Ember's POV~
They say storms are only temporary. But the lives they cross never remain the same. You either perish, or grow so inured even the mighty storm gets enamoured of you.
I blew out a long sigh and took a turn to park my dad's car in our front yard. Another day of job hunting went in vain. My previous workplace was shut down due to bankruptcy, and the new places didn't want an employee with an experience of less than a year. Now if they wouldn't let me have the opportunity how was I supposed to get experience?
My parents ran a bakery shop. After my dad had an accident while working in the King's factory as a mechanical engineer, he couldn't work anymore, and they started this small business, but it wasn't enough. So I needed a job to support them.
My feet slammed on the brakes as a black limo, parked in our driveway, caught my eye. My brows furrowed, and I racked my brain for any possible relative who rode a limo, but nah, none did. Curiosity gnawed at my tummy, and I parked the car by the side of the road, ignoring the protests of our aged neighbor. Speeding inside the house, I tip-toed near the drawing room and peeked from behind the door frame.
Oh, blast manners! The girl needa know!
A man in a white suit sat in the head sofa, the gray roots of his hair and beard beginning to peek. “Let's cut to the chase, shall we, Joseph?” he said, authority lacing his tone.
“Err... sure, Mr. King, sir,” dad replied, sitting across from him accompanied by mom.
Mr. King? As in Mr. Bryan William King? The billionaire businessman and dad's former boss? But what was he doing here?
“Splendid! I want your daughter as my daughter-in-law.”
The gaps in my parents' mouths could fit a whale. As for mine, well, that whale with its baby and baby's dad, and many more babies could fit, and they wouldn't even have to squirm.
I know, I know I exaggerated, but that's how it actually felt.
The Kings wanted me as their daughter-in-law for their son Hunter William King, the most eligible, most handsome bachelor of New York? But why me when there were so many prettier women on earth dying to be his? Heck, he could even marry a princess.
Mr. King gave a laugh at seeing their expressions. “Now, now, no need to give me that look, Joseph. I just want a fair, decent girl to be our daughter-in-law, not one of those-,” his face contorted into a grimace, “-gold-diggers my son dates.”
“B-but sir... Y-your son... He doesn't really have a good reput- oomph!” A nudge from mom stopped dad from completing the sentence.
“Oh, come on, Josephine! All this time we'd been acquaintances, wouldn't you keep my wish?” His lips stretched into a sweet smile, but his eyes glinted with tacit demand.
For the next few minutes, Mr. King kept pestering dad. It seemed he made up his mind and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
My stretched brows creased to a frown. The reason he told about choosing me didn't seem harmful, however, the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach didn't talk the same. Marriage was a big step of someone's life, and I needed to think.
Inhaling deep, I sauntered inside. “I appreciate your proposal, Mr. King, but I need time.”
All heads turned towards me. With a sweet smile on his face, Mr. King got up, and so did my parents with concerned faces.
“You have a beautiful daughter, Joseph and intelligent too,” he stated striding towards me, power radiating off of him. “I hope you'll make the right decision, darling.”
Then he was gone.
To be married to Hunter King would be like a dream come true for most girls including me, but getting married like this was never my plan. What about my responsibilities? I couldn't just leave my parents to be on their own when they needed me the most. I had always wanted to build my own identity, have a decent job, a bigger home and most definitely, a bigger shop where my mom could bake as much as she wanted, and dad could mess the batters up trying to help without any worry.
I looked at my parents; a twain of hesitant frowns latched on their foreheads.
What if I said no?
In the next few days, I got my answer.
“Be safe, Dad!” I stood on our porch and waved dad off. We were out of groceries, and so, dad decided to go shopping. He waved at me and started walking down the street. Dad didn't want to bother his recently-polished baby car since the shop wasn't far from home.
I smiled at our neighbor's dog playing in their yard. Turning on my heels, I took a step to head inside but stopped as alarmed barks reached my ears. Whirling around, my eyes landed on the bulky figure in all black on the street. The man glared at the animal, and cowering, it ran away. He directed his gaze ahead and resumed walking while pulling something out of his jacket. The bright glint the object reflected hit my eyes causing them to close and open back two times wider. I followed the direction of his gaze, and my heart almost jumped out of my chest.
“Dad...”
Without any delay, I dashed towards my father.
“Ember! Where're you going?” dad asked upon seeing me.
