Chapter 3 - Ran Away

Nancy was in her bedroom drying her wet, long golden hair and combing it so it would cascade down 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 with hunger, so she held onto the iron railing for support as she went downstairs, so she would not fall or miss a step as she descended the stairs.

Nancy saw that some guests had arrived at her parents’ home, and that made her frown, as she hated the way her father’s mansion was built. The living room was connected to the dining room, and it was easy for guests to spy on her family’s affairs, while she hated being monitored by anyone because she liked her privacy.

Nancy saw a tall, handsome Black man who exuded authority standing in their living room and watching her as she descended the stairs.

She felt very uncomfortable under his watchful gaze. The way his black eyes kept staring at her made her feel as if he were already stripping her naked with that look of desire in his eyes.

Nancy looked away from the Black man, then at her parents, and saw them standing nervously in the living room.

She walked up to her mother and asked, “Mom, is dinner not ready yet?”

Mrs. Olivia was nervous, as she had not expected Charles to personally visit her home. She responded nervously to Nancy, “Nancy, dear, come meet your groom.”

“My what?” Nancy gasped in shock, and she quickly turned to face Charles. She met his handsome Black gaze, and his eyes did not move away from her for a single moment as he stood in the living room watching her too.

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

“You’re not married to him yet, Nancy. This is Charles Alejandro, Mr. President Nolan Alejandro’s only son, and the wedding is in two days,” her father said.

“What? Two days!” Nancy gasped as she almost fainted.

“Calm down, Nancy,” Charles said, and Nancy shivered at his deep, masculine voice.

Nancy could not believe that she was getting married to Charles and that their wedding was in two days. She gathered her courage and said to him, with trembling lips, “I cannot marry you, sir.”

“Nancy!” her father shouted at her to hush her up. Charles Alejandro was the most feared young man in the city.

Senator Logan warned, “Nancy! You have no right to object to this marriage, because Charles Alejandro has looked at many photos of pretty young women before he chose you. You should be grateful to become the country’s future First Lady.”

“No, Father! I cannot accept this marriage. I cannot marry him!” Nancy moved backward, then quickly bolted toward the stairs and dashed upstairs to her bedroom, her hips bouncing as she ran. She went to the top floor, got into her room, and shut the door.

“Nancy! Come back here!” her father called, but Nancy refused to answer, as she did not want to marry Charles. She locked her room door and went to her bed crying.

“Hm, let me go upstairs and call Nancy back,” Mrs. Olivia 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. We had not informed Nancy about the arranged marriage with you.”

“Hm,” Charles said, speechless in the living room, staring up at the second floor. He hoped that his chosen bride would peek out and look down at him. The way her hips had moved and swayed seductively had aroused him, and he felt his muscles tense as he imagined claiming her.

Charles doubted he would be able to control himself if he were left alone with Nancy. She looked even more beautiful than in her photo. He then looked back at her parents and met her mother’s gaze. She also resembled Nancy.

Mrs. Olivia smiled nervously and said to Charles, “Don’t worry, Your Excellency. I will go upstairs now and speak to my daughter. The wedding will still hold.”

“Hm, that is all right. I will be looking forward to the wedding, as I came here to welcome my bride back to the city. But it is obvious that she does not want to see me. Please give these flowers to Nancy and let her know that I truly love her and want to marry her,” Charles said as he handed the bouquet of roses to Mrs. Olivia.

Olivia smiled, accepted them, and stepped aside, while her husband apologized again. “We are sincerely sorry, Your Excellency. Please forgive our daughter for her rude behavior toward you.”

“That is all right. I understand Nancy's fears, but that is not a problem. Please send my greetings to her and let her know that I want her. I must be on my way now. Goodbye, Senator Logan,” Charles said.

“Yes, goodbye, Your Excellency,” Senator Logan replied as he escorted Charles out of their living room and outside to his car.

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

****

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

She could not believe that her parents wanted her to marry Charles Alejandro, the president’s son, by force.

Nancy had not met Charles before, but she had heard of him and of how the people in the city often ridiculed and abused his family online for refusing to leave the ruling seat.

She had also heard about his affairs with many pretty young women in their state, and people rumored that he was a playboy, not the kind of man she wanted as her husband.

The sound of her bedroom door opening jolted her back to reality. Nancy looked away from the window and at her parents, who angrily walked into her room to see her.

“Nancy! What was the meaning of that silly drama you just put on when meeting Charles Alejandro today? Don’t you know that plenty of young women would have jumped at the offer with joy and even accepted to marry Charles immediately?” her father asked angrily as he stood beside her bedroom door, glaring at her. Her mother stood in silence, holding the bouquet of roses she had seen Charles bring earlier.

Her father yelled, “Answer me, Nancy!”

“Dad, that’s not the kind of man I want. I don’t love him, and that is the truth,” Nancy replied, breaking into sobs. Charles Alejandro was not the kind of man she wanted to marry.

Nancy wanted a good man who would love only her, not a cheat like Charles who would not value her as his wife.

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

“Love? What do you know about love, Nancy? You will grow to love Charles with time, after you both become husband and wife. That was how your mother and I got married, and to this day, we are still a couple. What if you sit here waiting for the man you love, and he does not love you back, while you end up loving him alone?

Well, I cannot reject the Alejandro family’s proposal, even though I know you will object to it. They are the ones ruling the country, and they will feel extremely insulted if you reject their only son’s proposal. He chose you, Nancy Marlon, among all the other pretty young women he must have seen. So you will have to marry Charles whether you like him or not.”

“No, Father! I cannot marry Charles!” Nancy screamed, bursting into tears. She could not believe that her father wanted her to marry Charles by force.

Her father turned to leave her room, then paused at the door and said to her mother, “Talk to your daughter and get her prepared for everything she will need to become Charles’s wife. This Saturday, she will be going to the presidential villa to live with Charles, whether she likes it or not.”