Forced Marriage in Love

A slight hum slowly drifted from Helena's lips, forming a beautiful rhythm that kept repeating continuously. Sometimes, her body was swayed left and right, following the rhythm she sang. She wasn't sure what song it was. She felt happy, so the tone played in her mind automatically.

Helena was preparing a latte ordered by one of her customers. The condition of the cafe, which was quite crowded, made her helping them. She had indeed learned about coffee, along with various ways of serving the bitter drink. So, she could be a backup barista when needed.

The cafe titled Helena's Café was her. Indeed, she didn't fully take care of it. There was a reliable assistant whom she gave complete trust to handle the life and death of her cafe, including managing the welfare of her employees. And she would only receive the detailed report every month.

Even so, Helena quite often visited there. Well, she just spent time there and got relaxed while observing her cafe. If it was busy, she didn't hesitate to help her employees, as she was doing.

"Are you waiting for Aaron, Ma'am?" asked Leah after making a glass of ice americano ordered by the customer.

Helena smiled shyly. It wasn't a secret that she and Aaron usually met there. Yes, Aaron was her boyfriend. Not too long ago, there was a change in their relationship after more than three years of being friends. It was, as people say, a friend becoming a lover.

Another reason the cafe was chosen as their favorite place because it was located in the same direction as his way back home from his office. She could rent a place at the mall that was owned and managed by Aaron. However, she didn't want to be too evident in showing her feelings toward him. She was afraid that it might ruin her effort so far. You could say she used their friendship to approach Aaron. And she had to be patient, waiting for her feelings to be reciprocated.

"Yes," replied Helena. All of her employees knew about her love affair with Aaron. They even encouraged her to express her feelings. She didn't. Of course. Too embarrassed for her to admit it, say that she loves him in front of Aaron directly, and to ask him to be her boyfriend. So, she just waited until the confession came from Aaron himself.

"What time will he come here?" Amy, Helena's other employee, asked.

"In a moment, I guess. He was already on the way."

"That's him," said Leah to coincide with the tinkling sound of the bell. A small bell was placed at the entrance door to ring every time someone came in and out.

Helena followed her gaze. Yeah, Aaron was right there, wearing his disheveled suit. He gave a weak smile when his eyes met Helena's. And she could see the tiredness on his handsome face.

Aaron might not be the most handsome man Helena had ever seen. Oh, there were many good-looking male actors scattered around the world that not only she was mesmerized by their charms but other women who felt the same way, for example, Chris Evans. Those who had seen him and, of course, watched his skill in various movies would agree that he was handsome. And yeah, Helena was his fans.

Okay. Back to Aaron. Although he wasn't so gorgeous compare to them, Aaron's facial features were still attractive. After all, handsome was only a perspective. For Helena, Aaron was in the category with his perfect body. And he was even more charming when he looked dapper while wearing his office suit. She couldn't imagine how cool he was when he was working.

Helena walked over toward Aaron, who was sitting in a remote corner. Almost all the seats near the window were occupied. Usually, they would sit there while enjoying the view outside-streets and their activities.

"Do you want to order something?" Helena asked after arriving in front of Aaron and sat on the empty chair there.

Silence. There was no response from the man who was a year older than her. Aaron looked at her with hesitation in his eyes.

Helena realized it. Aaron wasn't a person who was good at hiding his feelings, especially in front of her. His eyes were much more honest than his body language. "What's wrong?" Curiosity began to enter Helena's heart.

"I have to get married."

It was a short answer that could give Helena a shock effect. Her heart was beating wildly. But then, she was able to control it. She regained the calmness to control her mind. And to be honest, she also had good news about marriage. Her parents agreed on her to marry Aaron. That was why she was so happy all day.

"There's a girl who's betrothed to me." The way he spoke showed the pain in his chest, so Helena felt it too.

Honestly, Helena didn't know how to react to his statement. Comfort him? Impossible. What kind of consolation would she give to her boyfriend, who had to marry because of an arranged marriage? She was pondering. Should she share the good news too? How was his reaction after heard about it? Would he be angry or glad to listen to the information?

"I'm not interested in getting to know her, indeed falling in love with her. It's impossible!" He continued sarcastically.

Helena smiled sadly. She caught the extreme displeasure in his voice. "If you don't like it, just refuse the arrangement." She said coldly.

Aaron looked at Helena. Again, the worry was there-this time mixed with regret and a sense of helplessness reflected in his brown eyes. "I can't. If I refuse, grandpa won't bequeath the Houston Groups to me."

