FORCED TO MARRY A POOR MAN

There are two things Elissa Desmond does not believe in: one is ghosts, and two is love. According to her, what is love anyway? What is that strange thing that makes women and men close to each other? Just imagining it makes her sick. Not anything, but kneeling before a man, according to her, is a disgusting item.

But it was already hard to earn money to make her parents happy. Instead, Elissa's parents said they could only be satisfied if they saw Elissa marry. How annoying.

"Isn't there anything else, Dad, Mom? Elissa can buy a new building, a private plane, or maybe a vacation to Hawaii. But please don't get married!" she argued.

"Do you think Dad and Mom can't buy their own?" Mr. Desmond argued.

Elissa rolled her eyes. It was always like this. Sometimes, she was confused about what to give her parents because they could buy it themselves.

Elissa did not believe in love. According to the book she read, there is no such thing as true love. If someone loves another person because the other person loves them, it is not love but empathy; If love is because of money, it is not love but interest. If it's love for looks, it's called obsession, and if it's love at first sight, it's also not love but passion. They say that love is easy and fun. But for Elissa Desmond, money is the only thing that makes her happy.

"How long will you continue to be a virgin, Lissa? You're already thirty-one," added Mrs. Desmond - Elissa's biological mother.

"All men are bastards except Dad, Mom. No, I don't want to marry them. They want to marry me because they want my money, right? There is no such thing as love. I also don't want to be subjugated to men."

Having the name Elissa is an honor in itself. Elissa means Queen. A queen is different from a princess. A queen does not need to ask to be saved by anyone, unlike princesses who ask to be held by the prince. When kept in the palace by the dragon, a princess can only wait, while a queen must fight back. The Queen walks on her own feet without anyone's help. Therefore, the Queen does not believe in love; she only believes in power.

"There's one man of Dad's who's never cared about money, Lissa. And it would be best if you married him. Otherwise, I will sell all my assets and donate them to social services," said Mr. Desmond. He was very tired of advising his only daughter. From the age of twenty-seven until now, he had never missed a day advising his daughter to get married, but the result? A big zero.

"But Dad!"

"My mind is made up. Marry, or I will give all my assets to social services," Mr Desmond repeated. He placed a photograph in front of Elissa before leaving his daughter alone. His wife followed behind him.

Elissa sighed. She took the photo her father gave her. An image showed a young man with a tall stature, a sharp nose, brown hair, and blue eyes.

"Really?" sighed Elissa.

She did not expect to marry the person in this photo. Who was he that Elissa's father could be sure of such a man? Who was the young man with a slightly sweet smile and was able to make Mr Desmond sure he would make him his son-in-law.

"I will find out who this man is. How appropriate are you to be my candidate? You won't be able to be part of the Desmond family," Elissa hissed in annoyance.

Elissa put the photo her father had given her into her purse. She picked up her shopper bag and left. There was a taekwondo practice she had to attend today.

***

"I wonder why my dad is so sure that man can be my husband," Elissa scolded. She vented her anger by spinning her kick and breaking the board held by her friend Ami.

For Elissa, this was the martial art that suited her best: taekwondo. She could beat up the jerks out there without getting her hands dirty. Taekwondo, which emphasizes strength in the legs, makes Elissa believe that only the legs deserve to touch ignorant men.

He may be good at times. You said you have a picture of him; take a look!" Ami asked.

Elissa exhaled. She went to the resting chair and took a small towel. Elissa also took a photo from her wallet and gave it to Ami.

"My gosh, he's so handsome. How could you not be interested in him? It's impossible!" Ami marvelled.

"Even if he's as handsome as a prince in a fairy tale, I wouldn't be interested. You know that I don't believe in love. Love is bullshit. How handsome is the man who chased me first?" asked Elissa.

"'That man is more handsome, anyway," Ami replied.

"'He's richer too. And the man in this photo needs to be clarified about his origins. The clothes he wears also look shabby. Why do you want to marry me to him? If my parents want me to marry, why don't they put me to marry rich men?" chimed Elissa.

Ami could only shrug her shoulders. Even though Elissa wanted to talk until she was foaming at the mouth, Ami didn't know what to do.

"Come with me! Let's investigate who exactly is the man who convinced Father to marry me off to him!"

"Okay. If you don't want to, I'll do it for you!" 

"Whatever!" said Elissa, still upset with her father's decision.

After cleaning up, the two got into the Elissa's Rubicon. Her father only showed her a picture of the young man, but she quickly learned his name and where he worked. Her impromptu detective skills made Elissa immediately know how to investigate the origins of the young man. Especially now that there is a lot of AI technology, getting someone's information just from a photo is easy.

"Is he working here?" asked Ami incredulously when she saw a building under construction.

Elissa nodded. "That's why! I wonder why Dad wants me to marry a construction worker?" she wondered. She immediately entered the construction area. Although initially forbidden, she insisted.

A man with a dashing face and glowing blue eyes approached the gate. He, who was explaining the progress of the building to the investor, came to Elissa after being sure that all matters were in order.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Elissa and Ami turned around. They could see the man they had been looking for. He has fine sideburns, blue eyes, and a sharp nose. His body was well-built, and his muscles were so hot. For Ami, the sweat that adorned the man's face added to his impression of masculinity. It is Ami's first time seeing a dashing man in a dirty building like this. It was like seeing a diamond among a pile of garbage. His looks were too maximal.

But it was different with Elissa. The impression that came to her was that this man was a slob. Just look at his face, full of sweat and dust. 

"He has been explaining all the building forms to the investors with this disheveled appearance? What nonsense," the Elissa thought.

"They wanted to see you earlier, but because they didn't have a permit, I didn't let them in," explained the security guard.

The man looked at Elissa. She challenged her gaze. In her life dictionary, she hated being treated like this the most, and she didn't like to be looked down upon by a man.

"Ma'am, if you want to see me, you must make a permit first. And you must wear your work gear." The man took off his helmet and put it on her.

Elissa was dumbfounded. She doesn't believe in being called ma'am. Was her makeup that old? Even though she wore a high school uniform, she was sure she was still appropriate. But why did the man who said he would be her husband call her ma'am?

Elissa took off the building helmet put on by the man in front of him. She was very uncomfortable getting treated like this. "Get on with it! How much money did you give Father to get him to marry me off to a poor man like you?" she said. She didn't enjoy being in a construction area like this. It was dirty, hot, and dusty.

The man laughed. "Money? How much do you think I make, Ma'am? I'm just an employee."

"Stop calling me Ma'am! You're older than me!" she snapped. No matter the friendly face of his interlocutor or the charming blue eyes, all she had in her heart now was hatred.

"We're not acquainted yet, so I can call you ma'am," grinned the young man.

She threw him a scathing look. "I'm not willing to get acquainted with a young man like you, let alone marry you!" Elissa turned around and prepared to leave. She dragged Ami, who was still staring at the handsomeness of Elissa's future husband.

The young man raised both eyebrows. He laughed, "Well, if that's what you want, Elissa Desmond. But are you sure you can cancel our wedding? Our wedding will held in one month?"

Elissa stopped her steps. She turned around again. "One month?" she asked incredulously. Only this morning, she had heard that she was to be married. Her shock still hadn't worn off, so now she was shocked again with the news of the wedding time. Seriously!