Things hardly made Mike laugh. But, at that moment he found himself laughing out loud. He stared at Amelia's stepmother as if she had just made the joke of the century. His gaze moved to Amelia who was quiet and touching the small bag in her hand like it held the most important things in the world. He said nothing in response to her joke, but she repeated it again."My daughter Ava will be your wife"Mike stared at Ava, truly she looked beautiful in the Barbie kind of manner but he didn't feel that first attraction he felt with Amelia. He was seeing both of them for the first time, yet he felt strangely connected to Amelia. But, he had no interest in this Ava.He focused his attention back on Amelia as if her stepmother hadn't said anything. "As I said, we could work it out if that's the reason for your proposal."Amelia wasn't listening to him though; her gaze was on her stepmother who was staring at her in a strange manner. Ava also wore a frown on her face. Mike could read thei
"I need help." He stared at the message she had dropped. For some reason, he felt concerned. Since they started chatting, she had never asked for help or hinted that she was in some sort of trouble. She had been contended with discussing her plans and her future. She usually likened herself to a caged bird that desires nothing more than to be free. Free from what exactly, he had no idea.Mike dropped the picture he was painting and relaxed on his chair. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"The message was delivered but there was no indication that she read it. She mostly reads and responds immediately. He stared at the phone as if he could control her to respond to the message. Pheonix12 had been his friend on messenger for as long as he could remember and apart from Steve she was the only one he could relate with, but it was a pity that she wasn't willing to tell him her real name, even after their long time relationship. Yet, he couldn't judge her because he had also refuse
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"She read the message for the fifth time. How was she supposed to ask him for help without telling him her story? A story she doesn't have the privilege to tell until she was outside the hell called home. She hadn't thought far about it when she had sent a cry for help. It wasn't the best solution for her. She only has herself in this world, and she would do her best to help herself. She closed her messenger app and stared down at Loveth.Loveth crouched on the floor sweeping the place that had been turned into a mess by Ava. "Does this mean you are no longer getting married, miss?"Amelia lay on her bed confused; if they were trying to cut her off from marrying the stranger, she was supposed to be happy, but she wasn't happy. She had no idea why she was feeling bad about it. It must have been because she had put her hope into escaping through the marriage, and the guy seem to be understanding. She had the feeling he was going to grant her
The first step Amelia took outside, all she could think of was freedom. It would have been great if this was her leaving the mansion completely and not coming back for any reason, but it was just a visitation to her future in-laws. She stepped into the tinted glass while Ava sat beside her. Her mother sat in the passenger's seat and her father was the designated driver for the day.Inside the car felt more suffocating than anything for her, being in close range with her family and knowing there was no means to escape was suffocating. She held her chest and stared outside the window wanting to avoid any means of conversation with any member of her family."Did I tell you that I met Mike yesterday?" Ava said in a low voice. Amelia ignored her. Ava never spoke to her not to talk about giving her updates about what was happening in her life. So, she had no idea why she was suddenly telling her about this. "We met at a club and he is such a gentleman; the perfect guy for me." She paused
Amelia picked up her phone, chatting with her friends online. Ava stared at her, wishing she could report to her mother that Amelia had a phone; but it was open news now. No one cares. Her future–in–law had insisted they needed the means to get in touch with Amelia, and they needed her number in case of emergency. Ava walked into the room brushing things on the floor without picking them back up. Amelia stared at her favorite brush on the floor, followed by her favorite mirror broken into pieces. It's okay, she thought to herself. 'Ava was trying to get a reaction from me, but I won't give her the satisfaction'. Her eyeballs were red and her lips were bruised from biting it."Are you glad now that you have stolen my groom?" Ava stood in front of her with puffy eyes. Amelia dressed in a baby pink gown Mike had delivered through an agency, closed her eyes, and put her eyeliner back in her makeup back. It was her first date with Mike, not that she was looking forward to it,
'I am getting married.' Mike stared at the message Phoenix12 had sent him. How was that possible? He was also planning to tell her about his pending marriage, and here she was telling him about hers. That must have been fate at work.'Congratulations, Phoenix. I guess you are finally rising in a way.'Her response was swift, 'In a way I am. I could finally say I am breaking away from my cage. What I don't know is if I am going to a new cage or maybe this is my one chance at freedom. But, I am taking my chances."He frowned. What does this mean? Was she not in love with whoever she was getting married to? 'I wanted to ask who the lucky guy was, but it seems you are not in love with your fiancé. Is he ugly?"He pictured her laughing. Although he had no idea what she looked like, to him she had always been young, with a pretty face. There was no way the lady he was talking to would be old. 'He is too good-looking, and that's a problem on its own. It's an arranged marriage.
"Whatsup, handsome," A strange voice said, making Mike turn. A slim lady stood in front of him smiling. She wore a dress that revealed too much of her legs, that he was tempted to help her pull it down, but it was none of his business. She looked beautiful too. He smiled back at her knowing he wasn't going to like whatever she had to say, but trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Do I know you?" He questioned. She paused, closing the distance between them with a perfect catwalk. Her gaze was fixed on his. When she got in front of him, she paused, ogling him. He felt cheap. "You don't, but I don't mind changing that. I'm Eve, and you are?""You don't need to know."It wasn't something new to him. He was aware that ladies easily get attracted to him because of his looks. They just wanted to get into his pants. He wasn't that sort of guy, and wouldn't want to waste time doing something like a meaningless fling. She pouted, trying to act cute. "But, I want to know.
The house was in disarray; someone was walking at every corner of the apartment. There was carrying of things to the kitchen, then arranging of the rooms in the house. Amelia could hardly comprehend what was going on all at once. For a secret wedding, Amelia thought her parents were doing too much. The only one who wasn't interested in anything they were doing was Ava, and she made it known by locking herself in her room.The Afonso's had decided to move the wedding forward; there was no reason to delay it, and they wanted Mike married before his inauguration. Amelia moved among the maids, avoiding anyone's attention including Loveth. For someone getting married that day, she felt underdressed. Her stepmother was more focused on making the Afonso's comfortable than dressing her up and making her look presentable on her wedding day. She forced a smile on whoever passed beside her, looking for her Stepmother. She might not be so interested in the wedding, but she was not going