Chapter One: The contract

~Mia~

I stood opposite my father as I tried to fathom the gravity of his words in my heart.

“What do you mean, Dad?” I asked, not wanting to believe my ears.

“You have no choice, Mia; you must marry him.”

The surrounding atmosphere began to choke; my breath became heavy.

“Listen to me, Mia, he's not as bad as you think."

“But I don't want to get married,” I said, widening my eyes as the whole event seemed to be turning my life upside down.

“My life depends on your marriage, Mia. Maybe this is the last straw of your tolerance towards me because of everything I have done. But please give me an opportunity to live.”

He was calm with a voice of remorse and his back turned to me.

“Let's go back inside; he's waiting for us.”

He walked out lacking the courage to look at my face.

I stood blankly in the direction he followed and wished he was never my father.

I walked back inside and sat adjacent to Mr. Robert Lud. He is a man with chiseled features, dark piercing brown eyes, and slicked dark hair. He was neatly dressed in a tailored suit.

As I glanced at him, I could see the smirk on his face, the smile of victory.

The contract papers were set in front of me.

“Here! " Sign it.” Robert said to me with a low yet husky voice, his dark pupils glowing brightly.

I stared blankly at the papers I was to sign; the intensity of my nervousness increased; for a moment I thought I was having a panic attack.

Suddenly, I felt his wide arms on mine; they were soft and felt tender yet wider than mine.

I gasped at his sudden reaction, but I gave him a deadly glare, that made him remove his hands from mine.

“I'm sorry!” he said, straightening his suit as he sat upright, avoiding my gaze.

I signed the papers and glanced over the contract once again, my mind telling me a million words.

“What secret lies hidden in these documents? " What would be the cost of my compliance?” I thought hard.

“Get prepared; in two hours you will be picked up and taken to get ready for our marriage.” Robert said in a stern voice and walked out.

I walked angrily into my room, avoiding my father, who tried to utter a word to me. I banged the door behind him and wept loudly.

As I starred at my reflection on the mirror, past memories came running back, memories of mom, the last night I was with her. The loud echo of her screams sounded in my ear and I saw my self that night how her screams had woken me up, gripped with fear, I knew it was Dad doing what he loved again.

I rushed out of my room as her screams became louder and found Dad holding her firmly by her hair as he dragged her to the sitting room.

I saw her whimper in pain; her hands already had bruises. I knew he wouldn't stop. He was drunk and was not in his right state of mind, so I tried saving mom from her monstrous husband.

I rushed in their direction, trying to free Mom from his grip, but he pushed me roughly aside, causing me to fall backward, hitting my head against the wall, which resulted in bleeding.

Mom screamed when she saw blood dripping out of my head, but Dad cared less as he wasn't satisfied. He dragged her by the hair, intending to punch her the more.

She cried, hoping her plea was reasonable enough to be freed from his grip. Rather, he gave her a punch in her face and wanted to give her another blow when I hit him strongly with a vase on his head.

He fell flat on the ground and temporarily blacked out.

I staggered backwards as I watched Mom hurry towards my direction. She had bruises on her face but cared less about her pain when she saw I was bleeding.

“Here,” Mom handed some cash to me after treating my injury. She slept in my room that night… on my bed, her image and her posture at that time were still fresh in my memory

""This is for your fees, and I added a little extra for your upkeep. Use it wisely.” She folded the cash into my hands

“Mom lets them call the cops on Dad. He doesn't have to keep treating us this way.” I said as I watched her sad eyes hovering around me

“No baby, your dad isn't a bad person; he just had too much to drink,” she patted my hair gently

“But that has been your excuse, Mom. Anytime I ask you to call the police or report his abuse, you keep saying it's not his fault, " I was confused. Why she choosed to suffer over and over again?

“If Daddy loved us, he would treat us better.” I countered, staring at her. She pulled me in for an embrace, she held me so tight, I could feel the slight vibrations of her hands, they were shaking..

I drifted off to bed in her arms as she patted me at the back. But the next morning I woke up, I couldn't find Mom.

She would normally wake me up to dress me up for school, but she wasn't at home. I checked all the rooms but didn't find her. I waited for her that day, thinking she went to work earlier and might probably be late again. But a day turned into days, and days turned into weeks, and then months that slipped into years.

I starred at my reflection as I watched my father use me as a colleteral for his debt and wondered if he had ever loved me as his child.

A banging knock on my door brought me back to the reality. I cleaned up and headed for the door.

On opening the door, the smile of a lady greeted me. She was putting on a black blazer and chiffon white shirt, holding a tablet in her hands. I stared blankly at her and wondered if she was the person Robert had sent to me.

“Hi, my name is Emily Vins, and I will be assisting you on this special day of yours," She said, beaming.

I glanced at her. Her blue eyes, short blond hair, and slender body structure with a toned physique fitted perfectly with her blazer. She wore red lipstick and looked extremely bright and vibrant.

I nodded slowly as a response and made to leave...

Emily made a signal to two men dressed in black suits standing at a distance from us.

On their arrival, she glanced at them, and immediately they went into my room and started packing up my belongings.

As I stepped out, I saw a Lamborghini SUV parked outside.

My mouth widened in surprise as I was gently directed into the car.

In a few minutes, the men stepped out of the house and reported to Emily, who was now standing at the entrance.

As they entered, the car started immediately, and we began to drive out.

I sighted Dad from the windshield. He looked so sad and pathetic.

I saw him wipe his face from the tears that had begun to drop uncontrollably. I felt more confused, why the tears when he sold me out to wealth?