chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

MARA’S POV

“What did you just say?” I inquired, totally confused and dumbstruck.

“You heard me right, Mara. Stop acting like you didn’t. This your reaction here is why I don’t like dealing with you. You always try to play down the situation till it suits your liking. I said you are getting married to our new sponsor. There! I said it again. Hope you heard this time around?” Her snide remarks or the fact that she said she doesn’t like dealing with me didn’t even get to me this time as I was too busy processing the

words I just heard.

I was getting married? And that to with a total stranger who decided to wake up one day and sponsor the orphanage?

“No!” I replied immediately.

I didn’t even turn to gauge her expression as I turned and tried to leave. I would have been successful in my attempt if I didn’t realize that she had locked the door. She seemed to have anticipated my move so she locked it on her way back in.

“Open the door!” I demanded as I turned back to face her. I watched as she calmly turned and went back to her seat. If it were a normal person, I would have run over there, beaten the person black and blue before retrieving the keys but I wouldn’t dare to do that to her. Whether she acknowledged me or not, she was my mother.

“What’s going on Mother? I don’t understand why you would just throw such a cruel joke at me.” I reasoned with a sigh as I ran my hand through my tangled locks.

“Of course, marriage is not a joke. That’s why I thought long and hard before determining that you were the one for the situation.”

I groaned. “Then can you tell me the reason for this sudden decision.”

“Talia” That name sent shock and sadness through me immediately Mother said it. I froze for a moment as memories threatened to invade my mind.

“Calm down Mara”. My wolf, Gretel, warned me immediately she sensed me going off the edge.

“What does Talia have to do with it? Why are you suddenly bringing up her name?”

“She has everything to do with it because the sponsor was originally here for her. The condition for him to sponsor us is for him to marry Talia in two days. Turns out Talia was betrothed to him years back.” She announced.

Shock immediately washed through my entire being.

Talia was betrothed to someone? The person wants to get married in two days? Wait! What does that have to do with me getting married?

She seemed to have seen my confusion written so clearly on my face, so she continued talking. “From my conversation with him, I was able to deduce two things. One, he isn’t aware of Talia’s demise as he seemed to have not seen her in a while.”

"Huh? How can you be betrothed to someone and you don’t even know that the person died years ago? What kind of man is this?" I wondered inwardly

Mother didn’t give me a chance to voice out my opinions as she kept on talking.

“Two, with the way he spoke, I realized that he needs a bride as soon as possible so he would be open to taking a substitute so far he thinks that Talia isn’t here. With the way he hasn’t been active in Talia’s life enough to know about her death, it is safe to say he isn’t all that in love with her. Now that’s where you come in. You can serve as a substitute bride since you are related to Talia as that is the only way to get funding for to save the orphanage at this point.”

She finished and it took a lot for me not to stare at her open mouthed

What kind of devious and malicious scheme is this? Why in the name of all things sane would I try to take the place of my dead elder sister to marry someone I don’t know or have any understanding of? Was this an insult?

It was one thing to constantly be in Talia’s shadow, it was another to try to take her place.

“I refuse to be part of such a…” I started to refuse but she cut me off almost immediately. “If you don’t do this, the orphanage will close down.”

What is the situation that serious?