now but her mother still treated her like a little girl. As she left, on her way out she saw guests lining up as the night was just getting started for them. All dressed up for the party, looking gorgeous. She felt a little envious and started thinking for a moment what a life they had. She thought what it would feel like to just get dressed up even if it was only for one day , not having to work and go out for a nice dinner where she was the priority and she didnt have to worry about anything. She had even lost touch with most of her school friends over the years after and she didn't hangout with her colleagues much either.

While Sabrina was in deep thought dreaming and wondering, suddenly she tripped and fell. She totally zoned out which made her miss the rock in front of her. As she was recovering from her fall, suddenly a hand approached her offering to help her get up. She looked up and all she saw was a tall shadow. As the face became clearer, her skipped a beat. She started to blush without even realising. As he pulled her up, she could feel how strong his hands were. A warm feeling rushed throughout her body and she became very conscious about how she looked. She had never encountered this feeling before.

In a deep husky voice, "Are you okay Sabrina? Long time no see".

"Umm", she was confused as she didn't know how to respond. She couldn't remember who he was. He said, "You look confused, don't you remember me? Well, that hurts my feelings".

"Umm", what was wrong with her why did she keep saying ummm. He didn't look like someone who was could be forgotten. She was still recovering from her fall and trying to remember who the person in front of her was. She was trying to remember how to speak as his gaze almost made her tongue - tied when suddenly a gorgeous girl in a red dress and stilettos appeared and pulled him close to her and kissed him on his cheeks and said, "Hurry, your dessert is waiting". He turned to talk to the girl while Sabrina was still trying to get words out of her mouth when she got a call from her mother again. She thought it was to ask her to hurry home but this time her mother's spoke in a very scared voice asking her to hurry as there was an emergency at home. Sabrina panicked and left for home without thanking the guy in front of her.

As soon as she reached home, she saw her father had collapsed and was on the bed with everyone around. Her mother was very nervous and shivering holding her father's hand. She rushed towards Sabrina and started to howl and cry. Sabrina consoled her mother and asked her to be with her brother and sister while she checked how far the ambulance was. Her landlords had already called the ambulance and she was so grateful that they were there for her family. Ronda and her husband Jerry had always been there for Sabrina and her family since they moved in a few years back. They were more like family to Sabrina. She asked Ronda to come along with her to the hospital as deep down she was scared too even if she couldn't show in front of her family. She was trying to stay strong for her family but she felt so weak within. Ronda understood this and held on to her hands and said, "Sabrina I will go with you to the hospital. Jerry will be at home with Aunt Karla incase they need anything." She asked her mother not to go to the hospital as she was very weak- hearted and the way her mother was shivering Sabrina felt a little scared for her. Kiara stayed back with her mother and Jerry while Chris went along with Sabrina and Ronda in the ambulance. She felt a bit stronger because of Ronda and Chris. She felt so grateful that she was not alone because she felt like she might break down any moment. Once they reached the hospital, they rushed her father to the ICU while someone came and asked Sabrina to fill the form with her father's details and deposit money to start the treatment. She went ahead to the reception to deposit but the bill they gave, she didn't have enough cash to deposit and was on the verge of a meltdown as she could not understand what exactly was happening, will her dad survive and how will she arrange the money. Chris held her hand and tried to calm her down while Ronda tried to explain the person in charge that it was midnight and they would deposit the money in the morning as it would be hard to arrange money at this hour and requested them to start the treatment. After a lot of requesting, they agreed to wait till the morning for Sabrina to deposit the money. After sometime, a nurse came came out and informed that her father had suffered a brain stroke and they had operated but he was in a very critical condition and the next 48 hours were very critical for him. Sabrina called her mother from the hospital and informed that her father is in the ICU as he suffered brain stroke. She consoled her mother as kept crying and asked her not to worry. She sent Ronda home with Chris. She hugged Ronda and thanked her for the help and said she could have never be able to manage without her. Ronda said," I have never seen someone endure so much and still be so strong. I wish me and Jerry could help you more but you know our condition. I am going home now and don't worry about anything. We will figure it out Sabrina". Chris hugged Sabrina and said he would be back in sometime . After Ronda left Sabrina kept waiting in the visitors room as the doctor said her father would be in the ICU as his condition was critical. She thought she had lost all affection for her father over the years as she saw how he tortured her mother, her and their family but right now all she hoped was her father to be healthy. He looked so helpless in the ambulance. The person who scared their whole family was lying down helpless. She had to arrange money for the hospital bills, check the savings, inform at work. While she was pondering on what to do and how she is going to save her father, she received a text. "Hi Sabrina, you left like the wind. I didn't get a chance to be thanked for helping you up. I am not a stalker, I thought you work here so requested for your number, how about we meet tomorrow for lunch and catch up?"

