Red Alert

Chapter 5: Dinner Surprize

Ella's Pov

'Hey, what's up?' I looked at the first message my little sister sent me. I quietly sneaked into the employee room as I stood next to the wall, ready to answer her.

'I am working.' I typed my first message.

'I'm at school. It's so boring.' April messaged.

'You shouldn't say that. School is important.' I told her.

'Everyone's always saying that. Anyway, if you're not too busy then can you come right now. I was thinking about entering the acting school?' She asked as I thought about it. It would be a bit hard since I had the morning and night shifts but I think I might be able to ask Mr. Rhodes for an hour off.

'Yeah, sure,' I replied sending her a thumbs-up emoji.

'Great! I can't thank you enough for this, Ella.' She said as I smiled and put the phone back in my pants pocket before heading out to help the customers. 

There were quite a few customers today and Mr. Rhodes wasn't here yet so I had to wait to ask him for an hour off. Sales were going nicely and I had even taken the liberty to stock and set up the mannequins. The other employees told me to do so I did what they said and I think they liked me. The good things were that I got to dress up the mannequin in any style I wanted and I enjoyed that. 

Many customers liked the dresses we were selling but some sizes were too small or too big so I helped them by adjusting the sizes. Mr. Rhodes had permitted me to use the room in the back for stitching up and adjusting clothes. That way the customers would be able to buy their preferred clothes and I would be happy seeing them pleased. I liked working here because it was exactly the type of thing I had some expertise in.

Mr. Rhodes arrived in the afternoon as he walked over to the couch and sat down. I wanted to ask him about taking an hour off but I was trying to pluck up the courage. When I finally did muster up some courage he got up and started talking to one of the employees. I was left waiting for him to finish so that I could ask. When the guy was finally done talking I quickly approached him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Rhodes?" I asked as he looked up from his phone.

"Yes? Is anything the problem Ms. Jamison?" He asked.

"No, I was just wondering if I could have an hour off?" I asked, crossing my fingers behind my back.

"Why?" Mr. Rhodes asked.

"My sister needs some help with something. I promise I will be back as soon as possible but for now could I please go?" I asked. I already had the amount of money April needed for the acting school, all I had to do was go and hand it to the people personally. April had told me that she would've given it but the academy requires the student's guardian to pay.

"I guess, sure." Mr. Rhodes shrugged as I smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Rhodes. Thank you so much!" I thanked as I ran off feeling the excitement bubbling in my chest. I packed up my things and set out towards the address April had sent, my mind only thinking about positive things.

••••••••••

I was trying to forget about this so hard. After crying last night to sleep, I just wanted to forget about the whole marriage agreement thing. I had pushed the thought in the far end of my mind but it had just been pulled back. Mr. Matthew had messaged me while I was with April and you wouldn't believe the text he sent me.

At first, we just exchanged the simple pleasantries but then the conversation changed. Mr. Matthew asked me if I was free and if I could come and have dinner with him and his family. I didn't want to seem rude and say no but all I wanted was to refuse. The guy was asking me to meet the man I was supposed to marry. I declined in a nice way saying that I had to get to work but Mr. Matthew replied with a simple 'don't worry about work'.

He told me that his driver would come and pick me up in an hour. I couldn't do anythign about it as instead of heading to work, I headed towards Aunt Janice's house. I had to dress up to make an impression so I went with a red tulle dress that belonged Auntie's. I hope she wouldn't mind me borrowing it. Anyway, after I got dressed I tied my hair up in a fancy bun and wore auntie's black pumps, that were a size too big but they worked.

In an hour just as promised, the driver arrived in front of Aunt's apartment building. I sat inside, fiddling my fingers the whole ride. I wasn't going to lie, I was nervous, I was scared, I was unsure. I even thought about ditching and running away but this wasn't something I could run away from, it was something I had to do no matter what. 

The car stopped in front of a big and fancy restaurant. The car zoomed away as soon as I stepped out and I was left standing on the street. This was my last chance to run away. I took a deep breath calming my nerves as I walked inside. I explained to the waitress who I was as she smiled and led me to an elevator. 

We got off on the top floor where there was only one occupied table. I didn't have to guess that was my designated table because I was able to see Mr. Matthew. The waitress gestured me towards the table though I had already figured it out. I started walking towards them my heart thumping and my nerves going crazy.

"Ella! You made it!" Mr. Matthew said as he got up to greet me. I looked around the table noticing five chairs three of which were already occupied now four that I'm here but by the looks of it, Mr. Matthew's son isn't here yet.

"It's good to see you again." I hugged Mr. Mathew back as he had pulled me into a hug.

