Elisa sat by the window, staring at the endless line of guards stationed outside.
The message was clear, she wasn't going anywhere.
Her stomach twisted with hunger, her body weak from exhaustion, but none of it compared to the feeling of helplessness that settled deep in her chest.
She had been taken from her home, thrown into this nightmare, and forced to face a cruel fate she refused to accept.
Marry Emiliano? She would rather die.
Her thoughts drifted to Ricardo.
The man who had shattered her world, yet somehow, he was the only thing holding her together.
She had wanted to resent him. Had sworn she would. But when she closed her eyes, all she saw was the way he had looked at her possessive, intense, as if she was already his.
And in a way… she was.
Her heart had made its choice the moment she laid eyes on him.
The sound of a door creaking open made her sit up.
A guard slipped inside, glancing around cautiously before stepping closer. His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Ricardo is coming for you."
Elisa froze.
Her breath hitched, her pulse hammering against her skin. "What?"
The guard didn't repeat himself, only giving her a firm look before stepping back.
Elisa stared after him, her mind racing.
Ricardo was coming.
A rush of warmth spread through her, pushing back the cold, creeping despair she had been drowning in.
Her fingers clutched the fabric of her dress as she swallowed the lump in her throat.
He hadn't forgotten her. He hadn't abandoned her.
For the first time since she was taken, she allowed herself to hope.
Ricardo had spent days preparing. Every detail of the attack had been carefully thought through. He couldn't afford mistakes, not when it came to Elisa. If anything happened to her, it would haunt him forever.
Meanwhile, Emiliano was growing restless. What was Ricardo planning? The lack of information was driving him mad.
He was furious that George had become useless to him, but there was no time to deal with that now. He had a meeting with one of his father's strongest allies, men he needed on his side if he was going to reclaim what was his. His father's empire. Ricardo's inheritance and Elisa.
As soon as Emiliano left, Ricardo got the signal from his informant inside the mansion.
Without hesitation, Ricardo and his men moved in. It was a war.
Gunfire erupted as Emiliano's guards fought back, but Ricardo and his men were relentless. They tore through the mansion, taking down anyone who stood in their way.
Ricardo's mind was focused on one thing which was Elisa.
Room after room, he searched, his pulse hammering. Then, finally he saw her.
She looked weak, her dress wrinkled, her eyes hollow with exhaustion. But when their gazes locked, something in her shifted.
Without thinking, she ran to him.
Ricardo caught her, his arms tightening around her trembling body. She was shaking, but for the first time in days, she felt safe.
She didn't understand why, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be out of this nightmare.
Ricardo leaned down, his voice low and firm. "I've got you."
She clung to him as he lifted her effortlessly and carried her out. His men cleared the way, and soon, they were gone, leaving Emiliano's mansion behind.
But they all knew this wasn't the end. It
was just the beginning.
Ricardo took Elisa straight to Bath, where their wedding was meant to take place. There was no waiting, no delay.
Her parents, Edward and Isabella Rivera, were already there, along with Ricardo's mother, Tiara Castillo.
Elisa was still trying to process everything. The kidnapping, the rescue, the fact that she was about to marry a man she barely knew.
But when she looked at Ricardo, something in her chest tightened. He had risked everything to get her back.
And now, she was his.
The priest arrived, and with their families as witnesses, Ricardo and Elisa were married.
But as she looked at her new husband, as she felt the weight of his name, his power, and his world settle onto her shoulders , she knew.
This was a start of something dangerous, definitely not love