Chapter 21 A History

"I mean... That you have to accept this marriage, whether you want it or not. Margaret said full of conviction.

"Why?" Isabella felt a rush all over her body, a feeling of suffocation invaded her.

“It's complicated, but necessary... That's all you need to know.

Margaret replied, and trying to evade the subject, she pretended to arrange the papers on her desk, hoping that Isabella would leave without saying anything assuming her next marriage.

For that moment, Isabella forgot about her grandmother's fear of her grandmother and her authority... The fear of being married to Máximo was greater, which caused her to have the courage to face Margaret.

"But I... I don't want to; I don't want to marry that man... And he doesn't love me either... He already heard it, he rejected me... I'm not appropriate..." Isabella stammered with her whole-body trembling.

"No matter what he says, you're the chosen one, you're my granddaughter and he'll have to accept it. Margaret grunted under her breath, without looking up at Isabella.

"Why don't you pick someone else?" To Valeria! She is also his granddaughter and surely if she is at the level of that man... Grandma, I'm sure Valeria would be happy to marry Maxim Collins, but I wouldn't. “Her eyes crystallized, the girl was about to have a panic attack.

"No, Isabella!" It can't be Valeria, and it can't be anyone else, it has to be you! Margaret said, throwing a folder on her desk, noticing how her granddaughter was getting upset.

"Why?" Why do I have to be me?! I don't want to!

"Listen... Listen to me, Isabella...!" Margaret called the attention of the young woman, who was fidgeting nervously in her seat. - Calm down!

"I won't marry, grandma...!" I've never been with a man... And I don't want to be with someone I don't know and who despises me...

Isabella ignored her grandmother's words and stood up from her seat briskly, feeling her eyes burn as she held back tears.

The young woman had her fists clenched at her sides, full of helplessness.

"You must accept it, you have no choice, if you don't accept it, I can assure you that you will stay on the street or in a shelter, you will go through work and need for the rest of your life, if nothing worse happens to you..." And no one will be able to help you, not Aiden, not me..." Margaret threatened very seriously.

"Well... It's not the first time I've lived on the street..." Isabella murmured.

The young woman, practically, shuffled her feet towards the exit, because the heels did not facilitate her movement much and she no longer had an arm to hold onto, she was willing to leave no matter what, feeling how the tears were already coming out.

"Thank you for your help so far, grandma, I won't bother you anymore..." Isabella opened the door, about to leave the small office.

What would I go back to living on the street? It was something that Isabella had already expected since the cruise began, but it was very nice, to have hope for a few days and believe that her life would improve.

Isabella was grateful for what Margaret had done for her in the last few days and perhaps preferring a life of misery to an arranged marriage would seem crazy, but at that very moment Isabella was not thinking clearly.

Would he regret that decision? Surely, when I was hungry and cold.

But the panic that the girl felt when she imagined herself in the arms of such an intimidating man, as Maximo Collins was, was what guided her words and her actions.

"Isabella!" Margaret called her with authority, rising from her seat when she noticed that the young woman was leaving and not yielding to his orders. - I know you didn't expect it, I wouldn't want to have to force you to do this either... But this is the only way to save us.

"Save us?" Isabella frowned, confused and trembling, turning back to her grandmother.

"Come, sit down..." Margaret pointed to the chair in front of her desk.

Isabella stood for a moment hesitant, wiping away the tears that had escaped her and thinking about what she should do.

She wanted to leave, but she was also curious, what did her grandmother mean by being saved?

"Sit down, Isabella..." I'm going to explain it to you. Margaret insisted, with a tone of command.

After a moment, the young woman took a deep breath and returned to take a seat again.

"Why, you have character..." Margaret snorted as Isabella settled in. "I thought you were a submissive girl who would take my orders without question, but it turned out that you are just like your father..." For a moment, you reminded me of him..." He muttered walking around the desk, grimacing in disgust.

"What are you going to explain to me?" Isabella asked, frowning. "What do you mean by saving us?"

"First of all, so that you understand everything, I must tell you a story..." Margaret inhaled, with a blank stare.

"Okay, I hear it.

“Many years ago, when your father was very young, our family went through a very difficult situation, there was a strong recession that was followed by the birth of new companies and nouveau riche, many of them were ignorant, birds of prey that wanted to put an end to all the competition in their path, full of ambition...

Margaret crept slowly across the room, immersed in her memories.

"For this reason, all caste families, dynasties of years were affected, and many even disappeared in bankruptcy...

"Oh, how is that possible?" Isabella asked, incredulous.

“Before, many lineages held the power of the country, today, there are only a few surnames left... It was a desperate situation and therefore, in order to save us, William, your grandfather, reached an agreement with Maximo's grandfather, a union through an arranged marriage between his firstborn, Albert, your father, and Marian, Maximo's mother... The leaders decided to unify both families and become the most powerful surviving lineage in the country to overcome adversity, however, something happened...

"My father refused the marriage..." Isabella assumed.

"No, the marriage was rejected by Marian, Maximo's mother, there was no way to convince the Collins heiress to accept the union, because she was in love with someone else, a new millionaire who was prowling her for the prestige of the Collins surname.

"Maximo's father?" Isabella asked curiously.

"That's right... Only there was one detail, in that agreement, there was a special clause that was drafted to prevent any of the families from retracting and to ensure the survival of at least one of the surnames... If one of the two families reneged on the marriage agreement, the other family was free to sue them and keep what was left of their fortune.

"What?" Isabella opened her eyes in surprise.

"Since there was no way to get Marian to accept the marriage, not even the hard way with threats, your grandfather, William, decided to sue the Collins family, but..."

"My dad secretly married my mom..." Isabella replied, intrigued by the story of her father's past.

"Exactly... If William sued the Collins and your father's marriage was discovered, it would be a scandal and we would be the ones who would lose everything, it was very risky... That clause was a double-edged sword for both families..." Margaret commented, thoughtfully. "That's why William decided to banish Albert and keep their marriage a secret, he never sued the Collins, and the agreement was forgotten...

"But everyone knows that my dad got married and that's why he was banished..." Isabella asked, confused.

"No, everyone knows that your father was banished and at that time, it was implied that it was after this, when he got married..." I remind you, Isabella, that Albert married in secret. Margaret clarified.

"But how is it that the Sinclair and Collins families are still the most powerful in the country if the agreement was never fulfilled?" Isabella really seemed interested in the story.

“It was very hard, we thought that we would not be able to overcome the economic situation... The Collins family managed to survive thanks to Marian's marriage to Maximilian, Maximo's father, and we were able to get ahead thanks to small investments and new financial strategies... However, due to the depression, we became the second richest family in the country, after having been the first for decades. Margaret folded her arms, leaning back on the side of her desk, very attentive to her granddaughter's questions.

"I understand... So... Does that mean that now they want to resume that old agreement? Is that why this marriage is to try to unify the Sinclair and Collins families again? But... I don't understand why they do it if I understand that they are now the richest and most powerful families in the country... Am I bad, and they are bankrupt? Isabella looked at her grandmother, totally confused.

"The agreement never had an expiration date, Isabella... I decided to take it up again and demanded that the Collins comply with it if they did not want to be sued for having breached the previous agreement... As your grandfather must have done... But now it's not about ensuring the Sinclair family's economic survival... If not of our survival, of my life and yours, Isabella...

"What?"