Isabel stared at herself in the mirror. She was wearing an elegant wedding gown that was a gift from her soon-to-be husband, Carter Knight.
Only the best for Mr. Carter. Isabel chuckled at the thought. A top designer designed the gown, and Carter especially paid her extra to get it ready soon. Even their wedding rings were custom designed with an infinity symbol.
" You look beautiful," Isabel's mother, Mary, said and kissed her on the cheek. " I am sorry it had to be so soon. I know you had a lot of expectations from your wedding," Mary said sadly.
" Don't worry, Mom. These things are just superficial, and Carter has arranged everything perfectly in such a short time. Even a well-planned wedding couldn't have been better than this."
" He's a nice guy. I will be forever grateful to him," Mary said sincerely.
" He sure is," Isabel agreed and stared at her Mom, who looked a lot older than she was. Her Mom was a beautiful woman, but the past few months were hard on them.
Isabel was born rich. Their family owned a Garment Business, and they were one of the best in their field. But everything changed on that fateful night a few months ago. Their garment factory suddenly caught fire, and her Dad was in a deadly accident. Though her Dad survived, his condition was quite severe.
Mary had to use all their savings to pay off the debts and the hospital fees. They had to sell their mansion and move into a smaller rented apartment.
Isabel was 22 and had just finished her graduation. She had a degree in management and had always wished to work with her Dad at the company. Her dreams were crushed overnight, and she was forced to take up multiple jobs just to keep themselves floating, not to forget the evergrowing hospital bills they had to pay for her Dad, who was still in a coma.
" I wish your sis would be here," Mary said sadly.
" You know her situation. She has signed a contract with the agency."
Isabel’s elder sister 27-year-old Ivanna was a model and was currently in Paris. Ivanna was never interested in Business and always wanted to be a supermodel. She was gorgeous with a sculpted figure which was twine-thin and attracted attention wherever she went. She always dressed well and had guys swooning over her. She had done a few modeling assignments and recently signed a contract with an agency. The contract had strict terms and didn't allow her to leave the country before their project was complete; hence Ivanna couldn't show up at her sister's wedding.
While Ivanna was outgoing and flirtatious, Isabel liked to keep everything simple.
Isabel was sweet, caring, with a striking personality, and got along with everybody. She was beautiful in and out. She was 5'8" tall, with light brown waist-length hair and stunning amber-colored eyes.
Their conversation is interrupted by Mrs. Knight, Carter's stepmother.
"Are you ready? Carter is waiting for you," she said with a smile though it didn’t reach her eyes. Carter's family was not particularly happy with this marriage because, according to them, Isabel was not on par with their family status.
Isabel nodded at Mrs. Knight, looked at herself in the mirror one last time, and left the room.
Isabel's brother, 16-year-old Irvin, was waiting for her to walk down the aisle.
" You look hot, sis," Irvin beamed.
Isabel hit Irvin on the head and chuckled while Irvin held her arm to walk toward the church.
The church was filled with only a few people from Carter's family, his Dad, stepmother, grandfather and another man who was probably Carter's stepbrother.
From Isabel’s side it was only her mother , brother and her best friends Casey and Ryan.
Carter was a private person who didn't have many friends. Though he was from a wealthy business family, he didn't work with his Dad as they didn't get along well.
He opened up his own firm at the age of 21 from the inheritance he got from his birth mother. Now, after six years, his company was a competitor to his Dad's company which was now taken care of by his stepbrother along with his Dad.
Because of Carter’s achievements in the Business World, Carter was always in the limelight, so he wanted their wedding to be a private affair.
Isabel glanced at Carter, who looked handsome in his wedding suit. She was suddenly taken back to the time when she met him for the first time.
Isabel was working at a nightclub as a waitress when a few drunk customers harassed her. She left the club at midnight to go home after her shift when three men ambushed and assaulted her. Isabel had never felt so scared in her entire life and felt as though she would die. Luckily for her, Carter came at the right time and saved her from those disgusting men.
Isabel was very grateful to Carter for saving her, and gradually they began meeting up more often. Carter was charming, caring, well-behaved, and everything a girl could ask for in a man. As a result, Isabel was smitten with him, and they both fell in love.
They had just been dating for a few weeks when Carter proposed to her for marriage. Isabel was not ready for marriage so soon as they had just started dating, and she had family responsibilities.
Carter's parents were forcing him to marry a rich girl, Linda, for the sake of a Business partnership. Carter was not even involved in the family business and outright refused to marry Linda, asking his father to get her married to his stepbrother, but the problem was that Linda was in love with Carter.
Carter was desperate to get Linda off his back and get married to Isabel. He promised Isabel that he would take care of her father's medical bills and would even arrange the best doctors for his treatment. Carter even spoke to Mary and convinced her to agree to their marriage. Isabel's Dad's condition was getting worse. Her doctor had suggested getting him treated by a specialist doctor she couldn't afford. Finally, she agreed to Carter's proposal to get married within a week.
Her thoughts are interrupted by the priest who asks Carter, " Carter Knight, Do you take Isabel White to be your lawfully wedded wife to be joined in matrimony?"
Carter didn't respond as he seemed to be distracted. The priest asked again, and Carter still didn't react as if he couldn't hear what was going on around him. Isabel felt Carter's behavior was strange. She scrunched her eyebrows and held Carter's hand. " Are you fine?"
Carter suddenly came to his senses and saw everyone gaping at him in confusion.
" I do," he said suddenly without thinking.
Isabel chuckled at his antics, but she had a weird feeling in her gut as if something was not right. Carter still looked distracted and avoided looking at her.
" Is there a problem? Are you having second thoughts?" Isabel asked, concerned.
" Not at all," Carter replied hurriedly. " I was distracted by your beauty. You look absolutely stunning."
Isabel blushed at the compliment when she heard the priest ask her, “ Do you Isabel White take Carter Knight to be your lawfully wedded husband to be joined in matrimony?”
Isabel still felt uneasy but ignored those feelings due to her love for Carter and said, " I do."
" You may now kiss the bride," the priest said, relieved.
Carter pulled Isabel towards him and placed a kiss on her lips.
