The kingston Marriage arrangement

chapter three

"You can’t fire me," she sneered, amusement in her tone as if I’d just told a joke.

"Yes, he can," my father’s voice cut through the tension, filled with fury. For the first time, could scream out ...thats my dad!

As if on cue, my assistant’s hands left me instantly. I already missed her touch. I sighed internally, thinking, Oh, shut up, she’s just a woman.

"Please, sir, he's a thief and a spy!" Sarah stammered, clearly terrified as she made her plea. I couldn’t help but laugh internally at her foolishness.

"And how do you know he's a thief and a spy?" my father asked coldly.

"He was walking around, taking note of the surroundings like he owned the place, so I stopped him," she said, as if it were some great achievement.

My father’s face remained emotionless, a clear sign of the heartless and unforgiving man he could be.

"First, you accuse my son—the owner of this restaurant—of being a thief, and then you have the audacity to lay your hands on his face. Now, tell me, what do you think your punishment should be?" His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the dangerous edge to it.

Now, Sarah looked genuinely sorry for what she had done. My gaze shifted from her to my assistant, who appeared just as frightened. I couldn’t help but wonder why she was here in the first place. Was she with my dad? And why? The thought of them being together made me frown.

I watched her closely as she paid attention to every word my father said to Sarah, including the impending punishment.

Did she like my dad? The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, though she was undeniably beautiful. I took in all her features—her dress perfectly matched her skin, her makeup light but giving off a subtle, alluring vibe that complemented her overall look. I almost got caught staring at her.

I decided to leave my dad there, still in the midst of reprimanding our employee, and went back to my seat to wait for him.

Marv POV

I couldn't help but salivate as I gazed at the delicious meal placed before us. Eagerly, I grabbed the cutlery, ready to dig in, momentarily forgetting my manners. Just then, I heard a sharp scolding from across the room, though still within the restaurant. I looked up with a frown, only to witness a worker mistreating a customer. Poor guy, he probably just wanted something to eat. Without thinking twice, I stood up, ignoring who I was with, determined to stop the harassment. I despised any public display of mistreatment or humiliation. Before I could reach them, the worker slapped him hard across the face and was about to do it again when I intervened. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man as I reached out to touch his cheek, now reddened from the sting of her hand. To my surprise, it was him—the handsome, gorgeous man I’d seen earlier that morning. Oh, shut up, girl. Are you really calling this snob cute? I silently chastised myself. I wasn’t paying much attention to the furious woman because I was too busy smiling at him, almost unconsciously. I was smitten. I held him close until I heard the bigger boss's voice. Instinctively, I dropped my hands from him. The bigger boss was furious, and to my shock, I realized this strikingly handsome man was his son—my direct superior. My face must have mirrored the shock of the worker who had just been reprimanded for disrespecting the restaurant owner's son. All of this happening in a single day left me at a loss for words.

He stormed off and returned to the same table where I had been sitting, clearly still angry. He must have realized I was his assistant—and that I had been touching him. Panic welled up inside me as the realization hit. Could today get any worse? I trudged back to our table like a zombie, my appetite completely gone. All I wanted was fewer surprises for the rest of the evening. One thing was certain—both bosses had something to do with my father's debt.

I sat across from my boss, Mr. Kingston. Up until then, I hadn’t really noticed my mom, but now I turned to her, hoping for a reassuring smile. Instead, she stared down at the table, deep in thought, possibly contemplating leaving. I wished we could leave right away too. I may not have met Mr. Kingston before, but from all the stories I'd heard about his striking looks and arrogant attitude, I knew most of them were true. He looked like a Greek god, and his outfit wasn’t helping matters. His muscles pressed against his shirt, and I could swear he was ripped. Damn! Stop thinking about his body and focus on why you're here. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to distract myself from thoughts of him, but it wasn’t working.

To make matters worse, he was glaring at me the entire time. The bigger boss cleared his throat, trying to break the tension that was thick in the air.

"I know, Marvis, you're surprised to see me here, but I'm not surprised to see you," he said, his eyes fixed on me. "Your family were very good friends of mine, epecially your mother. We were so close that we wanted our bond to last forever, so we arranged for our children to be betrothed. It was your mother's request that I take you into my company when you came of age, even though it wasn’t necessary, considering you’d eventually be part of the family. Sadly, she passed away before she could see me fulfill that promise, but I made sure you had a good life growing up. Your father borrowed a large sum of money for your mother's treatment and promised to repay it as he worked for me. I was fine with that, but there was another agreement—if he couldn’t repay the debt, you would marry my son earlier than planned." He grew cold feet concerning the marriage bethrothal especially because of a debt so he promised to work off the debt. I lost trust in him. Business comes first before sentiments.

He paused, this time shifting his gaze to my stepmother. "Mabel here is my sister. She was never married to your father. She benefits so much from this union. She was only there to watch you grow, monitor you closely. I didnt want to be played by your father, and to ensure you grew up fit enough for my son. But she fell in love with your father, who intended to marry her before he passed on. Now that your father is gone, and he still owes me, I believe its time for the promise to be fulfilled instead of debt settlement with money. I would rather marry you to your long-time betrothed."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I stared at him in shock, and Mr. Kingston seemed just as stunned. I tried to speak, but no words came out.

"You're telling me I was betrothed to your son even before this deal was made?" I finally yelled, having had enough of the day's drama.

He nodded in response. I turned to my stepmom, feeling betrayed. I had thought she was being kind, but she had known everything and had tricked me into showing up here.

And what if I disagree?" I asked, my voice shaky.

"You don’t have a choice, young lady," he responded coldly. "If I don’t send you to jail for the enormous debt your father owes me, others will come for what they’re owed—and trust me, they’re not good people. I want my son married, and you’re either getting married or going to jail. I will settle all the other debts and leave you with everything your dad owned to your name". His words cut through me like a knife. My life had been going smoothly until now, and suddenly, I was being forced to marry someone I barely knew because of my father’s debt, my mother's illness, and some long-ago betrothal. I wanted to cry at the harshness of it all.

"What if I say no to this marriage? I can’t marry this bankrupt b***h because of some debt," Mr. Kingston interjected, his arrogance seeping through every word. "I say we throw her in jail or make her pay off her father’s debt." He looked at me as if I wasn’t the victim, but somehow he was.

"Enough, son!" his father snapped. "You don’t have a choice here either. You’re marrying Miss Marvis. Period." He was breathing heavily, as if the conversation had drained him. "The company and wealth you so dearly cherish came from her parents' and my hard work. The best way to repay them is for you to marry their daughter. If you refuse, then say goodbye to the company and everything you've built. Inasmuch as there's a debt, I want to fulfull my promise to my best friend, Emelda, Marvis late mother". He bent his head down as if he had remembered something painful. Possibly my mom's death.

His tone was fiercer than when he had scolded the worker earlier, and though anger filled his words, I could sense that beneath it all, he believed this was the best choice for his son. He wanted him to settle down, but that wasn’t my problem. This situation had ruined me. He just called me a b***h—how am I supposed to marry him? That was it. I broke down, sobbing. I missed my mom terribly. She would have comforted me in a situation like this. They should have told me all this before she died. This was so unfair.