The priest recoiled in shock as he put both hands up above his head in surrender. I hoped he didn't piss his pants. Actually, I couldn't tell if he had, but I could tell that he had started openly crying in fear. I better shut up and wait until this event ends if I want to keep my head in one piece and on my neck and shoulders.

"Where is my son? Where's Hayden?" the boss screamed at the top of his lungs.

Great, so his name is Hayden. Not only have I never met my husband-to-be before, I didn't even know his name. I also haven't seen a photo of him and so I didn't know what he looked like. Not that I was interested. If I had no choice but to marry him anyways, what difference does it make whether he's as handsome as a prince or as ugly as a beast.

The boss turned around and started waving his gun at the rows upon rows upon rows of men dressed head to toe in back suits, the standard uniform of the mafia it seems.

It was a rare sight to see men of various ages shift uncomfortably in their seats just like little kids who have been caught doing something mischievous as they looked anxiously at each other. It was obvious that no one wanted to deliver bad news to the boss.

"Umm...I'm sure that Hayden is on the way boss. You don't need to worry..." a man who I assumed was one of the boss's trusted men said as he tried to reassure the boss.

"I don't need to be worried? Hayden is late!" the boss screamed, his face getting redder from anger.

"He's on the way boss. Please wait just a little longer," the man quickly said.

"Do you know where he is? Have you found him?! Answer me!!" the boss continued to scream as he grabbed the man by his collar and started pulling hard on it.

The men looked at each other while they thought about how to deal with the boss and his violent temper. I could tell that Hayden hadn't been found. To be honest, I don't blame him for not turning up. I imagined that he felt the same way that I did. Who in their right mind would want to marry a woman he has never met or heard of before?

Just like I didn't want to marry him, he clearly doesn't want to marry me.

Thank you, Hayden or whoever you are. Thank you for not turning up.

If this marriage fails because he didn't turn up, then it won't be my fault. I prayed so desperately like I have never prayed before. I wasn't a religious person and I hardly believed in God. However, if God is real, please just let me return to my old peaceful life back in the quiet countryside.

"Master Hayden has arrived!"

What?!

"Perfect! My Hayden is finally here!" the boss shouted happily, a smile blooming on his face.

I, on the other hand, felt like I was doomed for all eternity. Why did he have to turn up now? Did he change in mind about this marriage?

I whirled around as fast as I could in my heavy and overly puffy wedding dress to face the direction of the church's entry. The large wooden door slowly opened, so dramatically slowly like we were really caught up in a movie.

I held my breath as I waited for my husband-to-be to walk through the door. I wondered what he would look like. If his father had to go so far as to arrange a marriage for him, then he's probably old, ugly, and unable to find his own girlfriend despite the wealth that he seemed to possess.

"Hayden!" the boss cried out in excitement as he clapped his hand joyfully as he saw his son entering the church.

I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting but what I saw was out of this world. Forget what Hayden looked like, I couldn't even see his face clearly. Hayden didn't walk in on his own. To be exact, it seemed that he couldn't walk on his own or support his own weight at that moment.

Two tall men, dressed entirely in black with sunglasses on, supported Hayden on both sides by draping his arms on their shoulders.

Oh, great. Hayden seems to be...unconscious?

As far as I could tell Hayden was being dragged into the church by two men. He seemed unconscious and unaware of his surrounding and what was going on. As the men walked further into the church, I could see Hayden closer and clearer.

Although his face was not clearly visible because his body was bent forward with his head hanging low, I could tell that he wasn't old and ugly. Hayden was tall...very tall. The two men in black supporting him were much larger and taller than standard men but the hunched-over Hayden was taller. He had light blond hair and wasn't dressed for the role of the groom. That's for sure.

When the two men walked him down the aisle, or more like dragged him, I finally understood why and so did most guests in the church. The unpleasant stench of alcohol was so intense that I was sure that everyone could smell it. My nose twitched at the smell, and I instinctively started fanning the air in front of my nose by waving my hand.

