Chapter Four

**Natasha's POV**

I finished my food and walked back to my room to get ready for the journey.

I let my hair fall back as I brushed the sides. My beauty radiated and I stared at the mirror with a smile. I slid into gladiator sandals and then walked out of the room. I met my mum and dad talking to each other and I admired their love.

I cleared my throat as I ascended the stairs. My soft manicured nails made cracking sounds as they brushed against the rails. It's been years since I made long journeys with my father.

“Okay Tasha, let's go,” my dad said.

I hugged my mum and joined him outside. Our  official driver was already waiting beside one of the cars. We boarded it and he drove us to the airport. Twenty minutes later, we were on a flight to Texas. We sat next to each other in the business class wing.

He cleared his throat, “Do you remember the last time we made a father-and-daughter journey?” 

“That was when I was twelve” I shrugged and stared at the window. “So, this man we are heading to see, will he be of help to us?”

“Hopefully, he could speak to the Chief judge to turn the petition in our favor” he replied.

I nodded, “Amen to that”.

“I am sorry that your vacation plans had to fold because of this”.

“Don’t worry dad, We have to fix this first” I  replied.

He coughed slightly and ran his hands through his hair, “You are gonna try your best to convince him. He is known for picking a liking to beautiful ladies”.

I turned to him sharply.

“I am not trying to sell you to him. What I mean is, you need to beg all the way you can. You can call me shameless, but I don’t want to go to jail. And, I don’t want you and your mum to suffer. The FBI can take my accounts. But they should leave my companies and assets alone”.

I nodded and pressed my palms into his own, “I understand Dad. You won’t go to jail”.

After three hours and some minutes, the plane touched down in the city of Texas. We stepped out of the plane and boarded a taxi to the man’s house. My dad had already fixed an appointment, so we were let into the building.

We sat at the living room. The chiming cold air from the air conditioner made the metal chairs cold.

“Sir, he is coming,” A gray old lady with a deep American accent said with a smile.

Next minute, a stoic, heavily built man with very strong facial features entered.

“Julio… Julio, it's been years” the man smiled and shook hands with my dad.

“Ethan, I can see you are doing well,” dad said.

The man smiled, “And who is this, don’t tell me that you married a younger woman”.

“Shut up. This is my daughter, Natasha”.

I smiled, “It’s an honor to meet you sir”.

He smiled back at me and sat directly opposite us,” So, Julio, it's quite unfortunate that our mistakes come to hunt us at this time of our prime. Right now, the FBI chief has clamped your accounts with millions of dollars. And, he is running around, digging up old crimes”.

I smiled nervously, “That’s why I’m here. There is something you can do right?”

“Julio, the law and power are complicated. The chief of the FBI and the anti-laundering committee are together in this. If I start throwing weight around, it might be catastrophic for me. I can’t get involved, but I can help you speak to the Chief judge to give you a lesser jail term”.

“Bullshit” dad slammed his fist to the table. “Ethan, we have a long way. You have the connections to sweep this stuff off. Everything that happened was in the past.”

“Damn yeah. I built all my companies from fucking start to finish. If my accounts are released, I can pay back the collateral damages. The government should name their fucking price, I’ll pay. Sending me to jail is sending me to my death. Freezing my accounts and license is sentencing my wife and daughter to penury”.

I tilted forward, “Sir, you need to help us. Please, whatever the price”.

He chuckled, “Whatever the price huh?”

I nodded.

He thought for a while, “I will help you. But there will be a price, and that price lies on you” He pointed to me.

My heart skipped.

“Ethan, I’ll pay the price. Just leave my daughter out of my mess”.

He cleared his throat, “I have a twenty nine-year-old bachelor son. I’ve always wanted him to get married into a powerful family. But the fool has been lazying around with pimps and call girls in the name of a relationship. He will get married to you Natasha”.

My heart started beating, “No, no.

“Ethan, I am not a fan of arranged marriage. It’s a lifetime commitment”.

“That’s the only way I can help with this case. Except, you wanna go to jail”.

Dad stared at me, he could see the painful expression on my face.

“I don’t think I will able able to do this,” I said with a sob.

“Help your family, so that I can help you” he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

“I need you downstairs now. I have a package for you” He spoke into the phone and dropped it on the table.

“Ethan please, there must be some other way. I can’t give my daughter out to someone she doesn’t love. That’s the height of wickedness”.

“Julio, you needed help. I have done my part”.

***********

Minutes later, a tall man walked into the living room with quiet confidence. His soothing grey eyes captured my attention, he had broad shoulders, a strong jawline and a long, straight, downward-pointing nose. He was handsome.

The moment he saw me, something changed in his face for a second. His eyes stayed on me longer than they should, but I didn’t think much of it.

“Natasha, meet my son, Liam” He introduced.

Liam just nodded and faced his Dad, “What is this about?”

“This is Mr. Julio, the billionaire businessman and my former business partner,” his father said. “This is his daughter, and I want you both to get married as soon as possible.”

His jaw tightened. “No,” he said simply, his voice deep and cold. “I don’t do arranged marriages and besides, she is not even my spec.”

“This is not a request,” his father replied. “You will marry her.”

He let out a short, dry laugh. “You think I’ll marry a stranger because you said so? Forget it.”

“Who even want to marry you?” I whispered to myself rolling my eyes.

His father’s tone turned sharp. “You are my son and you will do this.”

He gave his father a long, hard look, then glanced at me one more time. Without another word, he turned and walked out, leaving the room heavy with silence.

Mr Ethan smiled, “That’s what gonna happen. I’ll call the FBI chief, same with the Chief judge and we will strike a deal”.

Dad took a deep breath, he tried to speak but the words were stuck in his mouth.

“Before the end of the week, your accounts will be unfrozen. You will make a transfer of seven hundred thousand dollars to my offshore account. I'll use it to grease the hands of the top shots in the FBI. By ending of this month, your daughter should be here for the ceremony” he adjusted and leaned over the chair.

I felt my legs go numb, I tried to get up but I couldn’t. I couldn’t believe that I was moving into an arranged marriage. This wasn’t what I planned for herself.

He went inside and came back with a document. We watched as he wrote a few lines and stamped it. He handed the paper to my dad. He read through the paper, and tears streamed down his eyes. He felt guilty that he was going to sell me off in an arranged marriage. He handed the paper to me and I read through it. My palms got sweaty as I grabbed the pen, I never made plans to be married at this period. I got the pen from him and made to sign but my dad grabbed my wrist.

“If you don’t want this, you can opt-out,” He said.

“I don’t want you to go to jail” I responded and signed my signature. “What if your son doesn’t approve of this?”

“He has no choice” he replied.

My dad signed his and handed the paper to him.

“I hope you keep your end of the bargain” my dad pointed.

He smiled, “A deal is a deal”.

We walked out of the house. I kept whimpering as I walked, my dad took long strides and tried to catch up with me.

“Tasha, I’m sorry that you had to go through this” He apologized.

I shrugged, “Dad, I am fine”.

“No, you are not. I feel like a deadbeat for jeopardizing your future”.

“Dad, don’t beat yourself. I just hope this man keeps his side of the bargain”.

“He will. Can we go round Texas, then take the evening flight home?” he asked.

“No Dad, I want to be at the airport. I need my bed to clear my head” I replied.