Bounded by Duty

Escaping an arranged meeting

“You heard him right; he said he will be given your hand in marriage, so what’s the fuss about?”

“You can’t be serious right now, Dad. I am not a child. I have the right to make decisions as important as this, and you’re marrying me off like a piece of property you own?”

“You have no say in this, young lady. Get ready to meet your future husband by tomorrow, and that’s final!”

Amaka lost her appetite; she didn’t have the strength to argue any further. Leaving her meal untouched, she made her way back to her room.

Her sister kept grinning from ear to ear, smugly certain she had won the battle as long as their father was involved. Walking back to her room felt like the longest journey Amaka had ever taken.

Her sister’s grin haunted her throughout the night, and the thought of having to live with someone she didn’t know forever filled her with dread.

She had never seen this person before, but she would have to live with him.

The thought kept her awake for the better part of the night before she finally fell asleep.

She slept through the day but was woken by one of the maids. “Good afternoon, Miss Amaya!”

Amaya groggily looked up at the maid who had disturbed her beauty sleep. “What do you want?”

Still dozing off, she asked, “I was asked to dress you for your lunch date with Mr. Nathan.”

“Oh, please don’t tell me this is real.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Amaya, but it is real. We need to get you dressed on time!”

Amaya had no choice but to do as her father requested. She had no say in the matter anyway. It took hours for her to get ready with the maid’s help.

She chose a long, yellow dress, wore her hair up, and complemented her look with jewelry that had belonged to her mother.

As she left her room, countless questions swirled in her mind. She walked to her father’s office and knocked softly on the door.

“Come in,” came his voice from the other side.

“I don’t mean to disturb you, but I just wanted to ask why. Why are you giving your daughter to someone you barely know yourself?”

“It’s for business purposes, from which both you and your sister will benefit.”

“Really, Dad? Marrying me off to a man you know nothing about just because of business? This is so low of you.”

Amaya was furious. She wished she could run away and never return. She stepped into the car that was waiting for her, gazing out at the empty streets as the chauffeur drove her to meet the businessman who was supposed to be her future husband. Tears rolled down her face.

Nathan, in his wheelchair, nervously wiped his sweaty hands as he glanced into the mirror. His brother smiled at him through the reflection.

“I really don’t know why I agreed to Lopez’s idea of marrying one of his daughters,” Nathan said, looking at his brother, who smiled to reassure him.

“Come on, brother. Don’t be like that. I understand you’re nervous, but once she gets to know who you really are, she won’t be so quick to judge.”

“Oh, please,” Nathan muttered, pressing the button on his wheelchair, which turned him around and wheeled him to the other side of the room. “I’m crippled, and I’m sure she’ll be a beautiful woman full of energy. Why would she settle for someone like me? Even if her father painted me as the best man in the world, the minute she sees me, she definitely won’t want anything to do with me.”

Nathan ran his hand through his hair. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You know how you get when you overthink. Let’s do it this way—if she doesn’t like you, we’ll call off the agreement.”

Nathan looked at his brother, who only had his best interest at heart, but he couldn’t imagine making someone else’s daughter suffer for his own selfish gain.

“That’s fine, then. Let’s get going.”

He wheeled himself to the front door, where his security helped him into the car, and they drove to the restaurant he had chosen for their first meeting.

His other driver alerted him that they were close, which only made his anxiety worse.

“What’s going on?” Nathan asked, checking the time and expecting her to have already arrived.

The car carrying Amaya had arrived, but as soon as the door opened for her to step out, she panicked and ran the other way.

Down the street, as fast as her legs could carry her, she ran, surprisingly fast. The driver couldn’t keep up with her.

Nathan heard the loud voice of one of his drivers calling out to the woman he was supposed to meet. “Miss Amaya! Please hold on! Miss Amaya!”

He furrowed his brow and looked at the security guard standing behind him. “What’s going on out there?”

“I don’t know, sir, but let me find out.” The guard responded, pressing a hand to his ear to communicate with his colleagues outside.

While the waitress who was to attend to them walked up to Nathan , “ hello sir would you like to place an order now ?”

He looked up at her and smiled, “ not yet, I am waiting for my other guest , then we will order, thank you “

“ alright sir !”

Nathan smiled as he watched her walk away and his attention was returned back to his security …

“Sir, the lady you were supposed to have dinner with just ran away. They’re trying to follow her.”

“What?!”