The Runaway Brides

To pay off our family's crippling debts, my sister and I were sold into marriage to the twin sons of a New York billionaire.

I was assigned to the cold-hearted older brother, while my sister got the playboy younger one.

I thought my life was over, until the day before the wedding, when both of their legendary "first loves" returned to the country.

My sister and I met up, and we were thinking the exact same thing.

"I'm running away!" I declared.

"Me too!" she cried.

On the day of the wedding, as we were racing toward the airport in our bridal gowns, we were caught red-handed.

The cold older brother grabbed my wrist, his voice dripping with a chilling smirk.

"My brother went to find his ex, but I stayed right here. So, what exactly are you running from?"

......

Everyone in Manhattan knew that the Miller family held the ultimate power and resources.

It was also common knowledge that both Miller brothers had a "one who got away" etched into their hearts.

When the two Jenner sisters were sent to the Miller estate, nobody expected us to actually date the brothers for two years.

People whispered that we were just toys, temporary entertainment for the brothers to satisfy their cravings.

They predicted we'd be tossed out like trash the moment the novelty wore off.

But to everyone's shock, a week ago, the Millers sent out wedding invitations to every elite family in the city.

My sister, Willow, and I were scheduled to marry into the Miller family tomorrow.

I was to marry the eldest son, Harrison Miller, and Willow was set to marry the younger twin, Milo.

The headlines were everywhere, causing a total media frenzy.

News alerts kept popping up on my phone every few minutes.

Our names, the Jenner sisters, were being dragged through every tabloid title.

I heard a deep sigh from Willow, who was sitting across from me.

We were both heavily disguised in hats, sunglasses, and masks, hiding in the corner of a quiet coffee shop.

"Quinn, last night when Milo went to shower, I saw a text from Seraphina. She told him to pick her up from the airport," Willow whispered.

"She's coming back today."

"I just tried calling Milo, but he didn't pick up. He's probably already on his way to the airport."

I remembered Seraphina. She was Milo's childhood sweetheart and his ultimate obsession.

Harrison and Milo were total opposites.

Harrison was cold, distant, and seemingly uninterested in women.

Most nights, when we lay in the same bed, we barely exchanged five sentences.

Milo, on the other hand, was a notorious playboy with a revolving door of flings.

Even though Willow and I were basically collateral for our family's debt, Harrison usually treated me with a bit more outward respect.

Willow's voice grew smaller, and I knew she was hurting.

We both knew this started as a transaction, but two years of sharing a life makes it hard to keep your heart safe.

Even I was struggling.

"Actually, Lydia is coming back too. I saw her post on social media," I admitted.

Lydia was the woman Harrison supposedly never got over.

When I first arrived at the Miller house, Lydia found out and immediately messaged me to mark her territory.

I realized then that Harrison himself must have given her my contact info.

My heart sank a little deeper at the thought.

That was the kind of security he provided for Lydia, not for me.

"Quinn, now that their real loves are back, we're going to be kicked out anyway," Willow said, her voice shaking.

"Instead of being humiliated and dumped at the altar tomorrow, why don't we just leave first?"

I looked around nervously, terrified someone might overhear her bold suggestion.

"Willow, don't talk like that."

"If we run, what happens to the family debt? Neither the Millers nor our parents will protect us."

I kept my voice low, trying to weigh the consequences.

"Quinn, I'm miserable," she sobbed.

"We promised we'd never fall for the Miller brothers, but I couldn't help it."

Willow and I had only ever had each other growing up.

Our parents always favored our younger brother, treating us like nothing more than bargaining chips.

Hearing her cry made my heart ache.

Harrison never loved me anyway.

He was a ruthless man who never hesitated to cut ties when they no longer served him.

I figured he'd probably prefer it if I just disappeared now that Lydia was back.

"Fine," I said, reaching for her hand. "I'll get us out of here."

2.

The entire villa was empty, except for the staff and me.

Harrison had bought this place for me when we started dating.

It was close to the city center, but even he rarely visited.

I was certain he wouldn't show up tonight.

Willow and I spent the evening planning our escape route for the morning.

To avoid being caught, we had to get out of New York immediately; the Millers had eyes everywhere.

"What if we go abroad? Wasn't it always your dream to travel the world?"

Willow suggested the idea with a hint of excitement.

