Chapter 5

Jasmine’s POV

I don’t know how to describe the past two weeks, but they’ve been very eye-opening. I saw all of my worst fears come to life, and I survived. I know my priorities now, and I intend to take them very seriously. I took one final look at the resignation email I typed up, and I hit send. I needed to distance myself from everyone from my past, and working with Damien Carrington would not allow me to do so.

I know he would be very disappointed, especially since he took a chance on me when I started, but it had to happen. I haven’t gotten a single call from Hunter since the engagement announcement, not even the courtesy of a text message explaining his part, and I guess that’s all on me for thinking he cared about my feelings that much.

“Do you want coffee?” Alina shouted from the kitchen, and I shouted a yes back. In all of these, I’m grateful for the gift of friendship. We used to be college roommates; we haven’t spoken in a while, but when I showed up at her doorstep in tears, she let me in. She let me sleep in her guest room while I cried my soul out. She comforted me when she could.

I closed the laptop, and I walked down the stairs to join Alina in the kitchen. I felt terrible for just upping and leaving my job like that, but Damien would find a replacement soon anyway. I have lived for others for so long, and now I’m going to start trying to live for myself.

I took a deep breath and turned on my mobile phone. I don’t know what to expect, but I do know that there was probably hell waiting for me, and I couldn’t hide from my problems any longer. I noticed a long list of missed calls from my mom and dad, nothing from Lily, and a single missed call from Hunter. I felt a twinge of disappointment from that. I disappeared for two weeks, and it took just one missed call to find out why I hadn’t been reachable.

My phone shrilled loudly, making me miss the silence I was basking in for the past two weeks. It was Dad. I took a breather before I picked up the call. I put the phone on a loudspeaker, and I waited.

“Jasmine, is that you? We’ve been scared for the past week. You were unreachable..” I tuned them out, and I tried not to let his words get to me. They didn’t even notice I wasn’t reachable until last week. I wonder what they wanted that made me suddenly important enough to be called.

“Jas, did you hear what I said?” He called out frantically, and something about how he sounded freaked me out. He sounded worried. Dad never lost his cool, let alone sound this frantic over a phone call. I’m not naive enough to think that it’s because he missed me so much.

“I didn’t hear you. Sorry, I got distracted.” I answered, and I could hear his sigh from the end of the phone. I wonder what the hell is going on over there.

“I need you to come home as soon as possible. There’s been a problem. It’s urgent, please.” He repeated, and I sat up. What the fuck happened in the last two weeks I wasn’t home?

The ride home was quiet, and I was trying my best not to be worried to my bones. My father sounded unnerved, and that made things worse for me. I parked my car in the driveway and hurried inside. I noticed a couple of other cars parked outside the house, and it made me even more scared. What if Mom were dead, and I’d been too busy nursing a heartbreak? I tried not to overthink things.

I knocked on the door, and the door opened instantly. Mom was standing right there, and I just hugged her instantly. Relief flooded me, and she patted my back gently, and I let go. My mum wasn’t the touchy type.

The whole family was sitting in the living room, except Lily.

“Jasmine, Lily ruined the proposed merger that would have taken the whole family out of debt by getting knocked up for some Hollywood jerk. Now the Carringtons are threatening to pull out unless the marriage happens.” My father said as soon as I sat down, and I looked around, trying to make sense of the words coming out of his mouth. I sank into the chair as I felt a chill crawl up my spine.

“What do you mean?” I asked in a tiny voice that I didn’t believe was mine, and my father sighed. He took off his glasses, and I saw how stressed he was. He looked like he hadn’t slept for days.

“We had an arrangement with the Carringtons: one of you would marry Hunter Carrington, and we would merge the hospitality business. Hunter picked Lily, and now she’s eloped with some jerk from Hollywood, and now, unless we want to lose the business, you have to marry Hunter Carrington. Good thing you both already have a solid friendship, you can just work on going further.” Mom explained in a surprisingly calm voice, and I looked between both of them.

“You guys are joking, right?” I screeched, and Mom rolled her eyes before pouring herself a cup of coffee. I looked between them frantically, hoping someone would tell me this was some sort of joke. It had to be.

“Jasmine, I know this sounds like some joke, but I assure you it’s not. We are going to lose the house and pretty much everything. We are knee deep in debt.” My father cried out, and I almost felt pity for him. I never knew we were struggling financially, not to mention being in debt.

“Jasmine, you are going to marry Hunter Carrington in three weeks,” my father said. The words didn’t feel real. They couldn't be. I had spent the last two weeks trying to erase him from my life. Now, I was being handed to him like a consolation prize. And the worst part? I think part of me still wanted to say yes.

Before I could catch my breath, the doorbell rang. My mother looked at me. “That’s him. Hunter insisted on doing this properly,” Mom said as she opened the door to let him in. I turned slowly.

 “Hey, Jas,” Hunter said, eyes unreadable. “We need to talk.”