Sabrina was confused again, who was this guy and why couldn't she remember and why would she have lunch with a stranger. From the way he was dressed he looked from a very wealthy family. Is it one of the customers who liked her signature dish or someone else she met at her past jobs. She had worked at many odd jobs over last 10 years so she might have come across him. She didn't respond to him as she couldn't remember him nor did she want to catch up with anyone right now as she had a lot on her plate. She stayed up waiting for updates from the doctor and trying to think who the guy was. As it was already morning, she called her mom and asked her to come to the hospital or send Chris or Kiara as she had to go home and then go to work and arrange the money.

Sabrina reached home, freshened up, got ready for work and checked how much savings was left. She got ready for work, on her way to work she deposited the initial amount for her father's treatment from the savings. After reaching La Prairie, she rushed to her boss and informed him the situation. He said he wouldn't be able to give her any leave as one of other chef was already on leave and they were pre booked for the entire month and regarding the money he would see what he could do. The day passed, her colleagues sympathised with her. Ken tried to help and reduce the burden on Sabrina, but Sabrina insisted on doing her work. After the lunch hour was over, the boss came in and called out for Sabrina. He told her, "I think I figured out how to help you. One of our elite clients, Ethan Dyson has requested to meet you specifically. Please take good care of him as he is the person who has pre booked La Praire for the entire month for lunches and dinners for the Dyson company. Listen to his request and provide him with the required assistance, maybe he wants to discuss the menu for the month. This could help you a lot if we are able to make this client happy as he has requested for you. He is waiting in the private lounge."

Sabrina was a little overwhelmed and nervous. She never met anyone for one- on - one meeting. She walked through the dining area towards the lounge then opened the door to the private lounge. The person was facing the opposite, his shoulders were broad and he was wearing black jacket. She walked towards him, as soon as she saw his face she was surprised. He was the same guy from last night, what did he want from her and how did he know about her. This was getting a little suspicious. He got up from his chair, and pulled a chair and asked Sabrina to sit. It was more of an order than request. Sabrina sat and tried to relax, but she was very nervous as she couldn't figure out what was happening. On one hand he was one of the elite clients of La Praire and on the other hand he seemed a little odd texting her, asking specifically and not to forget he knew her. Why couldn't she remember who he was. She was again out of words and when she managed to speak, she blurted out, "Who are you? Why did you contact me?" ,Sabrina thought to herself what was wrong with her, instead of following her boss's order and asking how she could help him she asked him who he was.

Ethan looked at her with his cold piercing eyes, which made Sabrina very nervous an conscious. He had something mysterious about him. "Hi Sabrina, I am Ethan. I can see you don't remember but let's end the mystery here. I used to go Holyland High school, we were set up on a double date, but you came in and left abruptly just like you left yesterday. After that, I hoped to see you and ask why you stood me up but never saw you again. I noticed you few days back in La Praire, you changed a lot but still I could recognise you which was odd as I am not good at remembering people who leave. I lied yesterday when I said I just got to know you work here, I have known that for quite sometime now "

Sabrina was confused and didn't know how to react, she had almost forgotten the time she was in high school. She remembered that day now, it was the day she quit school . Her father had beaten up her mother unconscious and she had to rush back home when she got the news. That might have been her first date ever if she had stayed. Soon she started working but she couldn't tell him why she left that day. She said, "Hi Ethan, sorry I wasn't able to recognise you as we met for such a brief moment in the past. I hope you are doing well. Is there anything I could help you with now?" . She was very formal as she knew Ethan was a client as well. While speaking to Ethan, Sabrina felt unknown feelings rushing through her heart again like last night which she could not understand. His rugged handsome face made her a bit conscious about her appearance and those eyes looked like they were dangerous.

