Marry Him At The Age Of Eighteen

Charlotte's POV

As she stepped into her parents' backyard, she could hear the noise coming from inside the house. It seemed that her brother's friend had arrived once again. Being friends with her brother allowed him to meet wealthy people, including those from other countries, since her parents were the wealthiest family in the country.

As she entered the house, she noticed that they were drinking alcohol once again. They were still wearing tuxedos, indicating that maybe they had come straight from work. They were far from her path, so she could just continue walking. Despite their rowdy behavior in the living room, she couldn't resist greeting them, even if she didn't want to.

After coming back from school, she sometimes reaches home at seven in the evening due to the projects that need to be completed for the day. As she is an engineering major, she has challenging subjects and assignments that keep her occupied till late.

While walking, she suddenly stopped. "Charlotte, say hi to my friends," her brother said. She was hesitant, but she faced them, gave a slight wave, and then proceeded to walk towards her room. One of her brother's friends commented that there was still no change in her. It's not uncommon for them to visit almost every week.

As she entered her room, she let out a tired sigh. Although she was used to their constant presence, she couldn't help but feel weary of them. After a long day of classes, even her mind was exhausted. She decided not to lie on her bed as she could smell the sweat on her clothes. Instead, she planned to take a shower before dinner. She wondered if Belinda, their maid, had already cooked and if there were any appetizers to be had from the drinkers outside.

After spending two hours in her room, she left and went to the kitchen. With a smile, she opened the lid of the pot and was glad to see that her dish now had soup. She took a bowl, filled it with rice, and brought it to the table to eat while looking at her phone. Suddenly, she heard someone speak from behind her.

As you requested, I have rewritten the text to make it clearer and corrected any errors in it:

She was interrupted from her meal by a voice she recognized to be Elijah, her brother's closest friend. He informed her that her brother had requested pork with lots of onions. She choked on her broth, put down her spoon, and looked at Elijah. He ordered her to look for the dish in the kitchen. She left her phone on the table and went to the kitchen to search for the requested dish, but it was not there. She returned to the dining area to inform Elijah.

"There's no dish like that there."

Elijah frowned. "Your brother said to get that from the kitchen."

"Maybe he didn't mean that dish."

She sat back in front of the table. Then her brother came in, looking puzzled because Elijah was still there.

"Why did it take you so long to come back?"

"Your sister is still looking for the pork with a lot of onions you mentioned."

Her brother furrowed his brows. "What? Where did you get the idea that there's pork with a lot of onion?"

"From you," Elijah replied, watching her brother's puzzled expression. He scratched his head, his confusion evident.

"I said pork porridge, not the dish you were talking about. Are you drunk?"

"No. I just misheard."

"Stay here; I'll get it."

Her brother walked into the kitchen, and she just scrolled through her phone because she was too shy to eat her food while Elijah was behind her.

"Continue eating. I'm not looking while you chew," Elijah said.

She paused scrolling and grimaced, but luckily her brother came back quickly with a large bowl containing a lot of pork porridge and a lot of soup.

"Come on, Elijah. Charlotte won't be able to eat well if you're there."

Elijah raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"It seems like she's not used to you. She doesn't like having other people around her. It's your first time here when she's here."

"Okay."

They both left the dining area, and she continued eating until she finished. She forgot that she had something to do before sleeping, and her hair was still wet, so she still had time to do it while her hair was being blown.

Her parents are not at home now because they're out of the country. Her brother couldn't join them because of work, and she still has school, so it's just the two of them at home along with the household helpers.

She went back to her room and sat in front of her study area. While she was reading, she was blowing her hair. She'll only stop when she needs to write something. She spent two hours reading while drying her hair, and when she felt sleepy, she tidied up her things before lying down on the bed.

Charlotte fell into a deep sleep while hugging her pillow.

Meanwhile, at midnight, the drinkers inside the living room of Charlotte's house are already drunk. Some are already sleeping; some even face down on the floor, their heads resting on the sofa, while Elijah and Charlotte's brother Christian are leaning on the sofa and have also fallen asleep.

Meanwhile, Elijah stirred and looked at his companions in the living room; all of them passed out. He stood up and walked unsteadily, seeming to be looking for the bathroom. He checked every door he passed by with squinted eyes. He opened a room and went inside, but immediately closed it. Elijah paused for a moment and looked inside that room. The room he entered was Charlotte's. Charlotte was fast asleep, and it seemed like she didn't feel someone enter her room.

Elijah squinted as he approached Charlotte's bed because, due to his drunkenness, it seemed like Elijah was going to do something inappropriate to her, judging by the way he was looking at her.

