And We'll Live Happily Whatever After

And We'll Live Happily Whatever After[1]

(Author's note: Hello, people. Here's my new story! :) I hope you like it. Comment and vote please.)

Prologue

I stood outside on the church steps. I was wearing a long white dress, with a veil covering my face and diamonds to match it all. I could hear my heart pounding inside my chest. This feels out of the world. Surreal.

This could not be happening.

It's only a dream, I know. But...

I slapped my face but I didn't wake up. Wake up, sleepyhead! Wake up!

I saw a swarm of people looking at me. They were smiling and murmuring. I could hear bits of their conversation. "She looks so beautiful in that gown," one said. Then another chimed in, "She's such a radiant bride."

Am I getting married? Did I get married? I'm only twenty! I can't be getting married.

Oh, but... yes! I'm in one of my weird dreams. But I can't force myself to wake up this time. This "wedding" is just part of my imagination. Ha! Thank God. I thought...I thought...I don't know.

Everything happened so fast in my dream that I got so dizzy. One minute I was standing in the middle of all the guests and the next, a car collided with the limousine that supposedly brought me in this place. A man emerged from another black sedan car and walked briskly towards me.

His face. That face. I know that from somewhere. I had a feeling that those dark brown eyes of his caressed and watched me before. I took a step-towards him. I wanted to brush my hand across his hard and prominent cheekbones to his sharp nose and that gorgeous mouth.

Is he my groom? Why isn't he wearing...? He reached me and swept me into his arms. Instead of bringing me inside the church, he walked back to where he came from.

No one tried to stop him. Not even me.

He deposited me inside the car and soon, my beautiful stranger took me completely away.

I don't know where we turned but it's either on the way to doom or happiness.

1

I woke up to find myself in an unfamiliar room. I was not on my bed in my grandfather's estate. I was somewhere I haven't been before. How did I get here? Who brought me here? Where are those bodyguards my grandpa hired to look after me?

I sat up and leaned against the headboard. I surveyed my surroundings. The room was small but spacious. The walls were painted in cream colors and I guess one of the two doors led to an en-suite bathroom. There was a small dresser on my left and a fainting sofa on my right. Where am I?

"I see that you're awake already," a voice spoke from the doorway across the bed. I looked up and...Oh my, God! The man of my-I mean from my dreams! What is he doing here? "You must be wondering where you are," he spoke again and even his voice sounded as sexy as his body. He walked towards the foot of the bed and stopped there to gaze down at me. "You don't have to worry. You are safe here, Sophia."

Okay, if you say so, Mr. Hot Stranger. He-wait, he knows my name! H-how?

He sat down on the bed and smiled. "You have a very expressive face. I can almost read all your thoughts."

"How do you know my name?" I managed to choke out.

"We were introduced to each other a long time ago," he replied.

"How long? Why can't I remember?"

"Because you were still a baby."

I gaped at him. I understand his words but there's still something I couldn't get. "And why am I here?"

He looked at me as if I had two heads. "Did you really want to get married to that ass?"

"Who? I'm not..." Oh, my. Oh, my God. Now I remember. "I was really getting married, was I? It wasn't a dream."

He nodded.

I flung back the covers and stood up. "I thought it was all a dream. I thought when you...oh, gosh! I thought you were just part of the dream!" I started pacing. I remember everything clearly now.

Brayden St. Clair was the ass this stranger was talking about. His family was very close to mine. We practically grew up together. Just two months ago, his father visited me in my grandfather's house. I didn't know why he suddenly came over-it's been years since I last saw him-but he and grandpa locked themselves inside the library for hours. Just before dinner, they came out and announced that Brayden and I were to be married.

I begged Grandpa to stop it but he only said it was for the best. Brayden visited the next day and proved himself once again to be the greatest jerk ever. I never liked him. Sure, he was handsome-though not as handsome as Mr. Hot Stranger-but he was too proud of himself. He thinks that the world is all about him and that the sun wouldn't come up every morning without him.

The wedding preparations started and I couldn't do anything about it anymore. Honestly, I considered running away but with all the body guards, I couldn't have successfully done it.

"Sophia?"

I swung back to face Mr. Hot Stranger. "What's your name? Who are you?"

He stood up. "I am Alessio Contini."

"And you took me away from my own wedding because?"

He circled the bed and held me at arms length. "You would have made yourself only miserable if you married that swine."

I nodded. That was true.

"And you were not meant to marry him." I lifted my eyes and stared. "You were promised to me and what's mine will always be mine."