"You wanted to be my bride, Sadie?" said the man with his deep and magnetic voice.
Her heart was about to melt hearing him whispering the words to her so lovingly. He inched closer and kissed her on the lips, his lips were soft and warm. "You are mine from now on. You cannot let anyone else other than me kiss you, remember that."
Sadie Chambers couldn't see the man's face clearly. She tried to squint and look harder but to no avail. The only thing she could feel right now was the sensation from his kisses, her heart was thumping so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest any moment.
She wanted to ask the man when did she ever say that she would be his bride. Before she could ask anything, the man said, "I can wait until you grow a bit older."
Did she ever promise to become someone's bride when she grew up? Sadie turned her head around and found herself in a wedding ceremony.
She was a flower girl, and she was wearing a cute white dress. She looked like a princess. Her hand was being held by someone and the person walked her slowly down the aisle into the church.
The person's hand was large and warm. She raised her head and tried to take a good look at him, but she still couldn't see anything.
Who's wedding was this? Why was she the flower girl? Sadie mumbled unconsciously. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and the scenery right before her eyes went up in flames. She could hear the sound of people yelling miserably, "Sadie!"
Sadie woke up from the nightmare. The back of her shirt was drenched by her sweat and she felt pain on the left side of her cheek.
That was weird. She had that weird dream again. Did she forget about something?
It began ever since she was 12 years old. It had been 6 years now and she would dream of the same thing, again and again, every year during the summer. But she could never remember anything after she woke up.
She rubbed her sore shoulders and looked up. The person before her eyes was Dean Esme, she was sleeping deeply on the hospital bed. Sadie lowered her head and folded the notice of critical illness on her hand. She then gently pushed open the door and left the wardroom.
She was there since this morning and didn't even have the time to change her clothes. She was still wearing the cheap wedding dress from the event she was working at and still had the make-up on. She rushed to the hospital immediately after she got the call today.
She called each and every one of Dean Esme's relatives, but none of them offered to help.
She was tired and was feeling a bit unwell, and so she fell asleep unknowingly. She only woke up after two hours.
The air was a bit sultry. It was already midnight, but the heat didn't seem to dissipate.
It was very quiet in the hospital's courtyard, the only other thing she could hear was the chirping of the crickets from time to time.
Sadie sat down on the steps in front of the lobby entrance. She looked down and stared at the cheap wedding dress she was wearing absentmindedly for a while. She then gritted her teeth, unlocked her phone and dialed a number.
The call waiting tone was beeping mercilessly from her phone speaker. Every beep seemed to cut through her heart sloppily like it was a blunt knife.
She gripped her phone tightly like a prisoner awaiting sentence and listened to the call waiting tone helplessly and desperately. She pursed her plump lips, looked up and stared at the clear night sky.
The hospital requested her to pay for the medical bill from the early stages of the treatment which was about more than one million, only then they would arrange for the next surgery. If she couldn't get the money before morning, Dean Esme couldn't undergo the surgery and wouldn't have more than 3 months to live.
After a very long time, the call waiting tone finally came to an abrupt stop and an annoyed voice of a woman could be heard.
Sadie's eyes looked hopeful again, she tried to ask calmly, "Talia, is it possible for me to ask for an advance wage payment for the next show?"
After listening to the other person's answer, Sadie closed her eyes and implored, "I really need the money. I know I shouldn't have called you in the middle of the night, but my mother…"
The other person hanged up the call before Sadie could finish her sentence.
She stared at her pitch-black phone display in a daze and leaned her back against the hospital's canopy's marble pillar. She was worn out and her body slid down slowly as if all the strength in her body was suddenly taken away.
None of Dean Esme's relative wanted to help and she didn't have many friends. The only person she could ask for help from was the owner of the wedding dress store she worked part-time at.
And the owner's answer was what Sadie had expected…
Only her soft sigh could be heard in the deep, quiet and empty night, on and off as if it was being blown away by the wind.
Sadie rubbed her eyes vigorously until the back of her hand turned damp. She rubbed so hard she could feel a sharp pain in her eyes.
Dean Esme was the person that loved and adored her the most. But now, she could only watch her being torture by the illness and could not do anything to help.
Sadie didn't know how much time had passed and suddenly, a pair of men's black leather shoes appeared before her. The pair of Oxfords were spotless. The luxurious feeling to it was reflected under the bright white hospital lights.
She looked up and saw a man with long svelte legs in a suit.
Sadie locked her eyes on him, she then rubbed her eyes. The next thing she knew was that her chin was lifted and she was forced to look up. The man had long and slender fingers. The touch of his fingers was so cold that it sent shivers throughout her body.
His face was hidden in the shade and she couldn't make out his facial features. Even so, he gave out a strong and formidable air.
Sadie opened her eyes wide anxiously and was trembling in fear. "What…what do you want from me?" She was still in the hospital, this hooligan was sure gutsy planning to commit a crime here.
"I can help you." The man's voice was similar to his temperament, frigid and wintry.
Sadie's heart skipped a bit. Her eyes which were filled with fear were now filled with hope. "Really?"
At this moment, a few men in black walked out from the dark area one after another and surrounded the man in front of her. One of them said with a calm yet emotionless tone of voice, "The coast is clear and there are no reporters or other people in this area."
"Good," answered the man plainly. His stared into Sadie's eyes with his deep-set eyes and said, "How much do you need?"
"Ten…million." Sadie's chin was starting to hurt from the man's grip and her voice trembled as she spoke. "Just ten million."
Was this guy trying to help her or kill her? His grip hurt so much.
The man finally let go of his hand which was grasping Sadie's chin. He pressed his lips together and didn't say anything while his gaze fell onto her face, he then frowned unknowingly.
Her voice sounded nasal because she was crying. Her perfectly shaped brows sit nicely on top of her amorous eyes which enhanced the beauty of her eyes. There were still wet trails of tears on the corner of her eyes and it made her seem helpless and defenceless.
The scary-looking scar on the left side of her cheek was now visible because her tears smeared the cheap make-up she had on her face.
The man squinted his eyes and there was an ambiguous look in his eyes. He turned his head and looked at his assistant, "Khalid, give her a cheque."
His little bride didn't remember who he was. His handsome and suave face immediately turned scary and terrifying.
"Master Julian, here is the cheque." Khalid Hall swiftly wrote the cheque and tore it off the chequebook. He glanced at Sadie and thought that it was unbelievable.
Lady Sadie didn't remember who Master Julian was!
Sadie didn't notice the look in Khalid's eyes. Every ounce of her attention was on the man in front of her.
He was very good-looking. His black hair was clean-cut and elegant, his eyebrows were thick and coolly arched, his deep-set eyes were cold yet mysterious, his nose was prominent, and his thin lips seductive.
Though the air around him kept people at arm's length, and the look on his face was so proudful, as if it was saying that he didn't usually bother to make friends with peasants.
So why would he help her? The man briskly walked past Sadie as she was still in a daze.