It had been my dream since I was a little girl, and this felt like the perfect, albeit forced, opportunity.

I didn't even need to research the destinations.

I had mapped out every country I wanted to visit in my head years ago.

I opened my laptop and used my passport to book two one-way tickets for the morning.

Just as I was about to take a screenshot for Willow, the bedroom door swung open.

"Quinn, what are you doing?"

Harrison's icy voice sliced through the silence.

"Nothing, just browsing," I stammered.

I slammed the laptop shut, my heart racing so fast I felt a wave of heat wash over me.

Harrison was naturally suspicious and didn't look like he believed a word.

He stepped closer, leaning down until his face was inches from mine.

As he reached for the laptop, I panicked and threw my arms around his neck, blocking his path.

"What are you doing here tonight?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

I was rarely this bold or affectionate with him.

For a moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

"I came to see if my bride-to-be was planning on running away tomorrow."

My heart stopped. How could he possibly know?

I looked up at him in shock, and our lips accidentally brushed against each other.

The next second, Harrison was kissing me intensely, as if he wanted to consume me entirely.

At that moment, all thoughts of escaping vanished.

I only knew that Harrison had incredible stamina, and I was going to be sore for the wedding tomorrow.

He was supposed to be a cold ice king, but the rumors about him being uninterested in women were clearly lies.

Luckily, because of the big day, he finally let me sleep after a few hours.

He stepped out of the shower and lay down beside me in silence.

Before closing my eyes, I checked my phone one last time.

It didn't take long to find Lydia's latest update.

"So happy to have someone waiting for me the moment I landed."

She had posted a selfie from the back of a car.

I recognized the luxurious, custom black interior immediately; it was Harrison's car.

So, he had come straight to me after picking her up.

The man beside me was already asleep, having never mentioned a word about her.

I watched his silhouette in the dark, silently saying my goodbyes.

A man like Harrison never truly belonged to me.

It was time to return him to his rightful owner.

3.

The next morning, Harrison was gone by the time I woke up.

The housekeeper hurried me out of bed to begin the hair, makeup, and dress routine.

I checked my phone and saw a mountain of messages from Willow.

To calm her down, I called her back immediately.

"Harrison showed up unexpectedly last night. I couldn't check my phone without him noticing."

"The plan is still on."

Willow let out a long breath of relief. "Good. Milo spent the entire night with Seraphina."

"How do you know that?"

I couldn't hide the anger in my voice, which startled the makeup artist working on my hair.

I knew Milo was a flirt, and he had broken Willow's heart many times.

But I couldn't believe he'd be so cruel as to spend the night before his wedding with another woman.

"Seraphina used Milo's phone to text me in the middle of the night."

"But enough about me, Quinn. Are you sure about this? Harrison is like a stone, but he isn't a cheat like Milo."

For a second, I wondered if I was being too impulsive.

But Lydia's post from last night was all the confirmation I needed.

The room was getting crowded, so I couldn't say much more to Willow.

When I finally looked in the mirror, I was stunned by my own reflection.

My makeup was flawless, and the high-end custom gown hugged my curves perfectly.

I usually preferred loose, comfortable clothes, so this was a transformation.

Someone must have sent a photo to Harrison right away.

A second later, a text from him popped up.

"You look well-rested. I guess I didn't tire you out enough last night."

"Wait for me."

The words sent a shiver down my spine.

Harrison almost never texted me personally; he usually sent his assistant or just showed up.

He definitely never said things that were this suggestive.

But there was no time to overthink it now.

I was already being ushered into the car that was supposed to take me to the venue.

This was the most critical part of the plan.

I had used the generous allowance Harrison gave me over the last two years to bribe both of our drivers.

As I made the transfer, I felt a twisted sense of gratitude for his wealth.

If he hadn't been so rich, I wouldn't have been able to afford to betray him.

At the next intersection, the driver was supposed to bypass the venue and head straight for the airport.

The red light was counting down.

Three, two, one

I was so nervous that I didn't realize at first that the driver was staying in the straight lane.

The turn for the airport was to the left, but we were heading straight for the church.

"Uncle Frank, aren't we supposed to be going to the airport?"

I asked, my voice trembling with panic.

The driver looked at me through the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with guilt.

