Where It All Started

Stuck in an Arranged Marriage with the Popular Playboy

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Chapter 1: Where it all started 

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Lori peel her eyes open, already regretting it the moment bright sunlight blinds her vision. She groan in annoyance, rolling onto her side to escape the sunrays hitting her face. Something she regret doing as well as she is now facing a heart-eyed and smiling Jordan.

“Good morning beautiful”, he whispers, brushing his fingertips down the bridge of her nose.

“Jordan. Don’t”, Lori warn, rolling onto her back to escape his touch.

But to no avail. He follows her, now hovering over her with his elbows on each side of her head and a big grin on his disgustingly handsome face. His naked chest brushes her equally bare one with every breath he takes, eliciting goosebumps on her skin.

“Why?” he pats his eyelashes at Lori in confusion, “still have insecurities about your ruffled bed hair? After all those months together?” he teases, running his fingers through her messy hair softly.

She scoff, rolling her eyes at him.

“Shut up”, Lori gently push at his chest.

It makes him grin, well, smirk more so, his eyes starting to sparkle even more than before.

“Fine if you wish”, he rasps as he cups her face to pull her into a hot kiss.

But before his lips meet hers, she turn her head away, making him kiss her cheek instead.

“I said don’t”, Lori warn.

His naked skin on hers doesn’t feel exciting anymore, it feels suffocating. Or maybe it is because her whole body wants to feel his’, every nerve in her body craves his touch and every cell in her brain screams at her to just give in, do you feel like suffocating.

Jordan pulls away, clearly confused and hurt.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, despite knowing the answer already.

“You know what’s wrong”, Lori growl, staring at the ceiling now that Jordan had rolled off her body and his face isn’t able to distract her anymore.

“Don’t think about it. We still have time. One day, just let me distract you for today and we’ll see about tomorrow when tomorrow comes, not anytime sooner”, he says, already tracing his fingers up and down her arm again.

But she only listen to him half heartedly. Her thoughts are racing with unlived memories of tomorrow.

“Kim fucking Elijah”, Lori scoff.

Jordan’s fingers come to a halt, his jaw clenches.

“Out of all the rich sons my father wants to expand his fortune with, it has to be Kim motherfucking Elijah”, She groan, rubbing her eyes.

Jordan grumbles Lori’s name in warning, swallowing down the lump which had formed in his dry throat. The morning wood, he had sported just seconds ago and had loved to put to good use, is definitely gone by now.

“I have to marry Kim Elijah. Can you believe that?” Lori laugh breathlessly, shaking her head before rolling her head to the side to look at Jordan.

He is staring at her with cold eyes, grinding his teeth.

The lovely Sunday he had planned for her is definitely ruined now.

He knows it and he knows she know it too.

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“Are you ready to go ma'am?“ Lori’s assistant asks her, entering her dressing room after having knocked three times. He is carrying a big bouquet of white and pink roses, smiling brightly at her.

She turns around and touch the top of her long white wedding dress. It feels soft under her fingertips, almost like she would imagine touching a fluffy cloud would feel like. She hate it, it shouldn’t feel good, it should feel like sandpaper or razors cutting her skin. Not like fairytales and happiness.

“Do I look ready?” She ask, wanting nothing more than for him to say no just so could have an excuse to rip that god awful dress off her body.

“You look beautiful ma’am. Mister Kim is so lucky”, he smiles, completely oblivious to her clenched jaw and sagging shoulders.

Or at least that is what he lets her believe.

Truth was, he knew exactly how she was feeling, but didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. So he pretend not to know.

“Thank you”, Lori mumble, playing with the golden ring on her finger.

Her brother had gotten it for her as his promise to always stay by your side no matter what will come. She look down at it, watching the light dance in the ruby stone. A small smile hushes over her lips, the ring is the only thing you genuinely enjoy right now.

“Let’s go now ma'am. Your brother is waiting for you”, Her assistant says, offering her his hand to help her down the step on which she was currently standing.

Lori accept it, stepping down the unnecessarily high step. He hands her the bouquet of flowers, brushing his thumb over her skin in comfort. Secretly and quickly, but it is enough to show her that he cares enough to know.

The way to the limousine, which was parked right outside of her parents house, was silent. She was too lost in her own thoughts and her assistant was far too busy with trying to hold her long veil as high as possible so it wouldn’t get dirty.

