EPISODE 3

Nancy was finishing drying her long, golden hair in her bedroom, combing it to 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 loudly with hunger, so she held onto the iron railing for support as she went downstairs, so she wouldn't fall or miss a step as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Nancy saw that some guests had arrived at her parents' home, which made her frown. She hated the way her father's mansion was built, as the living room was connected to the dining room, making it easy for guests to spy on her family affairs. She hated being monitored by anyone, as she loved her privacy.

She saw the tall, handsome Black man who exuded authority standing in their living room, watching her as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Nancy felt uncomfortable under his watchful gaze. The way his black eyes kept staring at her made her feel like he was already stripping her náked with that look of desire in his eyes.

She glanced away from the man, looking at her parents and seeing them standing nervously in the living room.

Nancy walked up to meet her mother and asked, "Mom, isn't dinner ready yet?"

Olivia 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 in shock, and she swiftly turned to face Charles. She met his handsome gaze, his eyes not averting from her for a minute as he stood in the living room, watching her.

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

"You're not yet married to him, Nancy. This is Charles Alejandro, Mr. President Nolan Alejandro's only child, and the wedding is in two days," her father declared.

"Two days?!" Nancy gasped, almost fainting.

"Calm down, Nancy," Charles interjected, and Nancy shivered at his deep, magnetic voice.

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

"Nancy!" Her father screamed at her, trying to hush her up, as Charles Alejandro was the most feared young man in the city.

Senator Logan warned, "Nancy! You have no right to object to this marriage. Charles Alejandro here has seen a lot of pretty young women's photos before choosing 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 pointed at Charles, before moving backward. She quickly bolted away to the stairs and dashed upstairs to her bedroom, her hips bouncing and swaying as she ran. 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.

Nancy shut her room door and went to her bed, crying.

"Hmm, let me go upstairs and call her back," 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 haven't informed Nancy about the arranged marriage with you."

"Hmm," Charles stood speechless in the living room, staring upstairs to the second floor. He was hoping that his chosen bride would peek her beautiful head out and stare down at him. The way her hips had swayed seductively had made his muscles harden with the desire to claim her.

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

Olivia smiled nervously and spoke to Charles, "Don't 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 obvious that she doesn't want to see me. Please, give these red roses flowers to Nancy and let her know that I truly love her, and I wish to marry her," Charles said, handing over the bouquet of rose petals he was holding to Olivia.

Olivia smiled and collected it, standing 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. Do send my regards to her and let her know that I want her. I have to be on my way now. Goodbye, Senator Logan."

"Yes, goodbye, Your Excellency," Senator Logan then escorted Charles, as he walked out of their living room and went outside to his car.

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

----

Nancy stood at her room 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.

Nancy couldn't believe that her parents truly wanted her to marry Charles Alejandro, the president's son, by force. She hadn't met Charles before, but she had heard of him, with the way netizens usually ridiculed and abused his family online for refusing to relinquish the ruling seat.

Futhermore, Nancy had also heard about Charles affairs with a lot of pretty young women in their state, as he was rumored to be a male prostitute, not the kind of man she wanted to marry.

The sound of her room door being pushed open jolted her back to reality. She stared away from her window and saw her parents angrily walking into her room to see her.

"Nancy! What was the meaning of that silly drama you just displayed 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 questioned her angrily, standing beside her room door and glaring at her, while her mother stood in silence, holding the bouquet of rose flowers that she had seen Charles with.

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

"Dad, that's not the kind of man I want. I don't love him, and that's the truth," Nancy said, breaking into sobs. Charles Alejandro wasn't the kind of man she wanted to marry.

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

She was looking for the right excuse to make her parents understand that she couldn't marry a man like Charles, nor become his wife.

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

Well, I cannot reject the Alejandro family's proposal to us, even though I know that you will object to it. They are the ones ruling the country, and they will feel extremely insulted with you rejecting their only son's proposal! He chose you, Nancy Marlon, among all the other pretty young women's photos that 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, unable to believe that her father truly wanted her to marry Charles Alejandro by force.

Her father turned to leave her room, pausing at her room door and saying to her mother, "Talk to your daughter and get her prepared for all the things 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 him or not."