Chapter 2

“Who?” She asks again, letting go of her father’s arms.

“William Rhodes, the owner of one of the most successful hotel groups in the whole world. Partner at Intra Vires, one of the most well-known law firms in the world. I have mentioned him a few times.” Lianna shakes her head and laughs softly at her dad’s frustration. “Of course, you wouldn’t know. You never listen.” Her dad sighs.

“I do listen, Dad. But I don’t recall you ever mentioning him before. He sounds important,” she jokes and bends down to pick up her dad’s cane. “So, does this William fellow know about your plans?” She throws the cane to her dad and he catches it in the air.

She walks to the house but turns around to face her father. She continues backward, her gaze still on her dad. He uses the crane to support him as he follows her.

“Yes, I met his father at a conference in New York last week. We talked about many things, including the marriage situation. We both agreed that it would not hurt if you guys could get to know each other. And that brings me to the final talking point." Her dad gestures with a dramatic hand gesture.

She lets out a laugh and stops walking.

“They invited us for dinner tonight. I got a dress for you and Gloria will help you to get ready. It is a big night. I want you to look and act your best.” Lianna flashes a smile and turns back around.

“Okay, I’ll get ready. See you,” she shouts over her shoulder and rushes through the door and up the stairs to her room. She sees Gloria down the hallway and calls her name.

As Gloria turns around, Lianna grabs her hand and forces her to run with her to her room. Gloria struggles to keep up but Lianna does not stop until she reaches her room.

Once they are in the room, Gloria pants and leans against the nearby wall.

“Lianna, my dear. I am much older since you left. I am in no shape to do that,” Gloria breathes out. Lianna pats Gloria's back and giggles.

“Don’t you die on me. You still have a good life in front of you.” Lianna weeps, pretending to be panicked.

“You little- I’m not that old.” Gloria scoffs and removes Lianna’s hand. She stands up, still leaning against the wall.

“Aw, are you angry?” Lianna throws her arms around Gloria. “I’m sorry,” she says in a baby voice. Gloria attempts to push Lianna off, but Lianna tightens her arms around Gloria.

“I must admit, I do not miss all this energy.” Lianna clicks her tongue and lets go of Gloria.

“Well, I missed you,” Lianna says and turns on her heel to her bathroom. Gloria shakes her head with a grin. She cannot believe Lianna did not change a bit. A loud gasp gets her attention and she shuffles closer to the bathroom.

“Is something the matter? What happened?” Gloria enters the bathroom. Lianna’s eyes are wide with her jaw dropped. She removes the dress from the hanger and shows it to Gloria.

“Dad got me this dress?” Gloria nods her head. Lianna squeals and hugs Gloria again. “It’s beautiful. Thank you so much.” Her excitement fills the bathroom and she places the dress on her bed. She lets her hand trail over the soft blue silk, amazed at the lace sleeves. It must have cost him an arm and a leg.

“Shoo, off you got. Take a shower. I can smell the school on you.” Gloria tugs Lianna’s arm and pushes her into the bathroom. Lianna complies and closes the door behind her. She plays around with the faucet and shrieks when the cold water hits her body.

“Lianna! We need to get going.” Her father’s voice travels down the hall to her room. Gloria helps her to finish her makeup. She takes the pink clip-ins and lifts them to her hair, but Gloria grabs them.

"No, you cannot wear this nonsense tonight," Gloria scolds and puts them back. Lianna crosses her arms and pouts. Gloria ignores her and dabs some powder on her nose which causes Lianna to sneeze.

“Apologies dear.” Gloria sprays hairspray onto Lianna’s neat bun. She pulls a stray hair from Lianna’s head. Lianna clicks her tongue, but she does not complain. Beauty is pain. That is what Gloria always said when Lianna was little. Gloria steps away and Lianna sees herself in the mirror.

“Wow, you did a fantastic job. Thanks, G,” Lianna says and pulls Gloria down for a peck on her cheek. Gloria groans in protest, but Lianna dismisses her. She then stands up and grabs her heels on the way to the door. She waves to Gloria and blows her a kiss.

“You look beautiful. Good luck.” Lianna beams and exits her room, running down the hall. She sees her dad waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She runs down the stairs to the living room and sits carefully on the couch. She pulls on her heels and takes a deep breath.

