Becoming Mrs Miller

PROLOGUE

It was a very sunny day, a day Gabriella would never forget.

She cringed her eyes as the brightness of the sun hit her but she could care less. She balled her fingers into fists beside her and walked as fast as she could.

Gabriella had just turned eighteen and her birthday gift from her father was the news that she had been betrothed to a certain billionaire’s son at birth. At birth! And she only just found out at the age of eighteen. She hated her family. How could they have kept such from her for eighteen years.

She could barely hide the hate she felt for her father especially. He seemed pleased to have her sold away just like that. Like some property. Like she had no say as to what happens in her life.

Gabriella was a beauty to behold. She wasn’t born into wealth but her skin looked rich and soft. She looked like she never had to work a day in her life and people often stopped to give her a second glance each time she passed.

Standing at five foot eight inches tall, Gabriella towered over most of her mates. Her eyes were a deep shade of blue and her blonde hair, ever so soft dropped all the way to her waist. Her curves were one that couldn't be ignored. She easily gained attention anywhere she went.

She had her whole life ahead of her. How could they expect her to cut down all her dreams to be married off to some billionaire? How could her family have kept such from her all her life? Even Max!

Maxwell was her elder brother by two years. He was the closest person to her. She told him everything, she had no secrets around him but he knew and he kept it all to himself. What manner of deceit!

Gabriella was sweating profusely. She had no idea where she was going but she knew for a fact that she wanted to get as far away from them as possible.

She didn't mind the heavy sweat running down her forehead or underarms. She didn't care about the dust which covered her shoes. She didn’t even notice the awkward stares she was getting. All she felt was anger. Pain. Betrayal. Deceit.

She must have been walking a long distance because all of a sudden her feet began to ache. She stumbled on a stone and staggered, she almost fell but regained her balance almost immediately.

"s**t” she cursed as she noticed a small cut on her big toe and blood threatened to sip out. But that didn’t stop her. The pain was nothing close to the anger she felt inside her.

Turning left, she was drawn by the cool breeze of water, the view was beautiful. How she had missed this place all her life surprised her.

She walked closer and sat on the sand inhaling the air as thoughts flooded her mind. Then she couldn't control the tears any longer. She let them flow freely down her cheeks.

“I hate them all,” she cried out loud.

"May I ask who?”.... a deep voice startled her from behind She turned back to see one who she could describe as the tallest human she must have seen in her life.

"Who are you and how long have you been there” she asked.

He didn't respond but rather, threw himself on the ground beside her and smiled. This man whoever he was had one hell of a cute smile. Something about him made her feel kind of safe.

His hair was black and rough, his eyes were a deep shade of grey, his jaw was tough and chiselled and his beards looked like they could use some shaving. He coughed and shook his head and she realised she had been staring at him.

“You found my spot. This is where I find my peace after a hard days work. What are you doing here? Not many people come around here,” He asked.

“I don’t know. I guess I must have wandered,” Ella answered sternly.

"And where from?” he asked

“You seem to ask a lot of questions for someone that wouldn’t even answer one” Gabriella sounded a bit defensive.

“Pardon me... I'm Ryan, I live just a few blocks away. What's your name beautiful one?"

"Gabriella ” she answered shortly.

“You're beautiful” he sounded almost sarcastic.

She began to feel uneasy and hurriedly jumped to her feet.

“I should head back home”

He quickly caught her hands "stay.... please"

For a moment she forgot all her troubles, she found herself wanting to spend more time with this stranger. Some part of her told her to leave but she really needed to talk to someone at this point.

She lowered herself back to the floor and with one hand he drew her closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder. She caught a scent of his cologne and savoured in his warmth.

" you wanna talk?' He asked.

“Yes" she paused thinking if it was wise to go ahead " Well, today happens to be my birthday, I'm turning eighteen “

"Okay" Ryan smiled." You are one pretty birthday girl" he said with a warm smile. She almost blushed.

It wasn’t the first time she was called pretty, infact she had heard it almost everyday for the last eighteen years but something about the way he said it made her feel special.

"But my family wants me married off to some wealthy man who I do not even know" the anger was rising in her again "worse is they had it all planned from my birth, every single one of them knew about it except me."

