I spent the weekend thinking about how I’m going to survive this dinner without dying of anxiety. I was an emotional wreck, feeling excited, feeling extremely nervous, feeling all sorts of emotions. I thought about what to wear, my hair, makeup, my nails…..I look down at my nails and they are perfect. So I just had to worry about the rest. I wanted to call Lana but I didn’t have the courage to tell her about the dinner yet. I called Ray and she screamed for about thirty minutes. She wasn’t helping so I ended the call and grabbed an ice cream tub from the fridge to distract myself for a while. After I was done, I went back to freaking out. I have never been on a date since I was sixteen years old. “Okay, Raven, calm down. Nothing will be done if you freak out. You should’ve gone shopping yesterday.” I rolled my eyes and continued talking to myself. “Let’s start with your hair.” I raked my hands through my curls. “Simple hairstyles for my 3B hair.” I picked up my laptop and looked up
“What’s going on Ace?” I gazed at both of them, frowning, and they looked at each other. Then the little girl spoke as Ace put her down. “You must be Raven Snow. Dandelion has only mentioned you once to me. But it’s nice to meet you. I’m Periwinkle but you can call me Perry.” She smiled and I raised my brows. “Perry is Judith’s god-daughter.” Ace added. “That’s true. But Dandelion treats me like his own daughter.” Perry said to me with a toothy grin. Ace watched me intently. I gazed at the two then I sighed with relief. “I apologize Perry I just thought Ace was hiding something from me. It’s nice to meet you too. I really love your nick name, it’s cute.” “Dandelion is Ace’s nickname. Periwinkle is my actual name. My parent’s gave me that name. It was my mom’s favourite flower. “Was? I’m sorry to her that Perry.”“It’s alright. I’ve Dandelion and godmother Judith taking care of me.” I smiled. I was very glad that she wasn’t who I thought she was. I didn’t know Ace had a soft spot
“Good morning Mr. Black.” I stood and greeted Ace as he walked into his office. “Good morning Raven.” “We’re doing first names now?” I asked him, playfully arching my brow. “No. it’s just me.” He smiled briefly and I rolled my eyes at him. “What’s my schedule for today?” “You have a photoshoot for the business magazine at 10 And you’ll have lunch with your mother. Afterwards we’ll visit the new art centre that is being built. I’ll send you a few documents that was emailed to me from the hotel branch in Busan, Korea. You’ll need to review them.” He nodded. “Follow me to my office.” I followed Ace into his office and as soon as we both entered, Ace pulled me into him and claimed my lips. He sucked the air out of my lung, his lips dominated mine and I gave in to him. We pulled away and I rest my forehead against his. “I guess we’re in trouble now since we just kissed in your office, during work hours.” “You didn’t get me my coffee and I needed to wake up.” “Now how am I supposed t
“Are you done?” Ace asked. He was leaning against my desk as he spoke to me. “No. I have to finish up two more documents and I’ll be done.” I answered. “Do you need help with them? I don’t want to leave you here alone.” “That’s very sweet of you Mr. Black, but I can do them on my own.” He chuckled. “You’re really something Raven. Independent and hardworking as I’ve observed. You’re also very focused on what you do. And the way you say my name is so sexy.” I laughed, looking up at him. He swept my bangs out of my face and cupped my chin. “If I leave you here, I might lose you to someone else, I don’t like losing what’s mine. I’m staying.” Ace spoke in a deep tone. Ace got off my desk and walked into his office. “Why is he so possessive of me?” I murmured and shook my head smiling. I like it when he acts like that, but sometimes, Ace can be a little extreme. It’s been about a month since Ace and I started dating and we haven’t had any problems so far. My feelings for him just grow
“My mother wants me to seal a deal with one of her old friends” “She asked for something in return. And today, we’re going to pay her back.” “She’s been wanting to meet you for a very long time.” These words replayed in my head and nothing was making sense at the moment. “What’s going on Papa?” I turned to him. “Albert and Shirley.” Adrianna called my parents with a smile. She walked up to them and hugged them. I stood quietly watching everything. “It’s nice to finally see you two again.” “Thanks for the warm welcome Adrianna.” Mama said with a bright smile, full of enthusiasm. Adrianna glanced at me and smiled. “I’m guessing you’re Raven.” She spoke. “I’m Adrianna Black. Your father’s old friend.” “You’re Ace’s mother.” I said. “Ah, you know my son already. Wonderful.” She hugged me, glanced at Ray and went to hug my sister. “Rachel Burton.” “Hello Mrs. Black.” They shared a smile and hugged again. “How’s the project in Singapore?” “Going on smoothly thanks to you.” Adria
How I was able to ignore Ace at the office was something. I didn’t speak to him unless it involved work. He kept his distance and so did I. I made sure to be cold to him. I was too busy building up hate in my heart for Ace to notice the tension that had built up in the office. Every evening when I returned from work, I’d cry so much that my head and eyes would hurt. I always felt like the walls I built up to make me mentally sane were going to crumble and fall on me. I was losing my shit. An arranged marriage. If something is not done about it, I might end up committing suicide and I’m not kidding about this. If my depression worsens, I surely will. Mama had been trying so hard to control my life and I always found ways to prevent that, until this arranged marriage got in the way. She should be rewarded for that, being able to accomplish the impossible, something no one has been able to do, controlling my life. She deserved it. I wondered if she was boasting to her relatives about h
I confidently walked down the staircase to Ace’s spacious living room, which was now a ballroom, in my all-black outfit, catching everyone’s attention. People gasped, others whispered amongst themselves. Mama was glaring, Papa and Ray were amused. Adrianna looked confused and Ace was smirking. Mama walked up to me when I reached the bottom of the staircase. “What do you think you’re doing, Yaa?” She spoke in Twi. “I’m doing what I want.” I replied. Then I walked past her to Papa’s side. Adrianna came over, she was in shock. “What happened to the dress I bought you?” “I didn’t like it. So I changed.” Her face turned red. I could see how hard she was trying to stay calm. “The dress code for this event is all white.” “I like to stand out sometimes. I’m the bride to be, I need to be the centre of attention, not blend in with everyone else. Didn’t you want all eyes to be on your soon to be daughter-in-law?” Adrianna was speechless. I grinned at her in satisfaction. Her reaction was ex
“I want you to move in with Ace before the engagement.” Adrianna spoke.“Huh?” I frowned. “I know I’ve had too much to drink but me, move in with Ace? Did I hear you correctly?” I slurred, Papa pinched me. “Let’s wait till after the wedding.”“Raven. Please, just listen.” Pleaded Papa. I sighed and glared at Ace, he smirked.“Fine, I’ll do it. But we’ll sleep in different rooms and he will stay a good distance away from me.”“That won’t be a problem.” Adrianna smiled brightly. I wonder why she’s always smiling as if there’s nothing wrong with everything right now. “I’d like it if you could move in tomorrow.”“Nope.”“Why not?” Mama asked.“Just no. I’ve got work tomorrow. My boss is the most arrogant person I’ve ever worked for. He wouldn’t be happy if I just skipped work.”“I’m very sure he wouldn’t mind.” Ace replied.“How do you know? My boss is very unpredictable. Today he’s in a good mood, tomorrow he’s in a bad mood and that’s annoying as fuck. I’ll move in when I want to.” Then