THE DEAL BETWEEN US

This Has To Be a Nightmare

I stared at my phone, frozen. The words my mom had just dropped didn’t make sense. “You’re getting married” .

My brain felt like it had short-circuited.

I laughed nervously, trying to convince myself this was some sort of misunderstanding .

“Hoy guys,” I said loudly, forcing humor into my voice so the others could hear me, “sinusubukan akong takutin at biruin ni Nanay ulit tungkol sa pagpapakasal!”

(Hey guys, Mom is trying to scare me again with one of her marriage jokes.)

" This is serious, Cass,” she said, her tone leaving no room for jokes. “I need you to listen.”

“To… to who?” I asked, my voice shaky.

There was a brief pause on the line. Then—

“Mark Cooper,” she said quietly.

My stomach dropped.

“You’ve both been identified as the potential heirs for a family alliance. The government is considering the project… and this marriage would solidify it.”

My chest tightened, panic spreading fast, sharp, suffocating.

“No. Absolutely not!” I snapped. “I can’t— I won’t. I will never agree to this.”

My voice shook, anger bleeding through every word.

“Mom, how could you do this to me?”

There was silence on the line.

“You’re setting me up with a man I barely know,” I continued, my breath uneven. “For marriage. For business.”

I laughed hysterically. "No mom, I'd rather die , than marry a man like him .

With that , I ended the call abruptly.

The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a dull sound. My legs gave out almost immediately, and I dropped to the ground, a sob tearing out of my chest before I could stop it. My vision blurred, my breathing uneven, messy, loud.

“Cass?” Gabrielle’s voice came first—sharp with panic.

In seconds, Gabrielle, Michael, and Belinda were in front of me, rushing out of the living room.

“Hey, hey—what happened?” Michael said, crouching beside me.

Gabrielle knelt too, her hands on my shoulders. “Cassandra, talk to us. What did your mom say?”

I tried to speak, but the words tangled in my throat. All that came out was a broken breath and another sob.

Belinda hovered close, worry written all over her face. “Cass… you’re scaring us.”

I finally shook my head, tears streaming freely now.

“She said…” I choked, pressing my palm to my chest like it could hold my heart together. “She said I’m getting married.”

The room went dead silent.

Michael blinked. “Wait—what?”

“Married?” Gabrielle echoed, disbelief cutting through her voice.

I laughed weakly through my tears. “Yeah. Apparently, I’m a strategic move now.”

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, my chest still heaving.

“To who?” Gabrielle asked gently. Not demanding. Just… careful.

I swallowed, my throat burning.

“Mark Cooper.”

The name sat in the air like something foreign. Heavy. Wrong.

Michael’s expression shifted—not anger, not shock—just concern. Pure, steady concern.

“The Cooper family?” he asked softly.

I nodded once. That was all I could manage.

Belinda exhaled slowly. “From the banquet…”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.

“They said it’s for the mega project,” I whispered, my voice hollow now. “A family alliance. Like I’m some clause in a contract.”

Gabrielle reached for my hand. “Cass—”

“I can’t,” I said suddenly, pulling back, already pushing myself to my feet. “I really can’t do this right now.”

I turned and walked down the hallway before anyone could stop me.

“Cassandra—” Michael called gently.

But I was already in my room.

I slammed the door shut and locked it, sliding down until my back hit the wood. My legs felt weak, useless. My chest hurt—physically hurt—like something was crushing me from the inside.

I crawled onto my bed, burying my face into the pillow as the sobs came again, raw and unfiltered. I cried until my throat burned, until my head ached, until the word marriage felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

Outside the door, I could hear soft footsteps. A pause.

“Cass,” Gabrielle said quietly. “We’re here, okay? Take your time.”

No knocking. No pressure.

Just presence.

I didn’t respond.

I just cried.

In the Cooper's house , things weren't going as planned either as Mark refused to hear of such arrangements.

Mark was about to storm out of the living room with his veins popping out of his face like some overripe pawpaw about to explode.

“Mark,” his father said cautiously, " if you step out this room or house , consider yourself a disowned child".

"Mark sit your ass here , and let's talk about the Kalix family arrangement, like mature adult that we are" . His mother added .

Mark cut her off, voice loud and sharp. “Talk? You’re calling it a talk, but it’s really just another order, isn’t it?. It's always an order with you guys, there's nothing we talk about, you make the rules and I have to comply , weather it benefits me or not " . "You know what Father ?, mother ? , I am sick of this s**t and today is the day I get to tell you no " . He added.

His mother’s lips pressed into a thin line. “This is important for the project. For the family.”

“I don’t care about the project if it means my life is a joke!” Mark snapped, rising to his full height. “You can’t just hand me off to some girl , ooh I forgot" . He snapped. " You've been doing that first it was. Jasmine , now it's this Cassandra girl. And you expect me to smile and just agree ? Like some puppet?".

His father’s brow furrowed. “Mark, you’re overreacting. This is strategy. It’s about alliances, positioning... These are part of the risk I took to be where I am today , so you won't suffer , so wherever you appear you can be respected. Do you know why ?? Because you're a Cooper...

“Strategy? My life is not a chess piece!” Mark growled, pacing like a coiled spring. “Do you think I’ll just bend because you say so? Because you decided my future for me? If you took those risk ,that was your decision, to be a Cooper , didn't ask for this , I didn't ask for any of this , to live a life full of control ".

His mother’s hands clutched the arms of her chair. “Mark Fernandez Cooper , if you speak to your father in such manner , I will give you an attitude resetting slap, how dare you ?. This is not about feeling Mark , nothing in the business field is about feelings okay?. Now get your s**t and act together and start thinking about your responsibility and the company".

Mark froze, jaw tightening even more. “I am not marrying anyone for your business gains. I don’t care how ‘practical’ it is. I won’t do it. Not now, not ever. I'd rather be a monk or marry a ninety year old nun or jump into a lagoon, but I will not Marry that girl . Do you hear me?”

His father’s face darkened, voice loud and threatening. “Mark, you must consider the consequences—professionally, politically" " I swear if you do not do as I say , I Mr Fernando Ortega Cooper will transfer this company to your brother in London, and I don't give a s**t if he's a knocked out addict and I will give your inheritance to charity and I will disown you. Do not test me Mark , least I do what both of us will regret".

For a while the room fell silent, the tension thick as smoke. His parents stared, caught between frustration and disbelief, while Mark’s heart pounded with defiance. He wouldn’t yield. He wouldn’t be a pawn. But at this point he really had no choice, yield or watch everything the had helped his father build further go up in waste.

Mark turned sharply on his heel, slamming the door behind him. Alone, he sank onto the stairs, cold fury settling in. He would play the game, yes—but only on his terms.