After Darian left the house with his chauffeur, Lena went to get her father new drugs from her money.
It was already late when she returned home. She gave the drugs to him and sat down when he was done taking his prescribed dosage.She coughed out to attract his attention. Glancing at her father, she placed her hands on her chin. "Dad, who was that man?" She was ready to talk about it now. "And what was that whole nonsense he was spewing? I didn't understand anything. Could you please explain this to me? Properly this time." She demanded, swabbing her feet on the floor.Her father heaved a long sigh. Shaking his head in pity, he stared at his daughter."He's Darian Dawson, the CEO of Darian's Holdings. He doesn't reverse his decisions, he speaks once, he's dreadful, and no one dares go against his will," Gavin replied to his daughter in a reserved tone. "How did you get involved with him, dad?" She continued with her questions.He heaved a weary sigh, folding his arms together; he rested his back on the couch and shook his head in regret."I met him years ago," He began, "You were in school, and your mother just passed away; I got fired from work, and it was all hard for me. I took to drinking when I met some men. They were bad associates, but I felt like I needed them then. We would go to the club every night and gamble, and that was where I met Darian for the first time," he told his daughter. Pausing for a brief moment, he continued. "He was young and vibrant, and I envied him so much. Days after meeting him, my friends approached me and told me about a business I could involve in that would fetch me some money." He sighed again and sipped in some water from the can. "They told me I needed huge money to start the business and eventually cajoled me into lending some money from Darian because he was a regular at the club where we gambled."Lena stared at her father surprisingly —she had no idea her father was into that shady stuff. When she lost her mother while in the uni, she had proposed the idea of coming back home to stay with him in Geneva, but he had opposed it and told her he was doing okay; she had no idea he was moving with bad friends."What happened after that?" She asked impatience laced in her soft voice."I approached him, and he challenged me to a pool game. I won, and he said he would lend the money to me, which he did.""So, what did you do with the money?" She asked him again. "And how much was it?""A huge amount, a Hundred thousand dollars." He said, and Lena almost screamed; that was huge!"That big money? What happened to it?""I gambled with some, and when it was time for me to invest, I didn't find my friends anymore. They left with all the money, leaving me in debt.""Oh shit! Dad, how could you be so gullible to let anyone do that to you?" She was disappointed. "Yes, I was foolish. I agree, but the situation at hand now is that. . ." He paused again. "I need to pay back his money. He would make sure he throws me in jail if I don't." He panicked as he thought of ways to solve the payment, but nothing popped into his head."What do you plan to do, dad?" Lena inquired of her father."I don't know of anything, I have no money with me, and the only way is..." He stared at her, and she quickly abated his glance as it reached her. "Please, Lena, you have to do this for me." He begged her, "I'm weak, and going to jail would worsen things. He's a vicious man. He would render you homeless, throw me in jail and take everything from you. Please, consider all of this and help me."She glared at him in confusion. She understood what he meant but feigned not to. "Dad, I don't understand what you want me to do here. Do you want me to work for him?" She queried."He gave us conditions, Lena. He gave us conditions, you either become his wife, or I pay my debt." He bowed his head and rubbed his temples, closing his eyes, he felt a sharp pain hit his chest; he breathed hard and opened those eyes again, boring into his daughter's."You want me to get married to him?" She asked surprisingly."That's the only way to save me from this, Lena," Gavin stared apologetically at his daughter.Lena stood up and turned her back to her father; she shook her head in disagreement, walking steps away from him.
"How can you, dad?" She frowned, "How can you tell me to go marry a man I barely know?" She was disappointed. "I saw him for the first time today and..." He held her shoulders, rubbing them gently; her heart softened, and she stopped speaking."I regret this mistake, depression led to all of these, and I'm so sorry. Please, Lena, save me, and the family, and you won't even have to be with him for long." He told her, letting go of her, he sat back on the couch."How is that possible?" She sat on the couch and glared at her father; she was mad at him. "How do you plan to repay him a whole sum of a hundred thousand dollars?" She was interested in the magic he wanted to perform to bring out the money."When you become his wife, you will have access to lots of things, and within a short period, we will get the money and pay him back, and then, you can file for a divorce." Lena shook her head and was disgusted with her father's point.She wondered when he started to build up those ideas and how he even managed to get himself into that mess."And you think