Two Hearts

Chapter 3

“Emily?" Mr. Johnson called the moment he entered the house.

“Dad! You sounded so worried over the phone. Are you alright?” Emily asked, moving hurriedly toward her father and enveloping him in a hug.

They had received a call from Mr. Johnson, prompting them to leave his sister's house in a hurry.

“Welcome home,” he said, moving toward his wife for a hug. “Come, sit,” he added, addressing both of them. “How is my sister, Kimberly?”

“She’s good. She sends her regards. But you sounded troubled over the phone. Talk to me,” Mrs. Kate uttered calmly, sitting down next to her husband and placing her hand on his right lap. Looking straight into his eyes and sensing something was off, she asked again, “What is the matter?”

“I'm sorry,” he muttered, fixing his gaze on Emily.

“What are you sorry about, Dad?” Emily asked with a frown.

Why was he apologizing?

“Emily has to get married to Joe. That’s the only way to get us out of this mess,” he finally announced after a moment of hesitation.

“What?! Who the hell is Joe? And why should I get married to him?” she retorted, tilting her head questioningly. A look of puzzlement crossed her face as she stopped and stared at her father, her mouth slightly open.

“Joe Holland, the son of Greg Holland, a multi-billionaire?” she asked.

“Yes! That very Joe,” he responded.

“Why would our daughter get married to a stranger? We didn't discuss this. Where is all this coming from? Just two days ago, we were at Kimberly’s, and now you’re already insane?” Mrs. Kate said, talking at a rapid pace without pausing to catch her breath.

“Am I now an object to be used in settling debts? A property to be sold? Dad, this is unbelievable,” Emily said, her voice unsteady as she raked her hands through her hair.

“Have you seen that guy? He literally inhales and exhales pride every single minute. Why would I—or anyone in her right mind—want to be with Joe, let alone spend the rest of their life with him? He has no regard for his employees. Is that who you want me to marry? Is this some grand plan to sell me off?” she asked, breathing heavily.

“Emily, sit and hear me out,” her father commanded. “I have no idea who set me up, but I was implicated. I sold our small farm to make a deposit, but unfortunately, I was robbed.”

“Robbed?” Emily and her mother chorused, their eyes widening.

“Were you hurt?” Mrs. Kate asked, looking at her husband with concern.

“I wasn't hurt.”

A sigh of relief escaped his wife’s lips. “Thank goodness,” she murmured.

“And now, the only way to exonerate our family from this mess is for you to marry Joe Holland. He may not be everything you want, but once you become his wife, you’ll have the power to change him. Try to understand, Emily. You are the only one who can save us.”

Her father moved toward her, placing his right hand on her shoulder. His eyes were almost filled with tears, and the corners of his lower lip were slightly bent.

Emily stood still as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I'm sorry, Dad, but you can't decide how the rest of my life will be. I… I… I can't,” she stammered, her chin trembling. She walked into her room and slammed the door, crying silently.

“Emily!” Her mother followed her, gently knocking. “Emily, please open up. Let's talk about this. You don't need to cry over it.”

“Let her be. She will get over this in no time,” Mr. Johnson said.

“But why? Our daughter of all options? I'm not understanding this,” Mrs. Kate said as she stepped back into the living room.

Mr. Johnson explained further, trying to convince her about his decision.

A few minutes later, Emily stepped out of her room, her eyes saggy and traces of tears on her face. She ignored her parents and walked over to the water dispenser for a drink.

“Emily, have a seat,” her mother called.

Emily paused for a second. “No, Mom, I don't want to talk about this. This is not the right time.”

“There is no right time,” her mother said, almost yelling. “Now sit. You are a grown woman, and you should behave as one.”

“I guess I have no choice then,” Emily muttered as she sat down.

“Emily, dear,” her father said, looking at her intently. “None of this is my intention. You are my daughter. I have loved you since before you were born, and I haven’t stopped loving you since. You mean the world to your mother and me, but you have to understand our situation.”

“I'll take it from here, honey,” his wife, Kate, said.

“My angel, our lives are at risk if you don’t agree to this. This is our only chance. You are our only hope. Mr. Greg Holland is a very powerful billionaire, and with a snap of his fingers, your dad could spend the rest of his life in jail for something he didn't do,” she said, looking at her daughter closely.

“We make sacrifices for the ones we love,” her mother added.

Emily repeated those words as she flashed back to times when her mother used to tell her that as a child.

“But Mom, I thought you were on my side? My life would be miserable with him. Getting married to an arrogant, hypersexual playboy was never on my bucket list,” Emily said angrily.

Her mother frowned. “Hypersexual playboy? Oh dear, where is this nonsense coming from? You don’t even know him, yet you have so much to say about him. Have you been cyberstalking him?”

“No, Mom!” Emily said defensively. “He’s a public figure, and his news is all over the internet. I just happen to come across it.”

“Emily, you are a smart girl. How could you believe such lies? Most of what they write online is just to boost engagement. Don’t judge him when you haven’t even met him.”

“I doubt that, Mom. No matter how old the news is, I believe he’s a Casanova.”

Her mother shook her head. “That doesn't matter. What matters is our family. Can’t you think this through?”

Emily sighed. “I don’t know, Mom. You don’t expect me to make this decision in two hours. I need time.”

“There is no more time.”

After a long pause, Emily finally spoke. “I will. I will marry Joe Holland.”

Her parents hugged her tightly. “Thank you, thank you, my angel,” her father muttered appreciatively.

“Everything will be fine,” her mother assured her.