CHAPTER THREE
1041 Words
AVA’S POV
“Absolutely not!”
Margaret’s voice sliced through the dining room like a whip.
She shot up from her chair so abruptly that it scraped loudly against the marble floor.
“This is ridiculous, Father!” she continued, glaring at Grandfather Nicholas. “You cannot possibly be serious right now.”
The tension around the dining table thickened instantly.
My fingers tightened around the edge of the tablecloth as I sat there, frozen.
Sonia stood beside Margaret, her face pale but her eyes blazing with anger.
Lucas remained seated, his jaw tight, his fingers loosely wrapped around his coffee cup as if he was trying very hard to remain calm.
Grandfather Nicholas, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered.
He simply took another bite of toast.
The quiet crunch felt oddly loud in the room.
Margaret stared at him like she couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.
“You want Lucas,” she said slowly again, pointing a finger in my direction, “to marry her?”
Every word felt like a slap.
I lowered my gaze, suddenly very aware of how small I felt sitting there.
Grandfather swallowed calmly before answering.
“Yes.”
Margaret let out a sharp laugh of disbelief.
“Oh, this is unbelievable.”
Her eyes moved toward Lucas.
“Lucas, say something.”
Lucas didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, he slowly placed his coffee cup back onto the saucer.
His expression was hard to read.
Margaret stepped closer to him.
“You cannot possibly agree to this nonsense,” she said firmly. “There is absolutely no reason for you to marry someone you barely even know.”
My chest tightened slightly.
She wasn’t wrong.
Lucas and I had barely exchanged more than a few sentences since he arrived.
This whole situation felt surreal.
Margaret turned toward Grandfather again, clearly struggling to contain her anger.
“Do you have any idea what you’re saying right now?” she demanded. “Marriage is not some charity project.”
Her words stung, even though I tried to ignore them.
Grandfather remained calm.
“I am fully aware of what I am saying.”
Margaret scoffed.
“Oh really?”
She gestured toward Sonia.
“Because I seem to remember that Lucas already had someone perfectly suitable.”
Sonia’s chin lifted slightly at those words.
She didn’t look at me.
Her eyes were fixed entirely on Lucas.
Margaret continued.
“Sonia isn’t some random woman, Father,” she said firmly, looking back at Grandfather. “She is the daughter of my closest friend. I have known that girl since she was a child.”
“Sonia and Lucas have known each other for years. They dated and they cared about each other.”
Her voice softened slightly.
“Everyone expected them to end up together.”
Lucas exhaled quietly.
Margaret placed a hand gently on Sonia’s shoulder.
“That’s why we came today,” she said, looking directly at Lucas. “I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for the two of you to talk and resolve whatever issues you had before you left.”
My stomach twisted.
So that was it.
She had come here with a plan.
Margaret shook her head, clearly frustrated.
“But instead, I walk into the dining room and hear that Father wants you to marry a girl he picked up from the streets.”
The words landed heavily.
I felt heat crawl up my neck.
Before I could react, Grandfather’s voice cut through the room.
“That is enough, Margaret.”
His tone was calm but firm.
Margaret looked at him, still fuming.
“She is not some random girl,” Grandfather continued. “Ava has lived in this house for years.”
Margaret crossed her arms.
“Yes, I’m aware.”
Her eyes flicked toward me again.
“And exactly what qualifies her to marry into this family?”
I wished the ground would open and swallow me whole.
Lucas suddenly leaned forward slightly.
“Margaret,” he said quietly.
His voice wasn’t loud.
But it immediately got her attention.
“What?” she asked sharply.
Lucas looked tired.
Like the entire conversation was exhausting him.
“We’re not doing this.”
Margaret frowned.
“Not doing what?”
“This,” he said simply, gesturing vaguely around the table.
Sonia finally spoke then.
Her voice was soft.
But the hurt in it was obvious.
“So… you’re just going to pretend we never existed?”
Lucas turned his head slightly toward her.
For a moment, something complicated passed through his expression.
Something I couldn’t quite understand.
But it disappeared just as quickly.
“Sonia,” he said quietly, “that’s not what this is about.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Really? Because it feels exactly like that.”
Silence stretched again.
Grandfather wiped his mouth slowly with his napkin.
Then he looked directly at Lucas.
“My wish still stands.”
Lucas met his grandfather’s gaze.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
The tension between them felt heavy.
Then Lucas leaned back in his chair.
His hand dragged slowly down his face.
I watched him carefully, my heart pounding.
Because suddenly it felt like everything in the room was waiting for his answer.
Margaret was watching him.
Sonia was watching him.
Grandfather was watching him.
And somehow…
So was I.
Lucas sat there quietly for a long moment.
Then he let out a slow breath.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm.
“If this is truly your last wish…”
My stomach dropped.
Grandfather’s eyes sharpened slightly.
Lucas continued.
“…then I’ll do it.”
The words didn’t register immediately.
Margaret blinked.
“What?”
Sonia stared at him.
“You can’t be serious.”
Lucas didn’t look at either of them.
His gaze moved slowly across the table.
Until it landed on me.
My heart skipped.
His expression was unreadable, but his voice remained steady.
“I’ll marry Ava.”
The room fell completely silent.
Margaret looked like someone had just slapped her.
Sonia’s face drained of color.
And I sat there, frozen, staring back at the man who had just changed my life again.
Lucas Carter had just agreed to marry me.
- Writer
