Chapter 1 #2
Last semester, she finished her master’s program and started her position as a physician’s assistant at a local clinic.
A week later, she got a huge bouquet of carnations with a congratulations card attached.
Her future wedding date set ninety days away was written on it.
She went to my dad to protest and ask for more time, only to be reminded of her obligation to the family.
Now she was in the wind, and I was essentially her stand in.
“They’re going to kill my baby when they find her, Zahad.” My mom sobbed into my dad’s chest.
The stern look on his face didn’t match the expression of the woman he claimed to love and cherish with his entire heart. Knowing my dad, he was ready to lead the witch hunt to track Zara down. I said a silent prayer that they never found her.
My eyes shot over to Zora as she sat with her arms tight across her chest. I wondered if our sister had confided in her, too, but I knew better than to ask.
Miss Priss was always tight lipped. That didn’t stop my dad from releasing his hold on my mom and stalking over to stand over her.
Her hands dropped to the arms of the chair she was in as my dad leered over her.
She was white as a sheet when he shoved a long finger in her face.
“Where the fuck is that sneaky little bitch?”
“She didn’t tell me anything.”
“Lies!” he roared.
“Zahad, she said she doesn’t know anything!” my mom spat.
“Fina, the girl is lying! You know she’s a fucking liar just like the rest of them!”
“She doesn’t know anything.” I chimed in, causing my daddy’s head to snap in my direction.
Suddenly, his wrath was directed toward me. I knew better. Why did I always think I had to be the savior?
“You! Of course, you know where she is. You think I don’t see all of the whispering.
You two are known for keeping secrets. Where the hell is Zara?
There is no time for games, Zenia. This is serious.
These people are dangerous. They will find her and they will kill her, baby.
I love you and your sisters to death, but you know the rules.
If you can’t produce Zara, then you have to stand in her place. ”
I jumped to my feet. “Those are not the rules!” I challenged.
“Sit the fuck down! Who the hell do you think you’re raising your voice at?” he bellowed.
Shrinking under the power of his voice, I sank back down into the chair.
“Baby.” Suddenly, my mom was at my daddy’s side with her hand on his shoulder.
“Sarafina, you know the rules. It has to be her. It should have been her in the first place, but no one wanted her since she’s let herself go.
After that Fuller boy tossed her aside like trash, the organization considers her trash.
This whole family’s name is as good as mud.
I am trying to bring some honor back to my family! ”
Zara knew the rules of engagement. So did I, but after my wedding was called off, I never thought I would have to follow them.
Prayerfully, Roderick wasn’t a complete asshole.
I’d seen him in passing a few times. He was fine enough.
As a matter of fact, all the St. Thomas men were handsome.
That wasn’t an issue. I didn’t know him. I’d gotten to know Reed.
To keep down confusion, only the oldest heirs were paired up and weren’t allowed to mingle.
I wasn’t in the marriage pool since I already had an assigned mate.
My sisters got to engage with the other guys.
I didn’t give a damn about that. I didn’t want to be in a fishbowl waiting to be shot by one of their poisonous arrows.
Even though I was shunned by most of the heirs, I enjoyed my freedom.
Without my dad constantly breathing down my neck, I was able to actually date a little.
I’d actually had two boyfriends who I couldn’t even tell my family about.
Zara was the only one who had an inkling that I had met someone.
Miles and I were semiserious for about a year before he transferred colleges for a basketball scholarship.
I missed him, but it wasn’t a heart shattering absence.
He was more of a guilty pleasure than anything else. It wasn’t like we were betrothed.
“What do you think?” Emerson asked, waiting for my response with hopeful eyes.
“It’s gorgeous,” I confirmed.
“Good. Girl, you scared me for a minute there.”
“I’m sorry.”
“If you love the dress, why are you looking like that, baby?”
“Just thinking. Can I ask you a question?” I asked, looking over at her as she helped me to remove the dress.
“Sure. What is it, baby?”
“How did you know you were ready to get married?”
“I was wondering when that question would come up. I’ve been hearing I’m fine for months, but I know you. I know you’re not fine.”
“It doesn’t matter if I’m fine. I’m just worried about how it would feel to be married.”
“Have you discussed this with your fiancé?”
I had barely discussed anything with him, actually, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to bring that up.
My parents let me know long ago that most people didn’t understand the way our families operated.
We had to marry internally to keep the wealth and power contained within the family.
At least we didn’t marry within our own family.
That was my dad’s logic when I told him that arranged marriages were primitive and barbaric.
“You don’t have to tell me your business. I’m just worried about you. I know your family is connected to some serious people.”
My eyes fell to the floor as I carefully stepped out of the dress. It didn’t matter that Emerson’s family had mafia ties; they weren’t a part of The Force. We didn’t discuss family business outside of the family.
“I was excited to marry Jessiah. I never told you, but I was engaged before I met him. My fiancé was murdered, and I was the number one suspect. Jessiah was my lawyer. He cleared me, and in the midst of it all, we fell in love.”
“And they both lived happily ever after.” I smiled.
“Something like that. So, tell me, are you as excited about the wedding as you are about this dress?”
I shrugged. “As excited as I can be.”
“What does that mean, baby? Are you getting cold feet?”
“Not exactly.”
“You two have only known each other for a short period of time. Do you love him?”
I caught myself before I scoffed. Love was a funny thing. Such a simple word, yet such an elusive feeling. It was something I only felt for my mom and sisters. The rest of the world, I simply had to tolerate. Who wanted to simply tolerate their husband? Not this girl.
“It’s a family thing. It’s not about love,” I explained.
“Oh, baby, marriage is all about love.”
“In many situations, I’m sure that’s true. This is just about making up for a past mistake.”
“A man deciding that he didn’t want to get married is not on you. That is not your mistake to clean up. It wasn’t even a mistake.”
“I hear you, but this is my lot.”
“If it’s plaguing you this much, I say you should at least postpone.”
“I’m fine, Em.” I repeated the mantra that had essentially kept me alive for the past few years. In all actuality, it couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“I hear you, baby. I’m going to get out of your business. The last thing I’m going to say is even if you feel trapped, there is always a way out. If you need me or my husband, know that we can and will help you figure things out.”
“I don’t exactly need a lawyer right now,” I said, referring to her husband. “Also, you’ve done more than enough.”
“I’ve never done anything that I didn’t want to do. You’re my girl, Zenny. Don’t forget that.”
“Thank you.”
“That was our last appointment of the day. I’m about to close up shop so I can be home when my man gets there. He loves it when I beat him home.”
“See you tomorrow, Em.”
“See you later, babe,” she said over her shoulder as she strutted out of the room.
Once my dress was back in place, I changed back into the perfectly tailored magenta pantsuit that I’d worn to work. My position at The Diamond Needle just so happened to come with free tailoring since my girl liked to see her staff looking their best.
I wasn’t a doctor or working as a high-profile lawyer like my sister’s and Emerson’s husband, but I loved what I did. What little autonomy my dad gave us all was in our careers. As long as it didn’t directly interfere with Force business, it didn’t matter what field we went into.
After leaving work, I headed to the restaurant downtown where I was scheduled to meet my parents and my cousin Dexter to finalize the plans for the big day trade-off.
It was stupid that I had yet to spend any alone time with my soon-to-be husband.
The only thing that mattered to The Force was the looming deadline.
With less than sixty days remaining in the fulfillment of Zara’s contract, my dad thought it was a show of good faith to get things done as soon as possible. The sooner he restored his name, the better.