Chapter 4 - The marriage proposal

By Hector Marques

days later

"It seems the romance between Heitor Marques and Catherine Castro, is not only true as it goes very well. The two have been seen constantly enjoying each other’s company, and as you can see in the photo below, Hector is apparently able to surprise us even more, because unlike what we were used to see, he acts like a true gentleman with the beloved, showing to be completely different from the man of months ago. They say that love transforms, in the case of the two heirs is the following question: Is it love that transforms or money? Would this really be a love of fairy tales, or behind this relationship has a big move involving the society that today unites the companies of the two families? We will see! In the more, we only wish happiness to the couple."

By: Anonymous

After I took Catherine to dinner, until we got closer to each other. Let us say that we could consider that although our confrontations were constant, our coexistence was slightly tolerable. Well, at least when we were in front of people and we needed to prove we were a couple in love. I did not know exactly where Catherine wanted to go, I did not know what she planned for after our marriage, but I at least wanted to ensure the command of the company and my inheritance. Of course I still found it absurd to marry in those circumstances, but I did not want to lose the patrimony that would be mine by right.

I tried to adapt to Catherine, because her personality completely different from mine was a great challenge that I tried to dodge every day. There were times when I almost lost my mind with so many rules established by the brunette with green eyes, and that annoying way was something like the temptation to make me throw everything up and give up, but instead, I decided that I also would not make things easier for her, and so we lived almost as between slaps and kisses.

The media had fallen perfectly in the charms that the new couple provided. Whenever we met in public we attracted the spotlight. Due to our discreet way of treating each other, we were being considered as a shy but "cute" couple.

My father was apparently pleased with the course things were taking, after all, since my engagement to Catherine was confirmed, my name no longer appeared in the headlines as that of the useless and troubled heir. From what he said the company’s own shareholders were surprised by the news that Catherine and I were together. Some were even more sympathetic to the idea of having me lead the company.

Surprisingly the only problem I kept facing was with Stella, who unlike Kaique, who, upon learning of the novelty of my support chose and said that the love between Catherine I, could arise over time, the other did not conform to this phase of my life. Of course Stella’s latest actions irritated me because apart from our unstable part, she was just a good friend and one of the few people I knew was always someone I could count on.

I was in my room getting ready for the big moment, that is, the engagement dinner being offered in our mansion, when I saw a little troublemaker break into my room. Agatha was my younger sister, and although she was only ten years old, she was smart enough to understand that I was about to marry.

I smiled at how beautiful my sister looked. Agatha was someone I would protect all my life.

"Hey, little princess. What are you doing here?" I asked the little one who seemed excited.

"Your bride is beautiful, Hector. She looks like a princess just like me."

Smile with the innocence of the minor.

"You’ll always be the most beautiful princess of my life." I kissed her on the cheek making her laugh. "But tell me, how do you know she’s beautiful?"

"Because she just arrived with her family, and attracted everyone’s attention to her. Mom asked me to call you."

At that moment I seemed to realize... I had no escape, the moment had come.

…

With Agatha beside me, I went down the stairs slowly and could already see that the room was quite busy with the presence of many guests considered important by my father and my future father-in-law. Many of the guests who were there I did not even know, which caused me boredom. However, for some incomprehensible reason the tedious feeling was left behind when I arrived in the middle of the room and my eyes met Catherine, who smiled next to an unknown man from whom she seemed to be intimate. I watched that extremely exaggerated interaction, they talked and smiled in a way that bothered me.

While I was watching her without her noticing, I think for the first time I actually noticed her. Catherine was perfectly beautiful, well educated, knew how to impose her presence anywhere she was present, it was not difficult to draw attention and could easily be considered with a princess as Agatha did. And if I wasn’t so strange, I could fall in love with her, but I knew that this was not a risk that I would take, because I was never the type to surrender to a feeling as superficial as love.

"If you keep drooling like this I will seriously come to the conclusion that you will marry for love." Kaique’s husky voice emerged just behind me.

"Fuck you, you bastard." I grumbled in a bad mood.

"Son..." My mother interrupted us. "Won’t you greet your bride? You should be closer to her, I think you might lose your fiancée before you even say yes."

I immediately understood why Mom was saying that, and of course I wouldn’t let that happen. I could not let my image be dirty before the whole country.

Kaique caught his laugh when he saw me flustering at the possibility.

"I’m going right now to her, Mama. Come with me Kaique."

I went towards Catherine. I did not want to demonstrate, but I felt an unusual anxiety for being closer to my future bride, I did not even know why I was so anxious, perhaps it was curiosity to know who would be that man next to him.

"Good night!" I greeted everyone as I approached. "You look beautiful, Catherine."

Despite the anger he felt at his boldness before all the guests, I gently kissed the green-eyed woman’s face. With our closeness I could feel again that perfume that gradually was becoming so familiar to my senses.

"I’d like you to meet a friend."

I used Kaique as an excuse because I didn’t want her to think I was bothered by her presence next to that man.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Catherine. Hector has been talking a lot about you." Kaique greeted the brunette with excitement.

"Good things, I hope." Catherine teased my idiot friend who laughed. "That’s Deputy Patrick. A dear friend of our family."

My bride introduced the man to her side, and stared into my eyes as I shook the man’s hand. She seemed to seek to read my emotions, which obviously could not, because I camouflaged them. It wouldn’t give Catherine the taste to know she was hating that approach of yours. I just approached her and ran my arm around her body letting everyone believe I was happy to have her there, and I was glad she didn’t walk away.

"You’re perfect together. I think in less than a year after the wedding, we’ll have babies in the family."

Kaique’s words were like a punch in my stomach, and I almost choked. What the hell did he intend with that baby story? That engagement party had just begun and I was starting to sweat cold.

…

Some time later dinner was served. Everyone drank, ate and talked excitedly with satisfaction, that’s when the look of my father made me understand that the time had come.

"Ladies, gentlemen..." attracts everyone’s attention to me. "This is a special night for our families, and in particular for me and Catherine. For a long time I was lost, but when I met her I think I found myself." Those words weren’t true, but the strange cold I felt in my stomach was. "She who has many qualities that I have learned to admire, is the example of a woman that I feel I want to have by my side. Without me I am incomplete, and that is why we are here that night."

He took a velvet box and I prayed that no one would notice how much I was shaking. Then I opened carefully and looked into his eyes that analyzed me carefully.

"Catherine De Castro, I want to grow up next to you and discover a completely different world than I know. Will you marry me?"

Pretending to feel an emotion that I knew she didn’t feel, the answer came immediately staring into my eyes.

"I’ve always dreamed of that moment. Of course I do, Hector."

Before the applause of all the guests, I slipped Catherine’s finger the engagement ring I had personally chosen to offer her that night. There was no return, in a few months we would be living that unwanted marriage for both of us, without at least knowing what to expect from our loveless coexistence.