Chapter 1

"I don’t care how you’d do it, but make sure Mariah marries him because none of my daughters are going to marry that rascal.”

My brows furrowed as confusion washed over my face. ‘What rascal are they talking about? And why should I marry him, but not her daughters?’

“Of course, she is definitely going to marry him but…”

“But nothing, Maxwell. Rachel and Rebecca are your precious daughters, you can’t watch them marry that man, right?” she said in a persuasive tone.

Her words and actions left me rolling my eyes in disbelief. Rachel and Rebecca are his precious daughters, am I not his daughter too? Don’t I deserve to be precious too?

I huffed. I was about ignoring them and continue my trip to the kitchen, but my father noticed my presence and called me.

“I believe you heard our conversation,” he said, staring at me as if he’s waiting for a response but I didn’t say anything, so, he continued. “You’re getting married to Cassian Gavino in two days time.”

Surprised, I stared at him in disbelief as lot of thoughts ran through my head.

“Could this be a dream?” I asked myself.

“Or possibly, am I daydreaming?” I wondered.

I still couldn’t bring myself to understand everything that was happening as it all looked weird to me. Bewildered, I asked “I-I’m getting married?”

“Yes you are.” He replied. Slipping in some wine into his mouth from the glass cup he’s holding, then he continued “I don’t think having any further discussion with you is necessary at the moment, so get your mind prepared, you’ll be tying the nut with Cassian Gavino in two days time!”

Fear and dread soured within me as I wondered why my father had chosen to punished me this way. Staring at him as though I’ve lost my tongue he asked “you’ve got a problem with that?”

“But dad l’m too young for this.” I answered with tears beginning to gather inside my eyes.

“Well, I’ve made my decision” he replied looking away.

“I can tell it’s eh, a joke, isn’t it?” I asked breathing heavily.

He burst into a wild laughter and with the way he was sounding, I could tell he wasn’t joking at all.

“The good news is, you’re getting married and the bad news is you’ve got no choice.” He replied with a disparaging smile on his lip.

I staggered back as his last words echoed inside my head.

He was sounding more serious than ever. I blinked twice and stared at him in disgust as I wondered if he was actually my biological father.

“Wait a minute, is he marrying me out to a man I have not seen with my own two eyes?” When he continued without a single remorse.

“You see honey, I and your mother never meant for things to turn out this way or let’s call it a coincidence. But for the dept I owe I have no other choice than to marry you out to get it off my chest.” He explained with a smile on his lip.

My eyes became doe-eyed and my jaws dropped. I was short of words as I wish this is a dream rather than reality.

Why did he choose to sell me out like an asset to pay off a dept I know nothing about? Why is he being this cruel forgetting the fact that I am his child?

At this, hot tears streamed out of my eyes like a broken dam as I wondered how life will be living in same house with a Mafia boss as I know he would be.

 I begged for him to tell it was a joke but he pushed me away and almost hit me but my stepmom did it for him.

I knelt down on my knees to plead with my father when my stepmother started, making things worst “look how she’s acting as if she has a choice; I wish you did have one”

“mother why are you both treating me this way?” I asked crying.

“What the heck, did you just called me mother? Go find your aimless mother and call her one!” my stepmother yelled and made her leave.

I scurried over to him, my kneels bending on their own accord “daddy please don’t do this to me, please don’t.” I pleaded hoping he would peradventure change his mouth.

“That’s it! I’m not changing my mind, never. The earlier you accept your fate the Better for you.” He yelled making every ounce of hope in me die instantly.

I cried and begged my father not to send me off to an unknown person but he told me I was a price being paid and a property that is going to be owned. Soon, he left the house hastily leaving me to cry in the dark evening, under countless stars watching me from above.

While crying inside my room, I device a means to escape as I couldn’t stand the fact, I would be getting married aside my wish.

Though I’ve tried my whole life to always please my father and stepmother since I didn’t know who my real mother was. My stepmother had always made my life a living hell, I worked as a servant night and day and though my father is aware of it yet, he never cared.

I often did his biding and making him to love me has always been my priority but this, I couldn’t stand as getting married to the person he wills is more like he’s tryna live my life for me.

Realizing my father just step out of the house some minutes ago, I brought out my box, fold some of my stuffs into it and headed downstairs.

Fear was written all over me as I walk with fright as though I’m hiding from the devil. I took a deep breath in as I felt a little bit of relief when I successfully came outside.

I rushed to my car, open the car door and was about starting the car when I heard loud claps from behind me.

“Fuck!” I cussed under my breath when my father started “impressive!”

How did he come to know I was planing to escape? How did he even got into my car?then he continued “this time, I’ll teach you a lesson you would ever live to regret!”

He alighted from the car dragged me out aggressively without minding if I would get hurt, took me back to my room and locked the door.

 I cried myself to sleep and woke up the next day with a headache and assumed everything was just a nightmare and it wasn’t real.

The following morning, out of the blue he made me dress up and forced me into the sitting room and there I met a man approximately 6’3 feet tall, with thick black hair with eyes like caramel brown seated on the sofa in our sitting room. And after a short while I find out it was my suitor.

All the while they discussed, I never hide my feelings as I did expressed them facially despite the fact, my father warned me to pretend to be happy. My father after reaching an agreement with him immediately made arrangement for the wedding.

Some hours later, I over heard my father talking over the phone after Cassian’s visit that Cassian was a ruthless mafia, scared about this I felt panicked seeing I was getting married to him in two days!