While Lianna waits for her dad to finish the call, she scrolls through I*******m. She found a William Rhodes, but she is not sure whether it is the right one. All that she could find out so far was that he does not like to post pictures about himself. Everything is either promoting the law firm or a hotel opening.

“Ready?” Her dad turns around. “Look at you, kid. You look beautiful,” he says and takes her hand. She fans herself as she stands up, bowing at his compliment. He chuckles and they both walk to the car. He opens the door for her and she gets in, thanking him.

“Are you nervous?” he asks as he buckles his seatbelt.

“Of course. These people are not parents from the school. Ugh, I need to get into the right mindset.” Lianna shakes her hands out and rolls her head. Her dad starts the car and exits through the gates.

The massive white gates swing open, allowing Lianna and her dad to enter. They drive slowly while they look at their surroundings. Trees surround the house with a large Olympic swimming pool next to the house. Lianna gawks out the window at all the flowers in the enormous garden that enfolds the house.

“Behave.” Her dad taps her leg and she returns to her normal sitting position.

The car stops in the driveway and a woman comes into their view. She is short with a stern look on her face that sends shivers down Lianna’s spine. She has been so caught up in her world, she forgot about this world. She forces a small smile and all the childhood memories come flashing back. She forgot how cold and cruel this world is.

“She scares me,” Lianna says through her teeth, keeping her forced smile. Her dad nudges her arm as a sign to get out of the car. Before she opens the door, she takes a deep breath in. Just do not do anything stupid.

She climbs out of the car and takes her dad’s arm They walk until they reach the woman. When they stop in front of the woman, surprise and confusion are visible on her face. Lianna bows her head along with her father.

“Evening, Mrs. Rhodes,” Lianna greets politely. The woman manages to mask the emotions and bows her head in response. She then turns her head to Lianna’s dad.

“Mister Evans. It is nice of you to join us tonight.”

“Please, call me John.” Her father smiles at the woman.

“You can call me Rose,” she says with a thin smile. “Please, follow me.” She walks with a quick pace to the front door. They follow her into the house and Lianna contains her shock. The house is bigger on the inside than it seems on the outside. She has seen many mansions, but this is the biggest house she has ever been in.

“What a lovely house you have, Rose,” her father compliments. Rose smiles over her shoulder before she tosses her hair over her shoulder.

“Through here,” she says when they walk through a hall. A framed certificate catches Lianna’s eye. She walks closer to inspect the certificate. Harvard Law School. Woah.

She points to the frame and her dad raises an eyebrow. He also walks closer to see what she is referring to.

“William graduated from Harvard Law School. He was the youngest student to ever graduate from Harvard Law. He was already 18,” Rose says with her head held high and pride clear in her voice.

“Already?” Lianna whispers to her dad. He shrugs and presses his lips together.

“He is currently the youngest partner at Intra Vires Law Firm. He is also the founder of the Luxury Care Hotel group, one of the leading hotel groups in the hotel industry. He is currently busy with his Master’s in Business Administration.” Rose says as they walk out into a brightly lit garden.

There is a table with chairs in the middle of the garden. Rose comes to a halt and turns back to Lianna and her dad.

“I will be with you in a minute. I will fetch William and his father. Please, be seated.” She gestures to the chairs and bows before she walks back into the house.

Lianna bites her lip as she makes her way to the chairs. She falls into the chair with a loud thud. Her dad gives her a warning glare, but she scrunches her nose up. His glare turns soft as he smiles at her.

“This is insane. “Already” graduated from Harvard Law at the age of 18 and he is the youngest partner in that fancy law firm. Pfft, overachiever if you ask me.” Her dad laughs softly and shakes his head.

“Remember, most rich kids go out into the world and achieve great things. They aren’t like you,” her dad jokes. She pretends to be offended as she clicks her tongue. “Hey, don’t do that. It’s bad manners.”

“Yes, Father,” she says with a deep bow. These people are crazy. Their poor son. Lianna knows that most of his achievements were probably not his dream, but rather those of his parents. Another shiver runs down her spine and she looks around the garden. It feels like someone is watching her.

William tightens his tie while he stares out of his window. His mother said he is acquainted with the girl, but he has never seen her before. His mother must be mistaken. He frowns when he hears her talking about his achievements. Typical, that is all they ever care about.

When he hears her calling him an overachiever, he is taken aback. If only she knew how much he had to sacrifice. She will never understand that it was not the plan he had for his life. She gets to be free of this burden, and yet she still makes fun of him.