He moved closer to Charlotte's face, staring at her for a long time as if trying to recognize who was in front of him.

Meanwhile, Charlotte's senses awakened because she felt like someone was staring at her. She furrowed her brow because she felt warm air on her face. She thought it was a ghost, so she didn't open her eyes, even though her whole body was wide awake. But her brow furrowed even more when she felt someone pulling her blanket.

Is there a ghost in her room?

But when she felt something soft pass over her lips, she opened her eyes. Elijah greeted her, and his expression toward her was different. She was about to scream, but Elijah suddenly covered her mouth. Out of fear, tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried to stand up, but he was too strong, so she couldn't get off the bed.

Hmmp..help!!

She tried to speak while Elijah's hand covered her mouth, and while Elijah's bright eyes were staring at her, she almost went crazy because his hand was going inside her clothes. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled against Eli

She tried to speak while Elijah's hand covered her mouth, and while Elijah's bright eyes were staring at her, she almost went crazy because his hand was going inside her clothes. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled against Elijah's strength.

When he moved away slightly, she pushed him, but no matter how fast her body moved, he was faster. She received a punch in her stomach, so she weakened there. She couldn't move anymore, so he proceeded to assault her.

Tears poured down her face when she felt an unbearable pain between her thighs. She opened her eyes and saw Elijah's appearance when he got what he wanted. He even smiled at her before falling to her side.

She covered herself with a blanket and stood up, but she also sat down because of her weakened body. She poured out all her tears on the side of her eyes loudly, and all the pain was screamed by her tears.

Meanwhile, Christian woke up. He was already going to his room to continue sleeping. He'll just leave his friends there because they're used to it due to their frequent visits to their house, but while Christian was on his way to his room, he stopped when he heard crying coming from Charlotte's room.

Christian frowned, so he quickly opened the door to check on Charlotte, but while he was holding the doorknob, Christian froze when he saw his sister wrapped in a blanket while crying on one side, while Elijah was sleeping on her bed with only a pillow covering the lower part of his body, and he had no clothes on his entire body.

Christian angrily entered the room and tried to wake up Elijah, without any mercy, with every wake-up call he made to Elijah.

Elijah's POV

He heard Christian's voice, but he was still dizzy from the amount of alcohol he drank last night. He didn't even know where he had slept or entered the room. His body swayed slightly when someone pulled him upright. When he opened his eyes, it was Christian with a furious look; he still hadn't recovered from standing up to him, so he couldn't figure out why.

"Tell me, what were you thinking when you did that to Charlotte?!"

While closing his eyes, he didn't know what Christian was saying to him. "What are you saying? I'm sleeping, and then you'll wake me up and ask what I did to your sister."

The answer he got from Christian was a punch in the face. His head turned, and while his hand was holding his jaw, he was stunned by Christian's sister's condition. It cries while the body is wrapped in a blanket. There, he woke up and looked at himself; he had no covering on his body down to the bottom. He was still confused and looked at Christian, whose eyes were already glazed over.

"You have been my best friend since elementary school. But why did you do this to my sister, Elijah?!"

He sat down and remembered what happened last night, but he didn't remember anything except that he was on the sofa and fell asleep there, when he entered Charlotte's room, he didn't remember anything.

"I cannot remember anything."

"Don't even try to fool me, Elijah!"

He frowned. "I'll tell you if I remember anything, but I don't, Christian!"

"Fix yourself; we'll talk with Charlotte in the living room. By doing this, your freedom will be cut off."

Christian stood his sister up and helped her out of the room. He could see how she was gasping for breath from crying so much. When they finally got out, he stood up to get his clothes and put them back on. Then he left the room. He meets Christian, who still has a hard face, who just passed him and continues to enter Charlotte's room, looking like he is going to get his sister's clothes.

He continued to walk towards the living room, but he was surprised that his other friends weren't there. What time is it, and everyone is drunk on wine? How else can they get home?

"If you are wondering why they are not there, I woke them up to move rooms here so we could have a place to talk. Sit there; I'll just take Charlotte back to my room for a while."

Christian left again, and he was left in the living room. He sat on the long sofa and waited for the two siblings to return, but his mind was still confused by what was happening. Did he make a mistake because of the drunkenness that just happened, or did he lose his mind when he woke up earlier?

He looked at the siblings who stopped next to the single seat. Charlotte was bent over, but she was no longer crying. Christian made Charlotte sit on the sofa where he was sitting, but just slightly away from her, Christian also sat in the same chair before he spoke.

"We need to talk about what happened to the two of you when our parents were here. They should have been surprised when they came home tonight, but it looks like they will be surprised because of what you did, Elijah."

