Chapter 1: It wasn't my fault!

Chapter 1 

Today, April 1st is by far the worst day Arya Pierce has had. Ever. It wasn't a secret how she found herself in this position, in fact, everyone in the mansion knows about it. 

"You've really done it now, Arya! What are we going to do?!" Arya flinched at her mother's loud exclamation. 

"I'll find a way to solve it, mother. Please calm down..." Arya sighed as she tried her best to comfort her mother.

It takes a lot of stupidity and clumsiness to be in her current situation. Although she doesn't believe that it was due to her lack of brain cells or common sense that she got into this dilemma, she instead blamed it on bad luck. 

"That's exactly what I said before and look at where I ended up!" Her mother yelled. Her face was almost the same shade as her fiery ginger hair. 

It wasn't the first time she had done something bad but this was definitely the worst so far. 

Arya looked at the expensive oak wood-covered wall and continued to brainstorm. 

The room they were in was a small makeshift meeting room. Although, small would be the wrong word, after all, the room had more space than Arya and her mother's house. Nonetheless, if you asked the people who lived here, they would say that the meeting room on the east side of the mansion was, in fact, the smallest room in the mansion. 

With decorated oak wood-covered walls and carpeted floors, the room had a natural smell to it. The floor-to-ceiling window did its job to provide the room with lighting, making the actual lights in the room lose their purpose. 

There was a u-shaped office desk by the side of the room where the large bookshelves - which she might say were even older than her- were placed. 

Residing in the center of the room was a long meeting table that was there for decoration since the residents of the house never put it to good use. 

"Forget it, Arya. It's hopeless. We can't do anything but sign in our resignation letter and hope that the Riveras don't sue us. But, don't worry, If anything else happens; don't be afraid to blame me" Her mother said with enough emotion that one didn't need to look at her to know what she was feeling. 

"Mum..." Arya muttered sadly, her voice cracking, her honey-brown eyes glistened due to the tears that she was holding back. 

It wasn't a lie to say that she was heartbroken. Her mother, who had taken care of her when she was young and nursed her back to health when she was sick, was still willing to sacrifice herself for her.

How could she be so cruel to such a woman? 

Before they had time to fully lament, there was a knock on the door that completely ruined their heart-touching moment. 

"Miss and Mrs. Pierce, the lady is willing to see you. Follow me to the parlor." The butler of the house, Mr. Daniels announced. 

His warm brown eyes were filled with pity from the moment he laid eyes on them. He can't be blamed though, their circumstances were to be pitied. Her only hope is that the lady of the house, Mrs. Lillian Rivera would also pity them.

They passed through the long hallways and received suffocating stares from the surrounding workers The only thing that helped calm Arya down a little bit, was the lovely paintings on the wall that were supposedly made by the second son of the Rivera family, a man who most of the servants -including Arya- had never met. 

It didn't take long before they reached the parlor or maybe because they were so absent-minded that they didn't pay attention to the distance. 

"Mrs..." Arya's mother greeted the woman who was seated on the couch in front of them before she protectively moved in front of her, trying to shield her, making Arya feel even more guilty. 

"Mrs. Pierce, no need to feel so stressed." Mrs. Lillian said with a slight smile confusing not only Arya and her mother but also the butler who was standing behind her chair. 

"Take a seat and have some tea, there's something I'd like to discuss." Lillian's smile became wider, although a bit forced, as she said that. 

Even though, they took a seat and had tea poured into a fancy tea cup for them to drink. Usually, it'd be the other way around for them. 

"Be careful so you don't break that too." Mrs.Pierce whispered to her clearly fascinated daughter. 

"As you know, my father's birthday was ruined due to your carelessness. I should be punishing you as of now and if we were in the olden days, back when my family was first created, your body would've been headless by now." She said with a slight chuckle at the end as if she had said a funny joke, but they knew she wasn't joking. Her narrowed eyes were enough proof.

Their backs were already damp with cold sweat and she still said that. Her deep blue eyes shone with amusement, she sincerely enjoyed their misfortune. 

"I know and I'm ready to accept any form of punishment you give to me!" Mrs.Pierce stood up from the couch that she was sitting on with so much force that Arya nearly spilled her tea. 

"I told you to calm down. You're lucky, due to the certain kindness of my second son, I have decided to spare you any form of punishment." Lillian took a sip of her tea, looking as regal as ever. 

The way she said it made it look simple but in reality, it would be a rarity for anyone to be relaxed in such a situation

Her onyx black hair that was let loose fell slightly in front of her face when she bent her head to take a sip from her tea. She was an ordinary red dress, but it was obvious from the way the material of the dress looked that the price was anything but ordinary.

Even though she was confused, Arya's mother still listened to her instruction and sat back in her seat, and tried to remain calm. 

If it was before Arya's mother would be calm just being inside the parlor, it was without a doubt, her favorite room in the mansion. Whether it was because of the sophisticated white walls or the shiny marble floors, she would never be sure.

Although her daughter would love to say it was because of the exquisite charcoal drawing that was hanging on the wall, but that couldn't be it. After all, she wasn't interested in art, no matter how much the drawing seemed to draw her in.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but your daughter is 19, right?" Lillian, unlike before, asked this question with a blank face. 

A nod was her answer. 

It was clear from the atmosphere that no one liked where this was going. 

"You're not going to sell me, are you?" Arya asked, shrinking into her chair.

"Oh my! How can I do that? Sadly, that's illegal." Lillian let out a small chuckle at Arya's outburst. She was certainly in a good mood.

"I'm simply offering a marriage contract to your daughter, Arya Pierce ."