Hayden was dead drunk.

From the way he was dressed, I could surmise that the two men dressed him while he was unconscious. Hayden didn't have a shirt on, but someone did put white pants, a white blazer suit and a black leather pair of shoes on him. His well-defined chest muscles and the six-pack of his stomach was clearly visible through the opening of his white unbuttoned blazer.

So...this is my husband-to-be. To be honest, he didn't look as bad as I imagined he would be. He seemed young, around my age if I had to guess, and he was tall, well-built and I guess good looking. That, however, did not stir my heart at all. No matter what, I did not want to marry this man.

I wanted to ask if we could go ahead with the wedding ceremony with the groom clearly unconscious, but I was afraid his father would blow my brains out, literally, with his gun. I kept silent instead as I waited to see what would happen next.

The guests, which consisted mostly of the mafia gang members, started whispering to each other in low hushed voiced. I couldn't catch what they were saying but I had a good guess. I could surmise from what I've heard before that this Hayden guy had a little bit of a mixed popularity pole amongst his fellow mafia gang members.

"Umm...is the groom even conscious?" the old priest whispered so softly that I almost couldn't hear him.

Exactly...thank you for pointing that out, priest!

--To be continued...

"Does it matter?" the boss answered with a booming voice as he stood in front of his son.

"Well...the wedding vow..." the priest whispered hesitantly, his nervous pale blue eyes darting off in random directions.

You tell him priest! Tell him that we can't get married if the groom is not conscious and cannot say his wedding vows. I mean, does he even know what is going on? Would it even count if he doesn't know what he's getting himself into?

"Oh...I see," The boss said, nodding in understanding.

I watched, surprised at the unexpectedly understanding reaction of the mafia boss as he continued to nod his head.

"He needs to say his wedding vows...I see...I see," the boss continued to mutter to himself as if in thought.

Hayden was still as unconscious as the dead. I bet if the two men stopped supporting him, he would just fall flat on the floor.

*Smack!*

I loud smacking sound rang out echoing around the enclosed space of the marble church. I gasped in shock along with the rest of the crowd as we watched the scene unfolding in front of us. Without warning, the boss suddenly whacked his son's temple with the base of his gun. Hard.

Did that kill him? Shit...he's bleeding...

My eyes widened as my mouth dropped open in shock. Hayden's temple is bleeding, his blood spilling out from his wound and trickling down the side of his face.

"Wake up, son!" the boss shouted at the top of his lungs.

His voice was so loud that I had to cover both my ears with my hands. This man is crazy. He just hit his son to wake him up?! I bet everyone here is crazy!

"...hmmm..."

Unbelievably, Hayden began to stir and was making slurring sounds. I watched in astonishment as Hayden suddenly lifted his hanging head upwards into an upright position. Did he just wake up? He woke up...just like that?

"Hayden! Wake up son!" the boss continued shouting loudly directly next to Hayden's ear.

Hayden suddenly opened his eyes and looked around drowsily. I could imagine that he was confused as to why he was in a church and with so many people. Suddenly, his eyes landed on me before our eyes met. I gasped slightly in astonishment as our eyes finally met for the first time.

I found myself locking gaze with a pair of very beautiful blue eyes as we stared at each other. Me in shock; him in slight confusion. After a while, Hayden cocked his head to the side in confusion as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Slowly, Hayden shrugged off the two men who were supporting him as he stood up straight. He was still clearly drunk and in a daze as he tried his best to stand steadily on his own two feet.

"Hands off..." Hayden murmured in a low voice, his blond brows knitting together in annoyance.

The two men dutifully let go of Hayden and the boss quickly came to his side to check on his son. Hayden lifted a hand and felt the wound on his temple which was still bleeding. I was shocked as to why no one had given him any medical attention at this point. He looked at the blood on his hand in confusion after he felt the wound on his head.

"Did I hit my head?" Hayden asked his father directly.

