Chapter 3 — Running Away

Nancy was in her bedroom, drying her wet, long golden hair and combing it to cascade behind her back. She walked out of her room and went downstairs to the living room to have dinner with her parents. 

She could feel her stomach growling so loudly in hunger, so she held on to an iron railing to support herself as she went downstairs, so she wouldn't fall or miss her steps as she finally alighted the stairs.

Nancy could see some guests had arrived in her parents home, and that made her frown, as she hated the way that her father's mansion was built. As the living room was connected to the dining room, it was easy for guests to spy on her family affairs, while she hated to be monitored by anyone, as she loved to have her privacy too.

Nancy saw the tall, handsome black man that exuded authority as he stood in their living room and watched her as she finally alighted the stairs.

She felt so uncomfortable under his watchful gaze, as with the way his black eyes kept staring at her, she felt like he was already stripping her naked, with that look of desire in his eyes.

Namcy finally stared away from the black man as she looked at her parents and saw them standing nervously in the living room. 

She walked up to meet her mother and asked, "Mom, is dinner not ready yet?."

Mrs. Olivia Marlon was nervous, as she hadn't expected Charles to personally visit her home. She nervously responded to Nancy, "Nancy dear, Come meet your groom."

"My what?" Nancy gasped out in shock, and she swiftly turned to face Charles. She met his handsome black gaze on her, as his eyes didn't avert away from her for one minute. He stood in the living room, watching her too.

Nancy snapped out of her shock, and she asked her mother, "Mom, when did I get married to him?"

"You're not yet married to him, Nancy. Here with us is Charles Alejandro. Mr. President Nolan Alejandro has only one son and a child, and the wedding is in two days."

"Two days!!" Nancy gasped as she almost fainted. 

"Calm down, Nancy." Charles said, and Nancy shivered at his deep, masculine voice that spoke to her.

Nancy couldn't believe that she was getting married to him, and their wedding was in two days. She finally gathered her courage, and she said to him with her lips trembling, "I cannot marry you, sir."

"Nancy!!" Her father screamed at her to wake her up. Charles Alejandro is the most feared young man in the city.

Senator Logan warned, "Nancy! You have no right to object to this marriage, as Charles Alejandro here has actually seen a lot of pretty young women's photos before he finally chose you. So you should be grateful to become the country's future first lady." 

"No father!. I cannot accept this marriage; I cannot marry him!" Nancy immediately moved backward as she quickly bolted away to the stairs and dashed upstairs to her bedroom, with her hips bouncing and swaying as she ran upstairs. She went to the top floor, got into her room, and shut her door.

"Nancy! Come back here!" Her father called, but Nancy refused to answer, as she didn't want to marry Charles. She locked up her room door and went to her bed, crying.

"Hmm, let me go upstairs and call her back." Mrs. Olivia Marlon offered, but her husband quickly stopped her. "That won't be necessary."

Senator Logan stared at Charles and apologized, "We're truly sorry, your excellency. As we haven't informed Nancy about the arrangements for marriage with you, sir."

"Hmm," Charles said, standing speechless in the living room and staring upstairs to the second floor. He was hoping that his chosen bride would peek out of her beautiful head and stare down at him. As with the way her hips had moved and swayed seductively to his views. Charles had felt his muscles harden enough for him to claim her.

He doubted he would be able to tame himself if he was left alone with her. She looked so beautiful, more so than in her photo with him. He finally stared back at Nancy's parents, and he met her mother's gaze. She also resembled Nancy.

Mrs. Olivia Marlon smiled nervously and said to Charles, "Not to worry, your excellency; I will go upstairs now and speak to my daughter. And the wedding will still hold."

"Hmm, that's alright. I will be looking forward to the wedding, as I came here to welcome my bride on her return to the city. But it's so obvious that she doesn't want to see me. Please give these flowers to Nancy and let her know that I truly love her and I want to marry her," Charles said as he handed over the bouquet of rose petals that he was holding to Mrs. Olivia Marlon.

Mrs. Olivia Marlon smiled, collected it, and stood aside while her husband apologized again. "We are sincerely sorry, Your Excellency. Please forgive our daughter for her rude behavior towards you."

"That's alright. I actually understand her fears, but that's not a problem, as I came here to welcome her on her return to the city. Do send my greetings to her and let her know that I want her. I have to be on my way now. Bye, Senator Logan."

"Yes, good bye, Your Excellency." Senator Logan finally escorted Charles as he walked out of their living room. And he went outside to his car.

The stationed security men pulled and shut the car door. As soon as Charles entered his Jeep and the three cars finally drove out of Senator Logan Marlon's residence,.

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Nancy stood at her room window upstairs, staring down at the garage. And she saw Charles walk out of her family home and get into his car before the three cars drove outside.

She couldn't believe that her parents really wanted her to marry Charles, who was the president's son, by force. She hasn't met with him before, but she has heard of him from the way the citizen users usually ridicule and abuse his family online for refusing to exit the ruling seat. 

Nancy finally got to hear about his affairs with a lot of pretty young women in their state, as he was rumored to be a male prostitute and not the kind of man that she wanted to marry as her husband.

The sound of her room door being pushed open jolted her back to reality. And she stared away from her window and at her parents, who angrily walked into her room to see her.

"Nancy!! What was the meaning of that silly drama that you just displayed over there in meeting with Charles Alejandro today? Don't you know that plenty of young women would've jumped at the offer with joy and even accepted to marry Charles immediately?" Her father questioned her angrily as he stood beside her room door, glaring at her. While her mother stood in silence and was holding the bouquet of rose flowers that she had seen before with Charles,.

Her father yelled at her, "Answer me, Nancy??"

"Dad, that's not the kind of man that I want. I don't love him, and that's the truth," Nancy said as she broke out into sobs, and Charles Alejandro isn't the kind of man that she wants to marry. 

She wants a good man who will love only her and not a cheat like Charles, who won't value her as his wife either.

She was looking for the right excuse to make her parents understand that she could not marry a man like Charles or become his wife either.

"Love?? What do you know about love, Nancy? You will get to love Charles with time. And after you both became married as husband and wife, that was how your mother and I got married, and up to date, we are still a couple. What about if you sit here waiting for the man that you will love first, and he doesn't love you either, while you end up loving him alone?

Well, I cannot reject the Alejandro family proposal to us, even though I know that you will object to it. They're the ones ruling the country, and they will feel extremely insulted by you rejecting their only son's proposal to you! As he chose you, Nancy Marlon, among all the other pretty young women that he must have seen, you will have to marry Charles whether you like him or not."

"No father! I cannot marry him!" Nancy screamed out as she burst out crying and couldn't believe that her father really wanted her to marry Charles by force.

Her father turned to leave her room, and he paused at her room door and said to her mother, "Talk to your daughter and get her prepared for all the things that she will need to become Charles wife. This Saturday, she will be going to the presidential villa to live with Charles, whether she likes him or not."