Sophie Banks, the youngest daughter of the esteemed Banks family, had always been a peculiar girl. With her striking blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a body that was far too voluptuous for her young age, she stood out in the stifling Victorian society. At twenty years old, Sophie was already a woman, but her father, the strict and unyielding Mr. Banks, refused to let her enjoy her youth. He had other plans for his beautiful daughter.

Mr. Banks was a man of great influence and wealth, his family name carrying weight in the highest echelons of society. He had arranged a marriage for Sophie, a union that would secure his family’s status and fortune. The groom-to-be was Mr. Gibbs, a man three times Sophie’s age, with a substantial paunch and a face etched with lines of greed and depravity.

Sophie was horrified when her father broke the news to her. She pleaded and begged, but Mr. Banks was unmoved by his daughter’s tears. He saw only the opportunity to elevate his family’s standing, and Sophie was merely a pawn in his grand scheme.

On the eve of her wedding, Sophie sat in her room, her heart heavy with dread. She knew what awaited her in the marriage bed, the fate of being forced to submit to the whims of a man she despised. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she saw the fear in her eyes, the trembling of her lips. She was a prisoner, trapped in a gilded cage, with no hope of escape.

The wedding day arrived, and Sophie was a vision of loveliness, her white gown hugging her curves, her blonde hair cascading down her back in waves. But beneath the beauty, there was a deep sadness, a resignation to her fate. The ceremony was a blur, the words of the priest washing over her like a foreign language. She barely heard the vows, the promises she was making to a man she could never love.

As the newlyweds left the church, Sophie felt the weight of her father’s gaze upon her, the satisfaction in his eyes as he watched his daughter being led to her doom. Mr. Gibbs, meanwhile, couldn’t keep his eyes off his new bride, his gaze roaming over her body with a predatory hunger.