001. A Heart-wrenching News

Sierra's POV

Finally out of college, I have my life set out for me, dreams I had kept hidden within me was ready to be revealed. I do not want to be a restaurant owner like my parents, I want to have a big fashion house where the whole Crystal bay would see and be marveled of. I just have to find a way to convince mom and dad that this is what I want to do and I don’t have to take a position in one of the famous restaurant in Crystal bay

Who wouldn’t want to work at Enchanted Crystal Restaurant? I know, I know but I really want to do something else, my passion.

Summoning all the boldness one can summon, I finally stepped into the living room where I met father and mother seated. They both looked at me and I gave them a nervous smile. Have they been waiting for me? Did they know I’ve been outside?

“Sierra, just the lady we’ve been looking for,” Mother joked and I forced out a smile again.

“Yeyyy, I’ve been meaning to see you both too” I responded as I dropped my bag and sat down. Although I had sat down, they still didn’t look like they were satisfied because I saw a worried look on their faces.

“Is everything alright?”

Mother turned to Father and he cleared his throat. Now, I was completely nervous,

“Hey, Dad. Mom…” I managed, forcing a smile. But they didn’t return it, and that pit in my stomach grew tenfold.

Father cleared his throat again, his eyes fixed on mine with sternness this time that had only one thing in mind; control.

“Sierra, you need to know that what I’m about to say is for the best,” he said, his tone flat, unreadable. Okay, what’s going on?

“We’ve agreed that you’ll marry one of the Pierce brothers.”

I froze along with time as I stared at both my parents in disbelief and complete shock.

“What?!” I questioned in confusion.

“You’re getting married to one of the Pierce brothers, darling” Mother answered gently but it didn’t reduce the shock or the sinking of my heart.

The words crashed over me like ice water, my mouth dropped open, my pulse picking up speed, but the rest of my body wouldn’t move.

Marry one of the Pierce brothers? My eyes darted from Mother to Father, searching for anything to cling to—a sign, a hint that this was some sick, twisted joke. But they both looked serious, while Mother’s gaze were fixed on her skirt, Father was staring at me head-on.

I let out a small and nervous chuckle, “I can see this is a joke. I know you both are pulling my legs because I had said I didn’t want to get married just yet, even after I graduated. But trust me, I know what I am doing”

“It’s not a joke, Sierra,” Mother’s voice rang into my ears

“But Father, you promised!” I literally yelled, pointing my index finger at him.

“I know, but this…” He swallowed, his jaw clenching. “This is necessary for our family.”

My heart thundered as his words sank in. “For our family?” The panic in my voice was painfully obvious, but I couldn’t stop it. “What could possibly be so dire that you’d hand me over like this?”

And to a family I have heard to be so dangerous. Who haven’t heard of the Pierce’s family?

Mom finally looked up, her gaze softened but only slightly. “There are things you don’t understand, Sierra. This arrangement will secure a future for all of us.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, “Things I don’t understand?” I sneered. The Pierce brothers were infamous in Crystal Bay—a family with a reputation as dark as the suits they wore. They are men one didn’t cross, men one didn’t dream about… men one most definitely wouldn’t want to marry.

But here my parents were, talking about marrying one like it was that easy to do.

“I refuse!” I quickly stood up.

“This is not up for debate,” Father’s words were sharp but I scoffed,

“I am your daughter, not a plaything. Do you know who you are handing me over to? Do you want my corpse brought back to you immediately after marriage?” I asked in anger.

“We don’t have a choice, Sierra!” Mother yelled as she stood to her feet as well, “There’s this debt and they threaten to destroy us and all that we have if we don’t pay, so your father… he had no other choice” Mother shuddered.

I gulped down the lump in my throat as tears rolled down my cheeks. How did they owe such a family? Why the Pierce family? When they say they would destroy something, they mean every word that they say. Before I could say anymore, Father ordered,

“Go change. He’ll be here soon.”

“Which one?” The question shot out of me, low and desperate, with tears streaming down my eyes “Who am I marrying?” I don’t even know their names, all I know is they were all ruthless.

“We don’t know.” Father’s voice cracked a little as he said it. “We weren’t given a choice.”

My chest tightened, breaths coming faster. “And you just… accepted it?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“Our restaurant was failing, Sierra. We needed the money at the time. We thought we could pay back.” Dad’s face contorted with something like shame.

Unable to hold it back any longer, with my hands clenched into fists, I dashed upstairs and slammed the door to my room behind me. I sank onto the bed, letting the first tear slide down my cheek.

Minutes, maybe hours later, a soft knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Leila, her face lit up with some twisted kind of amusement.

“Well, well,” she said with a smirk, leaning against the doorway. “One of the Pierce brothers, huh? Seems even luckier than I thought.”

“Leila, please. Just… leave me alone.” But she didn’t. She flopped down on the bed beside me, a wicked grin dancing on her lips.

“Oh, don’t act so tragic, Sierra. I mean, come on, at least you’ll be marrying money.” She laughed, her words needling into me. “I may not have seen them but I heard they are to die for” she squealed and I rolled my eyes at her.

A car horn blasted from the driveway, cutting her off. My stomach twisted into a hard knot. Before I could think of what to do, I heard a knock on my door,

“Sierra!” my mother’s voice came through the door. “Hurry up! He’s waiting.”

I moved on autopilot, grabbing the dress I’d laid out and slipping into it. The mirror caught my eye—a girl with wild, scared eyes, a girl about to give up everything she’d ever known.

When I reached the living room, my heart jumped to my mouth. Isn’t this the first brother?

“Jordan Pierce, the eldest, the most ruthless.” Leila murmured behind me. “I heard he was looking for a wife after his wife died, but… you?” She let out a dry laugh.

“You’re doomed, Sierra” she whispered before pushing me further into the living room.

Jordan’s gaze locked onto mine, his presence filling the space with an electric pull. Shiver ran down my spine as every instinct I had, screamed to run, to fight, but his expression was cold. He leaned back, one brow raised, eyes glinting like he already owned me.

My father cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “This is my eldest daughter, Sierra.”

Jordan didn’t respond. He just looked at me, after a while, the side of his lips lifting in a faint, dangerous smile, like he knew exactly how terrified I was. Then, with a smooth, commanding tone, he said as he stood up,

“Tomorrow. The wedding is tomorrow. I expect her to be ready.”