My parents threw a party to celebrate my graduation. I was not interested in attending because I knew most of my friends from school would not receive invitations. My dad was hosting the party, and I was pretty sure he would only invite people he considered to be of a higher social class.
But as expected, I was forced to get dressed against my will. As I got ready, Ryan video-called. I missed him terribly. Instead of cuddling throughout the night, I was having a breakdown.
"Hey, Ryan," I said, forcing a smile. I did not want to break the horrible news to him. It would break him, and I knew he did not deserve to be heartbroken.
"Hey, baby girl. You look so beautiful and sexy. Where are you going tonight?" he asked, his smile radiating warmth. I could feel tears starting to gather in my eyes when I heard his voice.
"My dad threw a party to celebrate my first-class win," I replied, trying not to burst into tears.
"Congratulations again, baby girl. You deserve it", Ryan said, his smile getting wider. I could see that he was so excited for me. He was always excited when I achieved something, he was my biggest fan.
"Thanks, babe", I replied.
"Are you okay? You don't look okay," he said, concern lacing his voice.
I was not. I had been crying for over an hour. "I'm okay. It's just my lashes. They hurt my eyes," I lied.
"Okay, if it hurts a lot, take them off. You're still beautiful without them," he said, still concerned.
"Thank you, I will", I replied dryly. If only he knew what was actually wrong with me.
"Uhm, baby girl?"
"Huh?"
"I know your parents are strict, you have told me countless times. But I still want us to work, no matter how tough it is. I'm serious about marrying you. I would do all it takes. I'd keep getting into higher positions, I will take care of you. This is my promise to you, baby girl", he said, his gaze locked on mine. Now he was going to make me cry.
"You're incredibly sweet, babe", I murmured, choking back a sob.
"Don't cry baby girl. I love you so much, nothing will ever change that", he said.
I wanted him to stop being so sweet. All he was going to do was make me cry even more.
His gaze locked onto mine, burning with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. The air was electric with tension as he searched my eyes, his desire for me palpable. I could feel the weight of his attraction, a spark that ignited a flame within me.
"I was thinking," he continued, "Could I get to see your parents soon? Maybe to your party–" he asked.
"Ryan–", I said, wanting to give an excuse but he interrupted as though he knew that I was going to give an excuse.
"I mean it mustn't be this party. I just want to get to meet your parents soon, to prove to them that I'm capable of taking care of you", he said.
I could not help but feel a pang of guilt whenever Ryan proudly showed me off to his family. I longed to reciprocate, to share him with my own loved ones, but the weight of my family's expectations and strictness held me back. A deep-seated envy stirred within me, yearning for a simpler, more carefree life, one where I did not feel suffocated by the pressure to conform. Why couldn't my life be easy, uncomplicated, and free from the burdens of my family's pride?
"You would get to meet them soon. I promise you babe. And I know you'll do a good job proving to them just how much you love me", I lied. I wanted to kick myself for lying so bad, but I couldn't help but lie. I did not want to hurt Ryan.
"Yeah, I might get busy soon. But I'll make time whenever you're ready. Okay?", he asked. He seemed happy that he would have a chance too, and all I could do was force a smile.
"Okay babe", I replied, my throat dry.
"We'll go out on a date when I'm free this weekend, Okay?", he added. He was truly the sweetest
"Yes, baby. It's okay", I replied.
"That's my baby girl. What kind of date? Dinner? Shopping? Movie?"
"Hmm," I pretended to consider. "You know what I'd pick, Ryan."
"A shopping date it is!", he said happily.
I smiled, a sad smile. Was I really going to trade this kindness, this sweetness, for someone so rude? "I'll talk to you later, Ryan. The party's about to start." I was lying, the party was in thirty minutes.
"Okay, baby girl. I'll call you before bed. I love you."
"I love you too."
I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized Alexander hadn't shown up to my party. Maybe my dad had taken pity on me and deliberately excluded him, or perhaps Alexander had simply chosen not to attend. Whatever the reason, I was grateful for his absence. The thought of facing him, of enduring his cold, dark stare, made my skin crawl. I did not need his silent disapproval, his monosyllabic greetings that felt like a slap in the face. The mere idea of being trapped in a conversation with him, forced to exchange polite but insincere words, filled me with dread. I was already shackled to him by the impending marriage, and his presence would have only cast a darker shadow over my special day.