he would be foolish to let me get such an amount?" She scoffed. "Father, I can't do this. I'm sorry." She bluntly refused."Then, do you want to watch me die?" He held her hands and stroked her fingers. "Darian is merciless, he has strong connections, and he's even involved with the..." He paused and didn't talk further. "Maybe it's time to go join your mother in heaven." He relaxed on the couch, letting his thoughts completely control his mind.Lena gazed at her father; she had adored him since she was little. He loved her so much and cared for her. Growing up as a child, he made sure he gave her all that she needed, and ever since her mother died, he had been the only one for her. She didn't want to watch him suffer when she could easily help him but getting married to a stranger was never part of the plan, she closed her eyes, and tears dripped down her cheeks. She had plans, great plans for her life, with her best friend, not this.She wished she could turn back the hands of the clock and do some things right, her father had made a lifetime mistake, and now it would even cost her her own life. Lena was not ready for marriage —not to a stranger, but then, she had to save her father and herself."Lena?" Gavin called her again, she looked at him pitifully, and he was close to tears. She knew she couldn't watch him go to jail and die there; she would do it."I will marry him." She agreed to do it."You will?" There was a mixture of little excitement and more sadness on his face, it wasn't his joy to give his daughter away, but sometimes, when life hits hard, we have to move with the train."Yes, for you, father, for you." She sobbed, and he pulled her into an embrace. She cried slowly."I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He apologized and hoped that she would be able to forgive him someday.~~
Lena returned to her tiny room, flopping on the bed. She thought of everything and wasn't sure she wanted to do it, but she had already told her father that she would.When she was little, she planned to marry when she was twenty-four, and she was just a year before that. She sighed and rested on the teddy bear she got as a birthday present from Lisa, her best friend.Life is not fair. She thought as she reminisced about everything that had happened so far. All her life, she'd never had a boyfriend, never loved a man, and now, she wasn't just going to love a man, she was getting married to a stranger.She wondered how people could be crazy to make such decisions; she was thankful he had never been married, but that didn't settle it. She didn't plan to marry someone she didn't know.She stretched her hand to pick up her phone, and she swiped on the screen. She dialled Lisa's number and placed the call in her ear, waiting patiently for her to pick up."Hey, baby!" Lisa's voice rang loudly in her eardrums. She sighed, wishing Lisa could stop yelling whenever they were on a call."Lisa, I'm getting married." She broke the news sadly to her."Married?" Lisa laughed for a few seconds and stopped, "To who?" She laughed again. "What the hell! Are you daydreaming?" She asked, "And stop this joke. I'm not in the best mood for this." She warned Lena."I'm dead serious! My dad wants me to get married to settle his debts!" She knew it was a shameful thing to say, but she and Lisa had gone past that stage; she was her best friend and more like a sister to her. She knew everything about her, and there was no point hiding things from her."Oh my gosh! That's terrible!" Lisa screeched. "Who is he?" She asked again."He's Darian Dawson, CEO of Darian's Holdings," she replied in a faint voice."Oh my gosh, oh my Gosh! Are you kidding me now?" Lisa squealed."I'm serious. Do you know him?" "Of course I do! That hot man? Oh my gosh, you need to see his body. He's so hot and devilishly handsome! Oh my God! That's a big catch." She knew it, Lisa knew him—Lisa was an avid reader of celebrity news and was sure she had read everything about Darian's life."Have you read about him too? What are his good and bad sides?""Oh my God! I don't know what to feel!" Lisa giggled over the phone."I don't know either, I saw him, and he doesn't even look nice; I didn't plan to get married this way. The plan was to work hard and get married at twenty-four, and now, I'm even jobless, I have no savings, I'm just twenty-three, and dad wants me to save him by getting married to this stranger. I do want to cry out; I'm unhappy about it." She sobbed and was about to cry again, "I'm sad!""Hey, calm down, okay? Just be positive about him." She told Lena."Positive about someone I barely know? How will I live with a stranger for the rest of my life? I can't handle this. I don't think I can do it." She said to her."Lena, you will be fine. You can't go back on your decision now. You have to save your father from going to jail, or do you want him to be in jail while you live your life?""I don't. But it's so hard to do, so difficult, and why does it have to be me?""It will get better, I'm always here for you, and I've got your back anytime and any day. Don't worry too much about it, be positive!" Lisa told her again, and they ended the call.Lena closed her eyes, dropping onto the bed. That was it, she was going to marry Darian Dawson, she couldn't back out now, she had to save her father.
