CHAPTER 2

RICHARD'S POV.

When the door to the room swung open with a resounding creak, both Aria and I were shocked. Our eyes were focused on the man who casually walked inside, and I barely had time to process the disbelief of my grandfather’s presence. As always, his presence inside the room was imposing as ever because he had an air of authority that could silence even the most defiant voices.

“Grandfather,” I managed to acknowledge him, but I wondered why he came into Aria’s room. Of all people, he was the last person I expected to see in this situation. “What are you doing here?” I asked but he didn’t answer right away.

His eyes, sharp as ever, swept over the scene and lingered at the disheveled bed. Then, his eyes darted toward the woman who was nestled in the sheets while trying so hard to cover her nudity. Then, the old man glared at me. 

“Grandfather, this is a complete misunderstanding!”

"It seems," he began, "that you’ve gotten yourself into quite a predicament, Richard."

I scowled and still reeled from the shock of waking up next to Aria instead of my girlfriend, Natalia. The confusion and rage I felt had no outlet at the moment, and then, with my grandfather around, I knew I would be doomed! 

"This is not what it looks like," I snapped, trying to regain some control of the situation, but even to me, my words sounded hollow.

"Oh, I think it’s exactly what it looks like, Richard," my grandfather replied smoothly and ignored my attempt at denial. He turned his gaze to Aria, who shrank slightly under his scrutiny. "Aria," he addressed her, his tone more measured, but still authoritative, "you understand what has happened here, right?"

Aria nodded and replied in a barely audible voice, "Yes, Mr. Thompson."

“Good. Marrying into the family must be hard for you but I don’t tolerate any scandal that would harm our name, Aria,” he said. 

"You can’t be serious, Grandfather! This—this was a mistake. I thought she was Natalia. I never intended—"

"Intentions are irrelevant now, Richard," my grandfather cut me off. "The fact is, you’ve compromised a young woman, and you must take responsibility for your actions!"

His words hit me like a blow to the chest. Take responsibility? For a mistake? My mind raced as I tried to find a way out, some way to explain that this was all just a misunderstanding, a lapse in judgment fueled by alcohol and a night I could barely remember. So, how could he expect me to take responsibility for sleeping with a willing woman? 

"Responsibility? You can’t be serious, Grandpa. It was a mistake to sleep in her room, and I would never do it if I hadn’t been—"

"Drunk? Confused? It doesn’t matter," my grandfather interrupted again. "What matters is that you now have a duty, Richard. To Aria, and to this family!"

I stared at him in disbelief. Duty. It was a word my grandfather had always used with a heavy hand, and he wielded it like a weapon to keep everyone in line. But my situation was different. This wasn’t just about some business deal or family obligation. This was my life he was talking about, and my future!

"Grandfather, you can’t seriously expect me to marry her," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I have a girlfriend and I love Natalia,” I explained and his eyes only narrowed at me. “You know that, Grandpa! You already met Natalia!”

"Natalia is no longer a concern," he said.

I stood frozen as his words sank in slowly. “What do you mean she’s no longer a concern? What did you do to her?” I inquired angrily because he could be ruthless sometimes. 

For a moment, he didn’t say anything but after taking a deep breath, he looked at me. “She’s gone, Richard. She’s taken a huge amount of money from the family, and fled abroad. She’s not coming back to you.”

The world seemed to tilt around me as his words registered. Gone? Natalia was gone? The woman I loved, the woman I had envisioned a future with, had betrayed me, betrayed us, and vanished without a trace? I got furious but then I convinced myself that Grandfather was probably just making things up to make Natalia look bad.

"You’re lying," I said but my voice lacked conviction since it wasn’t his style to lie . "She wouldn’t do that to me,” I said while continuously shaking my head in disbelief.

"I wish I lied," my grandfather replied, “but the evidence is clear, Richard. Natalia is not who you thought she was.” 

