1

“You’re getting married.” My father says, crossing his arms in his large office chair.

The words hit me like a truck. Married? I have never dated anyone, much less talk to anyone in that kind of way, and my father wants me to marry someone I have never met? No, absolutely not. That’s not how I want this to go.

“No,” I say breathlessly as I stand up from my spot on the small couch within the office, “I’m not going to get married. Carson, tell him I’m not getting married.”

I look at my brother, Carson, for some kind, any kind, of help but he looks at me with a frown on his face. He says nothing and I am forced to look at my father again who is still sat with crossed arms. The looks on both of their faces tells me that I, unfortunately, do not have a say in this matter.

“Oh my god,” I start, backing up, “You cannot be serious. This is a dream. I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear you say that and I will see you at dinner.”

I leave the office without another word, my anger flaring up with each stride I took to leave the penthouse. I take deep breaths with each stride, trying to calm myself down. I am not getting married. There is no way I will let this happen. This is not how it’s supposed to go. I enter the foyer and am greeted with a few women with large smiles on their faces.

“Oh!” One of them takes sight of me, “You must be Violet! Your hair is just gorgeous. How would you like it styled for the wedding?”

Another chimes in with, “And are you thinking bold or natural make up?”

“How about decorations? What colors would you like to incorporate?”

I quicken my pace as I ignore them and I am in the elevator before any of them have a chance to even see my grimace. I have never wanted to run away from anything before but just knowing that this is being entertained by so many people makes me want to run far, far, away. I make my way to the lobby of the building and see that about half a dozen reporters were standing outside the glass front doors. 

I look past them and see my destination, the cafe I work at. If there is one thing I can’t stand in this world, it’s the paparazzi. I look around the lobby and see a side door leading to an alley. I smile and quickly go through the door, making sure to hide my face as I cross the street to not alert anyone. 

Once inside the cafe, I finally breath a sigh of relief and put on my apron. I’m early, which I don’t mind as I like the silence that comes with it. I start making fresh pots of coffee and make sure that the sections have been done for the day. A few customers come in during my time alone but it’s nothing I can’t handle, in fact, I love this job. It makes me feel like I’m not the daughter of a CEO. It makes me feel like a regular person.

“Violet, you’re here early huh? Thanks for holding down the fort.” My boss’ voice comes from behind me.

I turn an smile, “Of course, Teresa. You know how much I love this place.”

Teresa smiles and gives my head a gentle pat before she goes into the office. Other coworkers file in and I find myself with three other girls serving with me.

“So Violet,” One of them, Maria, leans over the counter with a curious gleam in her eyes, “Is it true that you’re getting married?”

The smile falls from my face and that seems to give her the answer she needs.

“Come on now, can’t be that bad.” Another one of my coworkers, Faith, says.

“Yeah, “ The third, Giselle, chimes in, “You’re marrying Anthony Daniels. I’d kill to be in your shoes.”

“You wanna trade?” I chuckle.

Anthony Daniels. The name sounds familiar but I really have no idea who he is. My family may be from the corporate and business world but I have no interest in it in the slightest. 

“Violet, seriously, you have no idea how lucky you are. Anthony swore off marriage when he was a teen. Don’t you think it must be fate that he has finally decided to settle down with you?” Maria says, taking a towel and wiping off the counter as a guest leaves.

“He swore off marriage?” I say, slightly intrigued.

“At the age of nineteen,” Faith starts, reading off some article from her phone, “Anthony Davis Daniels publicly stated that he will never marry. He stated that he finds no use for a marriage and that he likes the solitude of being alone. Man, this guy sounds like a bummer. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I will not get married. I will make sure of that.” I say, my focus shifting on preventing myself from getting married.

I am a very romantic person, marrying someone I have never met is not the kind of person I want to be. I want to fall in love at first sight, stay up late and watch movies or talk and laugh the night away. I want to go on dates, I want to get flowers, I want to have a kiss before I walk through my front door. And now, I…I won’t get to have any of that. I start looking at the door, waiting for someone handsome to take me away from this reality.

“-let. Violet!” Teresa waves a hand in my face.

“Huh? What?” I ask, shaking my head free from my daydreams.

“You’re cut for the day. You can go home.” Teresa says, taking the plates from my arms.

“What? Can’t I stay just a little bit longer?” I plead.

“Violet, I love you but it’s slow. You and Maria are the first to go. I’ll see you in a few days. Don’t fret about this marriage thing, any guy would be lucky to have you” Teresa says, giving me a tight side hug before walking away.

I watch as she smiles at the dishwasher, hearing her say that he is doing a great job and I feel myself start to get jealous. Teresa is the owner of the cafe and knows how to do good business. She treats her employees right and doesn’t act like a snob with the money she makes. She inspires me to make my own business. Maybe I could own my own cafe. I turn away and my smile falls, seeing that the paparazzi was still situated in front of the building even after the sun went down.

I sneak inside the same way I did when coming out, through one of the side doors. I felt the dread in my chest rise with each passing floor from the elevator, not wanting to deal with anything my father or any of the women I saw earlier have to say. The elevator opens and I see my father waiting, his eyes lighting up when he sees me. I, however, roll mine and try to side step my way around but is caught by the arm, his grip firm but not hurtful. 

“Violet, you know you cannot run away from this.” He warns.

“I will continue to run, even when I am married,” I say, turning toward him, “I do not want to marry this person, this man that I haven’t even caught a glimpse of. I don’t even know what he looks like. I don’t know what his voice sounds like. How will I know if he is a good person?” 

My father’s expression turns to sadness and he pulls me into an embrace, a muffled apology was said into my hair. I felt like crying. It felt like my entire future was planned out before me and I have no way of changing even the tiniest of details.

“Uhm,” My father pulls away slightly, “Since you weren’t here, I took the liberty of choosing the colors and decorations for your wedding. All you need to do is find a dress.”

I sigh and allow myself to be pulled into another room where a few women were waiting. They all have smiles on their faces but I can see the annoyance behind their eyes, waiting for most of the day for a stubborn girl isn’t something to be happy about.

“Miss Harris, what kind of dress do you like?” One of the girls asks, her hands hovering between two trunks.

“Oh, uhm, I’m not sure,” I start, looking at the many different trunks in the room, “Maybe a mermaid or an A line?”

The same girl nods and opens the trunk on her left, bundles of lace and silk spilling out of it. Before I could really react, my clothes were replaced with a dress, the white linen trailing behind me. A mirror was put before me and my breathing temporarily stopped, the person staring back at me looking more beautiful than I could imagine.

“The fit is definitely a mermaid. We are going to tighten the corset, please breath in and hold.” Another one of the ladies says, taking the ribbons on my back in her hands.

“Oh my goodness,” A third woman chimes in once the viel and jewelry is added, “You look stunning. Anthony won’t know what hit him.”

The words make me blush and I can’t help but feel emotional, the dress really making the whole ordeal real.

“It is beautiful.” I say, turning slightly to see my figure from the side.

“Do you like it, Miss Harris? We need to make a decision in order to perform any alterations.” One of the ladies takes my hands in hers, smiling up at me.

“I love it. But what’s the rush? It’s okay if the alterations take a few days.” I say, giving her a confused look.

“Miss Harris, do you not know?” She asks, looking at the other ladies in the room as if asking for help.

“Know what?” I ask, straightening up.

“Miss Harris,” Another one of the ladies places her hand on my back, “Your wedding is tomorrow.”