On the other hand, Warren's breath hitched as he gazed at Skylar. He had seen her before, but with makeup on, she looked even more mesmerizing—more stunning than Cinderella transformed by a fairy godmother, even more breathtaking than Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
Slowly, Warren cupped Skylar's cheeks in his palms, his touch warm and gentle. He leaned in closer, and instinctively, Skylar held her breath. Normally, she hated being touched, but with him, it was different.
His face was just inches away when their lips met—or so it seemed. To the watching crowd, it looked like a kiss, and they erupted into applause. But in reality, Warren had only brushed his lips against the corner of hers.
Pulling back, he smiled at the stunned Skylar.
"You look breathtaking, mio amore," he murmured.
From the back of the church, Linda, who had been seething the entire time, abruptly stood up and stormed out. She swore to herself—no matter what, Warren would be hers. Even if it seemed impossible, she wasn't ready to give up.
Meanwhile, in a shadowed corner, Flame turned to Venom and Barbie.
"Let's go," he ordered.
"Why?" Barbie pouted. "I wanna stay a little longer!"
"Boss called. We have to leave," Flame replied coldly.
"But—"
"Barbie," Venom groaned, rubbing her temples.
"Fine," Barbie grumbled, taking the lead out. Venom followed, and Flame, before exiting, turned back. His gaze locked onto Warren's across the room. A silent exchange passed between them. Then, with a slight nod, Flame disappeared through the doors.
---
A HOTEL
"F**k!" the woman beneath Razor moaned as he spanked her ass, gripping her hips.
"Oh, please—holy sh*t!" she gasped in pleasure, her body arching as he pounded into her from behind.
A few moments later, Razor groaned, spilling into her before pulling out. The woman collapsed onto her stomach, exhausted and used.
"Out before I get back," he ordered, tossing a wad of cash onto the bed before stalking into the bathroom.
As the water poured over him, his fury only grew.
"He dares to get married?" Razor snarled, slamming his fist against the tiled wall.
"I'll destroy you, Lucifer," he growled, punching the wall again, harder this time.
---
BACK AT THE CHURCH
Skylar was bored out of her mind. If she had to stand here any longer, she'd probably fall asleep. No matter what was happening around her, nothing felt real.
She was now beside Warren, standing in front of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kurz.
"Welcome to the family, dear," Mrs. Kurz said with a warm smile.
Skylar, however, didn't return it.
"I hope you'll stay by his side forever," Mr. Kurz added. "Never let secrets come between you."
Skylar frowned slightly. What the hell does that mean?
After what she considered a bunch of pointless conversations with Warren's parents, she finally escaped to Alice's side.
"Is it over?" Skylar asked.
"Hmm… almost," Alice said, still buzzing with excitement. "But I don't get why you're so against it."
Skylar scoffed. "You really expect me to wear this?" She gestured at the snow-white wedding gown, the long train flowing dramatically behind her.
"I'm not some stupid happy billionaire's bride from a damn romance novel," she muttered in irritation.
Alice gasped. "It's your wedding, prideful girl!"
"No, it's not," Skylar retorted, arms crossed.
Warren and Skylar sat in the back of the McLaren Speedtail while the muscular driver took them to Warren's mansion. A tinted divider gave them privacy.
Skylar, who had been silently staring out the window, finally turned to look at Warren, who was still on an important call. She showed no signs of being affected by the sudden upheaval in her life.
She reached for a Celine bag she had earlier asked Alice to place beside her. It contained a few essentials she "needed." Warren glanced at her mid-call, clearly curious about what his new bride was up to.
Skylar swiftly pulled off the veil from her head and tucked it into the bag. She then pulled out a wet wipe and began removing all the makeup from her face, not even sparing the lipstick.
"What are you doing, mio amore?" Warren asked, making her realize he'd ended the call long ago and had been watching her. Still, she said nothing, focused instead on struggling with the enormous wedding dress.
"Can't you take it off at home?" Warren asked, easily understanding her. He always understood Skylar—even when she barely spoke.
"No, I can't," Skylar replied, the dress making her feel suffocated.
Warren chuckled softly, leaned closer, and unzipped the back of her dress before pulling away again.
"Take it off. You don't have to wear things like that ever again, not if you don't want to," he murmured. Skylar looked at him, puzzled.
Isn't he supposed to be mad? she thought, then shrugged. Not my problem. I wouldn't care even if he was.
She peeled off the diamond-embroidered gown and shoved it into the Celine bag, left only in her black-and-white Nike shorts and a black bra top.
Next, she kicked off the white platform heels and released her hair from its perfectly styled bun, tying it into a high ponytail.
Finally feeling like herself, Skylar turned back to the window. They still hadn't arrived at Warren's mansion—her new "home" for the next six months.
She didn't dare open social media. She knew the moment she did, that deadly urge to lose control would take over.
And she was right. The internet was ablaze with news of Warren's wedding. People called her a psycho at every turn, outraged that their perfect prince had married not just anyone—but a psychopath from the infamous Brown Family.
---
BROWN MANSION
"And that's the last of the guests. I'll get going now, ma'am," Alice said as the final group left. A small party had been hosted at both the Brown and Kruz mansions.
"So soon?" Mrs. Karina asked. Only she and Raymond remained. Mr. Josh was deep in conversation with Mr. Kruz, while Granny Suzy had gone for a nap.
"Yeah, I've got class tomorrow and a bunch of stuff to do," Alice explained.
"Alright, dear. Thank you for everything. Today wouldn't have been a success without you," Mrs. Karina smiled.
