Change Of Plans

Surprise flashed in Elena’s calm, clear eyes.

The bridal room plunged into a suffocating, dead silence. Dozens of guests held their breath, their wide eyes darting back and forth between the towering, steadfast man and the cold, elegant bridesmaid. The sweet, heavy scent of floral arrangements suddenly felt thick and oppressive. A sudden, outrageous shift like this broke every rule of a traditional Mercer family wedding. They assumed Kaelen was bluffing to save face. They figured he would eventually cave, dial his wealthy friends, and beg for the cash needed to meet Chloe's extortionist demands so the ceremony could proceed.

"You must have gone crazy, Thorne!" Brenda, Chloe's mother, shattered the quiet with a sharp, mocking bark that echoed off the high ceiling. "My daughter was stupid enough to fall for a shabby, poor loser like you back then, and now you pull this pathetic stunt?"

Brenda’s harsh laughter died abruptly in her throat.

Elena reached out. Her slender fingers closed around the green stems of the wedding bouquet. With a calm, deliberate nod, she accepted the flowers, cradling them gently against her chest.

The crowd stood paralyzed. Brenda turned bright red, choking on her own spit as if her century's best joke had just backfired in her face. Whispers erupted among the guests, wondering what game the icy bridesmaid was playing.

Chloe’s face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated rage. The humiliation burned like acid through her veins. "Elena, you bitch!" Chloe shrieked, her voice cracking with hysteria. "How can you be so shameless?"

Chloe lunged forward with bared teeth. She raised her hand high, aiming a vicious, open-palmed slap right at her former friend's cheek.

A crisp, resounding slap echoed like a gunshot off the walls.

But it wasn’t Elena who took the hit.

Chloe staggered backward, her heels giving out as she crashed hard onto the polished hardwood floor. Her cheek burned a bright, swollen red. Kaelen had stepped in effortlessly, pulling Elena safely behind his broad, protective frame while delivering a flawless, punishing blow to his former bride.

Shock rippled through the room. Chloe clamped a trembling hand over her stinging face, her eyes wide with sheer disbelief. The subservient man who had spent five years spoiling her, treating her like a delicate treasure, had just struck her down without a second of hesitation to protect another woman.

Even Elena, standing safely behind Kaelen’s solid back, widened her beautiful eyes. She found his ruthless counterattack far more staggering than his sudden marriage proposal. He actually hit the bride for her.

"From the moment Elena accepted my bouquet, no one in this world will be able to hurt her one bit," Kaelen declared. His voice carried a domineering, bone-chilling coldness that dropped the temperature in the room by ten degrees. The patient man they knew was gone, replaced by an immovable wall of lethal intent.

"Damn you!" Mason Mercer bellowed, his face flushed with sibling fury. "How dare you hit my sister! I'll kill you!"

Chloe's younger brother snatched a heavy crystal ashtray off the table and charged forward like a mad bull, aiming straight for Kaelen's head.

Before Mason could even swing the heavy glass weapon, Kaelen moved. His leg snapped up in a devastating blur. A sickening thud rang out. Mason flew backward through the air like a launched cannonball, slamming hard against the heavy leather couch. The expensive sofa groaned under the immense impact, and Mason slid to the floor in a wheezing, groaning heap, dropping the ashtray with a loud clatter.

The room fell mute again. The terrified guests knew Kaelen had served in the military, but they never imagined this kind of overwhelming, brutal retaliation.

Kaelen didn't spare the Mercer family a single glance. He wrapped his large, calloused hand around Elena's soft palm and led her straight out of the awestruck, dead-silent room, leaving Chloe and her ruined family behind in the dust.

Once they reached the quiet lobby downstairs, Elena gently pulled her arm back. "Can you let go of my hand?" she asked, her tone steady.

"No."

Kaelen tightened his grip. His massive hand practically engulfed hers. He squeezed hard enough to make her wince, his fierce grip betraying the raging storm inside his chest.

His heart hammered a chaotic rhythm against his ribs. Five agonizing years. He had spent five years serving the wrong woman, feeding Chloe's greed, blinding himself to her shallow flaws because he thought she was his savior. It was the damned walnut bracelet that misled him, tricking him into a monumental mistake. And now, the true, kind-hearted angel from that freezing winter eighteen years ago stood right beside him in the flesh. Even for a battle-hardened God of War who had faced death on countless battlefields without blinking, this realization left him inexplicably flustered and raw.

He studied Elena from the corner of his eye. She stood tall and slim. Her clear, gentle eyes looked exactly like the ones that haunted his darkest nights. Her skin was pristine and clear without a trace of makeup, accentuating her sharp nose and luscious red lips. Her mesmerizing beauty eclipsed anyone he had ever met.

Sensing his inexplicable, intense emotions, Elena stopped struggling. She assessed the towering man gripping her hand. Initially, she stepped in just to save an honest, decent guy from a brutal public humiliation. But her pragmatic mind kicked into gear. She saw a golden opportunity for a mutually beneficial alliance that could save her from her own hell.

