An Arranged Marriage

"Daddy, I don't want to marry him!" Carolina whimpered, getting up from her desk.

"There's no such thing as 'I don't want to'! You will marry him, girl! Our family needs your help," he got closer to Carolina. "It's the least you can do after I've raised you for all these years!"

"But I'm your daughter!"

The marks of his fingers were clearly visible on Carolina's face, after the slap she received. Gaspar held her by the shoulders, shaking her.

"You are not my daughter by blood! And you know it! I raised you, allowed you to enjoy this good life! You owe us!"

"But... why me?" She whimpered.

"You don't think I'm going to give my daughter to a deformed person when I have you, do you? After all, you had to serve some purpose!"

He released her forcefully, causing Carolina to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Then he left the room, slamming the door.

Carolina Navarro, 24 years old, was the eldest daughter of the Navarro family. Her mother, Paloma, was accused of cheating on her husband and, while running away with her lover, she ended up losing her life. Carolina was almost two years old at the time. Gaspar then believed that Carolina was not his daughter. To avoid a scandal, he never took a DNA test, but he always made a point of showing how much he hated the girl.

The Navarro Porcelain Group was going through a moment of financial difficulty, and that was when an excellent opportunity appeared that would serve Gaspar with two purposes: it would save his company and also take Carolina out of his house.

The groom was none other than Máximo Castillo, only son and heir to that family's entire dairy empire. He was handsome, charming, intelligent, successful. That is, until he was in a twin-engine plane crash and had half his face burned. Now, 3 years after this event, he needed a wife and a child.

Carolina went down to dinner and both Nadia and Eloísa were at the table. Carolina's half-sister had a mocking smile on her face.

"Congratulations sister! You will finally let the spinster status behind you!"

"Thank you very much, Eloísa. I'd rather be known as a spinster than a lover to a few men."

Another slap, this time from Nadia.

"Don't you dare talk about my daughter!" She growled, slapping the table.

"What's going on here?" Gaspar asked, entering the dining room and looking at Carolina's face, Eloísa's tearful expression and Nadia's trembling lips. "I don't like to ask twice!"

"Gaspar, when will this wedding be? Carolina just offended our daughter! She attacked our girl's honor!"

He glared at Carolina and she knew she would receive punishment, but he just shook her and sent her to her room, no dinner.

"And that's all to it?" Nadia asked. "You know I don't like Carolina being punished, but... she crossed the line, here." Nadia was crying and Gaspar hugged her.

"I didn't give her a good spanking because her husband would complain. And we cannot lose this contract."

Inside the room, Carolina was lying on the bed, hugging the pillow, crying. Throughout her life, Carolina was mistreated not only by her father, but also by her stepmother, who pretended to be good, but whenever she could, she incited fights and disagreements between Gaspar and Carolina. Eloísa was not far behind.

'Maybe your husband isn't so bad, Carolina,' she said to herself. Yes, things could be different with him!

She didn't care about the scars, which she had never even seen. The problem was that she wanted to at least have a say in who she married with. Carolina dreamed of the day when she would no longer be under her father's whip and, as he didn't let her study or work, the only way was to get married. And that was where she had great hopes. Unfortunately, fate once again did not allow her to be the one deciding her own fate.

Two weeks later, Carolina was signing the marriage papers, by proxy. No religious wedding, as Máximo refused to leave the house. He would wait for Carolina at the farm, where her new home would be.

'It can't be worse than at my father's house.' Carolina thought, while she was in the car, heading to 'La Preciosa' Farm.

Carolina didn't know, but the deal had been made so that Eloísa, considered the city's beauty, would marry Máximo Castillo. However, it is obvious that Eloísa would never accept not only a marriage with a man she had never met, but also one who everyone knew was deformed by scars.

"We're here, Mrs. Castillo!" The driver informed her and it took her a while to understand that it was with her he was talking to.

"Thank you!" She thanked, weakly.

Mrs. Castillo. It sounded very strange to her ears.

Carolina took a deep breath, before opening the car's door and getting out of the vehicle. She looked around and found herself in front of a huge mansion. Rustic, of course, as it was a farm, but very beautiful.

"Welcome, ma'am!" A middle-aged woman approached her, smiling at Carolina. "My name is Dolores.:

Carolina smiled.

"Hello, Dolores! Nice to meet you, I'm Carolina," she extended her hand to the elderly woman, who shook it.

'This girl is a good one!' Dolores thought. She met the boss's ex-fiancee and that was very arrogant. She never talked to the employees like that, so kindly. So... human.

