Puzzle Of Fate

~zarie's Pov~

wake up! Wake up! I groan as a certain annoying hand continuously try to jerk me up from my beauty sleep.

Like seriously, why can't I ever have a peace of mind in this damn house? I cannot believe even in my sleep, the devils will decide to come after me.

I am that particular type of girl who does not mess with her sleep but one thing I know for sure is that The annoying hand which no doubt belongs to my annoying ass brother will never let me be till I decide to wake up.

Been fully aware of that fact, I furiously throw the guilt off my body and sit on my queen sized bed whiles I try to rub the sleep from my eyes, giving my brother one of my famous death glares.

Ugh! Only if looks could kill, he'd be dead by now. Haha seriously, if looks could really kill, then I would not even have to worry about my demons anymore.

my brother, been the brat he is just gives me one of his annoying cheeky grins which makes me angrily throw one of my pillows at him.

'Mum says breakfast is ready so I should come wake you up ' he says, which earns a very loud groan from me.

'for Christ sake Randel, it is only six in the morning and so I do not see why you should come wake me up for something that can wait?' I ask him but he just smirks at me and leaves the room.

Why am I even stressing myself? I know my opinion in this house is just like a number subtracted from itself as far as I am still under the infuriating roof of the devil herself.

ok, so I think a little introduction will do?

How should I even begin?

So I am Freezia Zarie Harrison, eighteen years and stays with my mum, Maribel, who has been taking care or should I say, making my life a living hell ever since my father mysteriously disappeared to who knows where.

And the last two people to add my small hell of a family is my stepfather,Jake and his thirteen years old son, Desmond who is also the world's most biggest brat,Hehe.

~.

After performing my morning business, I decide to go down stairs and immediately I step out, I am hit with the sweet aroma of coffee and scrambled eggs.

Actually, apart from me been in love with my sleep, I am also a very proud foodie.

Whenever I am in a sour mood, it is only two things that can cheer me up.

my best friend, Penelope and a good food.

I literally eat anything that is labeled as food so far as it is presentable.

In fact, I do not know why my mum would decide to wake up this early to prepare breakfast and as a matter of fact, she never comes to call me down for breakfast. It is not like she cares about my wellbeing anyways.

I do not know what is up with her this morning but one thing I am certain about is that today is going to be full of awful surprises.

Anyways, I should just forget about it and go enjoy my breakfast. Even though my mum has been very sour ever since my daddy left us, the good taste of food her food still remains the same.

I bubbly skip down the steps to the the dining hall but I stop at the kitchen when I catch a glimpse of my mother.

Since she decided to at least, call me down to have breakfast with them, I think it is only fair to also be polite and so,I decide I say a good morning to her, plus I think she has finally decided to return to her old ways.

'Good morning mum' I greet her but I am only met with silence. Realizing she is voluntarily ignoring me, I decide to head to the dining place. I guess I jumped to conclusions hastily.

It is not like I fancy talking to her anyways.

Again, it is not like my mum would ever love me like she used to do sometime ago, so I just shrug it off even though deep inside me it hurts to see my own mum loving a son that is not even her own and hating me, her very own blood just because she claims I am a duplicate of my father.

It is not like I harbor any ill feelings toward the thirteen year old brat or anything.

I just feel like my mum should at least show me a little bit of the affection she shows Desmond, plus I am literally her only real family left.

I know that I act as if I don not care about her but it really pains me to know that my once sweet and loving mother has turned into a typical wicked woman.

the woman who always preached about love is now an opposer of love.

when I think of it more deeply, I think she does not even have any concrete reasons for her actions. I mean, why should she even hate me just because I have striking resemblance to my father?

I mean, it is not like we get to choose how we want to look like and apart from that, I do not recall a moment where I had been disrespectful towards her or a time I really hurt her.

Even though she's been telling me ever since I was an infant that my father left us one night without the knowledge of anyone, I doubt her story because she never even tried to search for her husband and did not even hesitate to marry Jake, who by some unknown reasons also hate my guts.

I mean, this man could just stuck to minding his own businesses. He is not even a bit ashamed to be spending the money that he did not swear for, another man's hard earned money.