Not that she minded the silence, on the contrary at least she could wallow in self-pity in peace.

She is greeted with a proudly grinning Logan in the entrance hall. He is wearing a black suit with a burgundy red tie and a white shirt underneath. He looks like a proper gentleman, the image making her almost laugh.

Lori knows him wearing his floor long dressing gown and ugly fur slippers around the house, so seeing him all dressed-up, feels almost foreign to her.

Oh how uncomfortable he must be right now.

“Wow you look beautiful”, Logan gasps.

“You think so? Thanks, I personally hate it”, Lori retort.

She can see Logan be lost for words for just a moment, as he swallows down what he wanted to say and looks at her assistant for help instead.

“Yeah”, he clears his throat awkwardly, “let’s go”, he decides on saying in the end, locking his arm with hers to lead her to the car.

Once inside the car, Logan on the backseat next to Lori and her assistant in the front, the suffocating feeling inside her chest gets only stronger. Logan, who had watched his sister bite on her nails for a good ten minutes now, finally opens his mouth to speak.

“Want some champagne?” he asks, offering her a glass of the sparkling alcohol.

“Thanks”, Lori say before gulping down the sour liquid in one-go, not once batting an eyelash.

“Whoa, take it easy there champion”, he gasps, holding onto her wrist to stop her from reaching for the bottle and pouring herself another glass.

“Why? It’s not every day that your little sister gets married to someone she doesn’t even love. We have to celebrate this wonderful occasion”, Lori spit.

Logan sighs, combing his fingers through his black locks.

“You know”, he starts as he slings an arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer to his body, “I didn’t love my wife at first either. For a fact I despised her. But now look at us, all happy and in love. I am sure you will feel the same for Elijah one day.”

Lori know he means well, but just imagining feeling anything other than hatred for Elijah makes her want to gag.

“That’s different. Your wife is actually nice and turned out to be an amazing wife to you. But Elijah, he is just so-“, She stop herself for a moment just so she wouldn’t say the wrong thing right now, “-so not my type”, She says in the end.

“I’m sure he will be one day”, he pats her shoulder softly, giving you an encouraging smile.

“No. But let’s just say so for now”, She retort, feeling stubborn and not wanting to give Logan any kind of satisfaction.

Just as he says her name to start scolding her, the car comes to a sudden stop. The driver opens the little window, which separates her from the driver booth and just in the next moment her assistants face appears in the frame.

“We arrived”, he announces before getting out of the car to open the door for Lori and Logan.

Lori can already spot her father waiting for the two of you outside the building with a proud smile on his face. He raises his right hand to wave at her, calling out her brother’s name first before hers falls off his tongue.

Lori wonders if he would look at her funny if she simply turned around this instance and fled the scene? She could easily do that. Take a shortcut through the flower beds, ruin her dress in the process and then hide in a far away café.

Surely she would be faster than her father or her brother, she always have been. But before she could go through with her escape plan, she is by her father’s side, facing him with a clenched jaw.

“My darling daughter”, He says, meeting her in the middle of the staircase. He puts his hand on her shoulder, giving it a loving squeeze, “look at you, even more beautiful than I had imagined”, he continues.

Lori force a smile to her face, bowing her head at him in thankfulness. He is never that nice. The feigned kindness makes her skin crawl.

“Thank you father, I have to agree my stylists did an amazing job today. At least now I can look my best whilst having to marry a complete stranger”, Lori’s fake smile grows.

Her father’s smile drops, his eyebrow crease.

“There is nothing that I can do here. Behave just like you were taught”, he warns, the loving tone in his voice is gone.

She scoffs.

She is impressed, her father held up his façade longer than she had imagined.

She knows full well what would happen if she continued to step out of line, just the thought alone scares her. So despite her tongue itching to throw another snarky remark at her father’s annoying head, she mumbles a quiet apology and decides to keeps her head low.

Her father, clearly happy with her behavior, pats her shoulder, smiling like nothing had happened.

“The company is so proud of you, my daughter. Come”, he says, taking Lori’s hand, “meet your husband”, he says as he leads her up the remaining stairs into the big venue.

Lori feels like throwing up once and for all.

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TBC

Written by Me