When he insisted that Natalia had betrayed my love, I felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me. Natalia was gone, so my plans for the future shattered in an instant! And now, my grandfather was telling me I had to marry Aria because we had sex!  

“Damn it! This is insane!” I cursed. "I can’t just—

"You can, and you will," my grandfather said firmly. "This is not just about you, Richard. It’s about securing the future of this family. Always remember, your inheritance is at stake,” he threatened me for the nth time. 

I snapped my gaze back to him, the word "inheritance" cutting through my daze. My inheritance. The future of the Thompson family. The weight of what he was saying began to sink in. This wasn’t just about some fleeting mistake. This was about power, about legacy, about everything I had been groomed for my entire life! And I despised him for it! 

"You’re using my inheritance to force me into this?" I asked.

"I’m giving you a choice, Richard," he corrected, though we both knew there was no real choice here. "Marry Aria, secure your inheritance, and uphold the family’s honor. Or refuse, and lose everything!"

I looked over at Aria, who had been silent throughout the time I had a conversation with my grandfather. Her face was pale, and she refused to look at me. 

"Would you really agree to this, Aria?" I asked her. "You would marry me, knowing that I don’t love you?"

"Yes, Richard," she said softly. "I’ll marry you,” she added without any hesitation on her part. 

I couldn’t believe it! How could she easily agree to marrying a man who doesn't love her? What’s wrong with her? I could never understand what was going on inside her head! 

“Why?” I asked her because I wanted to understand her motive for agreeing to marry me. 

"Because I’ve loved you, Richard. And because I know that this is what needs to be done. You didn’t use a condom last night,” she reminded me without holding back and I hissed under my breath.

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She loved me? For how long? And I had never noticed, never even considered it. To me, Aria had always been just another member of the extended circle of family and friends, someone I had known for years but never really seen. And now, here she was, agreeing to marry me because she claimed she loved me! 

"Love?" I scoffed. "You think love has anything to do with this? This is a business arrangement, Aria. Nothing more."

"I know," she replied, "but that doesn’t change how I feel."

I stared at her, trying to understand how she could be so calm, so accepting of this situation. But the more I looked at her, the more I realized that this wasn’t just about her feelings for me.  The woman was crazy! 

"Fine," I said. "I’ll marry you. But don’t expect anything more from me, Aria. This is a marriage in name only. I will never love you!”

She flinched at my words but in the end, she accepted my terms without complaints. “I understand, Richard. You don’t have to feel the same way before our wedding.” 

“Are you really crazy? You still have a chance to back out!” I shouted at her. 

“Who says I want to back out?” she responded with a question, and at that moment, I realized that Aria was the most infuriating woman I had the misfortune to meet. 

When I glanced at my father, I hoped he would realize that Aria was not the best choice for me, but it seemed he was satisfied with Aria’s reasoning. 

“Then, it’s settled. The wedding will be set as soon as possible,” he told me before turning to leave me alone with a crazy woman. 

“Damn! Damn it!” I cursed non stop after he left. 

This wasn’t how I had imagined my life would turn out. I had always envisioned marrying someone I loved, someone like Natalia. But now, that future is gone, and it is replaced by this cold, loveless arrangement with Aria. How cunning of her!

“You are going to regret this, woman!” I warned her before I picked up my clothes that were scattered on the floor. 

Then, I glanced back at Aria. She might have agreed to this marriage, but I vowed to myself that I would never let her into my heart. No matter what, I would keep her at arm’s length, and I would never let her replace the love I had with Natalia. I turned away from her because I hate the very sight of her!

"Get dressed," I commanded but she didn’t respond. 

Then, I heard the rustle of sheets as she got out of bed. I stayed facing the window, staring out at the city beyond, while trying to push down the anger and resentment that threatened to consume me!

As I heard Aria moving around the room, getting dressed, I tried to focus on what needed to be done. The wedding, the arrangements, the future I would have to build with her, even if it was a future I didn’t want. There would be no love between us, and I would make sure she understood that every day.

