CHAPTER FOUR

SOPHIA’s POV

The moment the wedding hall doors closed behind us, the noise inside faded instantly.

I stood beside Eric at the bottom of the grand staircase while reporters struggled against security barriers, screaming questions from every direction.

“Mrs. Prescott! Did you marry him out of revenge? Mr. Prescott, was this planned? Are the Carter and Prescott families officially merging?”

My chest went still beneath the heavy wedding dress, every happening still felt surreal.

Thirty minutes ago, I had been standing beside Daniel Kingston preparing to become his wife. Now I carried Eric Prescott’s last name, and somehow, it hit differently.

A sleek black Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled at the front entrance, its glossy body reflecting the flashing cameras surrounding the hotel. Armed security men immediately formed a barrier around the car while the driver hurried out to open the back door respectfully.

Then I felt Eric’s hand against my lower back as he guided me forward. Everyone watched the display of affection with utmost shock, especially my family.

My father looked seconds away from exploding.

“Awwn, so gentlemanly,” one female reporter gushed from the crowd.

A small smile tugged at my lips. Honestly, I loved every bit of this, it was exactly how I wanted it to play out.

I still could not fully believe Eric actually agreed to marry me without hesitation. This was Eric Prescott, my father’s arch enemy. There’s definitely something dangerous hiding beneath that calm face of his.

“Whatever,” I muttered under my breath as I pushed the thought behind my mind. That was a problem for later. Right now, all I cared about was the fact that the people who betrayed me were finally the ones being humiliated publicly. If crossing the line made me crazy, then maybe I was fine with being crazy.

I carefully gathered the layers of my wedding dress and slid into the luxurious backseat while Eric entered beside me seconds later.

The door shut firmly behind us, instantly cutting off the chaos outside. The Rolls-Royce moved smoothly away from the hotel while city lights flashed across the tinted windows.

Then suddenly, I broke into a broken, disbelieving laugh. Eric turned slightly toward me, his gaze searching through my eyes.

I pressed my trembling fingers against my forehead as I laughed again, harder this time.

“I actually married you.”

“You sound surprised,” he replied calmly.

I turned toward him. “You kissed me in front of four hundred people.” I said dryly.

“You asked me to be your groom in front of four hundred people,” he replied

Another laugh escaped me before I could stop it. Tonight felt insane, but the laughter faded almost as quickly as it came though, reality set back in.

The city lights reflected faintly across Eric’s sharp features as he leaned back against the leather seat, looking completely untouched by the disaster we just left behind.

Meanwhile, my emotions were all over the place. Yet somehow, sitting beside Eric felt strangely safer than the wedding hall I just escaped from. My eyes drifted toward him unintentionally for a few seconds. I looked away before he noticed but it was too late.

“I can feel you staring,” he said coldly.

Heat rushed into my face, I swallowed hard and glanced down at my left hand resting against my dress instead.

The diamond wedding ring Eric placed there less than thirty minutes ago gleamed under the dim lights inside the car. Still hard to believe.

Mrs. Prescott. The title sounded dangerous but strangely, I liked the sound of it.

My phone started buzzing nonstop inside my gold clutch purse, I pulled it out to see dozens of missed calls already flooded the screen.

I scrolled through the names as I bit my lips slightly. Daniel, Vanessa, my father, and a list of unknown numbers.

“Your betrayals.” Eric's voice jolted me slightly. My eyes widened as I searched into his eyes but his emotion was vague.

The sound of your betrayals seems odd but feels right. That is the perfect description that befits those I had called family all my life.

My eyes dropped back to the phone screen just as another notification appeared:

Billionaire Eric Prescott Marries Rival’s Daughter After Public Wedding Scandal.

I stared at the headline numbly for a second before switching my phone off and sliding it back into my purse.

A few minutes later, the Rolls-Royce slowed before turning through massive iron gates. I looked outside instinctively.

My breath caught mid-air.

A massive estate stretched before me beneath the grey evening sky. Modern architecture with endless down to top glass walls, armed security positioned all round the property. The place looked almost powerful than the head of state residence .

I turned toward Eric as his grey eyes settled on me. “Where are we?” I asked quietly.

“Home.”