"We are all very happy that you are here! Come, come! The boss is waiting anxiously."

Carolina nodded.

"And I'm happy to be so well received."

Carolina went up the stairs towards the main door, feeling her heart beating very hard. She was a married woman and would meet her husband in a few moments. She heard he was 'weird' and she wanted to know what that meant.

Before they entered the main doors, Dolores stopped walking and turned to Carolina, a little unsure.

"Ah, ma'am...The boss is a long-suffering man, and sometimes he can seem rude. But he's good. I've known him for years."

"I heard he had an accident," Carolina said.

Dolores nodded in agreement.

"Yes. And that made him a little too sad. A little tougher, you know? Be patient with him."

The look in Dolores' eyes indicated that she really liked her boss.

"I'll do my best, Dolores."

The elderly woman smiled broadly and continued walking.

The entrance door was huge, made of black wood. The floor was also dark, the wood very well waxed. All the furniture was made of that same material, including the sofas - but very well upholstered. The place screamed 'rustic!', but with excellent taste.

They stopped in front of a dark wooden double door, like the one at the entrance, all carved. The handle was gold. Dolores knocked twice.

"You may come in!" A deep male voice sounded from inside. Carolina liked what she heard and thought that, at least the voice was very beautiful.

"You can go in, ma'am," Dolores said and stepped to the side, giving space to Carolina pass by.

This one nodded, placed her hand on the doorknob, turned it and took a deep breath before entering the office.

The first thing she saw was the huge window, but with the curtains closed. She could only see the top of the light-haired man's head from the chair. His back was to her.

"Hello, Mr. Castillo," she said and closed the door behind her. However, when she started to walk towards the desk, he stopped her.

"Stop!"

She stopped, startled.

"Oh, I..."

"There's no need for you to walk to me. Welcome, wife. I called you here to give you some rules."

"Oh, right," she said, softly.

"Don't ever interrupt me!" he scolded and she was going to say 'okay', but then, she would be doing exactly what he told her not to do. Máximo approved that she remained silent. "First thing: you can't come in here without being called. This rule applies to the office and to my bedroom. Dolores will show you which one it is, so we can avoid problems. Don't look for me unless it's an emergency. Always expect me to look for you. Don't keep staring at me."

Carolina nodded, but said nothing.

"Did you understand? Say something!" He spoke rudely and Carolina, who was hot-blooded, narrowed her eyes.

"Well, you told me not to interrupt you!" She said and only then wondered if she hadn't been too cheeky.

Silence.

"You are insolent."

"I can't see the future. If you don't say you're done talking, I have no way of knowing it," she hated being treated unfairly. She had already been through that at her father's house.

'And here was I thinking things could be different here..."

He took a deep breath.

"I'll let this one slide. But hold your tongue next time," he warned her and she, once again, ignored his threatening tone.

"Then be more clear. I can't see you, I can't read your expressions. I need you to vocalize your desires, or rather, your orders."

Máximo was looking at the window and couldn't help but smile. That woman had courage, he needed to admit that!

"Enough. You'll go to your room, stay there, familiarize yourself, rest. Today the meal will be served in your bedroom. Wait for me later."

"Wait for you, sir?"

She watched as he turned his head, as if he could look over his shoulder.

"Yes. Our wedding night."

Carolina hadn't thought about that. And she felt like an idiot. They had gotten married, the man needed an heir. 'You are a fool!'

"Carolina?" He called her and she liked how he pronounced her name, but then shook her head.

"Oh, yes. Got it. Right. I'm... I'm leaving. See you later."

She turned to leave, but before she did, he called out to her.

"Carolina!"

"Yes?" She replied, after counting to five.

"I didn't give you permission to leave, did I?"

"Ah, sorry, boss. May I go, now?"

He smiled, amused.

"You may."

She opened the door and left him alone.

'Unbearable man! Who does he think he is? He thinks I'm his slave or what?'

'Madam, come. I'll show you your room,' Dolores said.

Carolina turned to her and smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, yes of course. Let' go, then."

She motioned with her hand for Dolores to walk. And this one did.

When they entered a wide hallway, Dolores spoke again.

"Did you like the boss?"

'Poor thing, she swears he's adorable!'

"Yeah, absolutely!" Carolina answered, trying not to hurt the elderly woman's feelings. This one smiled.

"This is so wonderful! Now, this one is your room and that one," she pointed to the room at the end of the corridor, with huge doors, "is the boss's."

