When I informed him that he was the main reason I left my primary residence, Lee was adamant to go back to the mansion. He even called my father first, and as a result, several men in their tuxedos waited outside the bungalow. I was so furious at Lee for meddling in, and I refused to talk to him while we travelled back home.
Upon our arrival, I immediately saw my aunt, who was more than happy to see me again. It was less than twenty-four hours, but her facial reaction told me that it was wrong to leave her alone.
“Aunt,” I greeted her with a smile before letting her embrace me tightly.
“I missed you, pumpkin.”
“Aren’t you overreacting? It’s less than a day!” I complained to her because I was only gone for less than a day, yet she made me feel guilty. “Where’s my father?”
“He went to the resort,” she replied.
“Busy as always, isn’t he?”
“Just let him do his things, Selena. Have you had your dinner? Should I prepare the table? I am sure that both of you are hungry,” she stated.
“I had pizza,” I informed her.
“Pizza? Are you planning to gain some weight? Your wedding is a few months from now!”
“The darn wedding! Aunt, can you help evade the fixed marriage? I don’t want to get married!”
“Do you want to become like me? An old maid? A spinster?”
“Of course not! I want to marry for love!” I shared with her about my ideal man, and she just laughed at me.
“Marriage is a partnership, dear, and you know how the partnership works. It will be a success once the partners have the same vision and ideals, remember?”
“I will try to find a man who has similar visions and ideals as mine,” I told her.
“I don’t think you have the same vision and ideals with Lee,” she replied.
For a moment, I stared at the woman who helped my father raise me, and the way she looked at me, it seemed like she knew everything! It appeared like she knew what was going on inside my head. “Lee? Why is Lee included in our conversation, Aunt?”
“Because you have feelings for him,” she announced.
“Me? No! Of course not! Where did you get such a notion? It’s never happening!” I strongly disagreed with her views, but she refused to believe me. “I don’t feel anything for Lee,” I lied again.
“The eyes can never lie, Selena.”
“Infatuated maybe, but that’s all,” I continued to deny my feelings for Lee.
“Really? Well, if that’s the case, let’s expedite your wedding, dear.”
“I don’t want to get married,” she continued to refuse.
“Do you have a say on that matter? You know how our family works. You are aware that arranged marriages are common, and everybody’s doing it!”
“Fine! If it is the case, then please inform my father that I want my spouse to be someone from Salcedo Group!” My request shocked my aunt, but it’s the only way they could force me to wed someone they arranged for me.
“I’ll pass your message to my brother, but on the other hand, why don’t you follow him to the resort now? I heard he’s going to China soon.”
I clenched my fist upon hearing it from my aunt. My father has always been busy, and he has limited time with me. I grew up with just a nanny and my aunt! He had no idea how much I wanted to cuddle when I felt down or how much I wanted to be pampered while sick! My aunt was kind enough to live with me, but her compassion has limitations, and I knew it was probably because of her upbringing.
“When is he leaving for China?”
“As soon as possible,” he replied.
“Business as always,” I whispered, my disappointment. Since the beginning, he prioritized his business over me and considered me as his best commodity to be traded off to the highest bidder. He loved the money and the power it could provide, but I wanted something else.
About thirty minutes later, I was greeted with the fresh scent coming from the ocean and some beachgoers’ joyful waves of laughter. I noticed a woman alone from a distance, and I presumed it would be nice to have company. As I made my way closer to the woman, I discovered that she was wiping away the tears from her cheeks, then I saw my father walking alone on the beach. He was so lost in his thoughts that he never noticed me. When I looked in Lee’s direction, who was on standby near me, he just shrugged off his shoulders.
Slowly, I followed my father’s tracks until he stopped walking near a large rock. Then he looked up the sky and focused on a starry night for a few minutes. From a distance, I wondered what was going on inside his head.
“Daddy,” I called him, and he was shocked to see me walking towards him.
“Selena! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be resting at this time of the evening!”
“We need to talk. I need to talk to you,” I told him in a slightly quivering voice. His presence was so strong that I couldn’t bear to look at him in the eyes.
He checked his wristwatch and said, “It’s already late. Can we postpone this conversation some other time?”
“No!” I refused to give in to his demand to move our conversation some other time. “We have to talk right now, Dad,” I insisted.
“About what? If this is about your marriage, it’s non-negotiable!”
I was shocked when he yelled at me and looked around to check if other people heard us. Luckily, it was just Lee who heard him screaming at me. “Who am I getting married to? The wedding is in three months, but until now, I have no idea which is my future husband.”
“There’s no need for you to know, Selena. All you have to do is shop for your wedding dress and show up in the venue. My staff will take care of everything,” he stated.
“That’s bullshit!” I screamed at him too!
“Did you just scream at me?” He couldn’t believe I could do that, and for a moment, he stared at me in disbelief.
“There will be no wedding unless it’s someone from the Salcedo Group. Take it or leave it,” I bargained with him. He could be friends with the Salcedo, but I knew that men from the Salcedo Group weren’t old-fashioned, and they always married the woman they loved. When he muttered several curses, I was tempted to laugh.
“You are marrying into their family,” he declared, and his announcement scared the shit out of me.