“I just remembered I-uh... I need to buy some things as well,” I replied, breathing hard. Gazing behind I found no trace of the man anymore and let out a sigh of relief.
Phew! Always overthinking, aren't you?
After buying all the necessary stuff, we got back home with dad cracking jokes and me laughing, not because they were funny, but because they were just so terrible one had to laugh. Our laughing came to a cease as we entered the house to see mom with the phone in her hand, a crease formed in her forehead.
“What's the matter, Sofia? Who was it?” dad inquired, leaving the shopping bags on the floor and walking to mom.
“I just... got an email from the IRS. They said... we have three years of bills due,” hesitance laced mom's voice.
“What? We already paid it all!”
My heart, that had calmed down, accelerated again. What was going on? First the strange man and now IRS?
“Maybe... someone pranked?” I offered, hoping to lighten the tension.
“Could be.” Dad nodded. “Fucking jobless morons got nothing better to do.”
“Joseph! No cursing in the house.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.” Dad placed a quick peck on mom's cheek as all the creases vanished from her face, and a blush appeared.
I chuckled at them. Their relationship was something I always dreamed to have when I got married. At the mention of the word, my mind wandered to Hunter; I doubted I would happen to have something similar with him considering his reputation.
Shooing the thoughts away, I picked up the groceries and headed to the kitchen. Maybe someone was indeed pranking.
I only had to be proven wrong.
A couple of days later, I sat in the public library going through job circulars and filling in applications. A sudden discomfort in the stomach stirred me in my seat. Pulling out the emergency granola bar, I looked around at the few other people present, all minding their own businesses. Shrugging, I munched on the bar, sighing in content.
Happy tummy, happy mind.
My happy mind furrowed as the bench beneath dipped, and I inclined my head to the side. A tremor ran down my spine as I observed the bulky man in black from the other day sitting right before me. I shot to my feet, ready to run.
“Sit,” he ordered.
“Wh-What do you want?”
He slid a black envelope across the table and got up. “Mr. King says hello.”
At the mention of the name, my eyes widened, and I picked the envelope up sliding the paper out. Unfolding it, I scanned my eyes over the letter, and my stomach churned.
This could make me lose jobs before I even got one.
A negative character reference letter.
“What the hell! He can't do that.” I looked up to meet an empty bench before me.
I flopped back down, my mind a swirl of questions and confusions. Why?
The same things kept happening the following days. I started seeing the strange man more and more following my parents, the emails for bills kept ringing, even my job applications kept being refused. I couldn't bear seeing the line of worry getting permanent on my parents' foreheads, I couldn't sleep at night being in constant fear that the dangerous looking guy would end up doing something horrible to them.
So, at last, I made a decision.
This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Beady black eyes stared back as I tilted my head to inspect more. One eye briefly closed and opened back. Frowning I shook my head and looked again, but they were still. My cheeks puffed out a mouthful of air as I glanced out the glass window at the cafe. That's what happened when you stared at a teddy bear mug for half an hour.Hunter fecking King was supposed to meet me in here, yet there was no sign of him. Two days ago, I called Mr. King senior to meet the junior before I finalized anything. I had to know if things would work between us. Now, with this conduct, I was afraid the conclusion would be in their favor.Just when I stood up huffing from my seat, a shiny black Aston Martin Rapide pulled over right outside the cafe, and a tall, slender figure in a black Armani suit stepped out. In a matter of seconds he was swarmed by the passersby girls like a herd of female bees around their male queen, err... male king? Rig
A month later~White ribbons and fabrics hung from the trees. Red carpet covered the aisle I walked down, and soft music played in the background. The tail of my veil fluttered as a gentle breeze blew. At the end of the aisle stood the man of my dreams with a smile on his face. He took my hands and leaned in.I leaned in.Our lips almost met.His face started turning into a swirl, everything else getting sucked into it. 'Oh, no, no, wait! What's going on?'The gentle music in the background was replaced with 'The death of a bachelor... oh oh... letting the water fall... The death of...' and a distant voice called, 'Ember! Ember...'My body joggled. "Wake up! Come on, Ember! It's your wedding day!""Mhm... I know. I'm getting married nowmm..." I turned around and pulled the blanket over my face."Wh