"Thank you, Dolores. I'm going to take a bath and get some sleep."

"Of course, of course. Excuse me and welcome again!" The elderly woman started to walk away, then she stopped and looked at Carolina. "I'll bring dinner later, ma'am. Around five."

"Okay. Thank you, Dolores."

Dolores left and Carolina opened the bedroom door. It was very beautiful, like a hotel's. The walls were light yellow, with light beige curtains. The bed linen was white with small flowers embroidered on it.

After taking a bath - the bathtub was huge! - Carolina dozed off and set the alarm for an hour later. She barely woke up and someone was already knocking on the door.

"How punctual!" She said and went to open the door. Dolores handed her a tray with a plate of Cochinita Pibil and some tortillas.

"Thanks!" Carolina loved that dish very much.

She ate and saw that there was a note on the tray. She opened it.

'Inside the wardrobe, there is a box. Dress with what's inside. When the clock strikes eight, go into my room, put on the blindfold and wait for me in bed.' It was a message from Máximo.

Carolina ran her fingers over his handwriting. It was elegant. She got up and went looking for the box.

When the clock struck eight at night, Carolina opened her own bedroom door and looked around the hallway. She was wearing a black robe, but underneath it, a very pretty, black silk nightgown. Seeing that no one was there, she ran to the bedroom at the end of the hall and entered.

Carolina expected her wedding nightgown to be white. Nadia, her stepmother, had put a very fancy one in her luggage. No, not out of kindness or affection, but as a mockery that Carolina was marrying that man. But at least Carolina couldn't say that her husband's chosen outfit was ugly. On the contrary, in addition to beauty, it held elegance.

The room was completely dark. She groped for the switch on the wall but couldn't find it. She couldn't see a thing in front of her nose! With her hands in front of her, she walked forward. Maximo told her to wait in bed.

She waited, and finally, she heard movement outside. The hallway was dark, and she couldn't see her husband.

'He doesn't want me to see him, of course!' She thought and then remembered the blindfold. She quickly put it on.

This made her even more nervous. Carolina could hear everything.

Squeak of fabric and then the bed began to sag, and she felt his presence on top of her. She was lying down.

"I-I...I've never..." She stammered. Carolina had saved herself for the man she would love and marry. The first part, unfortunately, did not go as she planned.

Máximo stopped moving instantly. He had only seen Carolina on camera and thought she was very pretty. But he didn't want her to see him. He looked hideous and he feared that if she saw him they would not consummate their marriage.

He thought that everything could happen very quickly and with luck, she would be pregnant the first time. Not that he wasn't attracted to her but doing it that way was somehow humiliating for the both of them. Upon learning that she was still a virgin, he had to take a deep breath. It wouldn't be fast.

"Okay," he replied in a way that, to Carolina, sounded sexy. He put his hand on her leg and she jumped. "Calm down, I'll try to be as gentle as possible."

She nodded.

And he kept his promise, kissing her body, but when she tried to touch him, he grabbed Carolina's wrists.

"No. Do not touch me. Keep your hands on the mattress and let me take care of the rest."

"But..."

"Carolina!"

Although it was a bossy tone, it wasn't rude. Carolina sighed and nodded, unsure if he could see her.

She felt every touch and was very nervous. He didn't kiss her on the mouth, but from the neck down, there was no part left without his warm and soft lips touching.

The next morning, Carolina woke up alone, and already in her room. She moved to sit up and felt sore. Although her husband was kind, at one point he was like an animal, and he even apologized to her for it.

She looked up at the ceiling and smiled. He had kissed her body and she blushed at the memory. Although painful, it was also very delightful.

As soon as she got up, she saw a box on top of the bedside table. It looked like a jewelry box. There was a note.

'The night was wonderful. Here is the payment.'

The smile that was playing on Carolina's lips, disappeared. The expression on her face changed to a grimace. She did her personal hygiene, changed her clothes, took the box and left the room, furious, ignoring the discomfort between her legs.

While Carolina was sleeping, Máximo looked up her name in some sources and learned about her mother's story and how everyone said she was easy like her mother. That just made him angry and that's exactly why he 'paid' her. At least that way, maybe she wouldn't get involved with other men. He didn't demand love, since even he wasn't willing to offer it, but being a cuckold, no!

His phone rang. It was his father.

"Are you enjoying the perks of a married life, my son?" César Castillo asked full of hope.

Máximo shifted in his chair and laughed.

