The first date

The first date

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I sighed for what felt like the twentieth time as I stared at the girly dresses my maid, Amara, had brought into my room.

I looked at her. Then at the clothes. Then back at her. And once again at the clothes.

“So, you’re telling me my dad expects me to wear this on a date? A stupid pink gown? What am I, seventeen?!” I raised an eyebrow, my voice laced with disbelief.

Amara shifted nervously. “Yes, ma’am. He said you must wear this and go to the date. He also instructed me to stay here until you’re dressed.”

Oh, you’ve got to be f*cking kidding me. I would rather walk through the seven circles of hell than wear that. What did he take me for, fourteen?

I crossed my arms. “Okay, you can go now. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

Amara hesitated. “Uhm, ma’am… he told me not to leave you alone under any circumstances.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, giving her my most intimidating look. “Get out.”

She barely lasted two seconds before she scurried out of the room like her life depended on it. I smirked. I knew I was her greatest nightmare, and I loved it.

Once she was gone, I grabbed the stupid pink gowns and shoved them under my bed. There was no way I was wearing that. I was a twenty-five-year-old woman, and nobody—especially not my father—was going to tell me what to wear.

Now, if you’re reading this and wondering what the hell is going on, you probably skipped the part where I introduced myself. So, let me make this short.

The name’s Nessa Stevens. I was living the life—partying, spending money, doing whatever the hell I wanted. After having a blast in college, I unfortunately graduated last week.

My future was supposed to be simple:

Graduate.

Take a share of my dad’s company.

Make tons of money.

Have even more fun.

Easy, right? Wrong.

Because my dad just threw a bombshell at me—he gave me two choices:

Get married to a "good man", settle down, and be the "perfect wife" to earn my inheritance.

Continue being the bad b*tch that I am and get absolutely nothing.

At first, I didn’t take it seriously. I figured I’d just find a bad boy, marry him for a while, then divorce him once I secured my company shares. But no—my father had other plans.

He bought me a husband.

And who is he? None other than Aaron Walker—a quiet, nerdy bookworm who has to be the most boring person on earth. How do I know that? Because I bullied him for six straight years in high school.

Aaron’s POV

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"There’s no other way, Aaron. Look at this as a blessing."

My mom’s voice trembled as she sat across from me, her hands folded in silent desperation.

I clenched my jaw. "Mom, you know what love and marriage have always meant to me. And now, you want me to marry a complete stranger?" I raked a hand through my hair. "Can’t he give us more time? I’ll figure something out—"

"Aaron, you can’t! It’s four million dollars we’re talking about here!" My mom’s voice cracked. "I know what I’m asking of you is a lot, but look at the bright side. He’s willing to put you on a monthly salary, pay for any textbooks or projects you need at school, guarantee you a job after graduation—" She inhaled shakily. "He even promised to send your father to the best hospital abroad. Aaron, this is a miracle."

I sat frozen, my mind racing.

All of this… just to marry his daughter?

Something wasn’t right. There had to be a catch.

I took a deep breath. "And who exactly is his daughter?"

The second the words left my mouth, my mother broke eye contact. She always did that when she was nervous.

"Uhm… you know her."

I frowned. "I do? How?"

She swallowed hard. "She’s… she’s Nessa Stevens."

My entire body went rigid. "You’ve got to be kidding me. Nessa?! My high school bully?!"

My mother flinched at my outburst, but I couldn’t stop myself. "Really, Mom?! She freaking tormented me every day of high school! She made my life miserable! She almost convinced me to—" I stopped myself before the words could leave my lips. "No. No way. I can’t do this."

My mom reached for my hand. "I know… I know. But Aaron, that was years ago. Maybe she’s changed."

I let out a bitter laugh. "You really believe that?"

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. And suddenly, I realized how selfish I was being. We needed this. As much as I hated to admit it, we couldn’t afford to pass this up.

Even though every part of me screamed to walk away, I couldn’t.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Mom, it’s okay. I’ll do it. I’ll marry her… for you and Dad."

My mother smiled, relief washing over her face. But it didn’t last.

"Oh, and… the wedding is next month."

I stared at her. "You have got to be f*cking kidding me."

Later That Night – Aaron’s POV

I sat at the far end of the restaurant, my knee bouncing nervously under the table.

My heart pounded like a drum in my chest as I waited. This was happening. I had pinched myself at least ten times today, hoping to wake up from this nightmare.

But this was real. And it was happening fast.

I, Aaron Walker, was about to get married to Nessa Stevens—the same girl who made my high school years a living hell.

Just as my mind started spiraling again, the restaurant doors slammed open.

I turned toward the sound, and there she was—my karma.

Nessa.

My eyes involuntarily assessed her. She had grown into a fine young woman, but some things never changed. She wore a tight red dress with a high slit, black heels, and—of all things—a black fur jacket.

In the middle of summer.

I wasn’t checking her out. I was just… disgusted. Yeah, that’s it.

She scanned the restaurant like she owned it, then locked eyes with me. A slow, taunting smirk spread across her lips as she strutted toward my table.

She sat down opposite me, her gaze never wavering.

Then, she opened her mouth and said the one thing that made my stomach twist with dread.

"Hi, nerd."