"Ella, meet my wife, Liz and my daughter Jennie." Mr. Matthew first pointed towards a woman sitting in the chair next to his. She had hair set up in a bun and she was wearing a green cocktail dress. Mr. Matthew's daughter looked like she was about the same age as of Aprils. She had her hair done in a waterfall braid and was wearing a white off the shoulder dress.

"Ella Jamison. It is so amazing to finally meet you. I can't thank your father enough for saving my husband's life. We owe you everything." Liz said as she got up and gave me a hug which I returned.

"Um...thank you.." I said not sure what else to say to her.

"Hi, I'm Jennie!" Mr. Matthew's daughter introduced herself holding her hand out. I sat down in the seat next to her's and I shook hands with her. "You must be wondering where my brother is? He's getting a bit late since had 'work' to handle." Jennie said emphasizing the work part. I simply nodded not sure what to as I twiddled with my fingers. 

"He'll be here any second." Mr. Matthew said as he checked his watch.

"So, Ella, what do you do?" Liz asked me.

"I work at a*****e in Artiste Mega Mall," I told her.

"Oh, our son owns a*****e there!" Liz exclaimed while smiling.

"Really? Which store?" I asked, trying to make conversation to make this any less awkward than it already was. My nerves were about to burst and my fingers were growing tired from fiddling. I didn't look half as nice as they all did. My dress was pretty, in my opinion, but Liz and Jennie's dress was super pretty.

"Oh, it's..." Liz started but was cut off.

"Dylan you're here!" Jennie yelled excitedly as I got up from her seat and went to greet whoever. Mr. Matthew and Liz both stood up as I followed in suit, turning around to see who had arrived. When I saw who it was though, I wasn't able to hide my shock. I could just hope that this wasn't what it looked like because Mr. Rhodes being here meant only one thing. 

Mr. Rhodes had his slightly overgrown black hair combed and set back, he was wearing an expensive-looking black suit and by the expression on his face, it didn't look he wanted to be here any more than I did. I turned my head back to the front biting my lip as I started to get jelly legs and a headache.

"Son, you made it." Mr. Matthew said as he simply shook hands with Mr. Rhodes. Liz hugged her son as I was just standing and waiting. I took a ragged deep breath not ready for Mr. Rhodes to notice me. Hopefully though, maybe dressing up made me look different so maybe he wouldn't recognize me at all. "Dylan, meet your future wife Ella and Ella meet my son, Dylan." Mr. Matthew said introducing us, not that we already didn't know each other. 

I decided to play it cool, taking a deep breath before turning around and plastering a fake smile on my lips. I held my hand out as I looked straight into Mr. Rhodes swirling cold gray eyes. For a moment I saw an expression of shock on his face but he quickly composed himself and went back to his usual stoic expression.

"It's great to meet you. I'm Ella Jamison." I said still holding my hand out. It didn't look like he was going to be shaking my hand any time soon so I ended up retreating it as I continued fiddling. I don't know why I hadn't expected for Mr. Rhodes to be here. I knew their surnames matched but I thought it was just a coincidence. Unfortunately, it wasn't and I was going to get married to my boss. I just hope this doesn't make things too awkward between us at work.

"Take a seat." Mr. Matthew said to his son as we all sat down. Nobody said anything after that as dinner arrived and we all dug in. I felt way out of place because this dinner was unlike any dinner I ever had. I mean I had eaten steak before but it was never set in such a magnificent way. I even had the urge of taking a picture but forced myself not to. The whole Rhodes family super elegant and they ate so neatly whereas there was me, struggling to cut the steak.

"Ella, can I ask you a question?" Jennie asked as she took a bite of her dish. I paused and nodded feeling Mr. Rhodes glare on me. "I hope you won't mind me asking...but why aren't your parents here? I thought that it was usually the parents who had dinners together to talk about marriages?" She asked as I felt a sting at that question.

"Jennie!" Liz scolded her daughter probably seeing me tense up. 

"It's alright," I said to Liz as I turned to Jennie with a smile. What happened to my parents no matter whose fault was it had happened. Mom and Dad had gone from this world and it was no secret. "They passed away 16 years ago. Dad died in a car accident and mom died because of a weak heart." I casually told Jennie.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Jennie apologized.

"It's alright." I smiled.

"So, Ella, do you have any siblings?" Liz asked me.

"Four siblings. Two sisters and two twin brothers." I told them, moving my head down. I wished I could tell my siblings about this but Lara doesn't want me to talk to them and I might be chatting with April but I wasn't ready to tell her just yet.

"I have only one brother and he's a pain in the butt," Jennie said as I had to hold back a chuckle.

"Jennie! Language." Liz warned her daughter.

"It's true!" Jennie exclaimed as I smiled.