Helena pressed his lips together. So, it was because of the inheritance of Houston Groups. It wasn't easy to let go of something that since childhood told to be his. She understood it. Very well. However, hearing it directly from his lips hurt her heart.

Suddenly both of Aaron's hands grabbed Helena's. "Helena, you won't leave me, right? I still want you on my side. The marriage is nothing compared to you. I promise I won't let her ruin our relationship!" He said with his fingers tightly gripping Helena's hopefully.

Helena stared blankly at Aaron. Her mind could no longer process all of his words. Her mouth was locked. She didn't know what else to say. Was she shocked? Of course. Her happy mood was instantly broken, replaced by a feeling that she couldn't even describe. Was she disappointed? Sure. The words that came out of Aaron's lips seemed to bombard her with a pile of disappointment at the man who had only been her boyfriend for four months. Helena didn't even know what to do with all the negative feelings that plagued her. The most apparent sense was the pain in her heart at his last words. Aaron seemed to think that she and the woman were simply an object. He wanted to have one but didn't want to lose the other. How ironic.

Unknowingly, one of Helena's hands that hidden under the table clenched. There was a rage she was trying to hold as best she could. And by the determination, she restrained all of her emotions then stared coldly at him. It was so cold that it seemed as if a glimmer of life had left her.

"Please, go." The expressionless word slipped from Helena's lips.

Aaron never once agreed with his grandfather's idea of an arranged marriage between himself and the granddaughter of his grandpa's best friend. Sounded confusing? Simply to say, it was an arrangement by two friends from two families; The Houston and The Brown family. They were their grandfather who had a powerful position in those families.

He rejected their plan. For him, his life was entirely his. No one could control him, indeed forced him to do something he didn't intend to.

It all started when he was young. Either his parents or his grandfather often said to him that there was a girl he had to take care of when he was an adult. In his mind, Alana's face immediately pictured and all her whining. Alana is his cousin who not only troubled him but his entire family with the girl's overly pampered behavior. So, he didn't want to do it.

As time goes by, he realized that women weren't all like Alana. He could see his female friends' attitude at school, which was much different from his cousin. He also slowly began to understand the meaning of arranged marriage they told. Precisely because of that, he refused even harder. He wanted to determine his future.

Though he had found his lover, the plan was haunting him. This time with a threat, his grandfather wouldn't bequeath the Houston Groups to him.

As one of the candidates, Aaron had been promised to occupy the highest throne. He was the primary candidate considered by his grandfather to lead the company that had started decades ago. It didn't mean that his grandpa ruled out the possibility of competition with his other cousins. He seemed to lose his grip when his grandfather made the threat. It wasn't because he couldn't start his own business. There were many things that he had planned to advance the Houston Groups.

A heavy sigh escaped from his lips. He remembered his woman. Helena had fill in the last few years with the comforts she offered. Being near her could relax his body and instantly flowed calmness into his mind. He loved her and never wanted to lose her.

However, their last meeting seemed to make their relationship strained. Aaron was guilty. He had hurt his woman through his words. His wish and the arranged marriage, he knew Helena was very disappointed to hear that.

A week had passed since the day. And Aaron never managed to contact her. The woman avoided him. Helena never once replied to his message or picked up his call, even though he had tried hundreds of times. Helena hadn't visited the cafe ever since the day, though they met there almost every day. The employees also did not know where Helena was because suddenly she disappeared without a word. His last attempt was to visit Helena's apartment. But, it was a waste. He had no access to the building. The security was pretty tight.

Therefore, his mood worsened as the days went by without Helena by his side. Just imagining her face wasn't enough to calm Aaron. Instead, a longing came along with regret. The disappointed look on Helena's beautiful face was still vivid in his memory.

Again, he let out a sigh. He stared at the streets, which looked the same every day. It was busy with people's activities. And it felt worse in this hot weather.

"We will arrive soon, Sir," said Lucas, his office driver.

Aaron deliberately called Lucas on the weekend to prolong his meeting with his future wife. Yes, it was the first time he would meet the woman he had betrothed to for a long time. Aaron needed a feeling of peace to hold all of his emotion. So, he told Luca to find a long way to give him more time to calm his mind.

Less than five minutes, the black BMW he was riding arrived at the destination. Lucas immediately got out of his seat and opened the door for his boss.

Aaron stepped out of the car seat he had briefly enjoyed during his journey. It was time for him to face the world. He couldn't dodge anymore.