Even though I was still quite young when my father left us, I am perfectly sure that my dad who always used to buy me new gifts each and every day and showed me all the love a dad could give to his daughter would never leave us on purpose.

Ever since my father left, my mum has been the one acting as the C.E.O of the Bennick Corp., my father's company, which is also one of the successful companies in the country.

It is a company that deals in so many goods such as clothings, jewelry, bags and the company also comprises of hotels, restaurants and other projects.

And of course, Jake is also managing the business alongside my mum or I should probably call him the C.E.O because he acts just like it.

I am just thankful that my mum still has some sense of reasoning and has not transferred the business to Jake yet.

In fact, my mum has been squandering my dad's money with no care and I even doubt if she would have allowed me to go to school if not for all the many assets my dad left behind.

my mum has never cared about what I do. Whether I go to school or not, whether I sleep around or come home. She simply does not care about what I do with my life.

my mother has never bothered to check up on my grades at school. I just have to ask for money for whatever I want and then she would provide it.

Even if I do not have the best experience in the house, one thing I enjoy most is the freedom to do whatever I like and the ability to have whatever materialistic thing I want.

As a teenager, that is all I could ever wish for but deep very deep inside me, there is a void. It bothers me to know that I can never have or experience the motherly love I earnestly crave for.

~.

Breakfast is the same as usual with me sitting at my usual spot with no one talking to me except Desmond of course. That boy seems to like me a little and I think I also like him a bit but still, I am not retracting what I said earlier.

he is still a brat. I just sit there and focus on my food as my mum and her beloved husband have conversations about business.

It is not even a conversation because my mum literally agrees to whatever suggestions Jake makes.

After finishing breakfast, I hop up the stairs, back to my room to take a shower, excited about leaving the presence of my mum and Jake.

I quickly take the shower, I step inside my huge walk in closet, full of all kinds of clothes from different brands.

After contemplating on what to wear for the past six minutes, I decide to wear a black leggings, a white Chanel crop top and my favorite black and white Dior slip on sneaker.

I apply only a lip gloss and maskara since I am not so good with makeup.

I spritz on my favorite Chanel perfume and tie my hair in a simple ponytail.

'Zarie! Zarie!'

just after I am done with my hair, I hear my mum's booming voice calling out to me and I also shout back at her to let her know that I would be down in a jiffy.

I do not bother to rush things, since I know whatever she is going to tell me would not be that relevant and for the record, nothing good comes out of any conversations we have.

Throwing my Louis Vuitton jungle monogram giant print backpack on my shoulder, I step out to go meet my mum and get over with whatever she has to say.

what I do not expect as I reach the living room is what I hear my mum say to someone on the phone, which nearly makes me loose consciousness.

~Thank you for reading, stay safe

~Zarie's POV~

'Yes mr. Knights, for the sake of my company, I am ready to give my daughter to you so you do not have to worry about anything.' I hear my mum say to someone on the phone as I enter the living room.

Like which one of her daughters is she talking about ? Oh wait genius Zarie coming up!

I think I now know the main reason why my dad left.

He found out my mum had given birth to another man's child and since he could not stand such level of infidelity and deception, he decided to leave.

I know these assumptions are pretty crazy but they better be true because like hell I want to be a wife right now .

she clearly has not acknowledged my presence yet because she and whoever she is on the phone with are keeps on discussing about things I cannot quite register clearly because what I previously heard has made me dive into my own world of thoughts, making me loose concentration on what is happening around me.

I am so consumed in my own world, flying with various thoughts of possibilities to even give a damn about whatever my mum is up to.

well, right now, the only thing I give a fuck about is for my mother to go bring her second daughter, wherever she is right now, so that the family business is sustained.

As I am still in my own world contemplating on what to do about the situation and how we can convince my mum's second child to agree to the contract marriage, I feel a not so gentle tap on my shoulder, which teleports me back to the world of reality.

'Okay, so I do not know if you heard anything but just Incase you did not, you are getting married to one of my powerful business partners, who also happens to be the most eligible bachelor in the country now.

And before you make any selfish decisions, you are doing this in order to sustain the family business' my mum says nonchalantly, as if she is talking about the mere weather.

