CHAPTER FOUR:ARRANGED MARRIAGE
535 Words
The café her father had chosen was one of those painfully polished places meant to look effortless—stone planters, lavender lattes, marble tables. Aurelia stirred her coffee without drinking it. The bitter scent clung to her throat, but her nerves had already gone dry.
Across from her, Gregory Monroe scrolled through something on his phone, not bothering to hide his disinterest.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked finally, breaking the silence.
Harold looked up, sliding his sunglasses down slightly to meet her eyes. “Because appearances matter. We’re in public. You’ll behave.”
Aurelia’s gut twisted. “If this is about the restaurant job—”
“It’s not.” He waved a dismissive hand. “You’ll be quitting that soon anyway.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
He took a sip of his espresso, then set it down with precision. “You’ve been promised.”
She stared at him. “Promised to what?”
He didn’t flinch. “Promised to whom would be more accurate.”
Time slowed.
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not,” he said, eyes flat. “Your marriage has been arranged. The contract was signed last week.”
Aurelia’s breath caught. For a second, she thought she’d misheard him. But her father had never been the type to joke. Especially not about something like this.
“You sold me off?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the clatter of cutlery from other tables.
“It’s a partnership,” he said coolly. “One of the most powerful alliances I’ve ever secured. He’s not just wealthy—he owns half the undercurrent of the global economy. Shipping. Tech. Energy. You’ll never have to worry about your future again.”
“I never asked you to worry about my future.”
“You also never offered anything useful,” he replied, voice clipped. “This is what you're good for. You’re beautiful, quiet, and unremarkable enough not to cause trouble. That makes you valuable. For once.”
His words slapped harder than any hand ever could.
Her lips trembled, but she held back the scream clawing up her throat. “Who is he?”
He paused. A shadow flickered across his expression—not fear, but a strange, detached caution. “His name is of no concern. You won’t be using it publicly anyway.”
“I’m not going.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not. You can’t make me.”
He leaned forward, finally lowering his voice enough that it turned sharp. “Your flight leaves tonight. You’ll be taken to his castle in the north. He’ll summon you when he’s ready. Until then, you will obey the staff, keep your mouth shut, and do not embarrass me.”
Aurelia sat frozen in her seat, her hands clenched in her lap.
The check arrived. He signed it without hesitation, as if they’d just had a conversation about the weather.
As he stood, he looked down at her like she was a folder he’d already filed away.
“This is the only value you’ll ever have in this family. Don’t waste it.”
And with that, he walked away.
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- Writer