The day was finally here. Lena and Lisa sat in her room while the makeup artist did the last touches on Lena's face, giving herself a satisfactory smile. She turned to Lisa and said, "Done, ma'am!" Then she started to pack her things into the makeup box."I don't think this is necessary," Lena told Lisa. She had rejected the makeup offer when Lisa suggested it to her, but Lisa didn't have it. She went ahead to bring the artist."It is, you look so pretty, and I'm sure he would go crazy once he sets his eyes on you today." Lisa giggled, standing from where she was seated. She strode over to where Lena was sitting and cradled her already-styled hair."I don't want to do this." Lena just realized that after the wedding today, she won't be coming back to her father's house. She was so scared it could be a bad one. "I'm so nervous. I don't want to live with a man I don't know.""This is the crossroad, Lena. We can't go back anymore. We either take a cross, or we stop at a standstill." Lisa
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a gigantic building, the driver honked, and someone came out. Lena didn't know how but she was sure no one had pulled the gate open; it did itself.She smiled, but the smile quickly faded when she remembered Darian was sitting close to her.They got out of the car, and he let out a smug smile."Welcome to my house!" He voiced out, walking into the house without her.Lena was outraged. She had expected him to be nice to her since they had just gotten married.She looked around the big building and almost lost her way. She'd never seen a house that big all her life. The painting was a mixture of white and cream colour, there was an orchard with different kinds of flowers in it, a big garage with over ten cars, and a few tiny houses made part of the big building.She was stunned as she walked towards the entrance and surveyed the building. She loved it already; it was typical of her dream house.She was welcome into the house by the gateke
After Lena wore the clothes Tina gave her, she went back to the bedroom and positioned herself on the edge of the king's sized bed. She expected a large room with different fixtures in it and so it was.She realized she hadn't eaten, she rubbed her rumbling tummy and made for the kitchen, she remembered it wasn't her house, she went to the living room instead and waited for Tina to show up again.When she did, she requested food and in no time, Tina set the dining table and invited her over."Thank you, Tina." She smiled and went to sit, she looked around but didn't feel the presence of Darian, she wondered where he could be.She set the food well and started to devour it gently. She was some minutes into eating when her phone started to ring —a call from her father but she didn't pick up, she stared at the phone while it rang. After the call ended, there were two more attempts from her father before Lisa placed a call to her.She picked up Lisa's call, pressed the phone to her ear, a
6. A SIT-DOWNLena woke up to the morning sun glistening into her through the window blinds. She quickly shut her eyes at once to deter the sun from reaching them.She whined and remembered she wasn't in her father's house anymore, she groaned and yanked the blanket Tina gave to her the previous night, off her body.She let out a soft yawn, looking around the living room to feel someone's presence. Then, she remembered Tina told her she would leave very early. She must have slept for too long, she stood up and thought of where to go, her clothes were in the room she shared with Darian, she didn't want to see him that morning but she didn't have a choice.She huffed an annoying sigh, got off the couch, and walked toward the room, the door was left open, and she figured he wasn't naked again.She walked into the room but didn't find him, she heaved a sigh of relief and crouched down on the bed, she was still surveying the features of the room when she heard footsteps approaching her, s
7. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?Darian donned a white shirt, a pair of blue trousers, and a black suit jacket. He stood by the mirror side and checked himself. When he was satisfied with his look, he turned back to Lena who was still struggling with finding a decent dress to put on.She was ferreting the closet but she didn't like any of the clothes in there, she hadn't checked them until now, a small scowl marred her face as she rummaged through the closet. 'Why would Darian get her such indecent clothes?' She hissed inwardly, she was not used to exposing her body, and she won't start that now."Haven't you figured out what to wear?" His cold voice propelled quakes to her insides, but she didn't respond to him. She continued the search and got hold of a blue dress that looked longer and covered more parts of her body. She picked it up and heaved a sigh of relief. She dropped it on the bed, standing by the bedside, she looked at him, expecting him to excuse her while she dressed up. "What's t
8. MEETING THE FAMILYThe car pulled up in Dawson's mansion, and Lena's heartbeat intensified —this was the first time she would be meeting with someone from Darian's family, she hoped she would be treated nicely, and nothing like how Darian regaled her.As expected, it was a big mansion with lots of compartments. The outside was painted white and cream, and there was an orchard that beautified the house. Lena sighed, the Dawson family had a thing for flowers, it was evident from how they planted flowers all around the house.Darian pulled up in the garage that contained about ten more luxurious cars, 'They must be wealthy.' Lena thought as she got out of the car, Darian hurried to her side, and helped her out, he placed his hand on her lower back and walked her into the house.The guards welcomed Darian and Lena and accompanied them into the vast living room, as Lena stepped in with Darian, she tried to conceal her nervousness, she checked out the living room, and her jaw dropped, Da
Darian drove out of the garage, and hit the busy road, Lena stared out through the rearview mirror, the tiled road caught her attention, she wanted to talk to her husband but didn't know how to start. His eyes were on the road, and he didn't seem like he wanted to have a conversation with her. She wasn't sure how long she could keep up if he continued to have the cold and emotionless expression on his face.She sighed and was forced to speak out, "I didn't know you are a member of a mafia," she let out, "I have read about them in books but never really had an encounter with one. What do you do in your Mafia?" She asked, patiently waiting for a response.He tightened his hand on the steering wheel, and the car moved at an even higher speed, Lena mashed her lips together and wondered if she had done the wrong thing by asking him that question, but either way, she needed to know, he was her husband and she had to know some things about him."We kill people who don't mind their business,"
Darian crouched down tiredly on his mahogany brown office chair, cradling his head with his hand as he thought of Lena. A smile found its way to his lips; he waved off the thoughts and receded to the file on his table.He had heaps of them to deal with, and it was getting too much for him already. He had been away from the office due to the wedding and introduction stuff; he just had to deal with the files before they became too much for him.A knock at the door caught his attention; knowing who it would be, he gave the order for his secretary to come in.A young lady walked into the vast office. She wore a brown dress that revealed most of her back and stopped far below her knees; she had a yellow blazer hung over her shoulders. She was tall and had white skin that glowed with so much grace, she had long legs she probably liked to reveal. "Hi, Darian," her heels rattled on the tiled floor as she walked toward him. She dropped the files in her hand on the table."It's been a while."