Chapter 1
Walking down the aisle, I knew I'd regret this decision forever, but I had to do it. It's my fault anyway. I had a useless father who was ready to sell me into a rich family just to get into politics. I was his ladder into politics, and he'd do anything just to get there.
I'm Avery, Avery Mills, and I'm twenty-four years old. I'm the only child of the Mills. I had a younger brother, but he died when he was five years old. His death remains a mystery as he was brought from school dead.
I'm five feet tall and my eyes are brown. I have tan skin and my nose is pointed. My lips are pink and plump. I just graduated from college, and I was in search of a job when my dad broke the news to me.
"You have to get married to him. He's a big shot in this country." He yelled at me.
"I'm not going to. I'm never going to get married to him." I stood up and threw the pillow on the floor.
"Are you talking to your dad like that? Are you?" He yelled at me.
"Mom! Won't you say anything?" I looked at her.
She has always supported my dad no matter what he does, so this was useless anyway. I had to face him myself.
"If you are Avery Mills, you'd accept this wedding immediately." He said and stormed out of the living room.
I ran outside and screamed as loud as I could. The birds on the trees in our compound flew away.
"Why does this have to happen? This is not the kind of life I had planned for myself. I wanted to finish school, work for some time, and go back to school for my master's." Crystalline tears were dropping down my face already. I sniffed.
"Now I'm about to get married to someone I don't know," I said and took a walk around our compound.
Our compound was small, and a bungalow was sitting right in the middle. We had two big trees on the left and right sides of the house.
I went back in, and my dad hasn't come back yet. I went to my room and shut the door.
The next morning, I went in search of a job. I won't risk getting married to someone I don't know. I'm going to work hard for my money. I'm not going to be a full housewife who got married to one of the big men in the country.
I dressed up in black trousers and a white shirt. I tied my long black curly hair in a messy bun. I wore my glasses and black shoes. I took my black leather bag and bounced out of the house.
I aimed to work for Presly Corporation. So here I am standing in front of the huge skyscraper after battling to get into a bus all morning.
I walked in and met the receptionist. She looked so pretty in her orange gown.
"Good morning, ma. I'm Avery Mills. I'm here for the interview. The secretary job." I said, and she batted her long eyelashes and beamed a smile at me.
"You're welcome. Take a seat over there and wait." She pointed at the seat.
I turned and saw lots of people waiting in line. I lost hope finally. Before it gets to my turn, he'd have picked someone already,, and I needed the job badly.
I sat down, and someone ran outside.
"He's mad. He has lost it." The girl cried as she went outside. Her tears have stained her makeup already.
I began to fidget.
"What kind of questions would he ask? What if he's mean? What if he doesn't like me, or what if he hates how I dressed?" I asked myself.
I've never seen the great Xavier Presley, but I've heard he's cold in person and he doesn't take nonsense. As rich and popular as he was, he had never revealed his face to the press.
It's always his retired father. Nobody except workers and close friends knew what he looked like.
Everyone came out crying, and I became more scared and less confident. I had lost all hope and self-esteem this time.
After four hours of waiting. The receptionist called me.
"Miss Avery Mills. Please come in." She gestured, and I went into the elevator, which took me to the seventh floor, where his office was. The receptionist knocked, and a deep voice was heard.
"Come in." He said, and we both walked in. My legs were shaking already.
He raised his head, and my mouth opened unconsciously.
His eyes. His eyes were deep blue like the oceans, pulling me in. His perfectly moulded pointed nose and his pink, plump lips. His brown curly hair made me gasp. I was already drooling.
"How can someone be this good-looking and no one knows?" I asked myself.
He suddenly stood up and moved closer to me.
"Lilith! Lilith!" He rushed at me and hugged me tightly.
I pushed him away.
"I'm not Lilith, sir. I'm Avery. Avery Mills." I corrected.
"I know you'd come back. I know you love me so much. I know you can't leave me." He said and grabbed my hand. Pulling me to a chair opposite his table.
He made me sit, and he knelt in front of me.
"What do you want? Have you eaten? Why are you dressed like this? You never wore clothes like this?" He asked, and I stood up.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not Lilith,, sir. I have to leave." I said and looked at the receptionist, who was standing in awe.
"Stop saying you're not Lilith. You are my Lilith, and I won't let you go." He stood up and held my hand.
"Leave me! Leave me alone, you bastard." I yelled, and the receptionist came to help me out of his grip, but he was strong. He grabbed me tightly, and it hurt.
"I won't let you go. Never! You are mine now." He said. I was already scared for my life.
"Let me go. Please help." I started crying, and he started crying too.
"Don't go, Lilith, please don't leave me again. I'll die." He begged as he knelt again.
The receptionist grabbed the landline and called.
"Security. Please come to the seventh floor." She screamed.
Three heavy men ran into the office and grabbed him, but he didn't let them go.
He held my hand tightly like his life depended on it.
"Don't do this to me. I'll sack you guys. Lilith, don't go away. Please. I'm scared. I can't do without you. Since you left, my life hasn't been the same. I can't sleep well at night. I miss you, baby." He begged me.
The security finally separated us, and I was let loose.
I ran out of the company as fast as I could.
"What did I just see? What kind of experience is this? Is the great Xavier Presley mentally deranged? Or he was just acting?" I asked myself.
I quickly walked away from the entrance of the building. He might come after me.