He clears his throat and takes a few calming breaths. He grabs his jacket and walks down the stairs. In the kitchen, he finds his mother and father arguing again. What is it about this time?

“This is not the girl we agreed on,” his mother says sharply. His father invited the wrong girl?

“I am aware, but her family name is stronger and it will give William more power in the hotel industry if we combine our family names.” His father sounds irritated. Now is not the right time for an argument. They can settle this when the guests have left.

“It doesn’t matter, does it? They are here and we cannot ask them to leave. This is not the time or the place,” William says with a controlled voice. He does not have the strength for this.

“You’re right. Luckily you got my mind and not hers,” his father says and points to the hall. “After you.” William bows his head and walks first with his parents not far behind him.

He steps into the garden and waits for his parents to catch up. His mother walks before him and he follows her. The girl laughs and then the man joins her with a deep laugh.

William straightens his jacket and his father pats his shoulder.

“I am sorry for keeping you waiting.” The girl turns to face them and she stands up, bowing her head. “This is my husband, Sebastian.” William’s father steps forward. The girl’s father also stands up and shakes Sebastian’s hand.

“Nice to see you again,” the man says with a comfortable smile and gentle eyes. He then turns to William and holds out his hand.

“My son, William,” his mother introduces him. He shakes the man’s hand. The man has a strong grip and big, calloused hands. He gives a polite smile.

“Nice to meet you, Sir.”

“Just John, please.” William nods his head. John seems somewhat familiar. He wonders where he has seen him before. The girl takes a step forward and stands next to her father.

“This is my daughter, Lianna,” John says proudly, and Lianna bows her head.

“Nice to meet you, Mister Rhodes.” She then turns her whole body to William. “Nice to meet you too,” she says with a sincere smile. William studies her as they all take their seats.

Her dark brown hair is pulled back into a formal bun. It looks like that is her natural hair color. It is still in good condition. Her makeup is not too much, a more natural look. Her brown eyes are almost the same color as his. The blue dress shows off her wide hips and thin waist. She appears to be in good shape. Her nails are short and well-kept.

“So, how has business been these days?” John breaks the silence. Sebastian gestures for the servants to bring the wine and return to John.

“Ah, you know how unstable the economy is these days. Many clients are withdrawing most of their money from their portfolios. We have taken quite the knock in the last three months. But we manage what we can. How is the hotel business going? William doesn’t always inform me about everything that happens,” his father remarks while he watches the servant.

“I understand why. If I go into detail about everything that happens in the industry, we will be sitting here for quite a while,” John jokes. He takes a sip of the wine before he continues.

Lianna watches William from her peripheral without making it obvious. He is attractive. It does not make sense why he is still single at this age. His brown hair is longer on the top and short at the bottom. What do you call it again? A fade? He is clean-shaven and well-dressed. He looks like a typical business tycoon, only younger.

She darts her eyes toward him and catches him also inspecting her. It is to be expected that they would be studying each other. They might get married after all.

“No thank you,” Lianna declines the wine. The servant moves on to Rose.

“Do you not like red wine?” Rose tilts her head with a sly smile. Lianna smiles and slightly bows her head.

“No, I am not fond of it. But thank you,” she says with a polite smile. William watches as John gives Lianna a quick smile. He has to give it to her. Most give a pathetic excuse not to drink red wine if they do not like it. Lianna is the first to directly decline it.

“Are you more of a white wine person?” his mother continues. Lianna shakes her head.

“Oh no. I am not big on wine overall.” Lianna takes a sip of water from the glass on the table. She hates the taste of red wine. William is keeping his gaze on her and she tries to ignore him. There is something about his stare. She listens to her father and Sebastian talking about some golf events that occurred this weekend.

“William, I never got a chance to meet you in person when I was at the conference last week. Your father told me that you are also in the hotel industry. I was shocked to find out that you are the founder of the Luxury Care Hotel group.”

“I wanted to say that you seem familiar. You bought the land in Liverpool, right?”

“Yes. I found out later that you were the other bidder on the lands,” John says with a laugh. “Apologies about that. You know how things are.”

“It’s no problem. Business is business.” William smiles and holds his glass in the air. His mother follows his lead and everyone raises their glasses.

