LOVED FIVE

“What?”

“What?”

“Is the almighty Daddy’s puppet not going to tell me to listen to Daddy this time around?” Ophelia asked and he shifted to the edge of his seat. 

“What do you mean?” he asked before adding. “What do you daddy’s puppet?”

“Haven't you always advised me to do things my dad wants me to?” she asked and he looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. “I have always known”

“And yet you still did them?”

“Yeah because you asked and you are my friend so I did not think you would ever want me to be hurt soooo…” she trailed off. 

“You knew and you still them? That is shocking considering that you are so independent”

“Hey, I never wanted to be independent, I was forced to become one” she said brushing her hair away from her face. “You don't think I should get married though why?”

“I believe you should get married to the one you love, I think marriage is a big deal, I can't imagine living in the same house as someone who you don't like” 

“Then I guess the fortune of the Frost ends with me because I have no plans to fall in love and neither do I have plans to get married by myself. I think the best I would have to come close to a romantic relationship would be you” she said causing him to pause with shock on his face. 

“Not that I am saying that we are in a romantic relationship but you are a guy and I am comfortable with you” she trailed off and then brightened up as though she had the brightest idea. “Or should I marry you instead?” she joked. 

“You should marry someone you love” he stuttered flustered by her suggestion. 

“Don't get all serious, it was a joke” she said as she began to stroke her cheek. They fell into a small silence and then she cleared her throat breaking it. “I have always listened to you and I wish I could do the same this time but I am afraid it would be different this time around”

“Are you saying you are going to get married?”

“Yeah”

“To a random stranger”

“How bad can it be? He is a man after all,” she said, she was going to wed in the end but to the man who she chose among the men her dad had chosen already. She was going to put them through a test and the one who wins would be the one she picks. If she was going to live with them she was going to draw up a contract so it had to be the person who understood her reason for the contract. 

“My mom did it”

“And she left,” Green said in a scream.

“Where the hell is my coffee” Ophelia let out in frustration before turning to Green. “I know you are worried about me, that is why you are here after all but this is not the time for you to tell me what to do. I listened to you before because I wanted to and I am going to decide if I want to listen to you now as well” she said dropping her legs to the ground and standing at her feet. 

She turned to him and smiled at him before walking away. He was just a jerk for bringing up the fact that her mom left even though she did not care about the topic. She walked to her room and called her dad to set her up with the first guy. She knew her dad well and that he would have enough options in case she bailed from all the options, she had to be careful even though she wanted to be as picky as she could be. She did not want to end up with an old man in a wheelchair after all. 

THREE DAYS LATER

She was to meet this mystery man and all she got from her dad was his name, the name of the restaurant and the time to be there. She wanted to be good enough for pictures in case anybody decided to take pictures of her and her date. She had not been in the city for a while so she was sure the press had forgotten all about her and her troubles. 

Her date had to either be a self-made billionaire who wanted a merger with Frost or an heir to another corporation. The media would be on the tail of any of them so it would be the best opportunity for her to get her good image out there. 

She knew she had to impress the press, so her father would applaud her for all the good publicity she would be giving them. She had an entire team get her ready from her makeup to shoes and she made her way to the chosen restaurant.

She sat at the table and waited, she would have walked out of the room but decided to wait to see who the unlucky man was because there would be no way she would be with a person who decided it was the right thing to keep a woman waiting for such a long time. 

A few moments a man walked in and from the stares of the people in the restaurant she was sure he was her date. Her father would pick someone influential and popular or else he would not be the same. 

“Ophelia….” Cade trailed off as he sat down in front of her. 

“Cade Vale?” she asked and he just stared at her. “Excuse you for staring” she said snapping her fingers in his face. 

“Sorry are you Ophelia Frost?” he asked. 

“Yes I am,” she said a puzzled expression on his face. 

“Not Victoria? Toria for short?” he asked. 

She crossed her hand over her chest and let out a sound he was unable to pick out. “Aren't you here because our family set us up?” she asked him and he nodded. 

“I am Ophelia Rainbow Frost”