Chapter 1 - The Engagement party

Archie POV

“Archibald Wright, pay attention to your mother” - I hear my father’s sharp voice, and it brings me back to reality. These family dinners are always annoying. I look around, and everyone has their eyes on me. Great. I lower my eyes, and I start fiddling with my glass.

“Sorry, mother”, - I let out while I take my scotch glass to my mouth, and I realise it is empty. I click my fingers and point at my glass while one of the servants brings the bottle and pours some more.

“Leave the bottle”, - I say, and automatically mother coughs, catching the servant’s attention and shakes her head. I offer her a small smile, and I can see her face change from fear from my mother to the warmth I cause her.

I can’t deny that she is one of my favourites. Every time these dinners drag more than I would like, I end up having some fun in the dry store around the corner from the kitchen with one of the many girls my mother keeps hiring and firing from this house.

“It is time for you to settle down, son”, - mother says, and I can’t help but roll my eyes.

“Will you put that glass down?” - Mother says with an annoyed tone that brings chills down my spine. I put my scotch glass on the table and focus my attention on my mother’s face.

“Look at Oscar”, - she says, pointing at my cousin that is sitting across the table from me with his perfect wife and perfect family. Gag. He’s more of a son to them than I ever was.

“I am not Oscar mother”, - I let out while I take another sip from my drink, and I can see that she is about to explode on how red her face has turned.

“I can see that”, - she says, scolding me and taking a sip of her white wine.

“It is time for you to settle down, bring some honour to this family and take your rightful place by my side at the company”, - Father says, and for once, he caught my attention. That's what I have been working hard all these years, keeping my head down and doing what is asked of me.

“What are you saying?” - I ask, moving my eyes between my parents and mother smiles. I hate when she does that, she has something in mind, and I know I won’t get away from it.

“We have a perfect girl for you, and you shall date and propose to her as soon as possible if you want to become the next CEO of our company”, - Father says with his dry and monotone voice.

‘Why would I marry someone I’ve never met?” - I let out, looking at my father.

And that is how I ended up wrapped up with Leticia. She is a Brazilian bomb introduced by my mother at one of her many dinner parties to find me a wife. I couldn’t help not falling for her. She is beautiful and has an amazing body. Obviously, Josh hates her guts, and she’s not very fond of him either.

We have been together for four months, and my parents have been putting pressure on me to propose, I know it's fast, but she is the perfect woman for me. She knows how to behave at dinners, and she definitely knows how to dress and impress everyone she needs to.

Her beautiful round brown eyes drive me crazy, and I can’t wait to be married to this woman. Leticia rolls her eyes as soon as she sees josh arriving at the party.

“This is a first” - she sighs.

“Joshua Green attending a party alone”, - Leticia says, looking around and smiling at some important people that walk past us.

Josh offers me his hand to shake, and after that, he approaches Leticia giving her half a kiss on her cheek.

“There’s too many fish in the sea, and I want to go fishing”, - Josh says to Leticia, who looks at me annoyed. I can’t help but chuckle. Josh is openly gay, and he has no problem in saying what comes into his mind. My parents don’t particularly like him because of his sexual preference. What can I say? My family is too conservative for my taste. My family endures Josh because he comes from a long line of British aristocrats, which looks good on my family relations.

Josh refused to attend the party, but I convinced him to come around with the pretence of free alcohol and high society males still in the closet for him to have some fun. Most of these posh men have a hidden desire to try another man, and I hear the conversations in the inner circle of the yacht club I am a part of.

It's hard work to try and please your best friend and girlfriend when they hate each other. Today is our engagement party. I will be proposing to Leticia with the family heirloom ring. It is a ring that doesn’t have one diamond, it has seven carved onto a beautiful green emerald. Leticia’s eyes almost fell out of their sockets when she first saw them.

Obviously, mother showed it to her and resized it before the party so it wouldn’t look odd on her finger as soon as I propose. I'm not too fond of public speeches, and today is taking a toll on my mental health. I keep getting refilled glasses of scotch from the waiters that walk around serving drinks. Leticia has already given me a dirty look to stop, but I honestly can’t.

I do like her, but I don’t know if I am ready to abdicate my bohemian lifestyle for her. But unfortunately, I have no say on the matter.

“Archie”, - Leticia says in my ear, bringing me back to the party

“Yes, love?” - I ask, looking at her

Leticia’s eyes lock on mine.

“It is time, sweetheart” - she says, and I look around, and I see my Father looking at us from afar. I clear my throat, and the music comes to an abrupt end, and I take the ring box from the small pocket of my Tuxedo. This is it. No running away now.

I lock eyes with Josh, and I can see the sadness in them. I lower my gaze, and I take a deep breath positioning myself onto one knee.