"Can we just get this over with?" Dylan said. I decided to start calling him by his first since it was much easier than Mr. Rhodes. I glanced his way noticing his annoyed and bitter expression. I don't think he agreed to this marriage and he probably hated it more after finding out I was here. Trust me I know how it feels because his presence was making me more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

"Ok...I think it's about time we discuss the marriage stuff." Mr. Matthew said as my grip on the fork tightened. "The engagement party will be held the day after tomorrow, where we'll announce your wedding to everyone. The wedding will be held a few days after the engagement party. There are going to be quite a few people from our side, mostly business-related people but you could invite your siblings if you want, Ella." He said as I listened, a straight expression on my face. To Mr. Matthew's question, I simply shook my head indicating that they shouldn't expect my siblings to be there.

"They wanted to be there but they're very busy," I told them to clear the confusion.

"Too busy to attend their sister's wedding? I think not." Liz said as I gave her a tight smile. I would have loved to invite my siblings but first of all, they don't like me yet, secondly, this is an arranged marriage so I'm not sure I want them to be there at my loveless marriage.

"Back to what we were talking about. The engagement party is going to be held at our house and the wedding venue has been decided and booked ahead of time." Mr. Matthew said looking between me and Dylan. It wasn't like I could make any objections to anything. I didn't know the first thing about planning an engagement party much less a wedding. It was good that Mr. Matthew had taken the liberty to do it by himself.

"What about the proposal?" Liz asked putting her fork and knife down.

"Dylan." Mr. Matthew said.

We all turned to look at Dylan as he sighed, taking out a red box from his pocket. He opened the box to reveal a silver heart-shaped ring that was encrusted with diamonds. It was a beautiful and meaningful ring. If this would have been a real marriage then I would have been very happy but it wasn't, so instead, I was speechless. Dylan took my left hand in his and slid the ring on my finger as I was left staring at it before retreating my hand to myself. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it would burst and I couldn't stop twiddling my fingers.

"That's been taken care of so what's next?" Jennie asked.

"Now, we leave," Dylan said as he got up from his seat. His parents and sister stood up and so did I as we started to exchange our goodbyes.

"Dylan, why don't you drop Ella home?" Mr. Matthew suggested. I glanced towards Dylan noticing him looking irritated and angry with his father's words. He probably wanted to be alone right now, just like I did. I wasn't able to grasp the fact that this was my reality. Even worse was that I was marrying Mr. Rhodes, my boss and who knows how it's going to be at work from now on. Pretty awkward if you ask me.

"Sure." Dylan's forced reply came. He started towards the elevator as Jennie pushed me to follow him. I trudged behind Dylan as the elevator stopped on the ground floor. We headed out and walked towards a Mercedes modeled car. This family was surely rich, not that it mattered. I got in the passenger seat as Dylan got into the driver's seat.

"So...um.." I tried to make conversation as Dylan started the car.

"Where do you live?" He asked breaking me off.

"Uh...I think it's on Steinbury Street." I told him as I turned to look out of the window. I watched the trees and cars pass by but all I could think about was the ring on my finger. The silence and aura in the air were tense so I was feeling uncomfortable. Luckily, my sister saved me by sending me a message.

'Thank you so much for today Ella. I'm so excited about starting acting school.' I read the message as I smiled to myself.

'I'm glad you're excited but remember the promise you made.' I typed back. When I had signed Ella up for acting classes earlier today, I made her promise me that she will not only focus on her acting but also focus on her studies. 

'Yeah, I know. I should go now. I'm supposed to be asleep. If Lara finds out about this she will kill me.' April message read.

'Okay. Goodnight. Sweet Dreams.' I typed a quick message back before putting my phone away. I glanced towards Dylan but his face was so expressionless that I was unable to read what he was thinking about right now.

"Did you know?" He asked.

"What?" I questioned, turning my head to face the guy.

"Did you know about this?" He repeated the question, glancing towards me.

"No," I simply replied. I waited for him to say something but instead, he only scoffed. We started to near Aunt Janice's neighborhood and were just around the road to her street. "You can drop me here," I said, getting ready to leave.

"I can't drop you just anywhere. Where is your house?" Dylan asked with his eyes on the road.

"Around the corner," I mumbled as he followed my directions. In a split second, we were standing outside Aunt Janice's apartment building. "Um...Please thank your parents for the lovely dinner and also thank you for dropping me home." I said before opening the door and getting out. I didn't have to but I still waved as his car drove away. As soon as the car was out of sight I dropped my arms and took a deep breath of the night air. Things were going too fast. The engagement party was the day after tomorrow and the wedding as a few days after that. I thought planning a wedding takes months but here we were doing it all in one month.

I moved my hand up to inspect the ring and as I did, the guiltier I felt. The fact was that this ring didn't hold an emotion or feeling. It was just a sign to remind me that this was happening. I say that I'm ready to face it but am I? Am I ready for such a huge thing? Even I don't know the answer to that question. Looks like all I have to do is wait and see if time solves anything.