Florian's Bride: A Dark Brother's Best Friend Age Gap Romance (Four Dark Horsemen Book 4)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

“They say we never forget our first love.

I hope it’s a lie.

Because mine shattered me beyond repair.

For I dared to do the unthinkable.

Fall in love with a man who was forbidden.

And in this destroyed not one, but two families.”

Jimena

Jimena

“It’s a mistake,” I whisper and sigh when the organ music fills the space, coating the energy around me in misery and doom while sending shivers down my spine as fear sinks into every cell in my body. “It’s such a mistake.” The silky wedding gown feels impossibly heavy on my body, and I close my eyes when the tiny voice in my head screams for me to save myself from the inevitable misery and run far, far away.

While I still can.

I shake my head and take a deep breath before stepping out into the hallway, and my heart pangs painfully in my chest when I see my father waiting for me. “Pápá.” Despite my bleeding soul, I muster up a smile for him, but showing him my true emotions is not a privilege I have right now.

“Mi princesa!” He comes closer and gently cups my cheeks, his scent enveloping me and urging me to find solace in the protection and love his arms always provide.

My dad would slay any dragon for me. Except this time around, the said dragon…is me. “You look beautiful.”

A single tear falls down my cheek, and he wipes it away with this thumb while darkness settles on his features, his brown eyes flashing with worry and fury alike. “If you don’t want this, we can stop it.” His tone turns almost deadly, making me swallow hard while the music intensifies. The loud piano notes grate on my nerves and send tremors through me as they speak about my unfortunate fate. “All you have to do is tell me.”

It’s so easy, isn’t it?

Just say the words threatening to slip past my lips and put an end to this charade that has my misery and chaos written all over it because my upcoming marriage will destroy my soul.

How could it not when I despise the groom, and my heart cries out for another?

I instinctively place my splayed palm on my stomach, rubbing it while warmth and memories travel through me.

Memories that are painful in nature, for they pull at the strings of my soul, whispering to me about a forbidden and dangerous man.

He vowed to take me away, everyone else be damned, and I can’t allow it.

I’ve put this family through hell, so I don’t get to run away now.

No.

Instead, I should fix the damage I caused when I dared to do the unthinkable.

Fall for a man who could never be mine.

So I force a smile on my face, although it probably does little to fool my dad. I could never hide my true emotions anyway.

If I could, I wouldn’t have to marry a man I hate in order to forget the one I love.

“Gracias, Pápá.” I kiss him on the cheek. “I want to do this. Let’s go.” I squeeze the rose bouquet in my hands so hard that the sharp thorns dig into my skin and draw blood. The red droplets fall on the floor, smearing my white satin shoes. Having such bad luck on my wedding day would have been tragic.

Except this wedding is already a tragedy.

Dad takes a handkerchief from his pocket and presses it to my finger, clicking his tongue. “Careful, princess.” He steps toward the brides chambers again, trying to drag me right along with him. “Maybe we should check it first before we—”

“I’m okay.” Throwing the handkerchief on the nearest bench and giving him my bouquet, I adjust the veil on my hair tighter, ignoring the pain when I pin it so hard, it temporarily numbs everything else raging in me. “We really have to go.” I catch my reflection in the window, my hollow blue eyes staring back at me while this stunning dress seems almost like a mockery for something that’s supposed to be glorious.

For me, though?

It’s hideous.

Has the world seen a more devastated bride on the verge of making the biggest mistake of her life?

Thunder echoes in the sky, the lightning flashing through the window and brightening up the darkness around us, mingling with the light as dark clouds gather, ready to pour rain on the sidewalk and create a rather gloomy atmosphere designed to showcase Mother Nature’s mood that matches the one in my soul.

Because even Mother Nature doesn’t approve of my union. Shouldn’t this be a sign to bolt?

You can run away from me if you want, baby girl. But I’ll catch you every single time. You belong to me. Never forget it.

“Jimena?” I focus back on my dad, wishing for the seductive and tempting voice to disappear. “If you change your mind at any moment from now on, I’ll support you and be on your side.”