He bowed down and thought about how Christian's parents would react to what happened. Uncle Ted and Aunt Mia are like his parents, whenever he is at Christian's house and having fun or drinking. He was overcome with intense nervousness just from their reaction. He turned to Charlotte; she was stunned, and he could see her still-wet eyelashes. He suspected that she was shocked and had done something that made Charlotte look traumatized.

He heard the sound of a car outside the house. His hands were clenched because they were shaking slightly, and he was trying to prepare himself for what they were going to say.

The door opened, and the first to enter was Aunt Mia as she smiled. He couldn't look at her smile because it would surely disappear too.

"We're back!"

No one greeted Charlotte and Christian, so their mother was surprised.

"Char and Chris, won't you at least kiss me? It's been a while since we were on vacation together with your dad."

He looked at Christian, but he was already looking at him. He looked away, but Aunt Mia's eyes met his now.

She smiled at him. "You're here, Elijah. Sorry I didn't notice you right away, but nice seeing you again."

He didn't know if he should smile, but he nodded slightly and gave a small smile. His attention shifted to Christian and Charlotte as Aunt Mia approached them.

"Do you two have a problem? You are quiet."

"Yes, we have a problem, Mom," said Christian.

"What is it?"

"It's better if Dad is already here to discuss the problem."

Aunt Mia looked at his daughter Charlotte. "Charlotte, you. Are you okay?"

It didn't answer, and Charlotte just remained dumbfounded.

Uncle Ted entered with bags to welcome Charlotte. Yes, he knew it was Charlotte's because, by the time he had been here, he had mastered everything, even what Charlotte wanted.

"Baby daddy is here! We have something for you." He was smiling as he happily walked towards them, but he also stopped when Charlotte did not respond to him. He looked at his wife. "Is she sick? That's why she didn't greet me."

"Sit down first, Mom and Dad," Christian said.

Aunt Mia sat between the two of them and Charlotte, while Uncle Ted also sat opposite Christian on the single sofa.

"We have a big problem, Mom and Dad."

"What?" Uncle Ted frowned when he asked.

Christian sighed. "It was only a few hours before the problem happened before you arrived, and-" Christian looked at him. "I don't know what your reaction will be to what happened to your unica ija."

"What's that?"

"I know it's my fault, but I also didn't know that it would happen like that." Christian stopped for a moment. "Your only daughter will get married before your eldest son."

"What do you mean, Christian? Does Charlotte have a boyfriend? Why don't your dad and I know?"

"Elijah did a sin to Charlotte."

"What's that?"

Christian's jaw dropped. "Elijah... raped, Charlotte!"

"What?! What?!" the couple shouted at the same time.

Uncle Ted turned to him, but he couldn't see any emotion. That made him even more nervous.

"Is what Christian said true, Elijah?"

"Uncle, I'll explain..."

"No! My question is for you to answer. Is what Christian said true?"

He clenched his fist, but his eyes watered. "I'm sorry, Uncle."

He bent down and clenched his fist, but he received a furious punch from Uncle Ted. He winced when he touched the side of his lips, but it still didn't stop, and Uncle didn't intend to because it was his fault.

"Ted, that's enough!!"

But Uncle continued to punch him, but with one punch, he weakened, right in his eye, so he couldn't lick it off.

"I said enough!!" Aunt Mia's voice was trembling.

He sat on the floor while trying to open one of his eyes.

"That's not enough, Elijah! I treated you like a son and let you live in our house, but this is what you do to our only daughter!!"

He fell to his knees and faced the punishment he would inflict. "I don't know what happened, but I will face more consequences for my sin."

"Marry my daughter."

He didn't answer right away because marriage was sacred and nothing was lost when he entered it.

"What, Elijah? You will sin against Charlotte, or I will lock you up, and you will die there in the cell."

"Dad, I don't want to!"

He frowned when he heard Charlotte's voice.

Uncle Ted looked at Charlotte. "Char, this is the best way we can do it. I don't want to laugh at you and be the target of hurtful words because of what happened."

"My... studies, dad," tears welled up in Charlotte's eyes again.

Uncle can also see in his eyes that he feels sorry for his daughter, but he just doesn't want to show it to Charlotte.

"You will continue your studies. You won't stop."

Charlotte shook her head. "Dad, please. I don't want to get married."

"That's the right thing to do, Charlotte. After one week, the marriage of the two of you will take place, whether you like it or not," Christian said firmly.

"But brother..."

"That's our final decision, but if you want, choose between marrying Elijah or filing a case for what he does to you."

