"Mum and Dad are back," Sharon said excitedly peeping from the door. Mike had settled quite well in the house, he had put his books on a shelf, his clothes were arranged neatly in the closet, and his art was carefully placed beside the bed. He was still looking for the best place to set them in. Sharon jumped inside, and settled on the bed, for someone who had not seen him in the last fifteen years, she felt way too comfortable with him. Maybe it was just the fact that they were siblings.
Mike wasn't ready to face his parents, so he focused on looking for a perfect place for his art. Sharon picked one up, "What are these?" She shook it. "Is it some kind of paper?"Mike smiled, "It's my drawings. Do you want to see it?" He would rather do anything than go to his parents.She nodded excitedly. It was really great to have someone else in the house. Mike sat carefully beside her while he opened one. Her gaze was fixed on the drawing, "Wow! You are really good." She touched the drawing carefully."I know." He shrugged."Do you sell them?"He collected it back and carefully wrapped it back. "I don't need money, plus they are just for my eyes."She pouted, "You must be joking. You mean no one has seen this before. You are keeping this beauty all to yourself." He nodded. "Not even that friend of yours that came back with you.""Not even him."She smiled at him and he couldn't help smiling back. "It's almost time for dinner. Get dressed up."She said and excused herself, "See you down in a bit, bro." then she was gone.Mike sat on the edge of his bed, he pick a drawing wrapped with a blue cover. He carefully opened it; it was a drawing of his parent. One of the best pictures he could get online. They were smiling in the picture, if only they could smile at him this way, it would have been amazing.He took a deep breath and prepared himself for whatever he was going to hear. At least Sharon and Steve would be at the table, it would be less brutal. He couldn't believe he could easily find his way into the house after all this year of absence.Everyone was already seated in the dining. Mike stopped to take in his father's look after years of seeing him just on television and reading news about him. He was finally seeing him again. His mother stood up to give him a hug, "Welcome home, son." She patted him on the back once and went back to her seat. Mike dragged his feet slowly until he got to an empty seat, "I'm back, father."His father nodded, "Can we eat now?"His mother nodded and started dishing out the dish. Steve gave him a tight smile and mouthed, "It's going to be fine. Don't think about it too much."Mike felt anything but comfortable in the dining. His father acted as if he wasn't there while he listened attentively to every word of his younger sister. He wanted to know precisely what he had done wrong to deserve this treatment, but asking his father about it was a futile mission. He was going to ignore him, just like he did every time he asked serious questions pertaining to his life.Every other person was conversing except him. He drowns out their words by focusing on the words in his head. It doesn't matter if his father cared or not, he was going to inherit the properties, he was going to manage it perfectly, and his father that had always ignored him would have no choice but to give him the accolades he deserved. That way he was going to gain back his father's love, respect and trust."Mike, come to the study after you are done eating." His father said and stood up from the table. Mike had barely heard the word as he had not been listening to the conversation around him. It was Steve that tapped him and gained his attention back. He whispered to him what his father had said.The moment he heard that the little appetite he had was gone. He excused himself from the dining and moved towards the direction he remembered as the study. The house was quiet than it used to be, there weren't lots of maids running around to do their duties like they did when he was a little boy. There were always noises and there always seem to be someone somewhere. Rowan had said a lot of changes were made, maybe laying off some of the maids was part of those changes.When he got to the study, he rubbed his hand on his knee. He was hardly afraid of people, but he wanted recognition from his father. He knocked on the door once. Twice. His father's deep voice followed, "Come in"He walked in and shut the door behind him carefully, he moved to a chair that was a bit far from where his father was sitting, "I'm here, father."His father put down the newspaper he was reading and focused his attention completely on him. "How was your journey? Hope it wasn't stressful?"A ray of hope flutters in his stomach; his father still cared about him. He smiled, "It was nice.""I hope you learnt something because you are about to take over the company. The reason I sent you abroad is to know how to survive alone when there is no one looking out for you. I want you to be strong and able to make decisions yourself without being influenced by others. I hope you have learnt these things over there."Mike was silent. He wasn't sure if he had learnt exactly what his father wanted, but he had learnt lots of things. He had learnt that people associated with you because of the family you come from. He had known that no one really cared deeply about others. He had also learnt that the most important person to him was him.His father continued, "My father had this favourite saying, 'A man is not a man until he has a family to take care of.' I know I have sent you to learn the harsh realities of life, but before you can take over the business. You need to get married first. You need to know the true meaning of responsibility; they have to be someone relying on you in this life. That's why your mother and I had made it our responsibility to find you a bride. You will be getting married by the end of this month."He took back the fact that he thought his father cared. Yes, he got that they wanted him to get married to this strange young lady, but the end of a month was too short for him to make such life-changing decision."Dad…"His father raised a finger up to stop him, "It is not up for debate. I have decided on it and it's final. I need you to take over the company as soon as possible, and you can only do that when you are married. You will go and see the young lady and her family tomorrow. Her name is Amelia, don't mistake her for her sister. We think she is the perfect girl for you."He wasn't going to accept that without a little fight from his side, "If this is just about getting married and having responsibilities, I will prefer to pick my choice myself."His father shook his head negatively, "This young lady is different from the ladies of this generation. And you don't have time to go around dating and all those stuff. She is the perfect fit and she will be the one you will get married to. No argument. You are excused. Don't forget that you have to go visit her tomorrow."Angie, Amelia's stepmother had never sucked to anyone before in her presence. She acted as if she was a force to reckon on her own, but right now she found herself as her stepmother's point of interest. It was as if she was literally sucking up to her. She sat in a corner of her room giving orders to maids who were working on Amelia. If Amelia didn't know better, she might have thought that it was the said wedding day. They bathed her and dressed her up in one of the designers wears her stepmother bought her. They changed her hairdo and also completed her makeup. Amelia barely recognized herself when she glanced at the mirror.For the first time, her stepmother had strictly forbidden Ava from coming into her room at that moment. According to her what she was doing was serious business, and Ava could mess it up. Amelia almost laughed out loud, she didn't need Ava to help her in spoiling their plans, she was more than enough to do that for herself.When they were done, her stepmother
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.