He desperately wishes for me to stall and think clearly. However, his every action only pushes me toward this marriage because he can never accept what’s in my heart.

So what choice do I truly have, especially when the danger…

I shake my head again, refusing to think about the hideous and horrible images playing in my mind, akin to the horror movie that has no end, just endless terror, and there is no reprieve from them.

Sans the marriage to a Price man.

Because that’s what I’m about to do, right?

Marry a Price man.

Except…

I’m marrying the wrong Price.

Dad extends his arm to me, and I hook mine through it while taking the bouquet back. “Okay.” We start moving toward our destination, my heels clicking on the marble as my eyes drink in the beauty around me that, as a little girl, made me gasp in awe at how hauntingly gorgeous it is.

The church has expensive stained glass in the dings, and the ceiling is curved in an oval shape, which almost gives a fairytale-like experience, creating a magical atmosphere where everything is possible.

Even atoning for most mortal sins.

If you pretend hard enough, you can almost imagine angels descending from heaven and casting a spell on you, washing away all your worries while stilling everything around you, forever trapping you in this state of mind.

Where your emotions push to the surface, yet you can never allow them to reign and ruin your family because all the choices one makes…inevitably lead to consequences.

And mine are so catastrophic one might wonder how I’m still surviving with the guilt eating at me.

The golden marble glistens under the candlelight, pointing at the expensive artwork gathered all over the world by my family, who found this church, displayed on the walls, matching the exquisite design.

Various flowers are spread all over the perimeter, roses and orchids mingling and forming a rather weird combination while their scent floats in the air, making my nose twitch and the bile rise in my throat.

As we stop at the entrance, the organ player blinks at us, straightens up, and starts the music from the very beginning. At the same time, the people occupying the pews stand. They’re grinning at me even though their eyes tell a different story altogether. They’re filled with resentment and concern bordering on hate.

I read the truth on their faces my mind refuses to acknowledge.

This marriage will be my ruin.

Slowly, we start to walk down the aisle while I focus on the groom waiting for me in the distance, looking dashing in his suit. Even through the veil, I can see the satisfaction on his face that my nails itch to scratch.

A despicable, despicable man belonging in hell, yet he acts like a saint and needs God’s blessing for this union he blackmailed me into.

Another truth I can never share with anyone.

I halt my movements when I feel a flutter in my stomach, making me gasp, and my eyes close because the little one reminds me that he doesn’t agree with my decisions either.

Even though I’m doing all this to protect my tiny bean from the hatred and vengeance a madman craves, using me and my baby as collateral damage.

“Jimena?” Dad whispers, and I look at him. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” We resume our walk, although I notice several people shooting me questioning glances while some men even share a drink, seeming bored with the whole thing.

Well, I shouldn’t be surprised, should I?

Monsters rarely care about anyone but themselves.

I grew up among their kind and loved them all, only for them to turn their backs on me when it counted the most.

Compassion, after all, has no value in our greed-filled world built on sadistic desires and power.

Five more steps and we pause in front of the groom, who extends his hand to me. “Jimena,” he utters my name, and his presence alone makes me nauseous. “I’ll take good care of her, Lucian,” he addresses my father, who tenses next to me. I have to pull at my arm to finally free myself from his hold while his brown eyes scan the groom from head to toe. Judging by his stare, he probably wishes to punch him and wrap me in a protective cocoon so I won’t have to go through with this.

Except the protective cocoon doesn’t include me being with the one I want, so does it really matter?

“If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll kill you.” Coldness seeps in his words as he utters them and finally steps back. “Remember that, Maxwell.” Dad goes to sit next to my mom on the pew, and I quickly turn all my attention back to the groom.

I won’t withstand seeing her disappointment yet again even though I can feel her love even now.

The tension permeates the air as it grows thick and heavy, serving as an invisible weight on us all because one wrong move may signal our downfall.

The priest, wearing a colorful mantle, flips open the Bible, but not before his eyes linger on me. He shakes his head, probably hating all this as much as I do.