Walking down the hall, questions began popping in my head making me rethink going there. What if it never works out between us? What if he never likes me? What if it's all a conspiracy? What if I'm left unhappy forever? What if... Soon my head became a warzone of several 'what ifs', and the war slowly made its way through my mouth to my heart as my mouth felt dry, and my heart pounded against my ribcage like a mad prisoner ready to break free.The door opened, and I stood there, my feet seemed to have frozen. A squeeze in my hand made me look up."Everything will be alright, princess," dad assured with a smile on his face.Nodding, I stepped into the red carpet and walked through the aisle. There were few people present, sitting in the benches chattering. All heads turned towards me, men sending smiles while the women decided on glares. From between, the identical faces of my twin aunts stood out as they waved at me
"We're here." Matthew informed as the car carrying us came to a halt in front of a huge steel gate. The driver said something in the intercom, and the gate opened with a beeping sound. The ride started again through a paved road, around a stone carved water fountain and stopped.After Matthew hopped out, I followed behind, my jaw almost dropping to the floor. The huge four-storied white building looked like something out of the magazines. A mellowy fragrance seized my attention to the sides, neatly trimmed rose bushes ornated the garden around as the evening sky ablazed with the last rays of the setting sun casted a warm, orangish glow over it."I think I saw a fly flying in your mouth," Matt whispered, breaking me from my trance.I looked at him, my mouth still hanging open. "It's so beautiful," I gushed.He smiled. "Welcome to the Kings Mansion, Mrs. King!"
"Julia ma'am doesn't like the name Julie, yet Karen ma'am keeps calling her that," Bella said, her dainty build shaking from laughter along with mine as she shared the two women's battle tale. "Karen's a savage!" I commented, somewhat proud at her boldness even at this age. "They're always ripping each other's hair, and poor Mr. King, sir gets crushed between them. It's so funny to watch." My smile tightened at the mention of Mr. King. "Yeah." Poor, my foot! Bella was helping me unload my suitcases and arrange the clothes in the closet. The war between Julia and Karen was certainly hilarious to watch as per Bella stated. I shouldn't be praying so, but I very much looked forward to witnessing more of that comedy war. My eyes darted to her as something else crossed my mind. "Tell me about Hunter." The weather of the room d
Donna was serving everyone breakfast as I sat there awaiting my doom. My food was untouched, and my heart hammered in my chest. Any minute now I would be caught like a deer in the headlights. I could spot the sinister smirk dancing on Hunter's face since he appeared on the table.That son of a bloody bachelor!"Donna, my chocolate mousse," Julia spoke.I gulped. Oh no!"Yes, ma'am."As if time slowed down, with every step Donna took, Hunter's smirk broadened, and my eyes widened. She placed the bowl in front of Julia and uncovered the lid.Like the earth on a sunny day, Julia's face lit up as she shoved a spoonful of mousse in her mouth. "Mhm... Donna, did we change the cook or something? How did his boring mousse get so good today?"I let out the breath I was holding. Phew! She liked my recipe.
Yesterday was a hectic day. I called Ana later at night to check on her. She was alright. Matt called her twice since the incident which was really sweet of him. I was more than glad for what he did for Ana. If anything was to happen to her, I wouldn't be able to live. She was my sister more than she was my friend along with Beth. Since our childhood, we had been facing everything good and bad together. Once when we were in kindergarten, Ana stood up to my bullies for me even though she was the most sensitive and sweetest girl in the school. That day I knew I couldn't be weak anymore. I had to be strong. She was the reason I could look people in the eyes now without cowering away.Today I decided to explore the library. I had been waiting for this since the day I first stepped foot into this heavenly place.Political section... historical section... business section... accounting section... journals... The heck! A
Knock knock.Dragging my eyes from the pages of another book I found in that old shelf, I glanced at the clock.11:30 pm.Who the heck had the nerve to disturb my reading time at this late at night?Grumbling, I dragged myself out of the comfort of the bed and headed to the door. Swinging the door open, I opened my mouth to give the miserable person a piece of my mind but stopped, my eyes widening and mouth hanging open as wide as was my door. Outside my room stood Hunter in a dark blue, silk pajama set.Was I seeing right, or did the book fall on my face too hard earlier?Bringing my hands behind my back, I pinched on one and winced from the unpleasant pain. He was really there. But why? Could it be, at last, he had come to his senses that I was his wife, and he should be interacting more with me than just passing 'hellos