"Damsel In Distress"

I Roxanne Andrews am the eldest heir of the extensive business empire of the Andrews family. As the eldest daughter, I have to constantly meet up to my parent's expectations. My father is a well-known and strong business tycoon who has no time nor concern for the well-being of his family, he is far too busy expanding his empire and taking down any rival organizations no matter how deceptive or underhanded his methods are.

I know all this as I am caught amid this crossfire. I have been raised as a polite, well-groomed and silent beauty who has to sit still and look pretty. And finally, Daddy found a pedestal for his shiny trophy.

In simpler words, he wishes to marry me off to a very dangerous rival's eldest son so that instead of tearing apart the organization he can benefit from it without suffering any losses in his empire.

My father is smart enough to pick his battles and he knows this one he won't leave unscathed. So he decides to get out of this the easy way, by handing off his daughter to a filthy rich businessman.

Yes, I am to be married to Elijah Blackford the eldest son of Mr Blackford who rules his everlasting empire and proves to be a thorn in my father's spine.

I am already engaged to Elijah as I had no choice in this matter and tomorrow night is my engagement dinner. Tomorrow I will be labelled as Elijah's fiance. But I refuse to live a life where others continue to pull the strings and I follow like a dead puppet.

My mother has nothing but been kind to me but she refuses to take one tiny step against my father's will and has always told me to do as I am told otherwise I would be bent against my will and if I do not bend I would be broken.

My younger sister Anastasia Andrews helps me get dressed for lunch with the Blackfords. Apparently, my soon-to-be in-laws insist on a pre-engagement lunch to settle down some matters. We all know they won't be discussing something as trivial as the venue for tomorrow's event rather they would be interested in dividing the shares of both companies which will soon be merged after my engagement.

I suck in a breath as Anna slides the zipper of my dress upwards in a poor attempt to close it. Damn it, I hate these bodycon dresses but fashion is superior to comfort in this era of glamour.

I am wearing a lavender bodycon dress with an artistic floral print. Matching lavender earrings dangle from my ears. An enticing necklace adorns my neck. Anna helps me in applying the necessary cosmetics and a maid helps put my blonde hair in a half-up braided hairstyle.

As I make my way to the lunch table on our balcony my feet curse me for wearing the 5-inch lavender stilettos. Anna helps me get seated at the table and then sits in her chair quietly.

I must admit Elijah isn't that horrible of a man but even a blind person can tell he has absolutely no interest in attaining my affection though he tries to make this forced relationship work and I appreciate that.

I can't help but notice that Anna acts strangely in the presence of Elijah, even know she doesn't meet his gaze and a crimson blush stains her face.

I prefer to stay silent while my father signs a contract with Mr Blackford to strengthen their ties. My mother-in-law is a goddamn snake and Elijah's stupid sister Melita makes life miserable for everyone. Thank God my little sister Anna is a blessing in my life without her and my mom I would have jumped off this balcony without a second's hesitation.

Elijah makes some effort to make small talk with me but how much can a man and a woman talk if they don't even know each other's birthdays? Anna on the other hand is better at communication and helps keep the awkwardness from increasing.

I barely eat anything because God knows how I am fitting inside this damned dress. My 22nd birthday is just around the corner. God knows what horrors that day will bring.

As usual, Elijah has another meaningless yet ridiculously expensive trinket for me. A diamond bracelet adorned in emeralds. Well, now I know what colour I am wearing at my engagement. I must match my outfits with his gifts.

Time passes by and by the end of our lunch, I almost fall asleep. Such a boring crowd. If only I had a bad boy to steal me into the night on his bike. Although my whole life I have been raised in riches I have no desire to waste my life lounging in wealth.

As I excuse myself from the lunch table Elijah follows behind me and asks if I have a moment.

I politely reply:

" Yes, indeed."

He inquires:

"Are you unhappy with our engagement?"

I don't give a damn about this business arrangement. So I state rather coldly.

" Since when has anyone cared about my happiness?"

His face breaks into a sorrowful expression and I'm sure he understands that we are mere pawns on the chess board owned by our fathers and they will not hesitate to sacrifice our happiness if it means gaining more power.

I can't lie though Elijah is quite the prince charming. His blue eyes and dashing caramel hair are enough to bring women to their knees but unfortunately or rather fortunately I prefer morally grey dark-haired males with steel grey piercing gazes that steal my breath away.

The amount of Mafia Romances I have read is rather unhealthy. I failed to notice that Elijah was long gone by the time I came out of my thoughts.

Anna walks up to me and ask what was Elijah saying and I simply told her that it was nothing important. I swear I could see pain flashing in her blue eyes for a moment. I wondered what was the matter with her.

Afterwards, we went for picking out an emerald engagement gown for tomorrow evening.

When we came back home I found an unread email on my laptop. I opened the email and it said that I had gotten into my dream university. Well, who cares it's not like I will be able to study after marriage so I deleted the email suppressing the urge to cry.

The sound of my little sister's sobbing pulled me out of my depressing thoughts. Our rooms were adjacent so I could overhear everything easily and to my shock I heard Anna saying:

" Elijah, try to understand I can't run away with you. I love you with all my heart but you must marry my sister for the sake of our families. You know Father would never allow me to marry you."

Hearing this I clamped my hand tightly over my lips suppressing my scream. Oh damn, you father why must you break two souls for your selfish gains.

I will put an end to this wedding even if it's the last thing I do.