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Dad cleared his throat and sat upright, "Could you please come again?"
"I'm in love with Natasha, your daughter, and I've decided to have her as my wife," Ian confessed. "She's beautiful, intelligent, perfect to all that see her. And, most importantly, she's the only woman who sees my worth, and I know hers. I need her by my side. I thought I should let you know."
I facepalmed. I was resisting the urge to start grinning like an idiot. The man I loved just blatantly told my parents that he wanted me, and he didn't even do it in a humble way. His approach seemed to say only one thing,No is not an answer I choose to have.
Mom was the first to break the silence. "I'm glad you feel that way about my daughter, honoured even, but…"
"Our daughter already has someone she's with and plans to marry," Dad explained.
"About that, I called things off with Lawrence," I revealed.
It was the first time my words made my parent's faces look pale.
"You did what?" Mom asked. "Why?"
"I told you guys that I would see if I could find him desirable enough to marry," I reminded them, "Well, after several trials, I came to the conclusion that he isn't going to be a good husband or son. And I've been in love with Ian for a while now."
"But you can't do that," Dad warned. "You're supposed to get married to Lawrence."
"But you can't dictate that. You can't decide who I'm going to marry," I shot back. "Why do I have to get married to him? You two have provided no valid reason."
"Is there any need for a valid reason, other than it's what's good for you and this family?" Dad asked.
"If this was piano, horse riding, or even medicine, I might be tempted to agree with you, but this is marriage we're talking about," I replied. "This is the rest of my life. You, Mom, Lawrence, and even Ian don't get to decide who I'm going to spend the rest of my life with - but me and me alone. No one else, just me."
"You're going to marry Lawrence," Mom said.
"No. Not until you give me a valid reason," I insisted. "Have any of you observed what he's like these days? Relying on plastic surgery and trampling on the lives of people lesser than him? Even the maids here don't like him, and they swoon for a guy like Ian."
"Ouch?" Ian asked.
"Sorry sweetie, it's just an example," I explained.
"Well, it's fine, I'm sure your parents have their reasons, and I think I've actually figured it out," Ian replied.
"What?" Mom, Dad, and I asked in unison.
"I'll just ask, how much do you owe the Williams?" Ian asked.
"That's absurd, Mom and Dad wouldn't—" I stopped speaking and turned to my parents.
They didn't say anything, but had their heads hung in shame.
"I'm sorry," Dad apologized.
"No way, how much?" I asked.
"Approximately a billion," he replied.
"How the.. how did it get to that?" I blurted out.
"It was a bad business deal," Mom replied. "The Williams cornered your father and made him give up almost everything, causing him to take more. The only thing we could use to hold them back was the manor and some other properties. Then he proposed he'd clear off the debt if you and Lawrence got married."
"And you were going to sell me off?" I asked.
"No, not at all. That's why we told you to take as long as you need. I needed you to stall until I found a way to resolve everything," Dad answered. "That's why we were a little relieved when you said you didn't have any interest in him. But if you called off the marriage, there was no telling what he would do."
"We've been to raise half the amount, but he demanded that it be paid in full," Mom explained.