A day passed with no word from Alexander. I was relieved, but at the same time I was worried. I had no idea if he knew about the marriage plans that were going on. A part of me wished that he would never show up, and that way, I would never get married to him. My parents said nothing either, probably because I was avoiding them. I did not want them to have some more things to say about my life. But the silence was agonizing. Was it good or bad? I had no idea.
Ryan and I stole moments to talk whenever our schedules aligned, though I still lacked the guts to tell him the truth about my situation. I cried a lot of times, but I had no idea about what I was going to do. The only thought I had was to run away with Ryan, but I know it was going to be difficult for him considering his field of work.
I spent most of my time on my jobs. My career allowed for flexibility. I had founded a thriving e-commerce platform specializing in sustainable luxury goods, which not only aligned with my passions but also generated substantial revenue. The business was largely automated, with a team of skilled professionals handling day-to-day operations, freeing me to focus on high-level strategy and innovation. In addition, I had also started a remote consulting business, offering high-ticket digital marketing services to select clients. This venture required only a few hours of my time each week, yet yielded a significant income, thanks to my expertise and reputation in the industry.
On the second day after my parents had shared the dreadful news about me getting married, a knock came early, and it was one of the maids.
"Good morning, ma'am. You have a visitor", she said, her voice low.
I suspected that it was Alexander who had finally come to discuss marriage. I went downstairs not bothering to change to a better outfit. Maybe if I looked appalling enough to him, he would reject marrying me. But when I got downstairs, I was slightly disappointed to see a woman instead of Alexander.
"Good morning, ma'am. I'm Mia. Alexander's PA," she said, her voice low, but her smile so bright.
I took a moment to study Mia. She was incredibly attractive. Could Alexander actually be involved with her? She was gorgeous, with an hourglass figure and a curvy behind. But, I did not care about that.
"Hi, uhm, where's Alexander?" I asked.
"He didn't come. He asked me to take you to get your wedding dress," she replied, still smiling, but it immediately dropped when she saw me fuming. How could he have sent someone to take me to get a wedding dress without coming to talk about it?
"What do you mean, he didn't come? Where is he?" I demanded.
"He's at home, but he's traveling for business this evening," she replied.
My anger intensified. It felt like I was insignificant to him. I felt disrespected.
"I need his number," I said, trying not to raise my voice in anger.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. He doesn't want to speak to you yet", Mia said calmly.
Infuriated, I snapped, "How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-four," she replied.
I wanted to scream that I am just twenty-three years, and calling me ma'am was getting on my last nerves. But instead I calmly said, "Call me Miss, not ma'am. Secondly, tell Mr. Alexander that if I don't see him face-to-face, there will be no wedding."
"What's going on here?" My father descended the stairs, picking the worst possible moment to appear.
Mia explained the situation. My father smiled—a rare sight—before his expression turned serious. "Olivia, you'd look good in a wedding dress. What's the matter? Why are you angry?"
"Dad, I won't go get a wedding dress if Alexander can't come himself, ask for my hand in marriage, and take me to get the dress like a proper man should," I said, raising my voice.
"But Alexander's a busy man. Besides, what does he know about wedding dresses? Isn't it better to go with Mia, a woman who knows what will look good on you?", my dad continued, each word he said getting me more annoyed.
"I want to speak to Alexander face-to-face before getting a wedding dress," I insisted.
"Olivia, don't be like that!" my father commanded.
"Dad, I'm not a puppet! If Alexander can't come here, there will be no marriage. It's already bad enough I'm marrying someone against my will; I don't need disrespect on top of it."
"Olivia—", my dad started to say, but Mia politely interrupted.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Adams", she says to my dad and to me she said, "Ms. Olivia. I'll inform Mr. Alexander of your request". She bowed slightly at the both of us before leaving. My father stormed off without a word.
I hate ALEXANDER!