Chapter 2

Matthew slowly pointed toward Serena, who was sitting on the stage floor, wincing as she gently rubbed her ankle. An elegantly dressed older woman stood up from the crowd, face full of fury. “This is absurd!” All eyes turned to Serena. What the heck is going on? She pointed at herself in disbelief, totally confused. That expressionless man didn’t care about the gasps or stares. He strode up to her with those long legs, scooped her up without hesitation, and coldly muttered, “What took you so long?” “Wait... what do you mean by that? Was I supposed to be here or something?” she thought, completely baffled. There’s no way he was in on the original wedding plan, right? The guy she was supposed to marry was old and round—this one, at least, looked like he walked out of a movie. Tears spilled from the bride’s eyes. Her voice trembled as she whispered, “Matthew, how could you do this to me?” But Matthew didn’t even flinch. Without a glance at her, he signaled to the men at the side of the stage, holding Serena like it was no big deal as he walked off. She hadn't even wrapped her head around what was going on before she was whisked away like some kind of package. “Hey, hey! Put me down already!” Serena frowned and shot him a glare when they got to the rooftop of the hotel. “What’s your problem? You just ditched your own wedding and now you’re dragging someone else into this mess? So irresponsible!” Her words rushed out, a desperate attempt to regain some dignity. “And you’re one to talk?” His lips curled into a smirk full of sarcasm. She instantly deflated. Yeah, she did run off her own wedding at the last second. Her mouth opened, then closed again. She couldn’t argue with that, not with his overwhelming presence. Matthew glanced at her—head lowered, fidgeting with her wedding dress, lashes trembling slightly, her narrow shoulders making her look pitiful. His tone softened just a bit. “You can go now. I’ll wire you the money. Give me an hour.” “Money? What money?” Her head snapped up, suddenly interested. “Even if you were late, you'll still get paid.” He looked at her like she was transparent, tossed the words over his shoulder, and turned to leave. She was totally confused, completely lost. But when she remembered that she’d run off from the wedding, she realized that middle-aged man wouldn’t let her go easily, and the hotel downstairs was probably crawling with people looking for her. This arrogant guy in front of her looked like someone important. Maybe clinging to him was her only shot at getting out of here. She rushed after him and wrapped her arms around Matthew’s arm. “I don’t want money, just get me out of here.” “Heh... you wouldn’t believe how many women want me to take them away.” Ugh, there he goes again with that cocky attitude. Seriously, does he think he’s some kind of heartthrob or what? But whatever, survival first. Serena’s eyes immediately filled with tears as she pleaded, “Please. I don’t need money, I just need your help.” “Let go.” Wow. Not just full of himself, but stone cold too. Just then, a man around Matthew’s age in a black suit came over, bowed slightly to him, then leaned in to whisper something. Both of them glanced at Serena with oddly complicated looks. Serena kept looking innocent and kept holding on to Matthew’s arm, her voice soft and begging. “You’re the runaway bride from the 58th floor?” She sneaked a quick guilty look up and nodded. “Uh... yeah? Is something wrong?” “Because of you, the whole hotel’s elevators and stairwells are shut down. Nobody we sent in could get through. You almost wrecked everything,” the man in black said flatly, face stiff and voice colder than iced water. Serena realized she’d really messed up and lowered her head in silence. “What’s your name?” “Serena.” “Sounds peaceful.” “Yeah? Guess my parents were optimists.” A little flattery never hurts when you’re trying to escape. “No wonder you don’t care about weddings. Even your name sounds indifferent.” Another stab of sarcasm from Matthew, spoken with that signature chill. “Well, you’re no better.” Serena couldn’t resist snapping back. The man in black gave her a nervous glance and whispered, “Ms. Dawson, this is the CEO of Quinn Corporation.” Wait, what?! The guy who dumped the bride at the altar just so happened to be the big boss of Quinn Corporation?!