HEIRS OF DISDAIN(They never wanted this.)

Chapter 1

Alison

If anyone had told me I would one day come back to this wretched place, I would've asked the person to go for a mental check up or something.

But here I am, back here again as unpleasant memories I've locked up for 10 years played in my head vividly and my wounds I thought had healed ached once more like they were still fresh.

In a blink of an eye ten years had passed. I sighed as I tried to push back the memories and the stomach curdling feeling to retch back to the place where they came from. But neither the feeling nor the memories deeply engraved in my mind went away.

I was in deep thoughts as I walked out the airport, almost forgetting the person behind me, her eyes glued to her screen like it was the last time she would ever see it. Alicia. She had been there for me since childhood and had also followed me on my trip to never land. Although I didn't like to show it, she held a special place in my heart.

Although she's childish and irritating at times, she is capable and hardworking. The sound of my ringtone brought me back from my daze. I had barely made it to the car before the person called me. I didn't need to guess to know who it was.

"Hello mother," I said immediately in a distant tone.

The person at the other end of the call didn't care and skipped pleasantries, not bothering to ask how I've been.

"Are you on your way?"

If this was ten years ago I would have been hurt by her lack of affection towards me, but that girl from ten years ago died in that incident and she has no chance of living again. "I'm in front of the car. Don't worry, I won't waste your precious time."

I quipped with an eye roll. The person beside me was already used to our conversations and 'loving' exchanges, so she didn't bat an eyelid at my venom filled response and neither did the person at the other end of the call.

"Make sure you are here before 7pm."

And with that she ended the call. My heart stung at the tone indicating the call was ended, but I ignored it. These useless emotions wouldn't get me anywhere. And what was I to expect from a mother who rejected her own daughter only to come back 12 years later and expect me to treat her like a f*****g messiah?

I just entered the car along with Alicia's petite frame one could easily mistake for that of a twelve year old with her slim and short frame, ginger hair and brown eyes.

Her personality didn't help much as she still slept in Hello Kitty pjs and watches anime. Frankly speaking, she is the brightest person I know and sometimes I wonder how we became friends because we are like polar opposites. She is a ray of sunshine, unlike me who was the total opposite—pessimistic and all.

I let my thoughts wander during the entire car drive, thinking about anything except the memories attached to this place. I didn't know when we got to our destination until the driver pulled me out of my spiral of thoughts.

"We're here, ma'am."

I didn't dwell much on the appearance of the driver. I opened the door and walked out along with Alicia, who gave a slight nod while not taking her eyes off her phone.

I couldn't care less about what got her so engrossed. I had other problems, like stepping into the house that always featured in my nightmares. My heart thudded against my rib cage as I braced myself to step in.

I paused for a second at the entrance and took a deep breath to regain my composure and straightened my posture to give myself the illusion of confidence. While I was gathering my almost nonexistent confidence, Alicia finally glanced up from her phone, her worried eyes peering into mine, probably wondering if I was okay.

I gave her a stiff smile and turned to enter the hell hole I once feared.

We both entered the majestic mansion to meet the waiting eyes of my relatives. My dad, ever so cold, looked at me with not a hint of emotion. My mother carefully assessing my clothes to see if I met her standards. My aunt, who made my childhood almost worse than hell, judging my outfit as though I hadn't just come from a 12 hour flight. I wasn't wearing anything grand or inappropriate, just a white long sleeve blouse and a pair of faded blue jeans.

I strutted towards the table and sat down next to my mother, not greeting my parents or any other relative at the table.

It was awkward and the atmosphere was tense. Some relatives tried to clear the air by asking me questions like: Are you relocating back to LA? Do you plan to stay in the family mansion? But I couldn't care less about their intentions and answered them with either a yes or no, or sometimes a nod.

I was fiddling with my food the whole time. I couldn't risk throwing up as the unsettling feeling in my stomach had intensified. My mother suddenly spoke. C

"You are already 25 and no longer a child. Don't you think it's time you got married?"

We had discussed this over and over, but I still gave her the same reply.