A well-dressed young woman approached Aaron. She slightly bowed when she arrived in front of him, then said, "Good afternoon, Mr. Houston. Your present is awaiting by our guests. Please follow me." She must have been on duty to welcome his arrival.

Without answering, Aaron followed the woman's steps into the luxurious building in front of him. The Brown Hotel. The place was neither his nor part of his family business. The five-star hotel belongs to the family of his future wife.

He had to admit the hotel deserves a five-star. It looks luxurious from the outside. And he believed their services were comparable to the service he gets, even though he had never really experienced it. He already said, right, if he hated the arrangement? Therefore, he avoided direct interaction with anything related to the woman as much as possible.

A large wooden door opened in front of Aaron, showing everyone in the room who immediately turned their heads when they saw the arrival of a new guest there. They were none other than his family and the family of his future wife. But, wait. Why was Helena there?

"Finally, what we've been waiting for has arrived," commented Aaron's grandfather after seeing his grandson in the doorway.

"We thought we should postpone this meeting because of your busy schedule," joked the aged man who was sitting in the same row with Helena.

Everyone there laughed, except for one person. Helena.

"Come on, Son. Sit here." Mrs. Houston, Aaron's mother, said as she gently patted the empty chair beside her, which was also right in front of Helena.

Aaron barely moved because he was too shocked by the thing he saw. However, her mother's voice managed to bring him back to reality. Slowly, his feet stepped into the room. "Sorry, I'm late," he said after taking his seat in the empty spot his mother meant.

"It's okay. We are chatting a lot while waiting for you," replied a woman, Helena's mother, who still looked stunning at her middle-aged.

And the meeting between the two families began. Small talk flowed from both parties, especially the two aged men, who were the key to the relationship among Houston and Brown family. Sometimes, business problems tucked in their casual conversation. Oh, Helena's two older brothers were also there alongside their wives.

Aaron stole glances at Helena. The twenty-nine-year-old woman seemed to be good at carrying herself. He responded to every rant directed at her. Sometimes, she would reply to them with light humor then followed by a small laugh on her face. She wasn't shy to pout when her grandfather or her father talked about her embarrassing childhood in front of the Houston family. The atmosphere was so fluid. Perhaps, the closeness between the two families that had existed for a long time ago made the awkwardness disappeared.

But during the talk, which took more than an hour, Helena didn't intend to see him at all. Her eyes avoided meeting Aaron's, even if only for a moment. It seemed that Helena was still angry at his act at their last meeting. However, shouldn't he be the one that felt the anger? He felt cheated by her. And how could she not give him any explanation and just vanished from him?

Aaron thought sadly about his confusing situation. The woman he loves so much turned out to be his hated future wife. How should he explain his feelings now? Hate? Love? Or both of them?

Helena continued to show her cold attitude toward Aaron until their family gathering ended. Before parting, she deliberately slowed her pace to get close to Aaron. "You should find out who your future wife was before planning to cheat on her," she whispered, which still sounded clear in Aaron's ear.

Preparing for the wedding wasn't tricky for Helena, even though she only had one month to go. Many professional wedding organizers could make it happen. She just needed more money to pay for their services that had to work under tight deadlines with the maximum results. There would be many vital guests presented at her wedding. And of course, she didn't want that moment to be an embarrassing thing to both two families and ruined their reputation due to the wrong choice of a wedding organizer.

Honestly, Helena didn't need to find a wedding organizer. The wedding party would take place in the ballroom of her family's hotel. It also included the food catering during the party. For the decoration, the hotel staff was no less slick in designing the place. After all, the hotel offered a service package for those who wanted to have any party there. Just explaining about it, and they would be ready to make it happen.

However, there were still some preparations that required the direct intervention of the party's owner. For example, about the food and beverage selection to be served during the party. The family of the bride and the groom must choose the menu themselves by having tried the taste through the samples provided. There was also a list of guests that no one could make it to other than those who would have the party. And the most that couldn't be replaced by someone else was the fitting session of the wedding dress. Liked it or not, the bride and the groom must be present in person.

That was what Helena was doing now. She was visiting her regular boutiques and trying on a dress that she had ordered for quite a while. Long before the day of the family gathering, Helena had already prepared for it. She knew sooner or later the marriage arrangement would still happen, and the wedding would take place according to their grandfather's plan. So, she asked the boutique owner to make a beautiful dress for her. And sure, for Aaron's too.

Helena was looking at her reflection through a large mirror in front of her. It was the second dress she had tried on-a long gown decorated with floral lace. The plan was she would wear it at the evening party. Meanwhile, the white wedding dress became her choice for the vows in the morning.