'Huh?' Even though I know vividly where this conversation is getting to, I still ask her again whiles turning to see if my mum's imagined second daughter is behind me.

Maybe, just maybe she has managed to arrive on her own and she is the one my mum is talking to.

'Zarie, do not play games with me. I know you understand perfectly, what I am talking about'. She says, suddenly switching to her everyday Maribel mood.

'Of course mum, I heard you but I did not know if it was true but right now that you have made things clear, let us not waste anymore time.

Let us go and bring your daughter.

I am sure she will be so happy to help.' I tell her, still thinking about her second daughter and not fully aware of the things I am blabbering about until my mother responds impatiently, clearly getting pissed.

'Hey do not make me snap.You are my only daughter and of course, the one to marry mr. Knight so you better stop talking about all those nonsense and throw them back, wherever you got them.' She says, clearly infuriated by my lack of corporation.

'Are you kidding me mum?' You cannot really be serious.

I am just eighteen and I am still in school for crying out loud!' I also retort back at her in the same voice.

cool on the outside, boiling hot inside.

'And that is my point dear. You are eighteen and that means you are of legal age and that means I am committing no offense here' my mother says ever so casually that at this moment, there is nothing more I would want to do than to just cuss her out and storm out of the house, banging the door in her face.

Her words are like poison. I do not even realize I am crying until I feel the wet liquid flowing down my cheek but I immediately wipe it, not wanting to give my mother the pleasure of seeing me as weak.

Seriously, I do not even know why a tear is rolling down my cheek right now. I guess all those emotions I have been bottling inside me are gathering like angry dark clouds threatening to rain at anytime.

'Hey!' My mum's angry voice pulls me out of my train of thoughts.

'yes mum' I respond but it barely comes out. Like seriously? It seems my own body too is defying me right now.

I intend to stand strong and defend my right but all what my body is doing now is to show signs of weakness.

first, the tear and now I can barely find my own voice.

'Dear Zarie, you should not be worried at all. After all, I am making sure that for once, something good comes out of you.' My mum says, her voice so calm yet filled with bitterness.

that is it! Enough. I need to let this woman know that she cannot decide for me and I am going to let her know I am not useless.

'okay mum, I understand you are doing this to save the family business and even though you are jumping on my nerves right now, I am trying not to snap.

To make this simple for the both of us, call whoever you were on the phone with and tell him I refuse to marry him'. I tell my mum seriously.

'What? You cannot really be serious right now.

You know I am growing old and as a woman, it is really difficult for me to manage everything and the business is going down each and every day.

We are loosing our investors too and you do not expect me to just sit and watch whiles there is a possible solution.

we need a capable man to manage things'. My mum says and for once, I think I see vulnerability in her eyes but she quickly masks it.

'But mum, do you not care about me too? I know you do not like me but I also have dreams and marrying a complete stranger is not part of my plans.

marrying this business partner of yours will just swerve everything to a wrong direction and you know it.' I speak calmly, trying my best to reason with her.

'Marrying will not sabotage anything. Besides, it is just a five year contract plus you cannot always expect life to go as you have planned, so the best thing for you to do now is to suck it up and do something good, at least if not for me, do it for your dad.

He really struggled to achieve everything we have now.' I know she is right and wrong at the same time and I am also very much aware that she is trying to use my weak point to get to me.

I am so furious at myself for falling for her scheme. Before my mind can even process everything, my sharp mouth just utters the words of my doom.

'Okay mum, I will do it but I have to gain the freedom to do my own things and accomplish my dreams.' I tell her but she says nothing and begins to get ready to head out but I stop her with a question.

But mum, you can let Jake manage everything?' The words are bitter on my tongue but I need to know what this woman is up to.

'I know Jake is there and I do not need you to advice me. Just go with the flow and everything will be just fine.' She says to me, already picking her white Prada bag, ready to head out.

She is always going out. Even when I was young, she was always out, leaving me all lonely, since dad had also left.

'In fact, there are some things you will never understand and they are better kept in the dark' my mother says under her breath and moves out the door so fast that I do not get the chance to even ask her for any sort of elaboration.

Mr. Knight? was my mum talking with the same Knight I have in mind?

Oh my! What if it is him? My life literally can't get more messed up.

