Three

Mason's POV 

The dinner table was filled with different kinds of food. When I first walked in, I thought we were having a feast and not just some casual dinner. Dinner with the Prescott’s seemed to be the longest I'd ever had, my first instinct when I saw the face of the girl I was supposed to marry was to find a way to escape this dinner. Yes, she was undeniably beautiful, but she seemed like the kind of girl who would become super clingy once I gave the wrong signals; I already had a woman I loved very much. So no matter how pretty she was, Candice would always be the most beautiful woman in my eyes. 

"Blair here has always had a huge crush on Mason ever since she was in high school." Lenora, Blair’s mother announced. I hadn’t been following the conversation closely, so I had no idea what they were discussing for her to say that. A crush from high school? It was irrelevant and, quite frankly, annoying. I could care less about some stupid crush.

"Mom! Why would you say that?" Blair’s face turned crimson like I gave a fuck about that. I just wanted this torture to end.

"Did you hear that Mason? Look how much she's blushing." Margaret's voice cut through my thoughts, attempting to draw me into the conversation. 

I respect Margaret a lot, and I see her as a mother even though I never address her as such, but I won't give in to this. So I remained silent and kept my opinion to myself.

"Margaret just spoke to you, Mason. Stop being a snob." My father interjected, breaking his silence. 

"If I married just because of a stupid crush, I'd probably have to marry every woman in New York," I retorted, my irritation clear. Julie chuckled, earning herself a disapproving glance from her mom. Just as my dad opened his mouth to respond, my phone rang. It was Candice.

"Excuse me," I said, rising from my seat. 

"Work?" Julie asked, her curiosity evident.

"No, it's Candice," I replied before stepping away from the dining area. I wondered why she was calling now, maybe she changed her mind.

"Who's Candice?" Blair’s voice reached me as I walked away. 

"Oh, just his fiance," Julie answered, her tone dismissive. I smirked, hoping Blair would take the hint and retreat gracefully. 

"Hello gorgeous," I greeted as I answered the phone.

"Sorry sir, this is Mia, Miss Candice’s assistant. She asked me to inform you about a change of plans. She'll be arriving in New York by the end of the month." Mia’s voice crackled through the line. 

"What, why? Where is she and why didn't she inform me herself?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Miss Candice is currently occupied, so she asked me to let you know sir," Mia replied. I hung up, frustrated. 

She always does this whenever she is trying to avoid explaining. She just asks her assistant to pass the message across. I knew I was always the one making efforts in our relationship but now it felt like she was drifting away from me. Maybe I'm just overthinking, she just has a lot of work to do. I just hope Julie's plan doesn't fail and also doesn't backfire.

Deciding to escape the suffocating dinner, I chose to go visit my mom's grave. I don't mind if it's late or not, I just feel at peace whenever I go there.

~~~~

As I drove through the dimly lit streets, my mind wandered to Candice. Call me lovesick or whatever, I don't care. When I met her for the first time, I thought she was like everyone else who was always after my wealth, but I discovered she had no idea who I was, and that was when I decided to test her. We went on our first date and when she asked what I did for a living, I told her I was a journalist.

She didn't seem to care about status, she was already successful on her own. We dated for a few months and then I proposed. I plan on telling her the truth once she comes here.

I was still driving when I got a text from my dad, he was furious but I didn't care. When I looked back at the road, I saw a girl walking right in the middle. By the time I noticed her, I had already hit her, I think so. Panic surged through me as I pulled over and rushed out of the car. 

"Miss, are you okay?" I asked, my voice trembling with concern. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." She muttered, brushing herself off as I helped her up. Thank goodness. Relief washed over me. 

"Why would you walk in the middle of the street like that?" I scolded, my frustration seeping through.

"Well, cars don't usually come by here at night. But I'm sorry, I wasn't paying much attention." She admitted, her apology making me feel guilty for being too harsh. 

"Where are you going? Let me give you a ride." I offered, feeling a twinge of guilt. I'll just visit Mom some other time.

"No need sir, we're going opposite directions anyway." She declined politely. This place was lonely for a girl to walk by herself. She looked like she was around Julie's age.

"I insist, it's not safe for you to be out here by yourself." I urged. After a moment of hesitation, she agreed. I didn’t ask her name, it felt unnecessary. I just concluded she already knows who I am.

~~~~

The drive back was quiet. When we reached a busier area, she asked me to stop.

"Thanks for the ride," she said, but her voice was cautious.

I decided to be polite and ask her what her name was. "You didn't tell me your name."  

"I don't remember you telling me yours either." She replied.

"I didn't realize you had no idea who I was," I replied, intrigued by her response. 

"Sorry, but I don't know who you are, so I can't just tell you my name. Thanks for the ride though, stranger." She said before leaving. I guess not everyone here knows me.

~~~~

The next morning, I prepared to go to the restaurant. Julie offered to accompany me, which I'm grateful for by the way.

"Good morning, Mr. Grumpy; ready to go wife hunting?" She teased, whispering the last part before chuckling. I hate when her jokes are about me. 

Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the bustling restaurant. The whole place was packed, it's good to see this place is still running. It's been a while since I last visited.

I asked Julie to wait for me in the VIP section while I spoke with the manager.

~~~~

After I met with Mr Stephen, the restaurant manager, Julie and I decided to check out the food and the menu.

"Bro I think it's time to make a few changes to the menu," Julie suggested as we inspected it. "I mean, these dishes have been the same for 6 years now." She was right about that.

"You're right, I was also thinking about remodeling this place," I said, noting the lack of younger people. "We aimed to attract college students and professors, but it's mostly people having business meetings."

"Yeah, the purpose of building this place close to a university was with hopes of getting this place filled with college students, professors, and so on but I've not seen one person who's not dressed like the president just died. No offense bro." Typical Julie always finds a way to make fun of me.

"Where's the waiter, I'm starving." We didn't eat breakfast and it's already noon.

"Oh shoot, I don't think I can wait for lunch. I have to meet up with a friend." She said, glancing at her phone.

"In that case, I'll be on my way---"

"What no, this could be a sign. You can find yourself a wife while I'm gone. Trust the universe bro." She smiled.

"Fine, but I'm staying 'cause I'm starving, not because you said so. The universe doesn't determine who I pick, I do." I said, more for the food than any notion of finding a potential bride. 

"Whatever old man. Bye," she said, leaving before I could respond. 

~~~~

As I waited for my food, I was engrossed in my phone, not bothering to look away from it as the waitress placed my order on the table. I finally looked up when I felt a liquid being spilled on my suit.

"What the hell?" I snapped, glaring at her.

"Oh my..." She stammered, knocking over a plate of steak. "Shit, I'm so sorry sir. I didn't mean to."

I was beyond pissed right now, how could she be so clumsy. As I opened my mouth to lash out, I suddenly recognized her. She's the same girl I almost knocked down last night. Her shocked expression mirrored my surprise. Was I crazy, or was this a sign like Julie said?

My phone rang, and Julie's name appeared on the screen; she just left, so why was she calling now? 

"Whatever you have to do, be fast about it." Julie's voice crackled through the line. 

"What's going on?"

"Dad already informed the press about your wedding and the date's been fixed." Panic surged through me. I hung up and turned to the waitress. 

"Don't just stand there. Show me the washroom.”