Heirs and Hearts: The High Society Seduction

It was an extraordinary day, unlike any other. The sun's intense rays seemed to pierce through Agatha, causing her to feel unusually nauseated. Her mind drifted back to the night before when she had found herself in a sweltering club. Agatha had sought a potential life partner through a series of brief encounters with different men, only to find that none of them met her exacting standards, leaving her disheartened. She held her forehead tightly and started massaging her nape. She needed some icy cold water to replenish all the energy she rendered for that one night out. “f*****g alcohol…” she whispered, Her eyes were half-closed when she heard several knocks on the door. “Come in!” Her voice echoed all around the room as she ordered whoever was outside to use the key and get to her. The door opened up and she saw her butler, Tyler. He seemed serious this time, probably mad. “What?” Agatha glared at him. “It appears as though you failed to get home before your curfew, ma'am,” Tyler said, checking his wristwatch. “I am 19, Tyler.” She groaned. “I am perfectly capable of fending myself off. I do not see any reason for you to be keeping track of me as if I am some dog.” Agatha felt offended by the fact that no matter how much she aged or whether she reached her legal age, she was still not seen as a woman. Instead, she is just a little girl who always needs to be saved. “I am simply doing what your father has asked me to do.” He defended his actions. “Whatever…” she whispered and got out of her bed. She immediately went to the kitchen and grabbed some ice and soaked her face on it. The maids silently watched her, not wanting to hear her venting out. “Your father needs you on the dining table.” Tyler kept on annoying her first thing in the morning. She glared at the maid and she handed her towel. “This early?” Tyler never responded back so she had no choice but to see it for herself. What met her was the angry face of her father. “Where were you last night? I checked your room, you weren't there!” It was the most deafening, crazy, and old freak nosy scolding she had ever heard. “You know I'd be lying if I told you I went outside for a school project.” Agatha jumped to her seat, grabbed some food and dug in. “Agatha…” Her mother, Evangeline, whispered. “That is not how I raised you to act.” She let out a huge sigh as she went on her day. “So what is this about? I know you wouldn't have called me earlier had there not been special news or some sort of order.” Agatha asked. A moment of silence was shared between them. Even the workers did not dare to speak a word or two. Agatha felt suspicious about it. “What?” Her father leaned on his chair as he opened up a serious conversation. “Agatha, I wish I did not need to say this, but this is important.” He whispered. “Our business… is dying.” Agatha suddenly lost her appetite. She lifted her head, shocked, and did not know how to act. “What is that supposed to mean?” She is scared. The way her mother kept her head down suggests that something must have happened. None of them have the energy to answer her queries, it seems everything is down the drain. Her father sighed before mumbling. “I… gambled our money in a risky investment and we lost everything.” Agatha looked around her and realization hit her hard. “Is that the reason why… our maids started losing their number?” “And our furniture… when did it start being scarce?” She could not believe any of it. The idea of being poor makes her vomit. She lives her whole life lavishly. Not caring how much she spent every day or whether her card had been maxed out. “How am I supposed to live now?!” Her emotion starts to get the best out of her. “How am I supposed to pay for all my subscriptions? Dad, I am in my fourth year now! How will I join my elite friend groups if I do not have the means and the money?!” She exclaimed. Her voice echoed all around the dining room. “Calm down—” “Calm down?! How are we going to live now?!” Her mother could not finish her words. She made sure to cut her off and show her that she was indeed mad. In the moment of her urging rage, her father slammed the table. It produced a loud sound that made the whole room ring and vibrate for a short period. He let out a breath of frustration before continuing. “Stop overreacting and listen to me, Agatha!” “I've had a deal with Arthur, alright?” She is confused. She went back to being seated and stared at her father, waiting for an explanation. “He told me, if you marry him…” he paused and waited for his daughter to react. “We will get our company back and he will help me with all the finances that need to be taken care of.” For a while, a piece of eerie music started playing behind Agatha's head. She could not believe the situation she is currently in. “How can you have me marry a man whose age is triple mine?” she exclaimed. The unimaginable finally reached her end. “How can you allow that?!” “I have no choice!” Her father blurted out. The veins in his neck were visible as he shouted at the top of his lungs. Agatha could not understand it at all. “You dare gamble and now, you want me to be the sacrifice? Are you offering me as a sacrifice?” She whispered in her hoarse voice. Tears build up on the sides of her eyes. “If you want to continue living your life the way you do right now, then you should abide by what I want.” He claimed. She did not want to raise a protest further. It is sensible, after all. It is a small price to pay if she wants to still live luxuriously. She wanted to continue having the best in her life. “When will I meet this man?” she swallowed hard. Her father's eyes lit up. He was happy that she did not let her stubbornness get the best out of her. To him, it is foreign, but an advantage. “Are you sure you want to meet him?” Her mother whispered. “Yes.” She responded succinctly. “Alright, I will set up a date for the two of you. I am sure he will be very happy to hear that you initiated a meeting!” He pulled out his phone from his pocket, excused himself on the table, and went to call Arthur.