Chapter 1 Convocation

• Elena POV
• "As the time has come to announce the town's entrepreneur of the year, the honor goes to Elena Winters, the youngest billionaire in town this year." They announced my name, and I entered the party hall dressed in a business suit, beaming with pride.
• The stunned and amazed expressions on the faces of the people seated in the hall tell it all.
• Yes, I did it.
• Yes, I achieved my goal.
• Your blessings made this possible, so thank you, Mom and dad. I joyfully planted a kiss on the award I was holding.
• "My sweet Elena, please get up." She parted the drapes so that the sun's rays might illuminate my face.
• "Please let me sleep for a few more minutes." I don't want to open my eyes right now; I want to savor my success, at least in my dreams, so I moved my face in another way to avoid sunshine hitting my face.
• "Have you forgotten what day it is today?
• How could you sleep so late in the morning?
• You are going to graduate today, yet you are just waking up from a deep slumber like a beast." My friend Alexa threw cold water on my face to wake me up.
• "How dare you wake me up from my dream?" I growled with rage.
• "Oh, honey, we're getting late for our convocation program." She held out my alarm clock for me to see.
• Oh my god, how could I possibly forget such an important day in my life? Upon realizing my foolishness, I smacked my palm on my forehead.
• I got home from work late yesterday due to the new fiscal year's heavy workload, so I went to bed at 4 in the morning despite having set my alarm for 7 in the morning; nevertheless, I was so engrossed in my dream that I didn't hear the warning beep.
• "Are you coming or not?" With a frustrated look on her face, she glanced at me.
• It's not her fault at all. Who wants to be late for their convocation?
• It's you, idiot. My subconscious taunted me.
• "I am sorry, Alexa.
• Give me just 20 minutes, and I'll be there." I quickly rushed to the restroom after apologizing to her.
• It is hard to realize that today, after I finish my degree, I will be married to Alexander, the love of my life. I have waited a long time to make this happen.
• "Alright, Mrs. Blackwood. Are you ready to hold your degree?" Seeing me in a professional outfit made Alexa whistle.
• "What's making you drool over me? I'm heading to my college, not to a pub or party." I met her gaze in the readily accessible mirror.
• "Even in this casual ensemble, you manage to look super attractive. I now know why the charming and successful Mr. Blackwood fell so much in love with you."
• "Shut up and get your ass off my couch so we can get it there on time." I hurl my comb toward her.
• "Tell me, Mrs. Blackwood: Are you more excited about today's event-finishing your finance degree or getting married to Mr. Blackwood, your only heart's desire?" She pretended to be a paparazzi and used the comb that I had thrown in her way as a microphone.
• "I'm proud of both of my accomplishments, but please stop calling me Mrs. Blackwood since we aren't formally engaged." I instructed Alexa to stop calling me Mrs. Blackwoods since I didn't want to use his name in any way until we got married.
• "However, when you both exchange rings tomorrow morning, everyone will learn about this news." My entire body tingles at the thought of being married to him.
• Whoa, it's been five years since we began our secret relationship. Only my bestie, Alexa, is aware of our relationship.
• Actually, I've decided to keep our relationship under wraps until I graduate.
• After my parents passed away, my financial situation became so bad that I could no longer pursue my lifelong dream of being a business mogul and constructing my empire. Although I come from an affluent family, my father suffered major losses in his business when I was fifteen. In an attempt to save the company, he took out a bank loan, but sadly, the stress of the situation caused him to have a massive heart attack. Following the passing of my father, my mother also passed away.
• I started working part-time to pay off the debt I incurred from the bank when my parents passed away, even though my father's best friend, Uncle Joe, wanted to help me financially. I turned him down because I didn't want to be a burden. Uncle Joe is well aware of my childhood dream, and one day, he offered me a job that I couldn't refuse. He invited me to work as an accountant for his company and promised to teach me every aspect of running a corporation.
• I gladly accepted his offer, but later on, I learned that Alexander Blackwood, his son, would shortly take over as the company's new CEO. Uncle Joe let me in on my dad's dying desire and the vow he took for my dad. My father wants me to marry Alexander.
• So, working in the blackwood industry provides an opportunity to learn more about him. I am fascinated with his business acumen and ability to make tough decisions. More than that, he told me how he felt about me. But, like me, he didn't want to mess things up by mixing our personal relationships at work, so we decided not to reveal our relationship until we got engaged.
• "Elena, where have you lost? They're announcing your name, so at least collect your degree." Alexa's voice burst my thinking bubble.
• "Congratulations, sweetheart. I am sorry for missing your convocation ceremony. I will see you in the church." I just got Alexander's voicemail on my phone.
• "It's okay, sweetie; I understand how busy you are." I answered him and walked out of the college.
• Oh god, I still can't believe I am going to marry him.
• My wedding dress and makeup artist showed up at my apartment on schedule the following day. I dressed in bridal attire and arrived at church with my bridesmaid, Alexa, on time.
• I asked him to keep the guest list small because I wanted our wedding ceremony to be private. I waited for him for at least two hours, but he did not answer any of my calls or respond to my messages.
• When he still hadn't shown up after five hours of waiting in the church, the other guests left me.
• There's only one question my mind wants to know the answer to: where is he now and what is he doing?
• The alert on my phone jolted me to my very core before I could form any conclusions about him.