Chapter 5 There is no way of Escape.

I let out a breath that I was holding without even realizing it as I got out of the car. Stephen had sent James to fetch me up, and I watched as he drove away, informing me that Stephen was inside waiting for me. I inhaled deeply once more and let it out before entering the already obnoxious, super-expensive space. I had always like eating at fine restaurants, but as I started college and got to know individuals from other backgrounds, I realized that my tastes had changed and I no longer became fixated on anything ostentatious.

A voice said, "Welcome, Madam," and I looked up to see a waiter had materialized in front of me. As soon as the waiter mentioned a VIP lounge, I silently rolled my eyes. "Your date has asked us to guide you to the VIP lounge, so please come with me," he continued. I just slowly trailed following him, not even bothering to react. I chose to take a quick glance about as I was following, and to be honest, the location was precisely what I had anticipated. Exquisite décor, romantic lighting, and fresh flowers were meant to enhance the space's beauty and provide a pleasant aroma, but they had the exact opposite effect and made me feel queasy and agitated. The artwork that was displayed there is the sole aspect of the location that I adore. It took me a while to realize that, aside from the few waiters I happened to glimpse, the entire establishment was utterly empty since I was too preoccupied to stop evaluating it mentally. The whole facility felt nearly dead, and there were no customers in sight. The waiter said, "We've arrived, Madam," and I didn't even realize that I was relieved until I exhaled. We were standing in front of a door, and from the way it was written, I could tell that we were actually in the VIP lounge and that my soon-to-be husband was inside. "Madam, I'm going to leave you now. My colleagues will attend to you and Mr. Ericson quickly if you require anything. Good evening, sir. I stopped in front of the door trying to decide whether to step in or simply give up and go home. He added, "With a bow," before turning and leaving. Taking a deep breath, I decided that the former was the most sensible course of action and softly knocked on the door. "Come in," Stephen's well-known voice said, and I cautiously twisted on the doorknob, pushed it open, and entered the room with all the assurance I could muster. As soon as I went in, my eyes met Stephen's, and for the first few seconds, I kind of froze. As soon as I went in, he got up, and I have to admit that I was in awe of how amazing this man looked at the moment. Even if I don't like him for anything else, he was far more attractive than I would have expected. He said, "Good evening, Amara," and I had to admit that I thought it was really appealing that he called me by name. "Good evening, Stephen," I said, grinning a little, and he assisted me in removing my seat while motioning for me to take a seat. With a quiet "thank you," I took a seat. "I appreciate that you agreed to visit me, Amara. He immediately returned to his seat and said, "I really appreciate it and I apologise for what happened yesterday." I quickly discounted his apology because it was the last thing I wanted from him. "Since I couldn't be certain of your preferences, I declined to place any orders on your behalf. He said, "You can order anything you'd like; I already ordered for myself. I picked up the menu nervously and looked through it, trying to find something that I could eat easily." Eating anything substantial was not something I could have imagined doing, especially not with that man in front of me making me feel so uneasy that I felt like throwing up. Although I had anticipated some discomfort between us, I hadn't anticipated it to be this oppressive. I was already eating dinner with my employer rather than my soon-to-be spouse. He remarked in a rather agitated tone, "Have you made up your mind?" and I wasn't sure if he was truly hungry or just running out of patience. Based on my initial view of him, I like to believe that it's the latter. There was no denying that he exuded impatience. "Yes, I have," I answered, and he summoned the server right away, asking me to indicate my order on the menu. After following my instructions, the waiter quickly turned to go, leaving Stephen and I by ourselves once more. We didn't say anything for the first several minutes, and I attempted to divert my attention by staring at anything else instead of him as it seemed weird. I felt more uneasy and self-conscious since I could tell he was staring at me. How could I have ever believed that going on a date with this man would help me get to know him better? I regret not remaining at home and not joining in on this crazy right now. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" He inquired abruptly, making me turn to face him. In answer, I just nodded and kept my lips shut since I didn't want to lie and say that I'm uncomfortable. "While I would apologize for it, I don't think it's appropriate for us to begin our agreement with only regrets. Amara, listen, I'm feeling really uncomfortable, just like you are. I assumed that since I had previously checked you out, this would be simple to manage, but knowing who you are and doing some research in advance doesn't really help. How about we just introduce ourselves correctly and save this night from going terribly wrong?" When he inquired, it must have been the longest Stephen had spoken to me without seeming like his regular robotic self. Though I shouldn't have been shocked because it was expected, it did irritate me that he checked on me and called it "research." "So what exactly do you suggest we do?" I enquired. Amara, we don't need to do much. We're going to start off as relative strangers and work our way up to being friendly. We'll begin by giving a quick recap of who we are before moving on to ask each other questions that we find interesting. "Sound good?" he said, and I wholeheartedly agreed since it would make our relationship less uncomfortable and claustrophobic. "That seems adequate, Stephen. Shall I begin now, or will you?" I inquired. "I'll get started," he said. As you are aware, my name is Stephen Ericson, and I suppose you might describe myself as a businessman. I am thirty-two years old, to give you a general idea of who I am. I am 6 feet 3 inches tall, have blood type O, and, just so you know, I am naturally blonde with dyed black hair. I nearly laughed out loud at his randomness even though he was wearing a straight face when he remarked, "I also don't eat spicy food, at all." "I'm glad to have met you, Stephen. Amara Katherine Delgado is my name, and I work as a critical care nurse. I am 27 years old. I'm 5 feet 8 inches tall, have blood type O, and my hair is naturally black rather than brown. "I eat spicy food, but I definitely have my limits, and I'm allergic to roses," I answered. I thought I heard him laugh, but his expression remained still, so I doubted it. "It is very appreciated that you cooperated with Amara. I wanted to give you time to process everything and come to grips with this marital scenario, so I decided to postpone the wedding for an additional week. I know that you may still have questions about it. I realized right away that this was my chance to ask the question that had actually convinced me to come here: "You may find me a little uncomfortable to be around, and that is very understandable since I'm practically a stranger to you, but, I'd like to believe that you'll eventually adapt to the awkwardness since I'm not exactly the most approachable person." "Thank you for being considerate enough to reschedule the wedding, but could you maybe tell me why we are getting married in the first place? "I hope I didn't come across as disrespectful when I said that you don't exactly seem like the type that would just marry anyone." "Didn't your father tell you anything?" inquired the man. Not wanting it to be apparent that I had no idea why my father wanted me to marry him, I said, "He did, but I also wanted to hear from you." I chose to pretend because I didn't want him to think I was a fool for not understanding what I was getting into. He remarked, "It's just collateral, Amara," and I scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned, curious as to why he was using the word "collateral" in this exchange. Did he really mean that I was one? Miss Delgado, it's nothing. That's exactly what your father has told you to believe. It's bad that you have no control over this marital arrangement; it must be followed. He continued, "Don't worry, though; it won't last forever-unless, of course, your family chooses not to do their share." I've never been more perplexed in my life. I was terrified to death when he told me out loud that I would have to marry him whether I wanted it or not, and the whole conversation became even more perplexing when I learned that it wouldn't last long as long as my parents played their role. He said, "Now that that's settled, how about we get into a proper agreement in order to keep the peace between us in the near future?" Something he was about to say, based on the chilly expression on his face, was clearly not going to agree with me.