Ethan had been watching Sabrina for quite sometime now, he knew everything about her situation and he had something in mind for her. He kept himself updated on her situation and the owner of La Praire, Ben gladly helped as Ethan not only pre booked the venue but Ethan was the heir of Dyson family and grandson of Ronaldo Dyson. Ben could see potential business if he could help Ethan out as he belonged to one of the top 5 wealthiest family of the city and also Ben didn't want to come in his bad books. He had informed Ethan in the morning about Sabrina's father's condition and Ethan got an opportunity to implement what he had in mind for Sabrina.

"Will you marry me?"

Sabrina thought she was drooling and dreaming over the good looking man in front of her and imagining things but then she heard it again, he said, " Sabrina will you marry me?"

"I am sorry, what?" she said as she was both shocked and surprised . She continued ,"I understand Ethan we knew each other from high school and you might want to play pranks on me but let me first assist you with requirement you called me for. Ben mentioned you booked La Praire for the whole month, if you want any assistance with the menu I will be glad to help you". Ethan noticed how she tried to get out of the awkward position she was in and turn it into a professional conversation instead. This was the last thing she would have expected him to say, she wanted to shout at him as she wasn't in the mood for pranks and she was still shocked but she tried to keep calm as she felt this could be a turning point for her career and maybe she could get promoted as Ben mentioned earlier.

Ethan was calmly gazing at Sabrina and listening to her. He then pulled out a contract paper from the suitcase next to him and placed it on the table and then he pulled out a box from his pocket and placed it on the paper. He the said, "Sabrina I have an opportunity for you. I know your father is in the hospital and you have been struggling financially for years. I can help you with your father's treatment and apart from that I can take care of everything you need but in return I want you to be my wife till I acquire the family assets on my 30th birthday. We can both help each other and I know you from high school and I have seen you the last few days and I think we can help each other out. It will be a contractual marriage and you don't have to worry about a thing, you will be given a monthly amount apart from your family's expenses and your father's treatment."

Sabrina was still processing what Ethan just said, she was so tired from spending the whole night at the hospital and then coming to work and now this. She couldn't understand how Ethan had all information on her and also she was unable to believe what Ethan had just said, "an opportunity, contract marriage, paid to be married" . She thought to herself what kind of guy Ethan would be trying to make a business deal out of her situation to get his property. She still didn't lose her calm cause if she created a scene Ben might fire her as Ethan was a very important client and she was in no situation to lose the job. Sabrina said, "Ethan I understand your situation and any girl would be very lucky to get this opportunity but sadly I am not that girl. As you know my father's condition so right now all I want to do is work hard and make money for his treatment. So this is never going to happen as I don't have time to even date and if I marry I would like to have an option to marry for love and not money". Ethan chuckled when she mentioned marry for love. He pushed the contract towards her and said," Never say never Sabrina, read the contract first. You can always marry the second time for love if you believe in something like that and I will make sure everything goes smoothly for you. You are earning to take care of your family so think of this as a job, you will be doing the same thing. I just need two years and time will fly away very quickly. Everything will be mentioned in the contract, we just have to be husband and wife at family dinners and in front of other people. Inside the house when we are alone unless you want anything from me he said wickedly, we will have our private lives with no strings attached as an employer and employee. Think about it without inhibitions and let me know by the weekend." Without waiting for her response, he picked up the ring and walked out of the lounge. Sabrina kept sitting staring at the contract in front of her.