Chosen To Be Married

Melissa’s Pov

When I advanced to the villa, I noticed my feet couldn’t carry me further. The splendor that hung across the mansion overwhelmed me so much that I deemed myself not worthy of being anywhere around it; not even its flowers and ornamental trees, which looked healthier than me.

I quickly distinguished myself from smearing the expensive environment by my poverty countenance.

Suddenly, I came to a halt once I caught sight of a uniformed band of security men, all well-suited with strong facial features, who asked me a thousand questions with their hostile faces and hefty chests.

My entire body vibrated as I folded my arms in anticipation of what they intended to do. Now they surged close to me.

One of them stared at me from head to toe, and must have perceived the wretchedness that encompassed around me; I perceived they were bored with seeing the scraggly faces of the poor hounding the villa all in the name of seeking the billionaire’s help.

Noticing one of the security prancing towards my direction, my nose wrinkled before I came to a halt, lowered my gaze and pressed my trembling hands in front of me.

“Who the hell are you? Did you miss your way?” he queried, and his face scowled irritatingly at me before his jaw clenched.

I believed my scraggly auburn hair, dried scaly feet, and torn off-the-shoulders dress must have turned him off. I couldn’t have looked better than that.

Thankful enough, he wasn’t very close to me, my body odor would have taught him a lesson, after repelling him.

I bowed my head, fondled my finger in shame and was mysteriously dumbfounded and bewildered.

 “Speak, you dirty looking thing!” another barked at me like a mad dog, almost at the top of his voice. He gave me a dirty look and almost forced words out of my mouth with those dark, brooding eyes of his that flashed at me.

I had flinched and trembled under his groaning and about returning to my sick mother.  Having contemplated inwardly that this was a lost course and not able to convince them with my timidity to see the reasons I was at the villa, I turned to take my leave.

While trudging away under the heaviness of my burden, I heard a still voice.

“Hold on, young girl!”

That was the next command that pierced into my heart. All eyes came upon Opula as she cat-walked down the staircase looking dashing and charismatic in her customized Italian gown, with piles of diamond bracelet round her neck and wrists. Flamboyance hung over her. Her hair was golden brown and long on her slender neck. She was towering and curvaceous, exactly like that of those kiss-it models I often saw on billboards in Rio Rondo. A party of maidens flanked around her

Her presence alone courted respect and affluence as I noticed the security bow to her.

 She stood, gawked at me from head to toe and shook her head in confirmation.

“Take this young girl to the chambers. Make her look beautiful and presentable before my father now,” she commanded the host of maidens that accompanied her.

“What is happening? What did she just say? Just like that! Did anybody tell her of my visit or what?” I queried inwardly.

What could happen to me?

Those words of hers seared my countenance that I thought I had committed a sacrilege by bringing my scruffy, wretched-looking self to the home of the richest billionaire in Rio Hondo.

But my thoughts were disappointed. The maidens advanced to me with smiling faces and decorum.

Salsa, who happened to be the chief maiden, directed me and led me away into the same villa. I was still lost. I wanted to ask the reason everyone was genuflecting and greeting me as I got into my chamber.

They made sure all of Opula’s words was carried out to the latter.

Not only was I given a warm bath, they took ample time to decorate me and adorn me in an exquisite Turkish grown that I might never afford in my time or in my generation yet to come.

“Please, what is happening? Why are you doing all this to me? I am not supposed to be here in the first place, let alone being handled as a princess.” I nagged with caution while they invested their time in peeling off the poverty on my body.

Nobody gave an answer. All they did was smile and keep to their duty.

I wanted to protest yet further, but their smiles made me look stupid. I was radically beautiful as well, when I appeared before the mirror.

I was led away into the largest, most decorated mainstream sitting room I have ever seen.

Everything that hovered around my eyes was gold and diamond. I perceived I was in the major sitting room.

In less than a few minutes, a handsome, white-bearded, luxuriously dressed man in his late forties walked in, flanked by gorgeous-looking ladies, including Opula.

I perceived the man was Fanny Luis and the ladies were his daughters.

All the maidens and security genuflected and greeted them duly.

I bowed my face in shyness and lost in what was about to take place.

“Isn’t she beautiful, father?” Opula queried and turned her gaze to the man.

It was then I knew I was standing before the famous billionaire in Rio Hondo, Fanny Luis himself.

I stood star-struck, frozen within myself as he walked around and admired me, inspecting me from head to toe and nodding gratefully.

“She is superbly beautiful for your brother. Where did you find this damsel, daughter?” Fanny groaned, smiling cheek to cheek.

Opula smiled hugely, “I told you never to worry that I would find the perfect wife for Brian.”

At the mention of that, I raised my head, dragged a furrowed brow across my face and scowled.

Wife? What are they saying? And who is Brian? Am I about to be arranged as a wife to someone? And come to think of it, so all that happened to me was coming from prior preparation to betroth me to someone. What is happening, and who is this Brian?

I wondered within me, and smacked my lips nervously…