Married To My Rival

Alvara's pov “I told you I don't want to!” My voice cracked with frustration. “You'll eventually have to marry”. My dad replied “Who said I didn't want to marry? I just don't want to marry someone I don't like”. “Dorian is a good and responsible man,” He said. “He's the Executive Chairman of Kai Global Holdings, one of the country's largest multinational conglomerates”. “I don't care about his status,” I replied, raging with anger. I can't marry Dorian simply because you're friends with his father, I'm Alvara Hayes!”. I screamed, my voice echoing through the room. “What if you are?” A loud voice cut in from behind. It was Ryan, my stepbrother. “Must you be so loud? All you do is bark day and night”. I totally ignored him. “Dad, just be honest with me.” I looked at him. You want to take this chance to get rid of me, no?” I turned to my brother, who was sitting opposite me. “Because, based on pure competence, that jerk wouldn't stand a chance”. “Hey, who wouldn't stand a chance?” Ryan asked. “You, obviously. Certainly not me!” I let out an exaggerated sigh, then turned back to my dad. “This will not go as you wish, Dad. I won't let that happen”. I stood up and picked up my bag. “Then you leave me with no choice”. He looked at me with all seriousness. “If you don't marry Dorian, consider your position gone”. My heart skipped a bit. “I earned that position, Dad”. I said quietly. “You didn't just appoint me as the company's CEO, I worked hard for it”. “I am the Chairman, I have the authority to replace you”. “with Ryan?” He didn't answer. I quickly understood. The silence alone said a lot. I slammed the door and walked away without looking back. I got into my car and drove straight to my office. How can I marry Dorian, my high school rival? We spent years competing and arguing over who was better, neither of us willing to back down. I even refused to go to the same university as him. Now, my father expects me to marry him, which is absolutely not an option. I sat on my chair, still thinking about what my father told me when my secretary, who's also a close friend of mine, Sophie Morgan, walked in with a cup of coffee. “Good morning, ma'am”. She dropped the coffee on the desk. “Good morning”. Didn't even look at her. “You don't look good, miss. Hayes. " She said as she sat on the couch in my office. “I'm getting married”. “Wow”. A laugh escaped her. “I didn't think I would live long enough to hear that from you”. “It's not funny Sophie”. I stood up and started pacing around. “I don't want to get married”. I paused and turned to her. “I have a career, I worked hard to get here. Marriage wasn't part of the plan”. I said, clearly frustrated. “Wait, let me get this straight. Are you getting married without your will?” “It's an arranged marriage”. “What?” She burst into laughter “My father threatened to give my position to Ryan if I don't marry him”. “Ryan? He clearly can't run this company”. “He's incompetent. He can't do nothing”. “So who are you getting married to?”. “Dorian Kai.” “Dorian Kai?” She stood up, looking excited. “What? Why do you look excited?” “His hype is on another level, the youngest executive chairman in the whole city of New York." “So?” “He's so handsome”. “I don't care about his looks or status, I don't want to marry him”. My phone starts ringing. I look at the screen, and it's my father. Why is he calling me now? What does he want after ruining my day? I hesitated for a while before picking up his call. “Hello?” “Be ready by 7pm, there's this client I want to have dinner with tonight, I want you there. “What client?” “You'll find out when you get there, I'll send you the address now. Before I could respond, he ended the call. Thank goodness this call wasn't about the marriage, I clearly would've crashed out. …………………. Later that evening, I put on a white pair of pants and purple chiffon. I didn't do too much on my makeup, just a little blush on my cheeks and red lipstick. I stepped out of the house, looking simple but elegant as I always do. When I arrived at the restaurant, a waiter immediately greeted me with a polite smile. “Good evening, Miss Hayes. Your father is waiting for you”. He led me through the stairs and towards a quiet hallway lined with several closed doors, then stopped at the first door. He opened the door, and I stepped in. Then I froze. “Why are you so late? We have an important guess”. My father asked while laughing softly. He was seated, and across him was Dorian and his father. I looked at Dorian. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. He stood up, walked towards me, and pulled out the chair for me. He leaned closer, his face near my ear, and lowered his voice. “Nice to meet you, we meet again”. Before I could respond, his father laughed joyously. “Seeing the two of you like this, I think we could set a wedding date right away. He looked at my father. “whose daughter is this? You've raised her well”. “Oh don't flatter me”. My dad replied, smiling. I stood completely still. I'm trying to understand what's happening. After watching them for a while, I looked at my dad. “What do you think you're doing”? I snapped. “If I had known it was this kind of meeting, I wouldn't have come”. “Alva…”. “...how can you go this far and be so selfish”. “Sit down, let's talk”. “There's nothing for us to talk about”. My voice rose with every word. I walked out on him before he could say anything else. I'm disappointed, Alvara Hayes”. A loud voice echoed from behind me. I turned around, only to find Dorian standing behind me. I glared at him. “Get lost.” “It's not like I'm thrilled about this situation”, but it's not so bad that I'd scream about it, don't you think?”