She let out a deep breath. Her face turned gloomy when thinking about Aaron and their future life. What would happen to their marriage? How about her relationship with him later? Would the vows be able to last long? Helena had absolutely no answers to those questions. Nothing.

She certainly loved Aaron. If it weren't for love, she could have rejected her grandfather's wishes. Her grandfather might grant her request, although the opportunity to be refused remained. However, if she was firm in her stance, Helena was pretty sure that her grandfather would approve it. Her grandfather couldn't exchange her granddaughter's happiness for the sake of a promise that didn't guarantee her happiness.

But, she never refused the plan. Instead of being angry after hearing that her future life had been determined by her grandfather, Helena was curious about the man she would marry. Then she found out. And the interest came when she saw him busy with a pile of the company reports he was trying to understand. At that time, Aaron was only working in a branch of her family's company. So, he had a lot to learn.

Next, she looked for a way to approach Aaron. She must know his nature before deciding on things regarding her life. She didn't want to be fooled by his charm, which she saw was just a physical matter. She wanted to know Aaron's behavior in his daily life, how he treated other people, and much more. But on the other hand, Helena didn't wish to reveal her identity for fear of being rejected before she even tried. And the idea came. She pretended to survey to find out customer satisfaction. She also had to work with the cafe owner to avoid misunderstandings later.

At the first meeting, Helena couldn't get anything other than an answer to her fake questions. In the second meeting, she only gave a fleeting smile when the two were reunited. The third time was still the same-this time with an extra small talk about her fictitious activities. It was at the fourth meeting that the opportunity arose. Perhaps, because they often met-she knew very well that Aaron was a regular visitor who spent his time there almost every day after coming back from work-they felt close. Their conversation began to sound natural and automatically opened a new friendship between them.

Then, Helena expressed her desire to open her cafe. Aaron supported the idea and said he would help her manage her new business. However, she knew Aaron was very busy with his office work. "If you want to help, then come often to my cafe," she said at the time. And yes, he agreed and changed his favorite place to Helena's Café, founded one month later. Because of that, their relationship grew closer and culminated in a romantic love story between the two of them.

"You look so beautiful," said Jane, the boutique owner and the designer who had accompanied her to try on the dresses she had ordered.

Helena had a smile on her face. She stared at the thirty-eight-year-old woman. She was grateful that Jane's designs never let her down. "Thank you, Jane. The dresses are amazing. That's why those who wear them also look beautiful." She made a joke.

Jane chuckled. Her hands were still busy tidying Helena's dress and making sure it fit her body well. "The dresses are beautiful. You also look beautiful. So, your attractiveness comes out," she replied with another joke.

Helena smiled. What else was she expected from someone who had designed a dress for her? It must be a compliment because it indirectly showed satisfactory results.

"Finished," Jane said while looking satisfied at her. Then, she pulled aside the curtains to show Helena's beauty to the people who were waiting for her outside.

"You're beautiful, Ma'am."

Instantly, Helena received praise from Olive, her makeup artist. In addition to the fitting session, she also used this time to do a makeup test for her wedding. She could save more time and energy, agreed?

"You're so gorgeous." Rachel gave the same compliment to Helena. Rachel had been her assistant since four years ago. She faithfully accompanied Helena in almost all of her activities, mainly related to work or business things.

Helena gave them both a smile in return. She then sat down on the large sofa they were also sitting on. "What's the best makeup that suitable for this dress?" she asked Olive, who was right beside her.

"We can create a romantic look. Pink seems to match the dress. Later, it can be made bolder on the lip so that it still looks elegant," explained Olive plainly.

Helena could only nod at her words. She knew quite a bit about makeup and how to use it. However, Helena had to leave the decision to someone who was a professional in the field. She didn't want to try her luck and ended up getting a disappointing result. Worse, she became the main gossip of her guests. "Okay. Try the look first."

Olive started her work. She removed all the makeup on Helena's face and went back to applying it from scratch. As she already said, she used a combination of pink in her makeup this time. Starting from the eyes with the rose-pink color, blush on in the same color, and bolder pink on Helena's lips.

While being dressed by Olive, Helena's ears caught someone's arrival and a very familiar voice. Aaron. Yes, He just arrived, which meant Aaron was almost three hours late from the appointment. Unbelievable. "You just arrived?" she asked sarcastically as the man came within her sight.

Aaron didn't answer. He just stood there with his eyes fixed on Helena and... her dazzling appearance.