"Aria," I began, "this wedding—it can't happen." 

She paused, halfway through buttoning her blouse, and looked up at me with wide, uncertain eyes. 

"What do you mean?" she asked. 

"You know exactly what I mean!" I snapped at her, then, I took a step closer to her. "This is a mistake. A big mistake. You don't want this, and neither do I! What happened last night was a mistake, do you understand?”

“It wasn’t me who forced you to marry me, Richard. Why don’t you talk to your grandfather?” she suggested instead. 

"My grandfather is manipulating us both, using the inheritance as leverage. He’s forcing us into something neither of us truly wants."

She bit her lip, her hands still on the buttons of her blouse. "But Richard, you heard me earlier. I want to marry you, and I don’t give a fuck about the inheritance. It doesn’t have anything to do with me,” she continued.

"Screw you!" I exploded, the frustration boiling over. "I don’t care about the money, or the legacy, or any of it! What matters is that we’re both about to be trapped in a marriage neither of us wants, and for what? A mistake I made because I was too drunk to know what I was doing?"

Aria flinched at my words, and I saw a flicker of pain in her eyes. It made me hesitate, just for a moment. But I couldn’t stop now. I had to convince her.

“You’re mean,” she complained.

"Think about it, Aria," I pressed on, lowering my voice, and trying to sound more reasonable. "You’re agreeing to marry someone who doesn’t love you, and who never will. I told you that I’ll never love you, and I meant it! You deserve better than that. You deserve someone who can give you what you want, and what you need."

"I’ve thought about it, Richard," she said quietly. "I know this isn’t the ideal situation, but… sometimes we don’t get to choose our circumstances. I’ve always known that it was one-sided, but that doesn’t change how I feel for you. And if this is the only way to be with you, even if it’s not the way I imagined, then I’m willing to take that chance."

How could she be so willing to throw her life away on a marriage doomed from the start? How could she willingly subject herself to a life without love, just to be with someone who couldn’t reciprocate her feelings?

"Aria," I said, my tone shifting to a plea. "Please, don’t do this. Don’t tie yourself to a man who doesn’t love you. You’ll only end up hurting yourself! Have you lost your mind?” I screamed at her but she just smiled. The darn woman! 

"I’m already hurting, Richard. I’ve been hurting for years, watching you from a distance, knowing that you didn’t see me the way I saw you. But at least now, I’ll be closer to you. Even if you don’t love me, I’ll be by your side. Call me crazy or whatever, I don’t care! I just don’t give a fuck about it!” 

I stared at her and I was utterly at a loss. How could she be so stubborn? So resigned to a fate that promised nothing but pain? I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t let her make this mistake, and I couldn’t let myself be dragged into a marriage that would destroy us both.

"You don’t have to do this," I tried again. "You don’t have to settle for this. There’s still time to back out, to walk away!”

"And go where, Richard?" she asked.

"Aria, please," I said, reaching out to take her hands in mine. "This isn’t the life you want. I know it isn’t. You’re just convincing yourself that it’s the right thing to do, but it’s not. It’s a mistake, and once you go through with it, there’s no turning back!”

She looked down at our joined hands, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "Maybe you’re right," she murmured. "Maybe it is a mistake. But it’s a mistake I’m willing to make, because I’ve made my choice. I choose you, Richard, even if you don’t choose me."

"You’re making a huge mistake," I said again and then I shook my head because she was too stubborn to listen to me. "I’ll never love you, Aria," I repeated.

"I know," she whispered.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say anymore. How could I argue with that? How could I convince her to walk away when she was so stubborn about marrying me? She was obsessed with me! 

"Fine," I finally said, pulling my hands away and stepping back. "If this is really what you want, then so be it. But don’t say I didn’t warn you, Aria!”

“Of course,” she said.

“Damn it, Aria!” I cursed at her. “How much do you want? How much should I give you just to back out of this marriage thing?”

“You can’t afford it, sir,” she declared and I was too stunned to speak at her stubbornness.