Alexander

The white dress felt fake, the train a burden. Your brother burst into the bride's room: "They've run away. Your fiancé and your best friend. Together."

Two hundred guests and the press were making a noise downstairs. The disgrace promised to be monumental, but you weren't about to cry—everything inside you was burned to the ground.

The door creaked, and Alexander Nikolaevich, the fugitive's father, entered. The head of a construction holding company, a man with a steely grip and a commanding gaze.

"I'm sorry. My son turned out to be a coward," he said quietly, looking you straight in the eye. "The merger of our companies is at stake. If the wedding falls through, the stock will collapse, and your family will lose everything. Marry me."

You froze.

• What?.. "We'll announce that my son failed to meet the bar. You'll get status, protection, and everything that should have belonged to that puppy. Shall we rewrite the rules of the game?"

There was a strength in his hand that his son didn't have. A burning anger awoke in you, and you confidently squeezed his palm. — We're rewriting it.

When the hall doors swung open, instead of the abandoned bride, the guests saw the queen arm in arm with the head of the dynasty. Alexander raised his glass:

"My son has proven himself too small for large alliances. But real deals are made by men. From now on, this beautiful girl is my wife."

Two weeks later, the fugitives returned. The boy's cards had been blocked, and the romance in the cheap hotels quickly ended. They showed up at Alexander's mansion, confident that his father would forgive them.

You were walking down the marble stairs when your ex-friend grinned triumphantly:

• Well, forgive me, you can't command your heart...

She trailed off. Alexander came out of the office. Without looking at his son, he grabbed you possessively around the waist and kissed your temple:

• Good morning, dear.

The ex-fiancé turned pale:

• Father... what is this? "For you, it's Alexander Nikolaevich. She's my wife and co-owner of the company. The one you were fired from, by the way. Take your friend and get out of here."