"At least, appreciate that he is hot and so damn successful. I think for once, your mother is offering you something better." the naughty part of my mind tells me.

shut up! I also retort back. Seriously, I think I am already going crazy. Ugh!

'ooh' I groan as I stare at my phone.

I am supposed to meet my best friend at her place for a literature assignment we were given in school and it is already passed the time we scheduled.

without wasting any more time, I rush to the garage for my my baby, a white Maserati.

After fixing my seatbelt, I take off to see the only one person who cares genuinely for me. Even thinking about her makes my mood a bit better.

Author's note;

thank you for reading, please stay safe.

Zarie's POV

next thirty minutes

I arrive at Penelope's house quite early since it is just a twenty-five minute drive from my house to hers plus I was driving pretty fast, venting my frustrations on my innocent baby.

Penelope scolds me for been late, even though I am just an hour late.

I did not even realize time was running that fast.

But can I tell be blamed? Nope! For all the things going on right now, checking the time is the least important thing to me.

'I am sorry. I am just so frustrated that I even forgot about the project.' I tell her, my voice voice breaking at the end.

I just want to let go right now, I just want to cry and I know with my best friend, I do not need to act so tough.

I know with her, I can be more transparent and let it all out.

And so that is exactly what I am doing right now. I am crying my eyes out whiles Penelope sits patiently by my side on her living room floor as she gathers me in her warm embrace.

'Hey, what happened?' Penelope gently ask me after I have calmed down a bit from my breakdown.

'Everything happened! My mother happened! My hopeless future happened! I mean, everything is so wrong.' I tell her, my voice picking up a bit.

'Do you want to talk about it?' She asks me, still holding me in her kind arms.

Sometimes I wonder how she is so patient with me. She is the only person I come to when problems at home get too overwhelming for me to bear.

Her arms are always opened for me and her ears never seem to get tired of listening to my never ending problems.

Penelope may act all strong but she also has her own problems. She lost her parents to a very fatal accident.

Since then, she had been staying with her uncle and his wife, who are taking over her parents' business till she graduates and take over.

Penelope lost her parents when she was just five. They had left for dinner with a business partner but they never returned due to the fatal car crush.

Since that time, I have watched Penelope into a very strong woman who rarely show emotions. I know she tries to mask everything up and act as if she is not affected but just like she is my comforting place when I am stranded, I am also hers.

We keep each other up when we are down because we are all we've got.

Penelope has always been the mature one though and that is understandable, seeing she is one year older than I am.

She will be graduating in a few months, whiles I have one whole boring year ahead of me.

Unlike me, Penelope has got a very kind and understanding uncle who did not step on her freedom and agreed to make her move out when she suggested.

I know my mum gives me the freedom I need but she is always refusing me when I tell her I want to move out.

To be honest, I do not even understand her. She hates my guts so much but when I want to do her a favor and leave her house, she disagrees.

I mean, I am eighteen, turning nineteen in a few months so I do not know why she is even refusing me.

After I have told my best friend everything, we decide to move to the kitchen for some food.

It is funny how Penelope told me she would have spanked my mother with her bare hands if not that my mum participated in the process of bringing me into the world.

She also consoled me that everything will fall in place, which I hope so too.

She also made me laugh so much with all her fake, made up stories.

As usual, Penelope is the one cooking the main meal whiles I do the desert because even though I am also a good cook, I always admire Penelope's cooking skills and that is why I am so obsessed with her food.

She knows how to satisfy my hunger and care for me genuinely.

I know it is just lunch but we are both foodies and when we are together, we eat whatever we feel like eating, not giving a damn about the time of the day.

After the lunch is been served on the dining table, we sit down to enjoy.

The atmosphere is very nice with us having light conversations, whiles enjoying the delicious meal.

'So tell me, what are you going to do about the situation? I mean, the fact that you have to marry that Cold Zavier Knights.' Penelope asks.

'hmmm, what can I do? I have already agreed to and that means, I will have to just go with the flow.' I say, the sadness evident in my voice.

'Yeah I know and I am really sorry you have to go through all this but you should also look at the bright side of it all.' She responds.

'okay, so tell me the bright side of this awful deal'. I retort, looking at her as if she has grown numerous heads.

