Chapter 0005

Jonathan kept lingering in Zoey's mind—his mention of their one-night stand constantly replaying in her head. He acknowledged it but also used it as a threat to force her into marrying him.

"But why does Jonathan suddenly want to marry me? There must be something else. It can't be that he likes me. Ugh, he can't even stand looking at me unless Hayden or one of our cousins is around, and only then does he talk to me," Zoey muttered quietly, talking to herself in her room.

It was humiliating! Zoey had actually fainted, for real! Being too close and too intimate with Jonathan, she had held her breath, her head suddenly feeling light, and then everything went dark, ending with her passing out.

When she woke up, she was already in her room and immediately scolded by Hayden for troubling Jonathan. Luckily, her mom and dad had come home, so Zoey could hide behind them from her brother's fury.

Click.

The door to Zoey's room opened suddenly, revealing her brother, Hayden, with an annoyed and sour expression. He was probably still mad at Zoey.

"Dad is calling you," Hayden said curtly, looking at his sister with a flat expression before turning to leave. "Hurry!"

"Alright." Zoey sighed, turning off her laptop and quickly getting up. She had been busy working on a new concept and menu for her café. Though, in truth, her mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of Jonathan.

With quick steps, Zoey went to see her father. She entered his office, where her mother was also present.

Her parents, Kenneth and Maria, were waiting. Her father had a twin sister named Kendra, but Kenneth and his twin sister bore little resemblance to each other.

Kendra, her aunt, had married Jonathan's uncle, Alfred Barron, which was why Zoey and Jonathan were still considered cousins, although not related by blood at all.

Kenneth and Jonathan's father, Gabriel Roberts, were very close, almost like best friends since their youth. This bond further strengthened the relationship between the Phillips family and the legendary Roberts family.

"What did you need me for, Dad?" Zoey asked after entering the office, sitting in front of her father, who was holding what looked like two wedding invitations.

'Probably just invitations for the company's anniversary,' Zoey thought, staying optimistic as she glanced at the invitations in her father's hand.

"Have you seen Jonathan?"

"Yes, Dad," Zoey answered, scratching her cheek before glancing at her mom, wondering why her father was bringing up Jonathan.

But Maria simply shrugged.

"So, next week or the week after?"

"Huh? Next week for what?" Zoey asked, increasingly confused. Were her parents going on another business trip? Would she be left alone with her temperamental brother again?

Kenneth looked up at his daughter, pushing the sample invitations toward her. "Your wedding with Jonathan."

"What?!" Zoey gasped, her face turning pale and her body stiffening. 'Marry Jonathan? Hell no!'

"Why are you so shocked? Didn't Jonathan tell you that you two were getting married?"

"No. And I refuse." Zoey shook her head firmly. "Jonathan and I are cousins, and there's a seven-year age gap between us. Besides, I already have a boyfriend, and he's planning to propose."

Kenneth's face grew cold as he looked at his daughter with a warning expression. "Everything is already set, Zoey. You can't refuse this marriage."

"Yes, darling. Jonathan came back to the country specifically to marry you. So, you really have no choice; you have to marry him," Maria added, leaving Zoey feeling both grim and disheartened.

"But why so suddenly, Mom? And don't you both remember that we are cousins? We're close, like a real family, so we can't get married. I-I already have a boyfriend, and he's going to propose to me next week. And I'm sure Jonathan already has a girlfriend in Paris. So I have reasons to refuse this marriage," Zoey protested, rejecting the idea of marrying Jonathan.

She had a boyfriend who loved her, and that was enough reason for Zoey to refuse the marriage with Jonathan.

As the saying goes, it's better to be with someone who loves you than with someone you love. Learning to love someone may not be easy, but trying to make someone you love reciprocate can be deeply painful.

Zoey didn't want to go through that! Especially since Jonathan had been a nightmare to her. His threats and intimidation over the years made her dread the idea of being married to him. Besides, didn't Jonathan already have a girlfriend?!

