Chapter 2

DREA

“Miss Drea Hart?” He asked, looking at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

The familiar churning I felt in my stomach settled in. Somehow, this man’s presence made me nervous.

“Yes. That’s me.” I said slowly, my eyes staring at his with caution.

He cleared his throat once more, extending his arm out for a handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Hart. I am Andrew Smith — but you can call me Mr Smith.” He introduced.

I stared at his outstretched hand like it was a foreign object I wasn’t supposed to touch, thinking about the reasons why the man dressed in a suit — Mr Smith was talking to me.

Ivanka clearing her throat seemed to bring me back to reality as I looked at her, her eyes gesturing towards the man’s outstretched hand and nudging her head towards it. She wanted me to shake it.

I wiped my palms on my jeans and slowly shook him, laughing nervously to break the tension.

“It’s nice to meet you too Mr Smith.” I finally responded, his cold but firm hand releasing mine.

“Shall we go and sit?” Ivanka gestured sweetly, ushering Mr Smith into the living room.

I looked at Philip who refused to meet my eyes. My brows furrowed as I stared at him. What was wrong with him?

I sat down with Ivanka on my left and Philip on my right. Mr Smith was sitting opposite us as he set his bag down on the floor.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Ivanka asked.

“Yes. Just a water please.” He responded calmly. With that, she stood up and made a beeline for the kitchen to retrieve it.

I nudged Philip who was beside me and leaned in close to his ear.

“What is going on? Please just give me a hint - a clue. Anything.” I begged, glancing over at Mr Smith, who was looking at me sternly.

What did I do?

Philip pursed his lips and was about to say something when Ivanka re-entered the living room.

“Your water.” she smiled, dropping a tray of water with a few snacks next to it. Who knew we had snacks in the house?

“Thank you.” He said, picking up the glass and slowly sipping it until it was halfway full. He dropped it on the coaster and cleared his throat. What was wrong with his throat?

“So, Mr Smith, why are you here today?” Ivanka asked, giddy with excitement. It was almost as if she knew why he was here but wanted him to say it.

“I am a lawyer working under Wolfe Systems. I am here because of these documents.” He started, reaching into his bag and pulling out a folder.

What business did I have with a lawyer?

He handed it to me as I stared at it strangely. In some ways, I didn’t want to open them because I felt that whatever was in it was nothing good.

Ivanka watched me closely as I peeled the cover page open and stared at the document.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see if I could understand what I was holding.

All I saw was my name, my father's name, and another man’s name. It also had both the man's and my father’s signatures. What was this? I knew nothing about the law, so I didn’t fully understand what I was looking at.

“I’m sorry. I don’t really understand the document. What do my dad and I have to do with this man…” I looked at the name of the man on the folder.

“August Wolfe. Who is he?” I asked.

“He is the chairman of Wolfe Technologies,” He replied.

That answer was not enough for the numerous questions I had running through my mind.

“What do I have to do with him?”

“Both Mr Wolfe and yourself…are to be married based on this contract” He said lowly. I’m sorry. What?

Marriage? That’s not possible.

My brows pulled together in confusion, really thinking over his words. What marriage? This has got to be a scam. There’s no way. An arranged marriage? What is this? The 1950’s?

The silence in the room was louder than anything I had ever heard, the air heavy with tension.

“This is a joke, right?” I laughed nervously, looking over at Philip, who refused to look at me.

“Philip?” I mumbled, my hands grasping his forearm and slightly nudging him. I hoped he would tell me that this was a huge prank. I looked at Ivanka to see her smiling ear to ear.

Why was she smiling like she just won the lottery or something?

Wait…was this her finally selling me off to someone?

“I’m afraid it is not.” Mr Smith replied.

There’s no way this is a joke. Absolutely not. This sort of thing just does not happen. And to me? No.

“What do you mean?” I asked, hoping the answer would not be what I thought it was.

“You are to wed Mr Wolfe on the 27th of July” He stated. That was literally in a month. Who gets married within such a short period?

My heart dropped.

This could not be real. My shaky hands reached down and pinched my thigh, hoping it would snap me out of whatever trance or dream I was in.

When I felt the familiar sting in that particular area indicating that this was actually reality, my breathing slowed down.

“What?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper as I turned to Ivanka who had a grin on her face.

“You’re getting married to August Wolfe!” she squealed like a teenager, beaming with excitement.

I froze, slowly peeking at her, and then turned to Philip to see him looking at me with guilt written all over his face.

They knew.

All this time, they knew.

“You knew about this…didn’t you?”