Chapter 2 Arranged marriage

The party ended. Everyone has returned. William said goodbye to Cindy and walked over to his car, which was parked outside the gate.

Waiting for the wheelchair to roll, Cindy turned inside the house. She replaced her current dress with a simple nightgown and climbed into bed.

Her birthday party this year is the same as every year, nothing has changed. Food is made from high-quality ingredients. Her friends still fake smiles at her, complimenting her with clichés. Only William's gift made her happy.

Cindy looked at 'Milky Way' again and then put it in a box, she put the box in the drawer. Lying for a while, Cindy felt thirsty, because she had eaten a lot of cakes earlier. She jumped up, got out of bed, opened her bedroom door, and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Cindy opened the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of water, and drank it in one go. She put the other half of the water bottle in the refrigerator and went to her bedroom. As she passed her parents' room, she heard the voice of her mother - Mrs. Ann. "Married? Do you want Cindy to get married? But have you talked to her about this?"

Cindy's feet stopped. Of course, she would marry the man she loved, but not now. Now, she has a lot to deal with, one of which is to fulfill her dream.

"I'll tell you in a few days." Mr. Brian replied.

"But is it too early to get married now?"

"Cindy is twenty years old, she is of age to marry. She is the sole heir to the Farrah house. Later, I will leave the Farrah corporation to her and her husband to run."

"Who is Cindy's fiancé? Does she know?" Mrs. Ann asked, she was a bit unhappy.

"He's a perfect man. I've already planned this marriage."

Mrs. Ann's eyes widened, seemingly in disbelief. "You want her to marry a man she doesn't love? At least you have to consult Cindy. You can't just do that."

"Why not?" Mr. Brian stood up from his chair. "I do all this for her sake, moreover this marriage will be profitable for the company."

"I see. You just want to sell our baby to benefit your company." Mrs. Ann said sarcastically.

Arranged marriage? Cindy whispered in her throat. She felt dizzy, her legs unsteady.

Cindy doesn't know how she got back to the bedroom. The words of Mr. Brian kept spinning around in her mind.

She sat on the bed and began to think. 'Why does my father treat his daughter like this? Why can he force me to marry someone I don't love? I don't even know his face, don't know his name? Am I just a commodity for his business?'

The more she thought about it, the more resentful and helpless she became. That made her burst into tears but she could only cry in silence. Her tears fell onto her clenched hand, her other hand clutching the bed sheet.

All that night, Cindy could not sleep well, she kept rolling around in bed looking for the best solution to get out of this marriage.

Her life is hers, she has to decide for herself. Cindy won't let anyone control her life, even if it's her father.

---

This morning, Cindy had a class at university but she couldn't concentrate on the teacher's lecture. The words of Mr. Brian kept running around in her brain. Cindy thought of a few ways, but none of them worked.

First: Pretend to be sick. No. Cindy is healthy, who can believe she is sick? Her father would ask the doctor to come in and the doctor would tell the truth, that she was fine.

This is the stupidest way.

Second: Cindy will make the excuse that she is still studying. No. This only makes Mr. Brian temporarily postpone the wedding ceremony. After Cindy completes college, she will also have to deal with this arranged marriage.

The second way is not good either.

Cindy grabbed her by the hair, her brow furrowed and continued thinking. Her head is down so the teacher can't see.

Suddenly, Cindy heard a light chuckle from her friend sitting next to her. She is secretly reading a story.

Cindy leaned forward, to see the title. 'How did it make her laugh like that?'

The words 'Runaway Bride' caught Cindy's eyes. At first, she was unimpressed but then, she pondered.

A bold idea flashed through her mind. This is the only way to get her out of an arranged marriage.

She begins to plan her escape. 'First, I will do it like this, then it will be like this and finally, it will have to be like this.'

Cindy was delighted with her plan and couldn't stop smiling.

As soon as the bell rang, announcing the break time, Cindy called William immediately. Only he can help her in this situation. Her classmates don't trust her enough, and Cindy can't ask them to help her.

After the first ring, Cindy heard William's teasing tone on the other end of the line. "Hi, honey. You're in class, aren't you? Why are you calling me?"

Cindy rolled her eyes. "I'm on break. I told you not to call me honey. I'm not your lover."

"So, don't call me brother. I won't call you honey." William replied with a short laugh.

"But, you're like my brother. That doesn't change."

"I don't want to be your brother." William's tone carried a hint of sadness.

"You should know that it's an honor for you to be the brother of the beautiful, charming Cindy." Cindy chuckled.

William didn't answer, he just smiled at the picture of a girl in the picture frame. After a while, he asked. "So, pretty Cindy, you called me because... miss me?"

Cindy rolled her eyes. This guy is always joking.

Ignoring William's teasing, she said. "Five o'clock this afternoon, are you free? Let's meet, okay? At your house."

"You miss me so much that you want to see me in person at my house?" William pretended to be surprised, he was amused by teasing Cindy.

"Bastard. I'm being serious." Cindy hummed.

William stopped laughing because he noticed she looked angry on the other end of the line. He stopped teasing her and asked seriously. "What's up?"

"I have something very important to tell you."

"You made me curious. I want to know now."

"This can't be talked about over the phone. I need to meet you to talk in person. After school, I'll go to your house. Wait for me there. Don't go anywhere." Cindy said and then she ended the call without giving William a chance to answer.

William stared at the phone for a long moment before setting it down on the table. He took a picture of Cindy, caressing her face.

'How do you understand my feelings?'

There were many times when he showed affection for Cindy but she was naive and stupid to realize it.

'I've guessed the important thing you're going to say. Is it our arranged marriage?'