"I'm not yet ready to get married, but when I am, I'll be sure to inform you."

I said in a cool tone, not bothering to look up from my plate, ignoring my white faced relatives. No one talked to Gracie Jameson like that.

She had been a third generation heir before getting married to my father through an arranged marriage of course, but I didn't care about all of that.

I hated the fact that she was barely present in my life but she still felt she had the right to control me, and she'd always find a way to.

At that moment my father intervened.

"We aren't giving you a choice here. It's either you get married or you forfeit your inheritance."

I was genuinely shocked at his statement, but I didn't show it. Looking around the table, I realized all of them seemed to know about this beforehand, apart from Alicia who was worried.

I just dropped my spoon with a loud clang, startling everyone.

"Oh really?"

Trying to seem nonchalant, I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You guys seem to have cultivated your manipulation skills since the last time we met. That's nice. Guess we're all learning new things."

I said in a playful tone that masked my growing need to empty the contents of my stomach.

My father's face immediately turned beet red, heat visibly rising in his face. He slammed the table hard, standing up to point at me fiercely.

"You mannerless child! You don't have any regard for your parents. It's either you marry a suitable match within the next three months or you forfeit your inheritance."

Well, that escalated pretty quickly.

His face had almost turned crimson at this point, so I didn't bother to argue with the way both my parents had been pushing it since I got here. They had already planned this beforehand. Arguing with them was like arguing with a brick wall. Seeing no other option, I pulled out my only card left.

"Now how do you suggest I get married to a suitable match?"

He sat down and straightened his suit.

"You'll go on a blind date with a few suitors we have picked out for you."

Now it was finally clear to me. I was never here to inherit the company. I was called here to make connections for them. I'm really done for this time.

——————————

So much for an overdue family reunion. Every time they suddenly want to see me, it's always with ulterior motives. Never ever an actual reunion.

How could I have believed that they actually wanted a reunion this time?

I almost laughed at my stupidity. Day broke a few hours ago, but I hadn't been able to leave my bed. I hadn't slept all night and was tired.

I originally had insomnia as a child while I was here, but I had it fixed a few years ago after leaving the country. I thought I had outgrown it. Guess coming back here triggered its relapse, or probably the burden of an arranged marriage was the cause.

I finally decided to give up on trying to sleep and went to take a shower.

I changed into a pair of shorts and a baggy shirt, leaving my dark brown hair to cascade down my shoulders.

I seriously needed a plan to get out of my parents' schemes, and I knew exactly who to call. I plopped myself up on the bed and dialed Alicia's number. Since we were kids, she'd always come up with crazy ideas that always seemed to work despite the absurdity.

She picked up on the first ring, which wasn't much of a surprise given the fact that she was practically glued to her phone.

"Hello," I said half lazily, and she responded with her normal sweet voice. "Heyy, how's New York treating you?"

"Not bad. Just spent my entire night staring at my ceiling."

She didn't bother to ask more. "Oh, sorry about that," she said with genuine sadness. Then I heard her chewing over the phone. I couldn't help but mentally facepalm myself.

"Are you eating by any chance?" I asked, even though I knew the answer to it, maybe to confirm if she wasn't just eating at this time of the day.

Knowing fully well the intention behind the question, she still answered nonchalantly. "Yeah, any problem?"

Then continued with the incessant chewing sounds.

I rushed to correct her. "It's 12 am, way past time for breakfast."

I could literally feel the eye roll through the phone as she groaned.

"So what? I'm not working. I can eat whenever I want."

"Fine," I surrendered and added, "She has already sent her list of suitable matches to me early this morning."

I heard her stifle a laugh, and she spoke.

"Sucks to be you. So, how do you plan to get out of this?"

She was right. It really sucked to be me. Why does life just keep throwing me all these obstacles and expect me to just face them? It doesn't even help that my entire family loathes me.

"I don't have the slightest idea. You?" I really hoped she did because I was out of ideas.

She paused for a second and said mischievously. I knew this couldn't be good.

"I always do."

I could already picture her with devil horns and a tail, smiling mischievously.