He secretly looked at Charlotte; even though he was waiting for her answer, but Charlotte just bowed and did not buy what Christian said. He was relieved there, but if she chose to imprison him, he would not do anything to prevent her from being imprisoned.

Christian looked at him seriously. "You're still lucky, Elijah, because my sister is kind, but someone like you just took advantage of her."

A drop of tears fell down his cheek. It would take a long time before Christian would forgive him.

Charlotte's POV

After one week...

She was facing the mirror now, lost in thought. Today is her wedding day with Elijah. It's not a grand affair-no wedding gown, not in a church, no venue for the wedding reception, and most importantly, no guests except for their respective families.

She requested that her parents not let her and Elijah get married in a church; she preferred to get married just at the judge's office and without anyone knowing that they were getting married. It's because it's unavoidable for people not to pry into why she and Elijah were getting married, and in people's minds, it's like they're making up their own story about why they're getting married, so it's better to just keep quiet. After all, the reason they're getting married is because of a mistake, but she couldn't help but cry before that day because she never thought that her brother's friend would do such a thing to her, but she couldn't do anything about it now because everything had already happened and now she would be tied to the guy.

There was a knock on the door, so she stood up and opened it. It was her mother. Her mother looked her up and down.

"Why aren't you dressed yet? We'll be leaving in a few hours."

"I'll just wear a dress, so it's okay to do it later."

"You haven't even started putting on your makeup, and your hair isn't styled either. I thought you had it under control, so I didn't hire a stylist for you."

She smiled faintly before returning to her vanity mirror. Her mother entered and stopped behind her while they faced each other in the mirror.

"Are you mad at me, your dad, and your brother?" She shook her head. "I know it's too early for you to get married. I wanted you to be 25 years old when you got married, but it seems like not everything is according to what I want, and besides, I don't control what happens to you."

Her mother took the comb. She was the one who fixed her hair, just tying it up and dropping a few strands in front of her face. She also did her makeup because it's just light makeup anyway; there's no need to beautify much because their wedding is simple.

"There, my only daughter is really beautiful." Her mother smiled. "But what I want is that even if your marriage with Elijah is just an arranged one, you'll still serve him as his wife, Charlotte."

How could she do that if she doesn't know how? She's busy with school, and he's busy with his company, so how? Maybe the only special thing she could contribute is not being rude and speaking to Elijah politely, even if she doesn't want to see him every time she comes home. Once their wedding is over today, they'll go straight to Elijah's house. There's also a simple feast there, and that's where she'll live; even her belongings are in the car, packed in a suitcase.

"Char, let's go. We might be late going to the municipal hall; the mayor has a lot to do; he just squeezed us into his schedule, but..." Her mother looked at her clothes. "Change your clothes first and wear sandals; I'll go out to check on your dad." She nodded.

After her mother left, she faced the mirror again. In a few hours, her surname would be Walton, but she wouldn't use it until she finished college. She looked at her bed, and there lay the white dress she would wear. She took it and put it on, but before leaving the room, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

02 San Antonio Road...

After a few hours, their car stopped at a municipal hall. She also noticed that there were cars parked on the side; it seemed like Elijah's family was already there. They got off and walked inside. She noticed the employees there were busy as they passed by because they were heading to a room where the judge's office was, but before she could enter, her mother pulled her back.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why, Ma?"

Her mother took something from her bag-a white, thin cloth.

"Wear this. This will be your veil."

"Do I need that, Mom?"

"Yes, you do. Turn around and bend down a bit."

She turned around, and her mother started placing the veil on her head. She was prepared because she also brought hairpins. Then she faced her and placed the other part of the veil on her face.

"Let's go."

Her mother and father went inside first before she was pulled by her mother. But when they entered, she felt like sinking into the tiles of the municipal hall because everyone's eyes were on her. Good thing her mother gave her a veil, so it's not too embarrassing.

"The bride is already here. We should start," said the judge.

She couldn't see Elijah much because of her veil, but she couldn't hide the fact that her brother's friend was very handsome; although he looked strict and stern when not smiling, the bruise on the side of his lips and eyes was barely visible. She also noticed that they were wearing the same design of attire; he was in a barong, while she was in an ancient-looking dress.

She placed her hand when they faced Mayor Kevin, based on what she saw on the wooden plate above the table.

Two hours passed before the judge finished the wedding ceremony, before they reached the part, "You may now kiss the bride."

She just looked at the judge when he said that; she didn't want to face Elijah. But Elijah himself faced her and slowly raised her veil. She couldn't look into his eyes, so she just looked at his neck.

