The Don's Unwanted Bride

CHAPTER 1

Hayden’s POV

If someone had told me two years ago that I’d be standing at the altar today, dressed in an overpriced tux, preparing to marry a woman I’d never met, I would’ve shot them in the leg for making such a ridiculous joke.

But there I was. Hayden Cole. Mafia prince. Cold-blooded, calculated, feared in every corner of the underworld, and today, a groom.

The wedding of the damn year.

The car came to a slow stop in front of the cathedral. Sleek and black, the custom bulletproof Maybach reflected the morning sun like a threat. My guards, armed to the teeth and dressed in suits, opened the door before I could even blink.

I stepped out and inhaled deeply, the crisp air barely managing to calm the buzzing in my head.

Not nerves. Never nerves.

Anticipation.

As I adjusted my cufflinks, I glanced behind me. A line of black vehicles stretched down the street, each one holding key players in the empire I’d spent years helping to build. Allies. Soldiers. Syndicate leaders. Every last one of them had shown up. Not just to honor me, but to watch the impossible happen: Hayden Cole getting married.

A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. “They really think this changes anything,” I muttered to myself.

I turned and ascended the steps of the cathedral. The heavy wooden doors creaked open, revealing an interior so extravagant it looked like something out of a goddamn royal wedding.

Gold-rimmed everything. Massive chandeliers. Red carpet lined with white lilies. Nicolai really outdid himself.

Speaking of the devil…

“Hayden,” Nicolai Martini, the Mafia King, greeted me at the entrance, flashing a tight, forced smile. The man looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

“Nicolai.” I clasped his outstretched hand, gripping it a little tighter than necessary.

“You clean up well,” he said, trying to sound casual, though his voice cracked.

“And you look like you’re about to piss your pants. Is everything okay?” I asked flatly.

He laughed nervously and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “It’s a big day. My daughter’s a bit… overwhelmed.”

“She knew what she signed up for.”

“She did,” he said quickly. “She did. I trust you’ll take care of her.”

I said nothing.

Instead, I walked past him, straight down the aisle. The hush that fell over the cathedral was almost deafening. Eyes followed me like heat-seeking missiles. Some with admiration. Some with curiosity. A few with fear.

Good.

The priest stood at the altar. Donovan, my right-hand man, gave me a nod from his position near the front pew. I took my place and scanned the massive cathedral. Everything was perfect.

Except for the fact that there was no bride.

I checked my watch. Then again. Then again.

Five minutes.

Ten.

Fifteen.

The music looped. The tension thickened. I could feel the unease rippling through the crowd. I leaned toward Donovan.

“She’s late.”

“She’ll come,” he said, though his eyes were already searching the back of the church.

Just then, a maid, young, pale-faced, hurried down the aisle and whispered something into Nicolai’s ear. His face blanched. His eyes snapped to mine.

I straightened slowly.

“Donovan,” I said without turning. “Go. Now.”

Donovan was already moving towards Nicolai at my command.

I kept my eyes locked on Nicolai. His hands were practically shaking as he tried to remain composed, but the sweat trickling down his temple gave him away.

Seconds later, Donovan returned, jaw clenched tight.

“She’s gone,” he said quietly. “The bride has fled.”

Gone?

I blinked once.

Then the heat hit me. A slow, simmering fire crawling up from my chest and into my skull.

I turned back to Donovan. “Where the hell was security?”

“They thought she was still in the dressing room,” he replied. “Her dress is still there. She left in different clothes.”

“Shit!”

I let out a slow, steady breath and stepped off the altar, ignoring the guests who were already whispering furiously. My footsteps echoed as I walked toward the exit, Donovan on my heels.

I ran a hand through my hair. The entire underworld was watching today. Every rival family, every syndicate leader, every enemy looking for a crack in the armor. And now, they had one.

I’d been humiliated.

I turned away and gripped the railing, trying to calm the storm building in my chest. I’d been calm, patient, even agreeable. All for this deal. For this alliance. And now, the bride, my bride, had made a fool of me.

My fists clenched. My pride burned.

She was going to regret this.

She would have married me, lived like royalty, been untouchable. Instead, she chose to run?

Fine. Let her run. Let her try to disappear. But I’d hunt her down, no matter how long it took. And when I found her, there’d be no escape.

My voice came out low and final. “Find her.”