CHAPTER THREE

Tia knew that her parents would not agree to her decision. Her father most especially really wanted her to get married to William. Tia knew that it was all for the good of the family, for the business. In as much as she loved her father, she had to admit that he was a very sexist man. He liked to call himself traditional. She was his only child and he would never leave his company to her, and that was why he wanted her to marry William. William would take good care of the company, but not of her. Maybe William would do wonders to the company, but not to her.

Tia schooled herself for the lecture she would receive once she got home as the taxi parked in front of her father's mansion. At twenty-two, it was a bit unusual that she still lived with her father, that she did not have a job of her own, that she still utterly depended on him. It was something that her friend, Hera, always reminded her was odd, but Tia had been brought up in that manner, she had been groomed in such a way that her life had been planned since the day she was born, she did not have any strong need to leave the normal, not until recently. 

Tia wished that she had a backup plan then, she read business administration in the university because her father thought that it would be good for her to have some knowledge of the business at least. Tia did not have much interest in the business at all, she was more interested in painting, that was her goal at least. She had hoped that when she married William she could go to art school while she groomed his children. It was not a very normal thing to think, but she was not very normal herself.

Tia began to regret the words that she used with William over the phone, her father would have heard by now and he would not be happy, she was trying to avoid that. Tia hoped that her father would listen to her side of the story, he loved her, he would listen to her, she would not have to go back to William.

As she got into the house, she knew that she had to get to her mother, that would be the next step of action. Tia's mother had always been against the marriage, and she wanted Tia's happiness. Tia thiught then that her happiness with William, but no more.

"Where have you been Tia? William just called me, what is all this talk of breaking off the betrothal?" Her father asked as she tried to tiptoe into the house. Tia was not even given a few minutes of respite. She was faced with her father immediately she got in.

"I was at a friend's. I don't want to do this with William anymore. I will just be hurt. I caught him with another woman," Tia tried to explain to her father. Robert Wilson was a simple man, that was what he said about himself anyways, he loved her dearly, that was what Tia could say, she did not understand how he portrayed that love though. 

Robert Wilson looked sympathetic for a moment and he drew Tia into a hug. Tia loved hugging her father, it made her feel safe, it was one of her earliest memories, her father hugging her.

"I am sorry Princess. Boys can be very stupid at times, I will talk to him and make sure he never does something like that again," her father said. Tia shook her head even while he hugged her, that was not what she wanted, she did not want that at all. She did not want her father to talk to William. She did not want anything to do with him at all.

"I don't want that Daddy, I don't want you talk to him, I want you to end the betrothal. He gave me a ring, he made me feel that he loved me and he is still living his life as though he is not engaged to me," Tia exclaimed. She felt so angry. Her father took her out of his arms. He stopped holding her, Tia felt cold. His expression was as cold as she felt.

"You need to grow up Tia. Everything cannot be like the fairy tales that you read. Life is not like that. You think you are marrying William because he loves you? That is not even part of it. I know that he does not love you, but you have to do it. I can not give my company out to someone that does not have my name.  Wilson Enterprises will not be run to the ground because you are looking for love. I will talk to William Tia, I will ask him to be more discreet, but whatever happens, whichever way, you are marrying him, and that is final," her father said and Tia shook from the sheer shock of his words. It hit her so much that she cried. She staggered away from him, this was the man that she was supposed to call her father.

In some ways, it felt like he treasured his business, his company more than her. He should have just given birth to the company in the first place.

Tia felt tears go down her face as she struggled to breath. She could not believe her father said all of that to her.

"Don't say words like that to my child, Robert. She will marry who she wants to, you can not force a husband down her throat because of the family name," her mother said. She came into the living room and held Tia. Tia rushed to her mother's arms and she felt safe there. Her parents marriage had always been shaky, especially since they hard varying views about her betrothal. Tia had always been on her father's side because she actually loved William before, but all he did was hurt her, so she wanted more, she wanted more than pain.

"I will do whatever I want to do for the family name, so stay out of it," her father said and he walked out of the living room, leaving her with her mother. Tia could not help the tears that rushed down her eyes. The incidents of the day were all too much for her to handle.

"It's okay dearie, don't worry, you will be fine. You do not have to marry that bastard," her mother said.

"But dad, I don't know how to change his mind," Tia said. Her father was very stubborn, it was almost impossible to change his mind, she had no idea how she would do it, but she needed to try at least.

"It's very simple Tia. Your father will not want to hand the company over to a girl, and that is why you cannot just take over yourself. You need to convince him to hand over to one of your brothers. They are all older than you and are all qualified even more than you are," her mother said and Tia narrowed her eyes at the woman. She hated when she was being downgraded for her sex and that was what her parents did. Beverly Wilson was previously married before she got married to her father and she had three sons from her late husband. Tia thought some times that her father married her mother because of the male children that she had, so she was fertile enough to give him the boys that he so badly wanted. It was such a shame that it was not the case. Her step brothers all wanted the company, but her father refused to give it to someone he was not related to by blood.

"If father thought they were all capable, he would have given it to them," Tia said and cleaned her tears. She was stupid for showing her vulnerability to her parents, both of them. They both wanted to use her according to their purposes. They might both love her, but they loved something else more and Tia could not stand that.

She walked up to her room in her skimpy gown and sat down on her bed as she thought of what she would do. It seemed like she would not get out of the marriage after all, even after he cheated on her. There was also the issue of the one night stand. Tia was feeling less and less guilty for cheating on William, if it were so okay for him to cheat on her, then the same should be said for him. Tia felt better knowing that she was not the only one that was hurt. 

Tia thought about saying that she cheated on William, she hoped that would destroy the relationship, but she reasoned that it would bring her into bad terms with her father and she did not have another place to live. Tia knew that she had to do something for herself so that she would not be so stranded in situations like this, so that she would have a choice on what to do in situations like this. She needed to start planning an escape route, she could not be with her father for the rest of her life and she could not marry William, she had to be calm at first but she did need a plan.

Tia thought of Hera. She was her closest friend and the first person her mind went to. Hera was also the daughter of a business conglomerate, but her father could never force her into a marriage, he had tried several times, but Hera was very smart and she always knew her way around it. Hera would know what to do, her friend would help her plan.

Tia had a surge of hope as she picked up her phone to call her friend Hera.