“Thank you for coming tonight. And to your future,” his mother says and they all clink their glasses together. Rose waves to a nearby servant and they take that as the signal to bring out the starters. Lianna sighs internally at the idea of a three-course meal. This is going to be a long dinner.

Lianna has to force the salmon down her throat and nearly throws up when she swallows the last piece. She gulps down the fish with the water. Why did she not just say she is allergic to seafood? Why is expensive food most of the time so revolting? She ignores the shudder that tries to escape.

“Lianna, you have been extremely quiet during dinner. Why don’t you tell us more about yourself?” Rose rests back in her chair with that thin smile of hers. Does that woman know how to smile? Lianna wishes she could say no thank you, but it would be rude. She sits straighter and wipes her mouth with the napkin.

“Certainly. What would you like to know?” Lianna’s eyes shift to William and he watches her intently. She averts her gaze back to Rose.

“Where did you study?”

“Ah, well it is not as impressive as Harvard Law School. I studied music at North Dakota State University and then education with psychology at Columbia University.”

“Did you not get into Harvard or Yale?” William mentally cringes at his mother. Lianna notices William closing his eyes. Ah, so he has one of those mothers.

“Yes, I did not get in. I was more laid back in high school.” Lianna tilts her head with a slight smile.

“Oh,” Rose remarks with disappointment. William admires Lianna’s bravery to be this honest. He appreciates that.

“Where is your mother?” There is a moment of uncomfortable silence and Lianna can feel the atmosphere tensing. She gives a knowing look to her dad and he tries to stop her, but she is too quick for him.

“In our backyard,” Lianna says bluntly. William chokes on his wine and John pinches the bridge of his nose. Rose looks uncomfortable, not knowing what to say. “Well, I mean she’s dead. We keep her ashes in the yard.” Lianna adds and bites back a laugh. She knows that if her mother were able, she would give her a high five right now. The servants have decided on their own to bring the dessert.

William keeps his eyes on Lianna. She is full of surprises, but something seems off about her. He cannot put his finger on it. Rose takes a bite of her dessert.

“What work do you do?” Sebastian asks Lianna.

“Well, there isn’t much you can do with a degree in music and teaching. You have to become a conductor in a famous orchestra or music group. Otherwise, you are forced to become a music teacher.” Rose laughs lightly at her joke.

William ignores his mother, analyzing Lianna’s eyes. She does not seem to be shaken by his mother. She has a genuine smile, and she nods in agreement.

“It’s true. I did not get chosen for anything important, so I became a teacher. And I work at a small school. So, honestly nothing as impressive as your son,” she says and looks at William. They lock eyes for a moment, a glint of mischief in her eyes. The corner of his mouth turns up, but it happens so fast that Lianna is not sure whether it happened or if it was her imagination.

Everyone finishes their dessert and William whispers something to one of the servants. The guy nods and heads into the house.

“Well, since we are at the end of the dinner, let us discuss what you came all the way here for,” William says with a formal tone. The servant returns and hands him a binder. “In this binder is a contract regarding the formalities and conditions of the marriage.”

“William,” his mother interrupts him. “We should at least talk about this. You cannot make such a big decision on your own.” William turns to his mother, but his father starts talking before he can.

“We chose the girl; he can decide whether he wants to give them the contract. Don’t overstep,” his father warns his mother.

Lianna frowns at the whole interaction between William and his parents. There are some deep-rooted issues between them. What happened to them for all of them to become so alienated? Why are all the rich families like this?

“As I was saying, here is the contract. You can read through it,” William says and hands the document over to John. He places the binder on the table and carefully opens it. He taps Lianna’s arm and she turns her eyes to the contract. She hates contracts, but she needs to know what she is getting herself into.

Blah, blah, formalities. Where is the stuff she has to do? Ah, there it is. She scans through the paragraph and stops a few times. William frowns when she closes her eyes. What is she doing?

Lianna does not have a whole month to get to know him. She needs to put down the deposit before the end of this month which is in two weeks. She will move in with him and live with his parents. She likes her apartment, but she knew she had to give it up once she got married.

“Hai! Why should I quit my job?” She tilts her head and lifts her eyebrows. She loves her job. She is not going to give it up like that. William prevents a sigh from escaping. They never want to quit their jobs. Probably because they do not want to seem “dependant” on a man.

