I WILL MARRY

OLIVIA’S POV

I woke to voices echoing inside and outside the house. Stretching, I wondered what was going on. Surely, Dad had struck a deal with Mr. Clifford last night, and this commotion was related to that.

I headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower, but no water came out. How could we be out of water?

With all the noise, the housekeeper wouldn’t hear me even if I shouted right next to her. I threw on a robe, opened my bedroom door, and saw uniformed men hauling furniture out of our house, carrying it down the stairs. Some items were being lowered by ropes from the mezzanine.

Isabelle was climbing the stairs to her room, holding a mug, dressed in her school uniform.

“Morning, coconut,” I said. “No school today?”

“Nope,” she replied, brushing past me toward her room. “Same reason you didn’t shower.”

“No school because there’s no water?” I asked, confused.

“Because we’re running out of furniture,” she said with a mocking laugh, pausing at her door to make a face. “Haven’t you seen the news?”

I rushed back to my room and grabbed my phone. The day’s business headlines screamed: “North Noriah Bank Announces Trillion-Dollar Debt from Abertton Highway Concession, Likely Forcing Bankruptcy of One of the Country’s Oldest Companies in the Sector. Ernest Abertton’s Assets, Including the Company Headquarters, Properties, and Even Work Tools, Are Being Seized to Cover Part of the Debt.”

I didn’t bother reading the rest. I ran downstairs as I was, desperate to find Dad. He had to be devastated. In the kitchen, I found him with Rose, who, amidst the chaos and strangers swarming our home, was applying makeup using a small mirror Dad held close to her face.

They were taking our furniture, and Rose was worried about looking pretty for the movers?

“Sweetheart!” Dad’s face lit up with a smile when he saw me.

I kissed his cheek, standing on tiptoe to reach him. At six-foot-three, with a chiseled physique, Dad was impossible to miss. Rose was beautiful, but it was no mystery why she’d chosen him—he was, in my opinion, one of the sexiest men alive.

“Dad, I’m so sorry about what’s happening,” I said, aching to hug him and offer comfort but blocked by the mirror he was holding. “I thought last night’s dinner was about sealing a good deal. Didn’t Clifford take an interest in Rita? If it had worked out, the CEO could surely help us financially now.”

Rose stopped applying her makeup and let out a shrill laugh. I stepped back, startled. For the first time, I wondered if there was more to her than arrogance—maybe insanity.

“This is all your fault!” she said, pointing at me.

“My fault?” I swallowed hard, struggling to comprehend how I, poor illegitimate Olivia Abertton, could be responsible for Dad’s company collapsing.

“Please, Rose, don’t,” Dad said softly.

“You want to shield her from this?” she scoffed, her voice dripping with scorn. “It’s not fair that we all suffer this devastating loss because of her.”

“It’s not her fault, damn it!” Dad’s voice rose.

“Fault? Mine?” I asked, stunned.

“Gabe Clifford bought all your father’s debts,” Rose said. “In fact, he might’ve been the one issuing the loans, since he probably owns every bank in North Noriah.” She paused, thinking. “And he wants you to marry Jorel Clifford, his younger brother.”

I took a step back, trying to process her words.

“That’s out of the question, sweetheart,” Dad said firmly. “You’re not marrying Jorel Clifford.”

I laughed, incredulous. Since early adolescence, I’d followed Jorel Clifford’s life on social media, dreaming of meeting him in person. And now Rose was saying his brother wanted an arranged marriage between me and the man of my dreams?

“What’s the deal?” I asked, my tone serious. I was confident I could decide for myself and maybe even solve Dad’s financial mess.

“No way,” Dad said, refusing to entertain the idea.

“Jorel’s a notorious playboy—everyone knows that,” Rose continued. “All Gabe Clifford wants is for his brother to be taken more seriously. And he picked you, Olivia. I swear I’ll die before I understand why he chose you, the dullest person I’ve ever met. But yes, it’s in your hands to keep us from losing everything and ending up under a bridge. We don’t even have money for a damn hotel. And it hasn’t even hit the papers yet that your father didn’t pay the restaurant bill last night after the dinner with Clifford’s CEO. We’re screwed. Completely screwed.”

“How long have you been taking on debt, Dad?” I asked.

He lowered his head, silent.

“Ten years,” Rose answered, her voice trembling. For the first time, I saw fear in her eyes beneath all that arrogance and hypocrisy. “Ten damn years.”

“I’ll marry Jorel Clifford,” I said without a moment’s hesitation. “I’d do anything for you, Dad.”

My main reason was him and my family, of course. And, yes, I was doing it for Rose too. Despite her being unbearable, she wasn’t truly evil. She’d never physically hurt me or tried to kill me, even if she despised my existence. But few people didn’t question why I was even born, so that didn’t make her much different from the rest of the world.

“Sweetheart, I’d rather die than see you married to that bastard who’ll make you miserable for the rest of your life,” Dad said. “Gabe Clifford has no heart. And Jorel Clifford only thinks with his dick. He’s slept with every woman in the country with a bank account over three digits. He’s a gambling addict and a man with no redeeming qualities. He lives off his brother’s scraps. He even squandered a billion-dollar inheritance.”

“And since when do you care about fidelity, Ernest?” Rose said, laughing bitterly. I couldn’t argue with her on that.

Dad lowered his head, crushed. Yes, he’d messed up in the past, but why hold it over him forever? Rose had forgiven him—or so she claimed. If she’d made that choice, it should’ve been heartfelt, not just empty words. Yet every single day, she reminded him of the affair that led to my existence.

“I don’t care about infidelity,” I said, shrugging with a smile. “It’s Jorel Clifford! I’d marry him even if it wasn’t the only way to save our family.”

“Sweetheart, we’re not talking about the guy you idolize because of his social media posts,” Dad said. “You’re nineteen. You need to understand this goes way beyond that. You’ll suffer, my girl. You won’t have a real husband. Jorel will keep living his life, and Gabe Clifford made that crystal clear. They want to destroy me, and I don’t even fully know why.”

“Since when are you someone Gabe Clifford would bother to destroy?” Rose scoffed, dismissing the idea. “He just wants a submissive wife for his brother and probably saw Olivia somewhere and thought she’d be perfect for it.”

“I was submissive for a long time,” I said to her. “But I’m not a little girl anyone can manipulate anymore. I’m choosing to marry Jorel, and I’m doing it for my dad and my sisters.” I made it clear her name wasn’t on that list. “Being submissive is one thing. Giving up certain things for the people you love is another. I’m not submissive to Dad or my family—I respect and love them enough to make small sacrifices for their happiness. Marrying Jorel Clifford is a decision that takes a lot of wisdom to make. And I wouldn’t agree to it if I wasn’t sure I could change the most beloved playboy in North Noriah.” I couldn’t help but smile, picturing that mischievous “bad boy” grin of his in every photo he posted.