After all, I grew up around him and used to come to this church, considering it a happy place where I could always find solace. Where he could always listen to my problems because I could never share them with my family as they lived and existed in permanent grief.

Except the familiar solace transformed into gore while the walls closed in on me, placing me in an airless vacuum where nothing but darkness rules and remains.

He clears his throat as Maxwell grips my cold fingers, his touch sending repulsion through my system, and I barely hold back the need to snatch my hand away.

“Dearly beloved…” The voice becomes muted in my head while the groom grins because we’re getting closer to him finally getting what he wants.

Revenge on his cousin. And I’m the perfect weapon, right?

I catch my brother’s blue pools, but compared to everyone else’s…they have no emotions.

Nothing, just endless hollowness while he fixes his stare on me as if studying his latest prey and expecting it to obey, or otherwise, there will be a price to pay.

He shouldn’t worry.

I’m paying it already.

“…any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.” Father Paul takes a long pause, longer than necessary, judging by how everyone shifts in their seats impatiently and sighs heavily, ready to continue the ceremony when people remain silent.

What did he expect? A divine intervention?

One would have to be completely insane to interrupt…

I hear heavy footsteps rocking off the walls, alerting us to someone’s presence right before the husky and deep voice straight from my dreams and nightmares alike booms through the space. “I do.”

“Oh, thank God,” Father Paul mutters, shutting the Bible while I gasp in shock at the sight of the handsome blond man entering the church. His green eyes scan the crowd until they land on me, and something inside me snaps when possessiveness and complete ownership coat them.

His three-piece suit only accentuates his features that are so haunting one might think he isn’t real as his handsomeness can rival those of gods.

Florian Price.

The king of seduction, manipulation, and deceit bordering on insanity, for he’s mad and powerful, so everyone always follows his rules and commands.

And I was the only one who dared to disobey.

No.

No, no, no.

He cannot do this to me now!

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Maxwell asks, his anger practically polluting the air while it only earns Florian’s smirk. “Get out.”

He ignores him and instead says, “The bride is pregnant with my child, cousin. She’s mine.” Collective murmurs and gasps fill the space as he announces our secret to the whole world. “Father Paul.” I blink when the priest hastily steps away from the altar, but I have little time to dwell on his behavior as Florian extends his hand to me. “Come here, princess. Now.” His tone leaves no room for argument.

“Don’t you dare, Jimena.” Maxwell snaps his fingers, and several men instantly get up from the pews, my heart plummeting when they point a gun at Florian. “You really shouldn’t have come here alone, cousin.”

“Stop this!” I say, licking my dry lips while chaos erupts around me. “Stop it, Maxwell.”

Amusement flashes on Florian’s face. “Alone?”

On cue, two men I hadn’t noticed earlier get up as well, removing the safety on their own guns, and I whisper, “No.”

Although I should have expected that, right?

It’s either all of them or none of them.

They belong to a dark brotherhood that brings catastrophes to whoever they see fit as long as it serves their amusement and wishes, ignoring anyone and anything else.

Men for whom compassion, mercy, and sanity do not exist because they thrive in the chaos they create.

I just never expected to be the one on the receiving end of their cruelty.

“Come here, Jimena,” Florian repeats just as Maxwell grabs my elbow, holding me still. “You have one second to remove your hand before I cut it for you,” he warns my fiancé, who, to my astonishment, listens to him.

Before anyone can say anything, though, my brother gets up, and I gasp again when he snatches his own gun and points it at the man who once was his best friend.

Until I ruined their friendship.

“Get out, Florian, while you can.”

“I won’t go anywhere without Jimena and my baby, Santiago.”

It always comes back to this, doesn’t it?

He’s a monster hungry for the blood and agony of his victims, and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Even if it means destroying my family and soul in the process.

Because this isn’t really about my fiancé, is it?

It’s about two dynasties going to war because of me, as they can’t fathom losing to each other, so they use me as collateral damage to their hatred for one another.

Love doesn’t set us free.

It traps us in a cage with no way to escape.

I did everything in my power to run away from him, except the thing about hunters?

They love to chase and capture.

I guess my fate was always inevitable.