Chapter 2: Marriage?!

"Marriage?!" Arya exclaimed. The cup she was admiring was long forgotten as it fell on the floor.

Thankfully, it fell on the carpet and didn't break.

"You have to be kidding…" She whispered to herself.

Her knees suddenly felt extremely heavy, if not for her mother noticing her and supporting her body, she would've been sprawled on the floor.

"Exactly, it's April Fool's day, it must be a joke. Don't worry…" Arya's mother tried to comfort her daughter but it seemed like she was trying to comfort herself.

Both of them were a pathetic sight.

"Fortunately, I'm not joking." Lillian stared at the both of them before she turned to the butler behind her.

"Quickly, go and call Ryker for me." Lillian ordered the butler.

"Yes…" 

"What do you mean you're not joking?! How can I get married just for breaking a dumb vase?! It wasn't even my fault!" Arya finally lost her cool. Her whole body was trembling, her breath was uneven as she yelled at Lillian who was surprisingly calm.

Her eyes were already turning red and her vision was blurry due to the tears.

"Arya! Calm down!" Her mother screamed.

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Arya screamed back at her mother, instantly regretting it as her cheek started to sting.

Her mother had slapped her.

"Sorry…" Arya whispered a small apology before taking a sit back on her seat.

"Good, now that you're calm, you can continue to wait until my son gets here. He'll explain everything to you." Lillian said as she got up and headed out of the room.

Once Lillian left the room, the room was silent again. Arya was seated in her seat, her leg bouncing up and down as she bit her nails, a prominent handprint on her cheek. Arya's mother, on the other hand, was seated calmly. It looked like she wasn't even bothered.

Arya's mother sighed after some time before turning towards her daughter.

"You have to understand, Arya…"

"Understand what?" Arya mocked, still bitter after the slap.

"Don't be like this, Arya! Can't you see that this is an opportunity?!" Her mother got up from her chair preparing to scold her but was stopped by the opening of the door.

A figure walked in calmly and took a seat in front of them.

"Y-You?!" Arya yelled out in utter shock.

"Hmmn." Was the only reply Arya got from the man sitting in front of her.

The man had curly black hair that was slicked back in a low man-bun and his beautiful deep blue eyes seem to naturally draw people in. He wore what seemed to be a very expensive black suit along with a pair of golden cuff links to match.

Although a bit dazed by his handsome appearance, Arya didn't give in.

"What do you mean 'hmmn'? What are you even doing here?" Arya still unaware, glared at the man seated on the couch.

"Arya-!" 

"What do you mean, Arya? I'm here to discuss our contract, didn't my mother tell you?" 

It was at that moment that Arya finally realized who she was talking to, the same person who had caused her to break the vase is not only the second son of the Rivera family but also the man proposing the marriage contract.

"Oh…" Arya was stunned speechless. 

Why does she always keep messing up?

"You guys should excuse us." Ryker ordered coldly, his eyes never leaving Arya.

Panicked, the butler and her mother left the room. Although her mother didn't forget to whisper a quick 'behave' before she left. 

The both of them sat in tense silence, neither of them speaking. Arya liked it that way. She wasn't in the right state of mind to deal with any of this. She didn't have the ability to pay the debt but she also didn't want to get married, what was she going to do?

How would her boyfriend react?

Or her father?

Similar thoughts were running all over Arya's mind. She looked calm on the outside, keeping her cool as she maintained eye contact with Ryker, but her mind was anything but calm.

"I don't see why you don't want to accept, it's a wonderful offer." Ryker handed her a small slip of paper.

"I made it simpler so you could understand." Ryker leaned into the chair and closed his eyes as he said that.

Arya wasn't sure if that was meant to be an insult.

"There has to be another way, I have a boyfriend and I don't even know you." Arya stated. Shocking even herself at how calm she was.

"If you accept; money, power, status, everything you could never have would be yours." Ryker persuaded.

"..."

Arya clenched her fist tighter. He has to be insulting her.

"If you had bothered to read the paper that I had given you, you would know that upon marrying me, half of my wealth is yours, along with the status and power of being in the Rivera family." Ryker further explained.

"If I accept, I can give my family a better life, and also, I won't be in debt anymore?" Arya asked, her voice trembling.

"Of course, I even came here personally, why would I lie?" Ryker responded in the same monotone voice he had been using since their conversation started.

"I need some time to think about it, thank you…" Arya gave a slight bow and dashed out of the room, forgetting the contract paper on the floor. Ryker's eyes followed her until the door slammed shut.

The previously heavy atmosphere got even heavier as soon as she left the room. Ryker stood up and grabbed the contract from the floor, placing it on the table. Ryker, after a while, left the room. 

After a few twists and turns, he finally made it to his destination.

His mother's room.

"Mum…" He called out to her once he had opened the door.

"Ryker, what did she say?" His mother asked him, her focus never leaving the mirror that she was staring at.

"She said that she needed some time." 

His mother sighed, her gaze still on the mirror.

"I don't even understand why you picked her of all people to get married to. Having her on our family tree is a stain to our reputation, Ryker, and you know that." 

Ryker didn't respond to what his mother had said, making the room fall into an uncomfortable silence.

"It's because I-" 

"Don't you dare lie to me, Ryker." His mother's dull and cold voice which would normally send shivers down a normal person's spine did not affect him as he was used to it.

"What if I said I married her just to spite you?"