"No. I hit you on the head with a gun to wake you up! You need to get married right now. This is no time to be drunk!" His father replied, screaming loudly at his son.

Speaking in a calm and collected manner was clearly not the boss's strong fort.

"Well...fuck..." Hayden cursed as he wiped his blood on his white blazer, staining it red.

"Proceed with the ceremony. We haven't got all day!" the boss shouted at the priest who quivered in fear.

This can't be happening. We're going ahead with the ceremony? I really have to marry that guy? I felt cold sweat on my body and realized how panicked I felt at that moment. If I marry him, my life is really over. I'll be stuck with these crazy mafias for the rest of my life.

No...this can't be true.

The impatient boss grabbed his son's arm and yanked him forward. I watched as Hayden staggered a little forward at the force of his father's pull. However, suddenly Hayden stopped in his track as if his mind had just thought of something.

"...who is she?" Hayden asked as he pointed a finger at me.

I'm the girl you're supposed to be marrying but I guess you don't realize that or anything else because you are dead drunk, I screamed inside my own head.

"That is your bride, Hayden!" the boss screamed, clearly losing whatever little patient that he had.

"...she's not my bride," Hayden stated firmly.

Oh...wow. What a turn of events. I was sure that no bride standing at the alter expected or wanted to be rejected by her groom-to-be, but I was thrilled at what I was hearing. Please break off this stupid engagement so I can go home with my grandma. Please!

"What on earth are you saying?! We went over this. If I say that she's your bride, then she IS your bride!" the boss shouted in his son's face.

I winced at the aggressive scene in front of me. The other gang members and the guests remained glued to their seat as they watched on in complete silence. I wanted to go home, the church was cold, and I could see from the corner of my eye that my grandma looked paler by the minute. She wasn't feeling well, I could tell.

"What is...your name?" Hayden asked me directly, speaking as slowly and as clearly as he could in his state.

I was shocked that he actually spoke to me. I felt his eyes on my face and I felt my words stuck in my throat. Hayden continued staring at me with squinted eyes as he waited for my answer.

"...Malissa. My name is Malissa Maxford," I finally managed to say, although my voice sounded shaky and dry.

"Amelia. I will not marry anyone besides Amelia. She is not my bride," Hayden stated firmly as he pointed in my direction. He shook off his father's arm and turned to leave.

"What are you saying! Amelia...Arghhh! Men, hold him down now!" the boss ordered as he pointed his finger at his son's back.

The men got up from their seat and started restraining Hayden's arms and legs until he was forced to kneel on the ground at his father's feet.

What now? Apparently, Hayden has someone he is in love with and intends to marry that person. I too have someone I was madly in love with, although, he never wished to marry someone like me...

What happened after that was complete mayhem as the gang members struggled to restrain Hayden and the boss continued shouting at this son. Sometime later, Hayden lapsed back into his unconscious state, and no one could rouse him.

In the end, to my utmost relief, the wedding ceremony couldn't proceed forward. That didn't mean that I was immediately free from the mafia but at least, I had avoided my marriage for one more day. The men in black escorted my grandmother and I back to her hospital room after I had changed out of my wedding dress.

I never saw Hayden again that day.

--To be continued...

**A few weeks before**

I'm late! This can't be happening to me! The supermarket promotional sale starts in ten minutes, and I am going to be late for it. I looked down at the grocery shopping list that my granny had carefully prepared and sighed. If I miss the sale and they run out of stuff, we're not going to be able to get everything within our budget.

I have to hurry. I ran at full speed along the sidewalk leading to the supermarket. I dodged around people, couples holding hands, children on their tricycles, an uncle walking his dog and so many more. However, I had to come to a sudden halt when I almost ran into a slightly plump old man. He must be in his fifties and was dressed in fine clothes like he was from the big city.

I mean, no one at his age dresses this well around here.

"I'm so sorry, Sir. Did I run into you? Are you hurt?" I apologized and fired off my questions at him rapidly.