Gabriella could have sworn she almost felt him stiffen. She brought her face to meet his. "I have a right to make my own decisions. I shouldn't be sold out like some cheap property. I have trusted these people all my life and yet they kept something so severe away from me" she continued "I feel like I don’t even know these people. I have been lied to all my life. I wonder what next I’m going to find out" Gabriella couldn't hold it any longer. She burst into a fury as she continued to narrate everything to Ryan.

Ryan was a good listener. He listened with compassion on his face. It was almost as if he understood everything... like he was literally in her shoes.

"That's a terrible thing Ella..." he said after hearing her rant "Why would your family keep such from you??"

"Exactly! I have lived with these people all my life and none of them even mentioned it to me. Not even as a joke.” She said furiously.

"What do you wanna do?" He asked after a while.

"I just want to go away from it all...I hate all of them"

"Don’t say that....."

"But I do! Its how I feel....can you imagine the level of deceit."

"You can’t walk away from your family Ella, I'm sure they have their reasons. Whatever it is you need to face them. They are still your family you know." Ryan was trying to be reasonable. It was a terrible thing to do to ones own family but he didn't blame them and there was no way he would support her running off.

"You see Ella, there’s a whole lot going on in this world..." his eyes went dark “you do not want to be caught up in all the drama of this world Ella." She caught what seemed like a glimpse of pain in his eyes but was gone before she could ascertain it.

"You are a beautiful girl, and a very intelligent one too. You deserve better" he paused. "But you are not ready for all the many troubles of this world. Your heart is so pure. Not many people would acknowledge that." He looked deeply into her eyes and held both her hands in his " Please go back home and face them squarely" .

She softened a bit. His voice was so soothing.

"Come let me show you something" he rose and stretched his hands towards her. She took his hands and followed him as he led her southward.

They walked past a stretch of trees and he led her towards the hill. They climbed till they got to the top of the hill.

"Wow!" She exclaimed as she beheld the view of the river from atop the hill. It was a beautiful sight. Ryan never left her hands. He held on tightly like she was going to run. "Its beautiful" she said as she turned to face him.

There was something in his eyes.... something about them were soft and caring.

Ryan, whoever he was seemed like someone she wanted to spend a lot of time with. She didn’t want to leave his side at all. She felt comfortable and for a moment she wanted to know more about him.....she wanted to know every single detail about him.

" I want you to come here anytime you want to relax, anytime you want to breathe in fresh air" he giggled "away from the whole stress. Its my comfort place and I want to share it with you."

Ella stared into his eyes, lost for a second. She was drawn to him. He was definitely handsome. she would guess stood at about six feet five inches but he looked taller. She caught her breath.

"I love it" she said.

"I'm glad you do" They stared at each other until she began to feel uneasy.

Unable to resist the urge to, Ryan pulled her into his arms. Hugging her tight. A wave of emotions burst through her. His arms were so comforting. She really needed that hug for somehow it made her feel better. It made her forget about the deceit from her family. It was comforting. Indeed, she wished she could stay there forever. In the arms of this stranger. Her stranger.

Ryan knew. Just from holding her close, he knew he didn’t want to let her go. He knew he felt something for Ella but she belonged to another. She wasn't and would never be his. He would never be able to do the things he had in mind for her. The thought almost made him angry but still, he hugged her because he felt comfort. Ella loosened her hold on him and looked up to face him. She could see it in his eyes. He was drawn to her too.

"You should head back home Ella" he said. She shoke her head but she knew he was right.

She had nowhere to go to. She didn’t have much attached to her name but she promised there and then that she would not get married to her betrothed. She would not let her family determine what she does with her life. She would do whatever she wanted to. She was eighteen. That made her a complete adult and that means she could make decisions as she liked.

"I don’t want to go there" she hesitated "but it seems like I don’t have much choice"

"Do you want me to walk you?" He asked after a while.

"Its fine. I'll be fine" she responded

He helped her climb down the hill as she set back home.

"Promise you will come here anytime you can" he looked at her hopefully, holding on to her hand.

"I will" she promised and turned to leave.

Ryan watched her as she graciously walked back, headed towards home. He felt a little bit of pity for her but at the same time she had to do the right thing and he knew. He knew he had to see her again.