Chapter One Imani #2
I think he interprets the stunned look on my face as something else entirely – something positive – because he relaxes ever so slightly into his seat.
‘Yes, exactly. If the relationship between our two families goes beyond just business, the shareholders and investors will be more likely to jump aboard the idea.’
‘You want to marry me off to Asher Vouvalis so you can get a deal over the line?’ I can’t tell whether it’s rage or pain that’s making my voice crack like this. ‘This is… This is—’
‘This is just business, Imani. And it won’t be forever,’ he says. ‘A year or two. Three, tops. Just enough time for us to get the merger through and make sure everything is settled and sorted.’
‘Oh, just a year?’ I ask sarcastically. ‘Well, that’s fine then, isn’t it? Force me to marry a complete stranger for a couple of years and then I can divorce him and get on with my life. A perfectly normal ask.’
‘Imani,’ my father says. ‘Please be reasonable.’ He reaches across the seat and tries to place a placating hand on my thigh.
‘Reasonable? Reasonable?’ I jerk away like his touch is acid. ‘I’m your daughter. Not a business deal. Not an asset. Not a means to an end. Your daughter. You be reasonable.’
His expression shifts, a mix of regret and frustration clouding his features. ‘I knew you would need some time to adjust to the idea—’
A hysterical laugh bubbles out of my throat and I shake my head. ‘There’s no adjusting, Dad. I can’t believe you would even suggest—’
‘It’s not a suggestion, Imani.’ His gaze hardens, the veneer of fatherly concern slipping away as quickly as it came.
‘Things are different than they used to be. Air travel across the board is lower than it’s ever been.
’ There’s a touch of frantic desperation to his tone, and alarm bells start to ring in my mind.
‘If we want to survive, we need to adapt. Make sacrifices.’
‘And what’s the sacrifice here supposed to be?’ I scoff. ‘Because all I see is you prioritising profits over your own daughter’s happiness.’
‘Enough, Imani. Enough.’ His voice echoes around the car. ‘Your happiness has been my one vice for as long as I can remember. I can’t force you down that aisle, Imani—’
Damn right, he can’t.
‘But understand this. The life you know now? The trips, the clothes, the life of luxury my hard work has afforded you? That will all cease to exist if you refuse to cooperate.’
It feels like he’s got a hold of my neck.
He’s bluffing. Surely, he’s got to be bluffing.
‘Mum won’t allow it. She won’t let you—’ I start, but my father shakes his head.
‘Your mother is already in agreement. We’ve discussed this at length.’
Something splits inside me. I don’t believe it.
I won’t believe it. I’ve grown up listening to Gwendoline Davies recount, always with a soft, shy smile, the story of how she and my father met at a mutual friend’s wedding.
How he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she glided down the aisle ahead of the bride.
How he spent the entire ceremony committing every inch of her to memory, barely even listening to the priest or the happy couple as they shared their vows.
How he strongarmed one of the groomsmen into swapping seats with him so he could sit beside her at dinner.
How, when she first turned to look at him, her brows furrowed in confusion when she realised he wasn’t who she was expecting to be sitting beside, my father knew he was already in love.
How they spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms, dancing the night away under the moonlight.
Surely my parents want that for me? The kind of love that sweeps you off your feet, leaves you breathless and promises you the world?
‘You know, not everyone has it as easy as you do, Imani,’ my father continues, a pained expression flitting across his face. ‘You don’t know what I’ve had to sacrifice to get us here. I’m just asking that you do your part for once.’
Not everyone has it as easy as you do.
Easy.
What part of this is easy? I know from the outside looking in that the life I lead is an enviable one filled with privilege and luxury, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy. That I haven’t felt the crushing weight of it all from the moment I could walk.
I’ve been doing my part my whole life. Doesn’t he realise that?
For every action I take, there’s a voice in the back of my mind reminding me of the expectations, the legacy, the burden of being Imani Davies.
And now he’s threatening to take it all away.
He’s acting like I’m a toddler throwing a tantrum over being told no more snacks before dinner and like he hasn’t turned my life upside down in an instant.
‘So,’ my father leans back and laces his fingers together, ‘what do you say?’
‘I…’ My voice comes out as a croak. ‘Daddy, I can’t.’
The look he gives me is beyond disappointment. ‘I see.’
‘No, I just…’ I swallow and count back from five, giving myself some time to think. I can’t do this. I won’t do this. But the tiny slither of happiness I’ve managed to carve out from life is on the line and I’m not willing to give that up either.
A spark of hope alights in my chest. I can’t say no, but he can. My father can still change his mind; I just need him to think that it’s his idea.
‘I’m willing to do my part,’ I say slowly. The words feel like poison on my tongue, but I force them out all the same. ‘And do what’s best for us. For the business. But not like this. Not with Asher Vouvalis.’
He huffs out an impatient sigh. ‘And what’s so wrong with the Vouvalis boy?’
When it comes down to it, the lie comes easily – easier than anything else I’ve said today. ‘We’ve already dated,’ I blurt out. ‘Back at university.’
My father’s brows shoot into his slowly receding hairline. ‘Excuse me?’
‘We dated,’ I grit out, pushing through the lie. ‘And it didn’t end well. It was a mess, Dad. And I can’t go through that again.’
His expression shifts from confusion to contemplation. ‘I had no idea.’
‘I didn’t see the need to burden you with it,’ I lie smoothly. ‘But now you’re talking about marriage, and I…’ I sniff delicately and force a tearful hiccup. ‘I just can’t do it. Not with him.’
Not with anyone. Not like this. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I don’t think wanting to fall in love is too much to ask for.
I reach forward and squeeze my father’s hands. ‘Please, Daddy.’
For a moment, I think I’ve got him. The expression on his face is full of genuine fatherly concern and hope sparks in my chest.
But then he snatches his hands away from mine and places one on the door. ‘It’s been nearly ten years,’ he says gruffly, refusing to make eye contact.
Any wisp of hope is snuffed out immediately.
‘Whatever issues the two of you had, I’m sure you’re both mature enough to put it past you.’
My mouth falls open, a retort already on the tip of my tongue, but then he pushes open the door and I get my first glimpse of where we’ve been heading today.
We’re parked outside a sleek and elegant-looking building and I immediately recognise the gold ‘V’ above the large double doors in front of us.
I grip the leather seats in my father’s car and shake my head. ‘No. Absolutely not.’
‘Come on,’ he sighs without even looking at me, before stepping out of the car and brushing the imaginary creases out of his suit.
He waits a few seconds then, apparently realising I have no intention of moving, crouches down slightly and inclines his head towards me.
‘I wasn’t joking, Imani. You can have one last trip, as a courtesy, but that’s it.
’ He snaps his fingers and stares at me expectantly. ‘Are you coming or not?’
The urge to glue myself to this seat for the rest of eternity is overwhelming, but I need to play this right.
One false move and everything could shatter around me.
Right now there’s still a chance, as slim as it may be, that I can get out of this with my life intact.
So I grit my teeth and force a smile, the one I’ve perfected over the years, and step out of the car.
‘Of course,’ I say coolly. ‘Lead the way.’
I watch the way his shoulders relax ever so slightly as he guides me up the stone steps into the towering Vouvalis building, and I realise something.
He thinks he’s won.
That this is the end, and I’m going to go forward with this ridiculous proposal with a dutiful smile on my face.
I bite back a satisfied grin. He’s in for a huge surprise.