Love-Hate Relationship

Chapter One

Sasha pulled up in her parents' driveway; she had received a call from her mother telling her that she should come back home because there was something they wanted to tell her. She had already had a very stressful day at the office and was definitely not ready to listen to their complaints about her not being married. She had told them countless times that she would get married when the time was right; even she herself didn’t know when the right time would be. At twenty-six, she wasn’t even in a serious relationship. Well, blame it on the guys—none of them seemed to be what they were at the beginning, and she was definitely not going into a marriage of convenience.

She stepped out of the car, rounded it to the porch, and pressed the doorbell, knowing full well that her mother would complain once she opened the door. She would say, "What the hell? How many times do I have to tell you to stop ringing the doorbell when you get here? For crying out loud, Sasha, you’re not an outsider." She smiled and waited.

The door swung open, revealing her mother's face—a bright blonde with light grey eyes. She looked identical to Sasha, except that Sasha had inherited her father's golden-brown eyes. Sasha smiled at the woman who was already frowning.

"Hi, Mom."

"Sasha White, how many times will I tell you to stop ringing the doorbell? The door is always open for you," Angelica White admonished her daughter for the umpteenth time.

Sasha smiled, knowing this was coming. "Can I come in?"

Angelica looked frustrated, as if she were about to claw her face, before hissing and walking into the house, leaving the door open for Sasha to follow.

"Is Dad home?" Sasha asked.

"He will be soon. He called to say that he was held back at a meeting. How is the company now?"

"Great. Taking it nice and slow."

Angelica turned to look at her, and Sasha sighed. She knew that look.

"Please don’t start now, Mom," she whined.

"Start what? I’m not going to say anything. Just sit there and wait for your dad to come back home," Angelica said as she walked into the kitchen.

Sasha dropped her handbag on the sofa before walking into the kitchen to meet her. "So, what do you want to tell me? What could it be that you can’t tell me over the phone?"

"I told you, wait for your dad to get back home, young lady. Don’t put words in my mouth."

Sasha nodded, looking around the kitchen before grabbing the chopping board to help her cut the vegetables.

Nicholas settled down with his family after dinner. He looked at his daughter and smiled.

"Sasha, honey, good news."

Sasha couldn’t help but smile. "What news, Dad?"

"We got a very interesting proposal," he replied.

Sasha frowned. "What proposal?"

"Now listen here, young lady, we have thought about this for a long time, and we’ve come to the realization that you will really benefit from this," Angelica chipped in.

Sasha frowned harder. What were they talking about? "I don’t understand."

"I know you don’t," Nicholas chuckled. "We got a marriage proposal from the family you’d least expect."

Sasha’s frown deepened. "Marriage proposal? For who?"

"What do you mean, for who? How many daughters do we have?" Angelica asked with a frown.

Sasha let out an exasperated sigh. "I can’t believe this. You guys really want me to get married so badly that you’ve accepted a proposal? Mom, I told you I’ll get married when the time comes."

"Well, the time is now. Honey, trust me, if it were someone else, I wouldn’t even accept it, but this young man is to die for. He’s reliable, handsome, respected, and every inch of what you want. Trust me, I know a guy you’ll like when I see one, and you’ll definitely like this one," Angelica beamed happily.

Sasha let out an exasperated sigh. If there was something her mom could do, it was to praise the heck out of guys, and then you’d end up disappointed when you finally met them.

"I can’t believe this."

"Honey, listen to me. You know we always have your best interest at heart. We’ve already calculated everything, and the odds are not against you. You’ll be well taken care of; you’ll lack nothing," Nicholas said.

"I don’t lack anything now, Dad," she cut in.

"I know that. You’re capable of taking care of yourself, and you’ve made your stand in the company. I know that, and I’m proud of you, but this, this is an opportunity to soar higher. You don’t know who we’re talking about here."

"Who?" she asked.

Angelica smiled. "You’ll know when you see him."

Sasha rolled her eyes. Of course, it was a mystery guy.

"Honey, listen to me. You know that Jack and Jones contract you’ve been working on for months?" Nicholas asked.

Sasha’s eyes lit up at the mention of the contract. "Yeah?"

"They’ll get you that and more."

What the hell? What family could get her that contract and more? "Dad, don’t play with me."

Nicholas chuckled. "Would I lie to you, my daughter? I’m telling you the honest truth."

Sasha frowned. "If they can get me that and more, why did they choose me to be his wife?"

"Well, according to his mother, they’ve taken three marriage proposals to the son, and he rejected them, but as soon as they took yours to him, he accepted," Angelica beamed, her daughter chosen above all.

He chose her at first sight? Did he know her? Maybe an old acquaintance, she thought.

"So what do you say? Think about the bright side, honey," Nicholas added.

Sasha sighed. She had always been against marriages of convenience, and this right here—what was it? "First of all, I need to meet this mystery guy. If I like him, I’ll accept it, and if not, you’d better forget about it."

Angelica smiled. "And I’m telling you, you’ll like him."

Nicholas nodded his head. "That’s good, that’s very good. I always knew I had a smart daughter."

Of course, he would now try to praise her—bootlicker. She smiled. After some more small talk, Sasha went back home, thinking about the mystery guy who would soon be her husband.