The Marriage Arrangement

Aaron never once agreed with his grandfather's idea of ​​an arranged marriage between himself and the granddaughter of his grandpa's best friend. Sounded confusing? Simply to say, it was an arrangement by two friends from two families; The Houston and The Brown family. They were their grandfather who had a powerful position in those families.

He rejected their plan. For him, his life was entirely his. No one could control him, indeed forced him to do something he didn't intend to.

It all started when he was young. Either his parents or his grandfather often said to him that there was a girl he had to take care of when he was an adult. In his mind, Alana's face immediately pictured and all her whining. Alana is his cousin who not only troubled him but his entire family with the girl's overly pampered behavior. So, he didn't want to do it.

As time goes by, he realized that women weren't all like Alana. He could see his female friends' attitude at school, which was much different from his cousin. He also slowly began to understand the meaning of arranged marriage they told. Precisely because of that, he refused even harder. He wanted to determine his future.

Though he had found his lover, the plan was haunting him. This time with a threat, his grandfather wouldn't bequeath the Houston Groups to him.

As one of the candidates, Aaron had been promised to occupy the highest throne. He was the primary candidate considered by his grandfather to lead the company that had started decades ago. It didn't mean that his grandpa ruled out the possibility of competition with his other cousins. He seemed to lose his grip when his grandfather made the threat. It wasn't because he couldn't start his own business. There were many things that he had planned to advance the Houston Groups.

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips. He remembered his woman. Helena had fill in the last few years with the comforts she offered. Being near her could relax his body and instantly flowed calmness into his mind. He loved her and never wanted to lose her.

However, their last meeting seemed to make their relationship strained. Aaron was guilty. He had hurt his woman through his words. His wish and the arranged marriage, he knew Helena was very disappointed to hear that.

A week had passed since the day. And Aaron never managed to contact her. The woman avoided him. Helena never once replied to his message or picked up his call, even though he had tried hundreds of times. Helena hadn't visited the cafe ever since the day, though they met there almost every day. The employees also did not know where Helena was because suddenly she disappeared without a word. His last attempt was to visit Helena's apartment. But, it was a waste. He had no access to the building. The security was pretty tight.

Therefore, his mood worsened as the days went by without Helena by his side. Just imagining her face wasn't enough to calm Aaron. Instead, a longing came along with regret. The disappointed look on Helena's beautiful face was still vivid in his memory.

Again, he let out a sigh. He stared at the streets, which looked the same every day. It was busy with people's activities. And it felt worse in this hot weather.

"We will arrive soon, Sir," said Lucas, his office driver.

Aaron deliberately called Lucas on the weekend to prolong his meeting with his future wife. Yes, it was the first time he would meet the woman he had betrothed to for a long time. Aaron needed a feeling of peace to hold all of his emotion. So, he told Luca to find a long way to give him more time to calm his mind.

Less than five minutes, the black BMW he was riding arrived at the destination. Lucas immediately got out of his seat and opened the door for his boss.

Aaron stepped out of the car seat he had briefly enjoyed during his journey. It was time for him to face the world. He couldn't dodge anymore.

A well-dressed young woman approached Aaron. She slightly bowed when she arrived in front of him, then said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Houston. Your present is awaiting by our guests. Please follow me." She must have been on duty to welcome his arrival.

Without answering, Aaron followed the woman's steps into the luxurious building in front of him. The Brown Hotel. The place was neither his nor part of his family business. The five-star hotel belongs to the family of his future wife.

He had to admit the hotel deserves a five-star. It looks luxurious from the outside. And he believed their services were comparable to the service he gets, even though he had never really experienced it. He already said, right, if he hated the arrangement? Therefore, he avoided direct interaction with anything related to the woman as much as possible.

A large wooden door opened in front of Aaron, showing everyone in the room who immediately turned their heads when they saw the arrival of a new guest there. They were none other than his family and the family of his future wife. But, wait. Why was Helena there?

"Finally, what we've been waiting for has arrived," commented Aaron's grandfather after seeing his grandson in the doorway.

"We thought we should postpone this meeting because of your busy schedule," joked the aged man who was sitting in the same row with Helena.

Everyone there laughed, except for one person. Helena.

"Come on, Son. Sit here." Mrs. Houston, Aaron's mother, said as she gently patted the empty chair beside her, which was also right in front of Helena.

Aaron barely moved because he was too shocked by the thing he saw. However, her mother's voice managed to bring him back to reality. Slowly, his feet stepped into the room. "Sorry, I'm late," he said after taking his seat in the empty spot his mother meant.

"It's okay. We are chatting a lot while waiting for you," replied a woman, Helena's mother, who still looked stunning at her middle-aged.

And the meeting between the two families began. Small talk flowed from both parties, especially the two aged men, who were the key to the relationship among Houston and Brown family. Sometimes, business problems tucked in their casual conversation. Oh, Helena's two older brothers were also there alongside their wives.

Aaron stole glances at Helena. The twenty-nine-year-old woman seemed to be good at carrying herself. He responded to every rant directed at her. Sometimes, she would reply to them with light humor then followed by a small laugh on her face. She wasn't shy to pout when her grandfather or her father talked about her embarrassing childhood in front of the Houston family. The atmosphere was so fluid. Perhaps, the closeness between the two families that had existed for a long time ago made the awkwardness disappeared.

But during the talk, which took more than an hour, Helena didn't intend to see him at all. Her eyes avoided meeting Aaron's, even if only for a moment. It seemed that Helena was still angry at his act at their last meeting. However, shouldn't he be the one that felt the anger? He felt cheated by her. And how could she not give him any explanation and just vanished from him?

Aaron thought sadly about his confusing situation. The woman he loves so much turned out to be his hated future wife. How should he explain his feelings now? Hate? Love? Or both of them?

Helena continued to show her cold attitude toward Aaron until their family gathering ended. Before parting, she deliberately slowed her pace to get close to Aaron. "You should find out who your future wife was before planning to cheat on her," she whispered, which still sounded clear in Aaron's ear.