"Indeed. I believe that, if everything goes as expected, we will soon find out if Carolina is pregnant."

"Carolina?" César asked, confused.

"Yes, father, my wife. Her name is Carolina, don't you remember?" Máximo asked impatiently.

"Ah..." César seemed distant but didn't say anything. "I'll wait for good news, then. Your grandma will be overjoyed!"

The deal was made so that Eloisa, considered the beauty of the city, would marry Máximo Castillo. However, it is obvious that Eloisa would never accept not only a marriage with a man she had never seen, but one that everyone knew was deformed by burning scars.

The call ended and César sighed heavily. He should have expected this already, however, he was very irritated.

Dolores was arranging a pillow in the living room.

"Dolores, good morning. Where is my husband, please?" Carolina asked, trying not to be rude to the elderly woman who had nothing to do with all that mess.

Dolores widened her eyes and raised her head to look at her boss's wife, frightened.

"Oh, good morning. He's in the office." Carolina started to go in that direction. "Madam! Don't go in there!"

Dolores followed her.

"I need to talk to him," Carolina said, continuing to walk.

"Mrs., he won't like it..."

"Dolores, he treated me badly and he will listen to what I have to say regarding that matter!"

Dolores nodded and stood still.

"Knock first, please!" Was all she said, and Carolina nodded.

Arriving in front of his door, she knocked, with some force.

"Who is it?" Máximo's voice sounded and Carolina got angrier.

"It is me!" She raged. "Carolina!"

"Go away!"

She stared at the door, open-mouthed.

'But... He is too cheeky!'

Carolina tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Máximo Castillo!" She knocked hard again.

"I said: go away!" He repeated.

"Well, open that door right now!"

He didn't answer anything, but soon, two men entered the house and approached her.

"Madam, the boss asked you to leave the door of his office."

The taller man with a hat on his head said it gently.

"I'm not leaving until he talks to me," Carolina answered the man politely and turned toward the door. "You're a man to sleep with me and send me that note, but not man enough to speak to me, face to face?"

The men widened their eyes and looked at each other, as no one has ever spoken to their boss that way.

Noise from inside the office, the key was turned, and Carolina saw the doorknob turning.

Before Carolina could do anything, she was pulled into the office and turned to face the door. She saw Maximo's scarred hand, but she couldn't pay much attention to it, for he was right behind her, breathing in her hair.

She couldn't understand, but while she felt fear, that feeling was soon replaced by a certain excitement.

"What did you say?" He asked close to her ear, one hand on Carolina's waist, squeezing her there, one leg between hers, forcing his hips on her back.

"You... You called me a prostitute!" She complained, concentrating to speak coherently. His presence was making her dizzy.

Little did she know that he wasn't feeling much different.

Maximo couldn't remember ever having enjoyed sleeping with a woman so much, even though they hadn't kissed, and she hadn't even touched him. After taking her to her room, in the middle of the night, he went back to his own bedroom and went over about what they had done. He wanted more, but he wouldn't dare go into her room and risk her waking up and seeing him.

At that moment, with her pressed between him and the wall, Máximo was taking all the strength he possessed not to turn her towards him and kiss her. And not only that. Her saying he wasn't man enough made him furious!

"You got married for money, didn't you? Who gets married, has sex. And anyone who has sex for money is a prostitute, or am I wrong?" He replied. "Now, how dare you say that I am not man enough?"

He roared, tightening his grip on her waist and thrusting his hips forward. She let out a soft moan and he didn't know if he'd misunderstood it.

"I'm not... a prostitute!" She said, angry, as much at his words as at she enjoying the proximity of his body.

"Do you think I'm not a man?" He asked and moved his hips forward, making Carolina feel him on her back. "Do you want me to show you how much of a man I am?"

She didn't know what demons had possessed her to make her say the next words.

"Yes! Show me!"

Máximo was stunned for a few seconds, but then, he smirked. Carolina was wearing a light summer dress. He ran one of his hands up her thighs, eliciting gasps from the woman.

After opening his own pants, he leaned her body forward, but he saw that the difference in height would be an inconvenience, there.

"Close your eyes."

"Huh?"

"Close your eyes!" He ordered and Carolina nodded, obeying him. She felt herself being turned over and Maximo's breath was on her face. She let go of the jewelry box she still held, but he didn't let her touch him, anyway. "No."

"Let me use your arms to balance myself. You're wearing a shirt, aren't you?" She asked between sighs.

