His Legacy

Liora's POV.

"This marriage will save everything Liora. For once, don't be selfish and think about your father."

My stepmother's words echoed at the back of my mind as I clutched the bouquet tighter, my lips trembling and my heart pounding against my chest while the priest read out the vows.

This was not how I had imagined my life. I wanted to be happy, my wedding was supposed to be filled with happiness and laughter because it was everything I had ever dreamed of since Helena, my stepmother and her daughter Camille walked into our lives.

I bit down hard on my lower lip to stop the burning tears rapidly pooling at the bottom of my eyes as I stole a glance at my father's frail body, barely positioned upright in his wheelchair. His eyes were vacant, fixed on nothing and I was certain he probably didn't even know where he was or what was going on around him.

A sharp pain cut through my chest, suffocating me to a point where I was almost gasping for air. He was not always like that, he used to be so full of life when Mom was here but after she died and he married another woman, things changed.

For some reason, he spent more time in his study, he was never there to see how horribly Helena and her daughter treated me, and whenever he saw it, she always had an explanation to make him believe I was the problem.

My father and I became strangers and out of the blue, his health deteriorated drastically, our world turned upside down overnight and now... I was getting married to a stranger in my stepsister's place to save him and everything he had worked for.

A handful of people were present, Helena, Camille and Sebastian's parents.

The man standing before me was Sebastian Carvers, an award winning and successful CEO of his father's company. He was nothing like what the blogs described, he was not the warm, accommodating and nice billionaire they portrayed him to be.

Behind my veil, I could see his rigid posture, the way his muscles flexed underneath his suit like he was ready to punch a hole in the wall. Every part of him was cold and nothing about him was warm and inviting.

"You may kiss the bride." The priest declared and my entire body stiffened as my soon-to-be husband took a step closer in his custom made suit that clung to every part of his body in the most sophisticated manner.

His scent filled my nostrils, wrapping around my senses as his body brushed against mine just as he reached out to lift the veil.

No! This was not happening!

My breath caught in my throat the moment he tossed the lace back over my head, my eyes shot up to meet his and for a brief second, the entire world froze.

A jittery sensation shot through me as his sharp green eyes sucked me in. His well defined jawline, tousled dark brown hair that fell across his face and his thin lips that were pressed together tightly, like he was running out of patience.

His face was breathtakingly handsome. I had always assumed his looks were a bit exaggerated by the media but staring at him now, I knew the pictures I had seen on the internet were nothing compared to how good he looked.

He didn't move, didn't say a word, he simply stared at me with some sort of look in his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes held mine with such intensity that sent a weird sensation through me.

Suddenly, the priest cleared his throat and his eyes snapped shut, by the time he opened them again, there was nothing but a cold, empty gaze.