Chapter 2 -Arranged Marriage
1454 Words
As the plane touched down, the soft landing didn’t match the turbulence stirring in Rachael’s chest.
Theodore had gone strangely quiet. His fingers tapped rhythmically on his phone while his thoughts, she could tell, were elsewhere.
Rachael, however, had finally gotten her answer. Theodore Mickelson.
So it’s really him.
The butler stood waiting at the private airport exit with two black luxury SUVs. When they arrived at the Mickelson estate—more like a fortified mansion-city—Rachael realized something strange.
They were heading to the same place.
What the hell?
The massive iron gates opened, and there it was—The Mickelson Villa.
Her destination.
The butler, dressed crisply in black with white gloves, greeted them with a respectful bow.
"Welcome home, Master Theodore. And Miss Chu."
Rachael blinked. He knew my name?
Theodore didn’t bat an eye. They both dropped their luggage by the front entrance.
The butler motioned to a housemaid. "Please take Miss Chu’s bags to her room. Everything has been prepared."
Rachael followed, confused but too tired to ask questions. When the door to her room opened, she gasped.
The space was immaculate—white walls with lavender undertones, silver trimming, light purple satin sheets, clean white curtains, and a vanity with her favorite perfume already waiting.
Who designed this?
How do they know me this well?
The air smelled like eucalyptus and clean floors. Calm, controlled. But that only made her feel more… off.
She stepped in slowly, locking the door behind her.
Suddenly, she dropped to her knees.
The tears came fast and hard. Rachael was used to hiding her emotions—but her past had a way of finding her when she least expected. All the pieces were clicking together—too perfectly.
She remembered the first time she saw Theodore.
The way he smiled when they were children. How he held her hand behind the estate’s greenhouse and told her he’d marry her someday.
But he never knew what happened next.
He didn’t know what they did to her.
And now, he had no idea she was here for more than just a visit.
She bit her lip hard.
No more tears, Chu. You’re not that little girl anymore.
With that, she slapped herself—hard. The sting grounded her, dragging her out of her spiral.
Then—knock knock.
She froze.
A voice. Deep. Familiar. Velvet and venom.
“You okay in there?”
She opened the door slightly and saw Theodore standing there, about to knock again.
“Yeah,” she said, blinking quickly. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t press her.
“This way,” he said, leading her through a side hallway that looked like a dead end. He pressed into the panel—click—and a secret passage opened to a grand staircase.
Downstairs, in the open courtyard filled with laughter and chatter, someone screamed her name.
“RAY-RAY!!”
A blur of yellow ran into her arms. It was Tracy—her best friend and honorary twin. Rachael wore a lavender sundress. Tracy wore the same in sunflower yellow.
“Still matching, I see,” Rachael laughed through her tears.
“Always,” Tracy smiled. “You didn’t tell me you were coming home!”
“I didn’t know myself.”
From behind, a guy with ocean eyes and soft curls rolled his eyes. “Of course. Reunion season.”
“Whoa. Theo has a twin?” Rachael asked.
“Nope. That’s Tyler, his immediate younger brother.”
“Doctor by day, secret rebel by night,” Tracy teased.
Rachael raised a brow. “Doctor?”
Tyler sighed. “I run a hospital. Grandfather doesn’t know.”
“Yet,” Theodore added, crossing his arms. “And he should. One day, Ty.”
“I’m good, bro. Stop lecturing me at family reunions,” Tyler shot back with a grin.
Suddenly, the energy shifted.
A pair of polished black shoes clicked across the marble floor.
Everyone turned.
Standing tall and dignified at the entrance of the courtyard was none other than Grandfather Mickelson. His silver cane barely touched the ground as he moved. The air around him felt charged, as though even the wind waited for his approval to blow.
“Grandfather,” Theodore and Tyler both said, bowing slightly.
But Grandfather Mickelson’s eyes weren’t on them. They were locked on her.
On Rachael.
“My little bride has finally returned home,” he said in a smooth voice lined with authority.
Rachael’s breath caught in her throat.
Behind him, walking a little slower—but with eyes just as bright—was a second older man. His eyes were filled with warmth, and his steps, though steady, carried years of hidden pain.
“Grandpa,” Rachael whispered.
Her body moved before her brain caught up.
She ran forward, and he opened his arms.
“Rachael. My sweet girl,” her grandfather murmured as he hugged her tight. “You look so much like your mother…”
Her throat tightened.
“I missed you so much,” she choked out.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you back sooner. Things… had to align,” he said softly, pulling back to look at her. “But now, it’s time to finish what our families started.”
Rachael glanced between him and Grandfather Mickelson, heart pounding.
So it was true.
They planned this.
All of this.
Two powerful patriarchs. Two broken bloodlines. One marriage meant to fix it all.
And maybe—maybe—to bury the past.
But Rachael wasn’t here to be anyone’s bandage.
She was here to burn things down—nicely.
Tracy shrieked. Tyler laughed.
“And since next tomorrow is Rachael and Tracy’s birthday,” Grandfather continued, “we’ll combine the homecoming, engagement, and birthday into one big celebration.”
Everyone burst into noise.
“Three events in one?”
“Y’all are so lucky!”
“Wedding games? Let’s gooo!”
“I’m planning the cake,” Tyler added.
“I’m wearing lavender,” Tracy smirked.
The mood was light. Playful. Too perfect.
Rachael laughed, smiled, but inside—she was tense. This is all happening too fast. But it’s all going… according to plan.
That night, after dinner, she returned upstairs. As she reached her room, she found Theodore already there, leaning against the wall.
Neither said anything for a while.
He stepped forward slightly. “You sure you’re okay?”
She nodded.
He stared at her longer than necessary. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
She bit her bottom lip. “Maybe.”
He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead—he just nodded and walked away.
She shut the door and immediately FaceTimed Mika.
“FINALLY!” Mika yelled. “So, what’s his name?”
“His name is Theodore Mickelson,” Rachael said.
Mika froze.
“You’re lying. The Theodore? As in, richest man in Mandiria, rebuilt the Mickelson Empire from scratch after that scandal?”
“That one,” Rachael said coolly.
“Girl, he’s 24. You're what—20?”
“Twenty-one next week. Fourteenth of May.”
“Oh my God—his birthday is March 14th. And his brother’s is April 14th. You’re May 14th. That’s WILD.”
“And Tracy’s the same as mine.”
“Okay, this is spooky. Desáun just walked in—he says he’s got faint files… about a woman who looks like you, involved in something big years ago.”
Rachael’s heart jumped. “It’s me.”
“You sure?”
“No one else looks like me in a black cloak holding a sniper rifle over a Senator’s mansion.”
Travis’s voice came into the call. “Yo. Don’t reveal the whole file, Mika. That op’s still unsolved in the system.”
“Oops,” Mika said with a wink.
Rachael ended the call and sat at her desk. Her MacBook lit up as she opened an encrypted file.
Login: Cassie Leigh
Alias ID: BLACK DOVE
One of her many faces. This one... was the most dangerous.
She scanned mission updates. Several had been archived. Two were still marked incomplete.
She clicked one and studied the image that popped up.
A blurry photograph of a woman in white heels and a wedding ring. One she'd seen in Theodore’s house once as a child.
She’s dead, Rachael reminded herself.
But something about that woman felt… unfinished.
She closed the laptop at 2:03 a.m. Her eyes burned. Her brain wouldn’t stop spinning.
She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Back in the lion’s den. But this time, I’m the one with the teeth.
Sleep came slow and heavy.
- Writer