"Do you really want to marry me?" Elena asked bluntly.

Kaelen’s rigid posture melted. His intense expression softened into a profound gentleness. "We can go register our marriage right away if you want to."

Elena frowned, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. How could he look at her with such passionate devotion right after dumping Chloe? Men really are born liars, she thought to herself.

Deciding to test his courage and resolve, Elena laid her cards on the table. "My grandpa arranged an engagement for me with Jaxon Blakely. Aren't you afraid of the Blakely family coming after you? They aren't the kind of people you want as enemies."

She watched his eyes closely, waiting for the inevitable flinch. The Blakely family ruled Bancroft with an iron fist.

Kaelen remained unflinching. "It's just an engagement. You two aren't married yet," he answered with unshakeable calm. "We can call off the engagement if you wish to."

Internally, Kaelen scoffed. Arthur Blakely, the terrifying patriarch of that family, was probably still shivering on his knees in front of Kaelen's subordinate, Dorian. The Blakely family wouldn't dare breathe in his direction, let alone cause him trouble.

Satisfied by his fearless demeanor, Elena nodded. "Okay then. I'll draft an agreement. We can head to City Hall to register right after you sign it."

"As you wish," Kaelen replied.

Half an hour later, they sat across from each other in a quiet corner of a nearby café. The rich scent of roasted espresso filled the air. Elena slid a hastily drafted, handwritten marriage agreement across the smooth wooden table.

Kaelen grabbed a pen and signed his name at the bottom without casting a single glance at the clauses.

Elena blinked, her usual cold composure cracking. "How could you sign it without reading the content?"

"It's fine," Kaelen said, sliding the paper back. "I'm happy even if you're trying to sell me off."

He meant every word. As long as he could stay by her side forever, a piece of paper meant nothing. He would walk through hell and back if she ordered him to. He had finally found his angel, and he refused to let her go.

"I hope you won't regret your decision," Elena said, folding the document and tucking it into her designer purse.

Wasting no time, the two left the café and headed straight to City Hall. Since it was a Friday, the government office was open and relatively empty. They finalized their paperwork swiftly. Within an hour, they stood on the stone steps outside, officially registered, holding a pair of fresh, legally binding, bright red marriage certificates.

Armed with her proof, Elena’s eyes hardened with resolve. She grabbed her new husband's arm. "Come with me," she said, dragging him toward a waiting cab. It was time to aggressively sever her unwanted ties once and for all.

The sprawling seaside estate known as Mansion No. 1 belonged to the Blakely family, the wealthiest and most feared dynasty in Bancroft. Jaxon Blakely, the arrogant and tyrannical Prince of Bancroft, lived a life of unchecked luxury inside its opulent walls, surrounded by crystal chandeliers and imported silk rugs.

At that exact moment, Jaxon lay sprawled across his massive king-sized bed, stark naked. A young model rested in his arms, her bare breasts pressed against his chest while his flaccid penis lay resting casually against her soft thigh as they recovered from their exhausting morning activities.

A maid's timid voice carried through the thick mahogany bedroom door. "Mr. Blakely, Ms. Stanton is here. She's waiting for you in the living room."

Jaxon’s eyes snapped open. "Lena is here?" A smug grin spread across his face. "Tell her I'll be right down!"

This was too good to be true. His father had just called earlier to announce a sudden business trip to the northern region, leaving Jaxon with free rein over the city. Now, the icy beauty he so desperately wished to conquer and possess had come to his doorstep on her own accord. Jaxon loved treating beautiful women like disposable clothes, but Elena was different. She was the ultimate prize, a freezing challenge that made his blood run hot. He had forced his father to arrange the marriage specifically to break her cold exterior.

"You did great today, babe," Jaxon said, grabbing a black card from his nightstand and tossing it onto the model's bare chest. "This is your allowance. Leave through the back door. We'll get in touch later."

Jaxon hopped out of bed, paying no mind to his naked state as he walked to his expansive walk-in closet. He quickly dressed in a sharp, elegant tuxedo, slicked back his hair, and eagerly descended the grand, sweeping staircase.

He practiced his most charming, arrogant smile as he rounded the corner into the lavish living room.

His smile shattered into a million jagged pieces.

Elena stood in the center of the room. She wasn't alone. Her delicate fingers were tightly intertwined with the large hand of a tall, imposing stranger.

Jaxon stopped dead in his tracks. The temperature in his blood turned to ice, then boiled over into pure rage. "Lena, you're here..." His eyes dropped to their locked hands. "Who is he?"

Elena met his lethal glare without a shred of hesitation.

"Let me introduce him. He's my husband, Kaelen Thorne," Elena stated point-blank, her voice echoing off the marble floors.

She reached into her designer bag, pulled out the bright red marriage certificate, and tossed it casually onto the expensive glass coffee table.

Jaxon stared wide-eyed at the undeniable, legally binding booklet resting on the glass. A dark, explosive fury consumed him. The untouchable, universally feared son of the Blakely family had just been publicly cuckolded in his own home.