"What are you saying, dear?!" Kenneth sighed slowly, rubbing his forehead before running his hand roughly over his face. "I begged Gabriel to have his son marry my daughter, asking him to convince Jonathan to agree to the marriage. I swallowed my pride for you!"

Zoey pulled a face, feeling uncomfortable and struck by her father's words. "Why would you do that?"

"For you!" Kenneth snapped, raising his voice without realizing it, his frustration boiling over at his daughter's attitude. He had gone through all of this to grant his daughter's earlier wishes. "I did it because you kept asking for it. Every birthday, you refused gifts from me, instead pushing me to arrange a marriage with Jonathan. And if I didn't agree, you would go on hunger strikes and refuse to speak to me! And now that I've granted your wish…"

"But that was when I was seventeen, eighteen, and even at twenty, Dad. After that, I never asked you to match me with Jonathan again. I was just a kid back then! I was impulsive and obsessed with one thing without thinking about the consequences. I'm an adult now, and I don't want to be forced into a marriage with Jonathan. I have my own choices now!" Zoey protested again, unwilling to be paired with Jonathan.

And now she understood why Jonathan had suddenly agreed to marry her. It was all because of her father's request and plea.

Kenneth cut in quickly. "I love you so much that I humbled myself and begged Gabriel to accept you into their family. And this is how you repay me?!"

"T-that's not—" Zoey began, but Kenneth interrupted her.

"There were many others who offered their daughters to marry Jonathan, and I competed with all of them. I always believed that my daughter was better than any of them, that you were more worthy of standing by Jonathan's side. Of all the marriage proposals that came for Jonathan, Gabriel chose you to be his son's wife.

"Do you know who Jonathan is and how important he is to the Roberts family? He's the main heir, continuing to manage the family's business in Paris—he's the leader of EliteQuality Electronics. Gabriel wouldn't just allow any woman to marry his son. He's selective! And Gabriel trusted you to be Jonathan's partner; he chose you. Whether it's because of my plea or not, you're the one he chose. Please don't destroy his expectations of you, and don't make me lose face in front of him."

Zoey sat frozen and silent. Her eyes reddened, stinging with tears after she heard her father's lengthy explanation. She felt as if her heart had been stabbed, realizing she had become a burden to her father.

Her father had begged for her to become Jonathan's wife. And on top of that, her uncle Gabriel had trusted her to marry Jonathan.

What now? After hearing that Jonathan was the heir to the Roberts family, Zoey felt even more unworthy. But her father had already done so much to make sure she could marry Jonathan. He had even begged for it.

'I'm the most ungrateful and selfish daughter. My past desires have made my father humble himself to that family. I'm so thoughtless,' Zoey thought to herself, unable to speak and only crying, her head hung low.

"Let me handle this, dear. I'll talk to our daughter. Maybe she'll listen to me as a friend," Maria said gently, trying to soothe her husband, who was pushing their daughter too hard. Poor Zoey! She was already crying, her head bowed, unable to look her father in the eye.

"Hmph." Kenneth huffed in frustration, standing up and leaving the room.

"Daddy has done everything so you could marry the man of your dreams, dear," Maria said softly, approaching Zoey and hugging her while stroking her hair. "Your daddy loves you so much! He even begged Aunt Kendra, Uncle Alfred, Uncle Gabriel, Aunt Sophie, Aunt Lucy, and Uncle Roger, all so you could marry the man you've always dreamed of. And now, you've hurt him."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Zoey whispered, her voice small. "I-I was wrong."

'You all only know that I used to love Jonathan. But you don't know that now I'm terrified of him. I'm even afraid to look him in the eye. And now I have to marry the man I fear? This is a nightmare.'

"Daddy thought you'd be happy when you found out you'd marry Jonathan. Instead, your reaction is like this, and now you tell us you have a boyfriend. That only hurt him more, sweetheart." Maria said while holding her daughter's hands.

Zoey shook her head. "I didn't mean to hurt him, Mom. I regret going against him. I'm sorry..."

"I'll talk to Jonathan tomorrow and sort this out," Zoey said through her sobs, still crying.

"Alright, sweetheart." Maria nodded, continuing to stroke Zoey's hair.