"Okay." He gave her permission, and she lifted her hands, holding onto Maximo's arms. He looked down at her pink, slightly full lips and kissed her.

Carolina wanted to put her hands in his hair, but she knew she couldn't. She opened her mouth, and he deepened the kiss. She felt that he was leading her somewhere, until she felt herself being lifted off the floor and sitting on top of what she believed to be the table.

Unable to take it anymore, she lifted her hands to his hair. Maximo stopped kissing her for two seconds, but when he realized that she didn't seem to care at all when her hands passed over a part of his temple where there was no hair, he decided that he would only let her touch him there.

"Are you still sore from last night?" He asked between one kiss and another.

"No," She lied.

The two foremen stayed outside until they heard the sound of things falling to the ground and decided to go inside. Then Carolina's loud moans made them stop.

"I think that..."

"Let's get out of here. The bosses have already reached an understanding." The shorter one said, and the two men left.

Dolores, who had stayed close by, when listening to Carolina, smiled. She really wanted the two of them to be well and the mistress seemed like a good woman. She walked away happily.

Maximo and Carolina were breathing hard. He put a hand behind her head and pulled her closer. Her face was pressed against his chest. Even though he hadn't removed his shirt, she could feel the heat his skin was giving off and hear the man's heart pounding.

'I can't believe we did it again!' She thought, biting her lip and still with her eyes closed.

Maximo hadn't been intimated with a woman for a long time and he didn't know if that was why he enjoyed that that much or if Carolina was, in fact, different. He was feeling less ridiculous as a man. She seemed to like what they did.

'Prostitutes know how to pretend very well.' A bitter voice sounded in his mind.

"Keep your eyes closed. I'll help you get to the door." He said and Carolina frowned.

"I want to see you."

"No," he replied dryly.

"But... The two of us are already intimate enough, wouldn't you say? We are married!" She complained but didn't open her eyes.

"No. You're just accepting being touched by me because you haven't seen me."

"This is not true!"

"So, you're so professional that you can get over an ugly face like mine?" he asked and Carolina understood what he meant.

She pushed him away, eyes still closed, and scrambled off the table, almost falling.

"You're a cretin!" She complained, holding back tears. "I gave my virginity to you; how can you say that?"

"Nothing a surgery couldn't fake," he commented.

Carolina roared with rage, took a few steps forward and opened her eyes so she could see where she was going. She saw the jewelry box on the floor and with the fall, it opened, revealing a beautiful diamond necklace. She kicked the box aside, opened the door and left the office, huffing.

Máximo saw it all and shook his head.

'If she thinks she's fooling me, she's wrong!' He thought, irritated.

Meanwhile, Cesar was in the capital, huffing and puffing.

"What happened, my son?" Yolanda asked, looking at Cesar as she leaned against the doorframe.

"It wasn't Eloisa who got married to Máximo," he complained, getting to his feet.

The elderly woman, Cesar's mother, entered the office.

"Let me see this girl, then," she pleaded.

Cesar had a photo of the Navarro family on his computer and opened the file. Yolanda pointed to the beautiful girl with darker hair and hazel eyes.

"Is this the one?" She asked and César nodded "But she's very pretty!"

"But not as pretty as her sister, Eloisa!" He complained, pointing at the blonde girl.

Yolanda looked at the two girls.

"For to me, Carolina is prettier. She has a much gentler aura." She declared. "Eloisa seems like an arrogant girl to me. Look at her expression!"

Yes, everyone said that Eloisa was beautiful, however, she had a complicated temperament, because she was too spoiled. However, Cesar knew that many men wanted to date the girl and therefore that made her more valuable. He wanted the best for his son and the mother of the future Castillo heirs.

"But mother..."

"Calm down, Cesar. And look at the bright side: if this girl is not so coveted, she is certainly humbler. Our boy needs someone like that. You see, this Eloisa has already rejected him without even meeting him!"

In this, Cesar agreed with Yolanda.

"Okay, okay," he said. "I'm not going to complain about anything to the Navarro's then. At least for a while.

Yolanda smiled and looked back at Carolina's photo. She had a feeling that this girl would be the right woman for Maximo.

Later, at the farm, Carolina was in her room and refused to go down to lunch. Afterwards, she also refused to go down to dinner and, not even five minutes after her refusal, her bedroom door opened.

First, Carolina jumped up, clutching the pillow that was in her lap, as she read a book.

"But... What the hell was that?" she asked, now irritated.

There was no one there in front of the door.