'Hey Zarie, I do not intend to make you mad but what I really meant to say is the guy you are going to get married to is hot and handsome, rich and he probably is very good in...' She says, raising a playful eyebrow at me.

'haha' I laugh , cutting penny short from saying what she really intended to say.

'Yeah Penny, I know where you are coming from and where you are going but please spare me with your naughty stuffs ok?'

'mmm, but that is the truuuth' She says in a childish tone while pouting, making me laugh so hard.

This girl always knows how to cheer me up.

'Tell me Penny, how was your date with Roland?' I ask her and her face brightens up even more. No doubt it went well.

'yes sweetie, it was great and so much fun than I even thought.

He is actually a nice man with great manners and a descent job. For that, I am keeping him.' She tells me a with an innocent face but with a tone that portrays a different meaning to what she said, which makes me laugh even harder.

'Hehe girl, you are such a naughty bitch. You agree?' I try to say between laughs.

'Of course I agree. You do not have to tell me that.' She says with an innocent face.

'You naughty girl' I tell her but she only smirks .

~time skip~

'Zarieeee.' I hear my mum calling.

'Yes mum, I will be down in a minute ' I shout back at her.

Actually, I just returned from Penny's house and I am just done with a shower.

Deciding to wear something very simple, I wear one of my denim shorts, a black crop top and my favorite white unisex slipper.

I go downstairs and I hear my mum talking with someone in the living room so I decide to wait in the kitchen, not wanting my mum to embarrass me in-front of whoever the visitor is.

Yes I know all the things my mum is capable of doing so the best thing for me to do is to wait and get a signal from her whether she wants me there or not.

I am aware she called for me but it could be she just wants to say something to me real quick so, it is better to wait for a signal.

However, before I can even get to the inside of the kitchen, I hear my mum calling me to come to the living room.

I make my way there and I am met face to face with the last person I expected to see in my home at ten in the evening.

~>

Okay, so now I am left here all alone with Zavier.

My mother, been the annoying ass person ever on earth decided to leave me all alone with Zavier right after she introduced us.

'So I guess you are the one going to be my wife?' Zavier asks, checking me out, since I am still standing, making me a little bit uncomfortable.

Without waiting for my answer, he continues.

'Sorry if that makes you feel uneasy. I just want to verify from you if such a beautiful woman like you is truly been given to me.' He says in his rich masculine voice which sends shivers down my spine.

He is already flirting!

'Hey, why are you standing? I am in your house and you are standing whiles I, your guest is sitting'. He says whiles letting out a short laugh and I swear his laugh is the most pleasant male laugh I have heard so far.

'Zarie, come on, sit down' He says again.

'OMG! The way my name sounds coming out from his mouth.

'hey' He says, bringing me back from my train of thoughts.

'umm sorry' I say, smiling sheepishly at him.

I can't believe I am behaving so stupid in-front of him and it is only our first encounter too. Ugh!

We have not even had a proper conversation yet and here I am, already swooning over his voice. Zarie, how pathetic!

'Oh no problem at all' he responds, smirking at me as if he knows what is running through my mind.

He may probably think I am so stupid right now.

I mean, I cannot understand it myself.

I am not a shy person but here I am, standing timidly in-front of a man, already blushing.

Get a grip on yourself Zarie! This is just a contract. He probably doesn't even like your presence but he is just been polite for business sake. The pessimistic part of my mind tells me, rubbing the harsh reality in my face.

Even though it is the truth, I realize that just thinking about the fact that Zavier could hate me makes me a little bit disappointed but I dismiss that unwanted feeling almost immediately as it appears.

Anyways, it is not like I like him or anything.

Are you really sure about that? My subconscious ask in a mocking voice.

'Thanks'. I intend to say in my normal voice but it only comes out as a whisper.

'Really? I am in your house and you do not have to thank me for asking you to sit down in your own sofa.' He says, eying me as I sit down beside him, leaving a reasonable space between us.

'Come on, relax. I do not bite?' He says as he stares at me with a beautiful smile plastered on his cute lips.

I am again lost in my own world of thoughts but I quickly jerk away as l feel something cold on my thighs.

Author's note;

Thank you for reading, stay safe.