Chapter Two

Chapter 2

"Emma, my dear, I trust you haven't forgotten about our...arrangement?"

Emma looked up from her desk with a scowl as her father strode into her office at Montgomery Corporation. Before she could respond, he continued.

"I'm glad to see you've turned around so quickly regarding the marriage to James Reynolds." His expression was smug.

Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. "Turned around? What are you talking about?"

Robert chuckled. "Why, your passionate kiss with the man at the party, of course. I saw the whole sordid thing with my own eyes."

Emma felt her face flame with embarrassment as the memory of that heated lip lock came rushing back. "That...that was a mistake. A moment of pique, nothing more."

"A mistake?" Her father's eyes narrowed dangerously. "How dare you play with our family's reputation like that! I will not have my heir behaving like some salacious floozy."

Emma recoiled, stung by the venom in his tone. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Robert barrelled on.

"And to throw yourself at a man in such a wanton manner, simply for spite?" He shook his head in disgust. "I thought making a spectacle when you saw your wretched ex-boyfriend Mark would have satisfied your need for revenge on the bastard, but I gave you too much credit."

Emma's breath caught in her throat as she was transported back to that night, the hurt and humiliation flooding her senses all over again at the sight of Mark brazenly parading around with Amanda on his arm.

The betrayal had decimated her. She had loved Mark with everything she had and had pictured growing old together after they got married. Only to discover him carrying on a torrid affair with her best friend for months right under her nose.

The anger, the pain, the crushing sense of worthlessness she'd felt in the aftermath, she had never truly healthily dealt with those emotions. So to have Mark and Amanda's indiscretion shoved in her face so brazenly at the party, Emma had seen red. She acted rashly, desperately, seeking to hurt Mark the way he'd hurt her.

"I...I know I shouldn't have kissed James like that," Emma admitted, her throat tight. "But when I saw Mark and Amanda there together, so content and smug after what they did to me, I snapped." She shook her head, trying to compose herself. "I never got closure. They destroyed me, and then went on with their lives like nothing happened."

For once, her father seemed to soften slightly at her rare display of vulnerability. "Heartbreak is difficult, my dear," he murmured, surprising her. "But that's precisely why this arranged marriage is for the best. It will provide you with security, stability, and a fresh start. An opportunity to let go of the past."

Emma wasn't so sure about that. But the vehemence with which he had spoken about the marriage going forward, with or without her consent, rang in her ears.

"You mean the ridiculous marriage with James Reynolds?" she asked, unable to keep the bite out of her tone. "Yeah, it's been pretty hard to forget about being pimped out like property."

Her father's expression soured at her insolent attitude once more. "Mind your tone, young lady. This merger is critical to expanding our empire's reach and acquiring the social capital we need to grow."

"At the expense of my autonomy and freedom, you mean," Emma shot back. In the days following his decree, her initial shock had calcified into a simmering well of rage and resentment towards the man who was supposed to protect her best interests.

Robert leveled her with a steely look. "Don't be so overdramatic. The Reynolds family is one of the most influential dynasties on the East Coast. Be grateful I've arranged such an advantageous match for you."

Emma barked out a mirthless laugh, getting to her feet and bracing her palms on the desk as she leaned towards him. "You honestly expect me to be grateful that you've sold me off to be some rich boy's broodmare trophy wife? I'm your flesh and blood, damn it!"

"Watch your insolent tongue," her father growled in warning. "This arranged marriage is going forward whether you like it or not. I did not devote my life to building this empire from the ground up just to let you run it into the ground with your rebelliousness."

"My rebelliousness?" Emma shook her head in disbelief. "God forbid I have an ounce of autonomy over my own life!"

"You'll do as you're told if you expect to remain in my good graces," Robert stated in a tone that brooked no argument. "Speaking of which, you have a dinner engagement tonight with your husband-to-be."

Emma's stomach dropped like a stone, the fight draining out of her momentarily as her father's words sank in with grim finality. "You...you can't be serious," she managed through numb lips. "When you first brought up this hair-brained scheme, I thought you were just making empty threats!"

"Does this look like the face of a man making empty threats?" Robert's expression was thunderous as he leaned across the desk, jabbing his meaty finger mere inches from her face. "You've been a spoiled, ungrateful child for far too long. It's high time you started carrying your weight and upholding this family's legacy as my heir."

Emma reared back from her father's volcanic rage like a thing rearing from a blast of scorching flames. "B-but...I've devoted my entire life to this company!" she cried, feeling a panicky tightness gripping her chest. "Everything I've done has been to make you proud, to live up to your impossible expectations!"

"And yet at every turn you've disappointed me with your insolence and irreverent ways," Robert countered harshly. "This marriage to James Reynolds will put you on the path to becoming a woman worthy of respect." His flinty gaze bored into her. "Or at the very least, inheriting my empire one day."

"You are heartless," Emma hissed through the hot sting of tears clouding her vision. How many times had she told herself the same lies - that if she just worked harder, stayed later, outperformed everyone around her, maybe then her father would finally see her worth?

Now here he was, cravenly dangling her inheritance over her head in a naked attempt to bully her into compliance with this sham marriage. Emma's heart shattered into a million jagged pieces all over again as the scales fell from her eyes.

 "Don’t I have a say in whom I marry?" Emma's jaw clenched.

"You have no say." His voice brooked no argument. "The freedoms I've afforded you have led only to poor decisions. This arrangement is for your good. And it must stand."

“We don’t even love each other why force a man I have no feelings for on me…”

Robert chuckled a little, “Look who is talking about feelings here, your useless boyfriend you came begging me to give him a job, the one you love so much where is he now?”

“We are…”

“There is no need for that, we are both aware of where it ended. I am watching out for you on this and if I were you I would grab this opportunity because it is for your good?” he stated hitting his fist on the table.

Fury rose within her like a tidal wave. "My good?" She shot to her feet, fists clenched at her sides. "You're selling your only child for monetary gain, and you expect gratitude from me? I am your only daughter for crying out loud, I will not sit here and let you bully me into this,"

"If you walk out of that door, you'll have no father to return to." His tone was glacial. "All I've ever wanted was what's best for you. You'll do as I command. Mary will take you shopping for a gown suitable for tonight's dinner..."

Emma wasn’t ready to give up now because of his empty threat.

“Leaving here means leaving all of this behind then and only then will you know what it takes to be alone with nothing to your name,” he stood up and walked towards her.

“He is going to propose to you tonight and you must say yes,” he stated and walked out on her.