At the international airport.
Leo Zachary glanced at his watch, it was just ten minutes to boarding time. He quickly scanned the airport lobby, counting down silently in his heart.
"Five, four, three..."
"Leo Zachary, I want to go with you."
Before he could finish his countdown, an anxious female voice sounded from behind him. A slight smirk curled at Leo Zachary's lips, he turned around and briefly glanced at the woman. "Your family have given me a million dollars to break up with you, to go away from you. You tell me, that you can't let go of me, what should I do about that?"
Curious passers-by started to turn their gazes upon the two, Leo Zachary's words shattered the hearts of many young girls, hearing that he was apparently a penniless rogue.
And the woman conversing with him, was none other than Rose Rowan, a rich girl from the Rowan family. If he wasn't mistaken, she was supposed to get married to Owen Harrington the following day.
"Zachary, I really don't want to marry Owen Harrington, please, take me away," begged the charming woman, tears starting to fall in desperation.
"Tut-tut, telling the truth, huh. But Owen Harrington is such a failure." A playful smirk crept on Leo Zachary's lips. He gently took hold of the woman's petite chin, studying her delicate features with a serious gaze. "Then, come with me."
With a smooth motion, Leo Zachary pulled her into his arms.
As habitual as it was, he put on his sunglasses, no one noticed the deliberate concealment of raw hatred in his eyes.
Owen Harrington, you're doomed.
The Rowan family was up in arms at the news. Their daughter, Rose Rowan, was absconding with a penniless rogue a day before her wedding, a situation that stunned and infuriated the elders in the family, especially Patrick Lorupe whose blood pressure sky-rocketed to 200.
"No matter what, we have to bring Rose back before the engagement!" Patrick Lorupe was infuriated, knowing the precarious situation the Rowan family was in and that their only hope of survival was hitched on Owen Harrington.
"But, Patrick, Rose really doesn't like Owen Harrington. You know how stubborn Rose can be. Even if you bring her back, she wouldn't agree to this." Grand Lady Rowan, Nora Hill, expressed her dissatisfaction with the marriage arrangements from the start. Yet, she had no choice but to marry off her daughter under the prevailing circumstances.
"So, what do we do now? Are we just going to watch the Rowan business go bankrupt?" Patrick Lorupe was furious. "I'm already in my eighties, and without a male heir, our only hope was Rose. But now that she's run off, who will assume the family business?" Nora Hill also wore a troubled expression. While the business once flourished, it has been on a slow decline since the death of her husband in an accident fifteen years ago. They were just barely making ends meet thanks to the reputation Patrick Lorupe had cultivated. And just when they had attracted the attention of Owen Harrington who requested a marriage alliance with their daughter, she ran off.
"Grandfather Rowan, what are you all talking about?" a lively female voice interrupted their discussion. A small head peeked out curiously into the study, wondering why everyone looked so serious.
Patrick Lorupe and Nora Hill looked at each other, seemingly understanding each other's thoughts. Nora Hill suggested, "There is a solution... we can have Lily Mae replace her sister in the engagement."
"Impossible," Patrick Lorupe denied immediately. Nora Hill's face darkened. "Why not? Lily Mae has been living off our family for years; why is it that only my daughter Rose has to sacrifice her happiness? It's time this girl repaid us in kind." Lily Mae, startled by Nora Hill's outrage, hurriedly ducked out of the way, hiding behind the door and not daring to breathe, only to bump into a wall of muscle when she turned around.
"Ouch..." She complained, rubbing her head and looking up at the man in front of her who resembled Apollo himself, followed by a large group of people. His light grey eyes merely glanced at her before stepping into the study without hesitation.
Inside the study, Nora Hill and Patrick Lorupe were arguing fiercely, interrupted by the man entering. "Lady Rowan, I heard Rose has eloped?" Nora Hill's complexion paled considerably as she looked at the man before her. His chiseled features were refined and his grey eyes focused intently on her. She had not expected that Owen Harrington would receive such prompt news. Despite her years of experience dealing with societal relations, she could only manage a stuttered laugh. "No, no... Rose merely went out to clear her mind."
"And where did she go to clear her head when the engagement is tomorrow?" Owen Harrington presented a seemingly amused smile, that bore a cold undertone, sending chills down their spines.
Sweat dripped down the Grand Lady Rowan's back, while Patrick Lorupe cleared his throat, "I must apologize, Rose indeed ran away with someone else." Owen Harrington's expression became icy in an instant; his eyes scanned over everyone before resting on Patrick Lorupe. "If I recall correctly, the Rowan family has been informing the media about the engagement for the past two months, correct?"
Patrick Lorupe's face was one of despair as he remembered how eagerly he had spread the news of the planned marriage alliance to boost their stock prices. Now, they were the ones causing issues.
"We didn't specify which daughter... we still have another child..." Nora Hill tried to explain desperately, only to be cut off by Owen Harrington's piercing gaze.