He stands up and walks over to her, stopping behind her as he reads the same paragraph. She tilts her head back and looks up at him. He has a strong jawline, especially from this angle. He looks down at her. She looks cute from this angle.

“Why do you want to keep your job? You’ll get to stay at home and do whatever you like,” William says.

“I really would rather do that, but I have to at least finish this year with my students. I am very fond of the kids.” William thinks for a moment and pulls out a pen from his pocket. John gets up and sits down in William’s chair. Lianna looks at her father with a confused expression. Why did he-

“Thank you,” William says and sits down next to her. Oh, he needs to make changes to the contract. William takes the binder and draws a line through that sentence. “There. So you can keep working. Is there something else that you do not agree with?” He looks at Lianna. He waits for her to complain about moving in with his parent. They always complain about it. It is also the reason why the women will not sign the contract.

“Uhm, let me see.” She moves the binder slightly closer to her. “Do we need a whole month to get to know each other? I mean, whether it’s a month or a week, it doesn't matter. If I sign this contract we get married.” William follows her finger on the page. He turns his head to her. Is she so desperate to get married?

“Well, most people feel more comfortable first getting to know one another before marrying each other.” Lianna waves her hand with a soft laugh.

“I just need a week, then I will know everything I need to. Plus, you don’t have the crazy eyes.” William pauses and frowns at her. He shakes his head lightly.

She watches while William changes it to one week. His pen moves with ease and his hand is smooth. She can see he does not work with his hands. Her eyes move from his hand up his arm and she notices the veins. Now that is attractive. No, focus Lianna.

“When it says “my residence” does it mean where I currently live?” she asks and looks at her father. William would not mind staying with her and her father, but the contract says her residence. She is not sure whether he will find the apartment comfortable enough. William rubs his temples with a frown.

“Yes, your residence. Is there a problem?” The day’s work is throbbing in his head and exhaustion is seeping into his body. He does not have time for games. “Do you live on your own?”

“Objection, compound question,” Lianna jokes and chuckles at her joke. Her smile fades when she notices William’s expression. “No, there is not a problem. And yes, I do live alone.”

“Good. Is that all?” Lianna nods, and her father gives her a quick thumbs up. William signs next to the changes he made and holds the pen out to Lianna. She takes the pen from his hand and points to where she must sign.

Before Lianna knows it, she has signed the contract and they are standing in the driveway. She says her goodbyes and follows her dad into the car.

As they exit the driveway, she lets out a long yawn. Her dad laughs, but it also turns into a yawn.

“My cheeks are hurting. I forgot the constant forced smiling. Ow,” she says while rubbing her cheeks.

“It went surprisingly well. I am impressed that you remembered how to behave. And would you please stop with the whole “my mother is in our backyard” routine? It’s funny for us, but you are freaking the others out.” Lianna laughs, letting her head fall back against the headrest.

“Yes, Dad.” The radio plays in the background. Lianna turns her head so that she faces her dad. “What did you think of William?” Her dad purses his lips together, humming while he thinks for a bit. Lianna thinks back to his mother. “Already 18”. She shakes her head. The poor soul.

“He seems decent. He is just too quiet. I fear you might talk his ears off his head.” Lianna scoffs with a smile. He is indeed quiet. He only speaks when he has to, but she will see how he truly is when he comes to live with her for a week. “His mother seems off. She scared me. Weird woman.”

“Dad, you can’t-“ Lianna laughs too much and cannot finish her sentence. Her dad also laughs. “But she has a weird vibe. His father too. I cannot put my finger on it, but something is definitely off.” Her dad hums in agreement and turns the volume up. “Shivers” by Ed Sheeran plays and Lianna sings along with the song.

“Yeah, you got me singing like”

“Ooh, I love it when you do it like that”

“And when you’re close up”

“Give me the shivers”

This is going to be an interesting week.

William’s arms are resting behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling. His parents are yelling at each other downstairs about Lianna. His mother was expecting someone else. She is not impressed with Lianna. His father does not care about Lianna, only that it will be good for the business if they merge with the Evans family. He turns on his side and pulls the pillow over his ears. He closes his eyes and focuses on his breathing.

He will worry about Lianna tomorrow. He will be able to tell who she truly is once he moves in with her for the week. Something seemed wrong about her, but he does not know what. He knows she was pretending to be this polite and kind girl for his parents, but it is not who she truly is. Only time will reveal the truth.