Chapter 1

"You stole his car, twice. Kidnapped him. Broke into his hotel room and now you've proposed marriage to him. You've got brass balls woman." Amari says, setting down her glass with a thud.

"Geez, you sound just like him." I grumble.

"He commented on your balls?" Amari grins widely. The cheeky toad.

"No." I huff. "And technically-" I say, raising my hand defensively. "-I borrowed his car the first time okay. I just didn't know he was in it."

"Mmm hmm, borrowed, of course." She says, her eyes sparkling with laughter. "And the second time?" She raises her brow again. God I wish I could do that too. I roll my eyes instead.

"The second time, he came along with me- willing might I add." I raise my chin. "So it doesn't count as stealing and as for the hotel-" I wave my hand and huff. "-I practically own it."

Amari just archs her brow whilst taking another sip of her smoothie. Urgh.

"It's not like I was going after him, he just always happened to be there, every time I was running away." I sigh, exasperatedly. "It turned out to be pretty convenient, since he's not a serial killer."

"That's always a good reason for choosing to marry someone you keep on bumping into." Amari comments dryly. "Not a serial killer, how convenient. I should go ahead and marry him."

"Urgh, shut up." I moan leaning my head on my palm, last night's events playing in my mind. This is all such a mess. "I was desperate."

Amari leans closer, eyes bright. "Does he have a hot brother? She tilts her head and grins. "Or a hot friend? It's hard to find people who'd jump onto crazy train."

"Well he hasn't jumped yet." I say mullishly, swirling my straw around in my milkshake.

"He hasn't locked you up either, so I'd say there's still a chance he might actually agree to your crazy proposal." She reaches over and squeezes my hand.

"He's just enjoying playing with me. The beautiful bastard." I pout and then sigh.

"What am I even doing Ri? I'm marrying someone to get out of marrying someone else. How does that even make sense?"

"Well in the grand scheme of things that does not make sense, this one isn't that big."

"Says the one who isn't in the line of fire called marriage." I grunt.

"You'll be fine." Amari brushes me off. "He's hot as hell and he's obviously not an uptight asshole since he's putting up with your Highness." She looks pointedly at me.

I snort, completely unfazed.

"And most importantly-" She pauses, looking at me solemnly. "-he's not a serial killer."

I throw a serviette at her and she cracks up, grinning like the little devil she is.

"If anything, I think your father will appreciate the cunningness of it all."

"That's true." I muse. "But it's also utterly stupid, so it cancels out." I shrug.

"It's as stupid as him trying to get you married in the first place Ri and you defying him by getting married anyway. At this point you are both at the same level of insanity." Amari utters sagely.

"Damn it all to hell." If there's anything I don't want, it's to be on par with my father in any aspect in his eyes. Our Modus operandi- he wants me to do something and I do the complete opposite. It's how we work. Childish I know, but I'm pretty sure my father secretly admires the backbone, much to my chagrin. We are a weird pair.

What he wants the most though, is me at the helm of the Aoki corporation. I was groomed for it. But only he wants it and I've been doing everything but that.

"I'm just going to run away again." I mutter.

"Where are we running too now, little thief?" I gasp softly, the sound of that deep, sexy and all too familiar voice resonating through me.

I turn my head towards the source and take in the beauty that is Kenzo Sakai. The man I proposed to not too long ago.