"Miss Jenner I mean, Ma'am I just couldn't go through with it."

"If the boss found out, my life would be over."

Well, my life was about to be over instead.

I couldn't really blame him. The Millers held the power of life and death over half the people in this city.

A simple driver stood no chance against them.

If Frank had flipped, Harrison definitely knew what I was up to.

Was his text a warning or a request to stay?

My phone started vibrating on the seatDit was Willow. I knew her driver had probably flipped too.

"We've been exposed. Just play along for now," I texted back.

4.

My heart was pounding against my ribs.

As we pulled up to the venue, I could already imagine Harrison's face, cold enough to freeze the sun.

I had caused such a mess that I knew my parents would throw me and Willow under the bus to save themselves.

I was a dead woman walking.

I stepped out of the car, my diamond-encrusted heels hitting the red carpet.

The flashing lights from the wall of reporters nearly blinded me.

In the distance, Harrison was already standing at the entrance, greeting guests.

I walked toward him slowly, every step feeling like I was treading on thin ice.

Finally, I reached him.

I forced a tiny, awkward smile and took his arm as naturally as I could.

"Let's go inside," I whispered.

I might have imagined it, but I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch into a smirk.

"Decided not to run?"

I bit my lip and looked at him. I wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight now.

"I'm not running. I was wrong."

"I just thought, since your first love is back, I should"

Before I could finish, he stopped walking and pulled me firmly into his chest.

"My brother went to find his ex, but I stayed right here. So, what exactly are you running from?"

The move immediately drew every camera in the area. No one had ever seen Harrison Miller get this close to a woman in public.

I felt the heat of a blush crawling up my neck.

When did he become so flirtatious?

After a long, exhausting evening, the ceremony was finally over.

I stripped off my makeup and the heavy dress, collapsing onto the bed in my silk pajamas.

We were in Harrison's penthouse overlooking the river.

Looking at the luxury of the place, it was clear Harrison didn't do anything halfway.

Everything was authentic, expensive, and perfectly curated.

It was just the two of us now, and the room was finally quiet.

The floor-to-ceiling windows were uncovered, showing our reflections against the city lights.

I realized he was staring at me.

"It's been a long day. We should probably get some sleep," I said.

I tried to head toward the bathroom to avoid talking about the attempted escape.

But Harrison grabbed my wrist and pinned me to the bed.

He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his warm breath making my skin tingle.

"Tell me. Why did you want to run? Just because Lydia came back?"

During the reception, I had assumed I was doomed anyway, so I had accepted every drink offered to me.

If Harrison hadn't secretly swapped my wine for sparkling juice, I'd be a mess right now.

The lingering adrenaline made me bold. Mentioning Lydia made all my resentment boil over.

"You said you didn't go to her, but you picked her up from the airport!"

I turned my head away, not wanting him to see the tears in my eyes.

"When did I ever go to pick her up? Who told you that?"

"You're still denying it?"

I pouted and grabbed my phone from the nightstand, pulling up Lydia's post.

"That's your car, isn't it? Who else is allowed to use that car besides you?"

Harrison frowned as he looked at the photo. He pulled out his own phone and made a call.

"Explain yesterday's car logs, or you're fired. Don't bother coming in tomorrow."

It was his assistant, Leo.

Leo had been with him for eight years and immediately recognized the fury in his boss's voice.

Calling to interrogate an assistant on your wedding night was a new level of intense.

Leo stammered out an explanation.

"Sir, Miss Lydia recognized your aunt's car and insisted on a ride. She said it was on the way."

Harrison and I both realized what had happened.

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

Realizing I had framed him for something he didn't do, I tried to deflect.

"Well you still gave her my number back then. She's been bothering me for years."

Harrison took my phone and scrolled through my messages with Lydia.

He saw the text she sent two years ago.

"Do you really think you're some Cinderella? Everyone knows Harrison only loves me. Just wait until I get back, then you can get lost."

As Harrison was about to explain, a new message from Lydia popped up on the screen.

"Marriage doesn't mean anything. I'm the only one who belongs in the Miller family."

"Stay away from Harrison, you little homewrecker."

I felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees.

Harrison held my phone to his mouth and recorded a voice note.

"Get lost. Quinn is my only wife. You're nothing."

Then, he blocked her on everything.