I think I stopped in time before running into him, but I had to ask to make sure. He seemed shocked to see me apologizing profusely to him. However, in the next instant, he started smiling at me.

"I'm fine, young miss. There's no need for you to worry. I may look old and a little on the fat side, but I assure you that I am strong and very fit!" the old man replied in a booming voice before laughing loudly.

"Oh...I'm so glad to hear it. Well, then..." I replied happily as I smiled back at him. However, I was very aware of the fact that I was running late. I couldn't stand here and chat with him forever even if I wanted to.

"Wait miss!" the old man called out to me as I turned to leave.

"What is it? Do you need help with something?" I asked.

"Do you...happen to know someone called Jack Witman?" the old man asked, his eyes narrowing at me.

Umm...I don't think I've ever heard of someone with that name before.

"Sorry, sir. I haven't heard of that name before. Sorry, I couldn't be of help here," I replied truthfully as I smiled sadly at him.

"Hmm...I see," the old man replied softly.

"Are you looking for that man? Does he live in this town?" I asked in case I could help.

"Yes. He's...an old friend of mine. We had a couple of fights when we were younger and I haven't seen him for many years but now that I'm getting old, you know...I kinda want to see him..." he said a little sadly.

"This is a small town but...I've never heard of him. I'm so sorry..." I replied regretfully.

"Oh...nevermind. That's ok," the man said with a small smile.

"Well then, I have a place I have to be. So...have a good day, Sir! I hope you find your friend!" I said as cheerfully as I could.

I said before bowing respectfully to him and running off towards the supermarket. I definitely won't make it on time but if I hurried, I was sure that I could still get some promotional items that granny wanted.

"See you again soon, little miss," the old man muttered to himself as he watched the young woman run further and further away from him until she disappeared in the crowd.

...

I trudged along the sidewalk with bags full of groceries in both hands. These are the result of my effort in grabbing items on sale. Although I arrived a little late, luckily, I was able to buy most of the items on grandma's grocery shopping list. She should be please with my achievement.

However, I did not imagine that it would be so heavy. I guess if I set some money aside and start saving up, I could purchase a bicycle or a small trolley of some kind that I could use to transport these heavy bags of groceries. It's just a thought for now though, we didn't have that kind of money to spare, unfortunately.

I wasn't born into a poor family. I lived the first sixteen years of my life as part of an average-income family with an average standard of living. We had a house; a car and I went to a private school where I had many good friends. My parents owned their own company, and everything was normal and fine until that fateful day.

Around six years ago, my parents died in a car accident when a transport truck crashed into their car. The investigations later revealed that the truck driver was drunk from a party he had attended the previous night and had a hangover when he came to work in the morning. Regardless of the reason, I lost both my parents on that day.

The accident was featured in the news with clear photographs of their whole car burning up in flames before it exploded. A few other people who were at the scene were hurt. The truck driver was seriously injured but survived the crash.

My parents always drove me to school in the morning before they went to work. It was just wild luck that I wasn't in the car with them on the day of the accident. Since I had a sleepover party at one of my girl friend's house the night before, I was on my way to school with her when the accident occurred. I always thought back to that twist of fate.

If I didn't join the sleepover back then, I would have probably died along with my parents in the crash.

Who knows...perhaps that would have been the better option?

My life changed drastically after the passing of my parents. For one, I learnt that not everyone who seemed to mean well actually meant well. Right after the funeral for my parents, I found out that their so-called business partner had taken over the company and that there was nothing left of it to be passed down to me. Basically, I was somehow scammed out of my stake in my parent's business.

Everything that they have built all went to waste over a night.

Matters went from bad to worse when I was told that my parents had debts with the banks, and they demanded to take away the collateral: our house. After settling the debt and all was said and done, I had lost the house, the car and almost all of my parent's life savings. I walked away from the whole thing with less than three hundred dollars to my name.

--To be continued...