Her lips met Elijah's on the corner of her lips, but his lips moved as if smiling or grinning. Even when he moved away, his expression remained serious. Maybe it was just her imagination.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Walton." The judge laid out a paper. "Sign above your printed name, so your marriage today will be valid."

Elijah signed first, then her. When they looked back, their families were smiling broadly, both Elijah's and hers, except for her dad and brother. When Elijah's family learned what he did, her mother pleaded with them not to hurt him because he had already received serious punches from her dad, so her mother said they should just talk calmly until they got married today. Elijah's parents were nice when she met them, but Elijah's stern face seems to have inherited it from his father, too serious as if, at first glance, he didn't like you for his son.

Her mother approached her. "Congratulations, my child." She hugged her, and with a big smile, my mother looked at Elijah. "Congrats, Elijah."

"Thank you, Aunt."

"Now that you are already married, I will assume that you take care of my daughter," her dad said from behind Elijah.

Elijah smiled slightly and bowed. "You can count on me to take care of your daughter, Aunt."

"Good to know, so let's go. I'm hungry."

She was about to walk away, but someone held her hand. She looked to see who it was; it was Elijah.

"Why?"

"You'll ride with me."

She looked at his face; it seemed like he was forcing himself to let her ride with him.

"No, I'll just ride with Mom in their car."

His grip on her hand tightened, and he spoke firmly. "I'll go ahead of your family because once you try to get in their car, they'll push you to ride in mine, using the excuse that you're already married."

She blinked. "Okay, let's go." She took her hand from his grasp before starting to walk, leaving Elijah behind. But before she could even step out of the town hall, she was surprised to feel someone holding her hand again. She quickly glanced, only to see Elijah without a smile on his lips.

They exited together, and she was sure she saw her mother smiling as she noticed them holding hands, but her brother and father didn't seem pleased. She raised her hand, and her mother nodded in acknowledgment.

Elijah even opened the car door for her and closed it before moving to the other side of the car and getting in the driver's seat.

They traveled for a long time, and she didn't realize Elijah's house was this far from the town hall. She also felt hungry because she only had coffee before leaving the house.

They were the last ones to enter Elijah's house compound, but she didn't expect it to be this big, like a white house. An entire barangay could live there.

She didn't notice when the car stopped. She was surprised when the door opened, and Elijah was already out. She stepped out while still looking at the front of his house.

"Let's go inside." He walked, but she was surprised that he didn't even offer her assistance, especially since the path was rocky before reaching the flat area.

Because her sandals had heels, she walked slowly. She almost stumbled when she accidentally stepped on a rock. Just one step more, and she would be okay. When she did, she smiled broadly, but when she looked up, she lost it when she saw Elijah staring at her and gesturing for her to hurry up. It seemed he realized she couldn't be left alone outside, and Elijah was the first one inside.

Elijah entered first, while she followed behind. But when Elijah stopped, she bumped into his solid back.

She winced because the bump was slightly stronger.

"What are you doing?" He was already looking at her.

She avoided his gaze. "Are you following me?" She didn't know what to say. "Tsk, you are free to go wherever you want here. I'm not your food."

She rolled her eyes before walking away from him. It's up to Elijah; she just needed to find something to eat because she was hungry, but she stopped when she realized. Does their relationship mean they're like cats and dogs that don't get along? One is nice, but the other is grumpy. Of course, she's the nice one, and Elijah is the grumpy one. She just shrugged. They won't see each other every hour anyway, so it's probably okay.

Everyone was busy because they were hungry; even her family was already at a table, eating. While she was just about to scoop her food, there was no one standing beside the food, so she had to manage herself. She took a long time choosing her dishes because, while everyone was busy, she tasted them one by one, so if she didn't like it, she wouldn't take it and put it on her plate.

She saw a golden brown color, probably a fish filet, so she took one and ate it, but she almost choked when someone suddenly held her shoulder.

"Just choose what you'll eat; it's been a few minutes, and what are you doing? Are you tasting each one?"

While chewing and finishing what was in her mouth before swallowing, she looked at Elijah. "I'm just tasting which ones aren't delicious."

"That's not good, Charlotte."

It's true, what she was doing wasn't good, but the food she would take would be wasted if she didn't like it anyway, so she just made sure.

"Only our family is here, no one else."

"Even so, show some manners."

She frowned. Elijah's true nature seems to be coming out. He was about to speak, but she threw a whole fish filet in his mouth as if trying to make him speak.

"Oops, don't talk when your mouth is full. Show some manners too, Elijah." He frowned as he slowly chewed what he had eaten. She left Elijah there because she was going to eat.