"Aww, thank you, Aunt," Alice returned the smile.
"Let Raymond drop you off, okay? Ray—"
"Oh no, Aunt, don't bother. I can find my way home," Alice cut in quickly.
"I'm not taking no for an answer, Alice. Raymond," Mrs. Karina called.
Raymond appeared instantly. "Drop Alice at her doorstep."
"I will," he replied, smiling broadly.
---
WS VILLA
This place made every other mansion look small. Bigger than Warren's, richer than the Browns', and grander than the Kruz estate—this was their home. Warren and Skylar's private villa.
"We're here, sir," the bulky driver announced. Warren had been too busy staring at Skylar's sleeping face to notice.
She had dozed off on the way. The ride from the church was long.
Warren stepped out of the McLaren, opened Skylar's door, and eyed the Celine bag again. He knew she hated everything inside it.
"Burn them all," he told the driver, then gently lifted Skylar into his arms. She looked so small and delicate against his muscular frame.
---
KRUZ MANSION
"Where's Lucy?" Mrs. Kruz, president of a powerful women's group and a close friend to Mrs. Karina, asked a maid.
"She left a while ago, ma'am. Said she'd be back soon," the maid answered.
"Did he go with her?"
"I think so, ma'am," she replied again.
---
∞∞∞∞∞
A young girl in blue walked the dim streets of New Zealand. She looked Skylar's age, but with Alice's approachable vibe.
"Hey! Stop trailing me in the dark already, gosh," she sighed.
A figure emerged—messy blond hair, black eyes, a faint scar on his left cheek.
"Come on, Flame. Is the dark your home or what?" she asked.
"You've wandered too far from the mansion. Let's go back, Miss Kruz," he said instead.
"It's Lucy. And I haven't gone that far," she huffed. Then Flame's phone rang.
"Location?" he asked, then nodded. "Take me home," Lucy sighed, leading the way.
---
WS VILLA
It was almost noon when Skylar finally woke up. The photos in the bedroom made it obvious where she was—and oddly, some of the pictures were of her.
She wandered down the staircase, admiring the lavish interior, until a tap on her shoulder made her pause.
A normal person would've jumped. Skylar just turned calmly.
"You're finally up, child. I'm the housekeeper—and Warren's nanny. Call me Nanny or Mrs. Grace," the woman smiled.
"Good day, Nanny," Skylar bowed, glancing around.
"Warren left a while ago," Nanny Grace added.
Skylar blinked at her. I didn't even ask, she thought.
---
BLACK EAGLE CLAN
The X5 sat in the meeting hall as Lucifer handed out details of the mission.
X5 was the deadliest unit of the Black Eagle Clan. Lucifer was the assassin and drug lord.
Flame was the fighter—he could turn anything into a weapon.
Venom, a sniper, could handle every gun ever made.
Barbie, sweet-faced but deadly, was a hacker who could even crack NASA.
And Blaze—the interrogator. He got truth from anyone, no exceptions.
"Understand the mission?" Lucifer asked, masked and cold.
"Yes, boss," they all replied in sync.
"Move out."
Blaze left first. Then Venom, then Barbie.
"Your bride is hot, boss," Flame muttered.
Lucifer only nodded. Flame was the only one who could speak freely to him and live.
---
WS VILLA
Skylar sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the massive 3D TV, munching popcorn while watching her favorite show.
She felt oddly at ease here, though night had fallen and Nanny Grace had long gone to bed. She couldn't sleep—not until Warren was home.
Then the villa door creaked open. Skylar glanced toward it.
Warren walked in, his arm bleeding.
She didn't move. Not until he squatted before her and cupped her face gently.
"You should go to bed now. I'm home," he smiled.
She glanced at his arm, then back at his face.
"I wasn't waiting for you," she mumbled, turning to the TV again.
Warren chuckled and stood. He didn't feel the pain from the cut, but he needed to get it dressed—he'd lost a lot of blood.
"I'll go clean up," he said, heading upstairs.
Skylar looked at the stairs, spotting the trail of blood. Can he even treat that himself? she wondered.
Sighing, she followed him—to their room.
She entered to find Warren shirtless, rummaging through the first aid box. His muscles—shoulders, abs, triceps—everything about him screamed hot.
Skylar sighed again, dipped cotton wool into spirit, and began cleaning the wound carefully, avoiding his gaze. Warren stared down at her, smiling.
He didn't feel pain. But she looked like she did, blowing soft air on the cut as she worked.
"Don't you want to know how I got hurt?" Warren asked with a smile.
"I don't wanna," Skylar said, focused on wiping the blood. When she finished, she wrapped it up carefully.
"You really don't remember anything about us, do you?" Warren asked suddenly.
"Huh?" Skylar's head shot up, bringing their lips inches apart.
"Why did you have to forget us, huh?" he whispered.
Skylar could feel his breath, and out of nowhere—voices. Familiar, soft, comforting. Calming.
"STOP!!!"
---
WALTER MANSION
"Will it last, Alice?" Gina asked from the counter.
"I guess so. Warren seems to really love Sky," Alice replied, peeling peas.
"Oh, enough about Skylar. Who was that guy who dropped you off?" Gina teased. She and Alice were close.
"He's Sky's brother," Alice answered, unbothered.
"So are you guys...?" Gina trailed off.
"No. He only sees me as his sister's friend."
"I don't think so. He had a look in his eyes when he saw you," Gina smirked.
"Whatever. You're overthinking it," Alice replied—though she secretly wished Raymond saw her differently.