Chapter Three
1176 Words
The flight to California only took about 5 hours, but it felt like forever. During that time, I searched the internet hoping to stumble upon some information about my mysterious hero. He had left his watch on my dresser when he came in to say good night. I even went as far as reading about the model of the watch and contacting the company on their website. But sadly enough, I couldn’t find him anywhere.
I reminisced on the time we had spent together the night before. The silent moments, the glances, the eye contact, and him. I did this as Mrs. Lu walked into the office. “He will be here shortly, ma’am,” she said with a delicate smile.
“Thank you,” I said, returning the smile.
Just as I drifted off into a reverie, a familiar voice called my name. “Hello Princess,” he said when I turned to him.
“Hi, dad.”
“How are you?” he asked sweetly.
“Good, how are you?”
“Well, seeing you here just made my day,” he said, sitting at his desk now. “Things have been really crazy around here in the recent past.”
“I’m sure it is nothing you can’t handle,” I said, tapping my fingers on the arm of the chair. “Where’s mom? How is she?”
He was going through some files on his desk when he stopped abruptly. “She is fine. Perfectly fine, in fact.”
“Then why did you say she was not in your text?’ I asked, squinting.
“Well, darling, it was the only way I could get you to come home,” he said, fixing his eyes on me.
We sat in silence for a moment. “I figured,” I said with a sigh. “So, why am I here Dad?”
He scoffed, “Why, there is no hurry. We have a lot of catching up to d–.”
“Dad,” I interrupted, without any remorse. “Why?”
He got up and walked to his liquor cart, a smile creeping at the corner of his lips “I have arranged a meeting with you and…”
“And?”
He poured himself a drink. “Your husband-to-be.”
“Husband?” I asked, confusion written all over my face.
“Yes, Ava,” he said, now suddenly serious. “You will be marrying a prestigious young man. He is kind and he will take care of you.”
I scoffed, feeling intensely astonished. “Take care of me? That is bullshit! Why are you really doing this Dad? You and I both know it has nothing to do with my well-being.”
With his drink in one hand, he took a seat, shaking his head in disagreement. “That is where you are wrong. It is for your well-being. Yours, your mother’s, mine…” he said, leaning back to his seat. “And the company’s.”
“Well,” I said, crossing my arms and legs. “There we go again.”
“Ava, please. Try to under–”
I raised my hand in a sudden motion, causing him to pause. “Try to understand what? That you want to use me and this ‘prestigious man’ for your selfish desires.” I leaned forward. “I don't want to understand.”
“The company needs this, Ava. Don’t be selfish.”
I scoffed in disbelief. “That is rich coming from you.”
He took a moment before responding.
“What I do,” he began. “I do for the good of all of us. Especially you. Whether you believe it or not.”
“Well, I don’t believe it, dad. The only thing you care about is this company and your fricking legacy.” I stood up. “That is the only thing you care about,” I spat and walked out of the office, feeling defeated, still.
A few gloomy days passed after that. I didn't feel quite like myself. It was bad enough that I despised my dad’s company, but now, I was faced with the option of saving it from financial strains. I was seated on my bedroom balcony, enjoying the evening when I heard footsteps behind me. I knew who it was the moment I heard them.
“Hi dear.” her voice was as soft and tender as the cool evening. She had a small smile on her face when I looked at her.
“Hey, mom. How are you?”
“I’m good,” she said, taking a seat beside mine. “How are you?”
“Good,” I replied with my eyes fixed on the sunset now.
My gaze met hers when she put a lock of my hair behind my ear. “Your father told me about…the little talk you both had.”
I remained quiet for a moment before breaking the silence. “Are you okay with this?” I asked, my brows arching into a frown.
She shook her head. “Of course not.”
A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I returned my gaze to the sunset, the thought of my bleeding stranger crossing my mind for a moment.
“No one should be forced to spend the rest of their lives with someone they do not love. Love, my darling, is essential. We all need it. Whether we accept it or recognize it,” she said tenderly.
“Try explaining that to dad.”
She giggled and then turned her eyes to the sunset. “You know, there was a time that all you wanted to do was to make us proud. Especially your dad,” she said, sounding sad and happy at the same time.
“That didn’t get me anywhere Mom.”
Meeting my eyes now she said, “Sweetie I want you to know that you always have a choice. No matter what.”
I nodded as light tears gathered in my eyes, making them sting. “Thanks, Mom,” I said, knowing fully well what I was going to do. What I had to do.
The next morning, I barged into Dad's office, my heels clicking on the floor as I walked to his desk.
“You can fix the meeting,” I said plainly, ignoring the smile on his face.
“With pleasure, darling,” he said.
The next week, I was seated in a dashing burgundy dress, waiting for my ‘prince charming’ to arrive. “He’ll be here soon,” Mom said to me, noticing my restless fingers.
Minutes after that, he arrived. I stood in awe at the sight of him, feeling breathless.
“I’m so sorry, I’m late,” he said, shaking my father’s hand. “There was a little traffic on the way here.”
He turned to me with a smile. “Hello,” he said.
“It's you,” I said, familiar feelings lingering inside of me.
- Writer
