Chapter 3
Zenia
I used to dream of getting married and moving the hell away from my family for good. It didn’t matter that I would still be tied to them. At least I wouldn’t have to live in my parents’ sterile estate full of spies and servants ready to rat out every false move we made at my father’s behest.
He was so obsessed with us maintaining our virtue because we were damn near his bargaining chips.
No, I take that back. That was exactly what we were.
If I had never known how true that was, the fact that he had handed me off to the highest bidder, willing to take me, was a clear indication that what I had always believed was absolutely true.
Living in a beautiful mansion was a dream come true for some. To me, Morgan Manor was too perfect. It was so pristine and polished that you were afraid to make a mess. The floor was literally so clean you could eat off it.
My mom prided herself on keeping a spotless home, even though she didn’t have to lift a finger to clean it.
She stayed on top of the staff, making sure they provided white glove service around the clock.
They were so terrified of my father that they moved through the place like they were scared to breathe too loud, let alone speak out of turn.
I had to give it to them. The place was immaculate. In a perfect world, I would have loved living in a castle like I was in a fairy tale. The problem was nothing there belonged to me, not even me, not even my life or future.
After work, I brought my wedding dress home.
I hadn’t allowed my mom or my sisters to see it, so far.
My mom finally got me to break down and try it on for her.
She wanted to help me get excited about my upcoming nuptials, but I didn’t see how I could.
She and my dad just happened to figure out how to work together.
I couldn’t say that she was miserable with him, but that didn’t mean she was absolutely happy.
She was content. I wanted more than contentment. I knew she understood that.
My dress was beautiful. I couldn’t say that enough.
Emerson had perfectly captured my personality in the formfitting dress.
It hugged my curvy, hourglass figure just right but was still tasteful enough to be elegant and sophisticated.
Even a wedding dress couldn’t hide all this ass.
Emerson told me not to even try. The six-foot train and thigh-high split made it dramatic and theatrical, much like me, but it was a bitch to drag along as I walked a hole in the bedroom floor wondering how the next few decades of my life would be.
Maybe I could still have the fairy-tale life I dreamed of as a child.
A knock at my door made me take a deep breath.
“Come in,” I said, sighing as I stopped in front of the full-length mirror.
My mom let herself in the room, clasping her hands together as a bright smile lifted her cheeks. At least someone was happy about this.
“The dress fits beautifully, baby,” she whispered.
A soft smile of my own broke through as she stood behind me and swept my hair back from my shoulders.
“You’re going to be a lovely bride, Zenny. I think you should wear your hair pinned up and let your natural beauty shine,” she suggested.
“Me too.” I agreed with a single bob of my head.
“I know this is hard for you, but I promise it gets easier. Marriage is a complicated thing. It’s all business and contracts. Even when love is involved, it’s a business. You are strong enough to blaze your own path. You can make it work for you. I believe in you.”
“If you believe that I can blaze my own path, then why do I have to do this?” I asked, turning to face her.
She sighed. “You know just as well as I do that it’s not up to us. Zara running away forced you back into the forefront. We’re trying to buy her some time so The Force doesn’t kill her. Right now, the only thing we can do is make the best of a fucked-up situation.”
“Dad is not interested in buying her time. The only thing he cares about is getting his seat at the table back.”
“Be that as it may, we have to go through with this to prove that we’re not running a game. Your father has made promises.”
“But I didn’t!”
“I know, baby. It’s a hard pill to swallow.
I wish I could tell you something different, but this is the nature of the beast. I fought tooth and nail not to have to marry your father.
If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have four gorgeous daughters that mean the world to me.
Your father even grew on me, as bullheaded and selfish as he may seem sometimes.
He didn’t want to marry me any more than I wanted to marry him, and you saw how fine I was on those pictures. ”
My mom’s comment made me laugh. She was as pretty today as she was on their wedding day nearly thirty years ago.
“You still look good, Mama.”
“I know that,” she said, winking before she continued.
“Your father and I came to an understanding. Prayerfully, you and the young man you’ve been matched with will do the same.
The rules have changed. I was only eighteen when I married your father.
Now they let you wait until twenty-one and even allow you to go to college and pursue the highest level of education before you have to enter the marriage pool.
You’ve had a chance to live and figure out what you like and dislike.
You’ve had the chance to learn who you are.
Don’t be a doormat. Don’t let him run over you. ”
“You already know I’m not doing that.”
“You’ll be fine. I promise.”
“You can’t make that kind of promise, Mama.”
“Maybe I can’t, but I can do something that’s even stronger than that. I can pray.”
A round of rapid knocks on my bedroom door caused both of us to look back. My mom looked down at her diamond encrusted watch before her eyes flashed back up to mine.
“The meeting starts in twenty minutes. I asked Rosa to help you out with your dress and get changed so you can be on time. It’s going to be fine, Zenia.”
“I’ll be there,” I said.
What else could I do other than be there? The meeting was right downstairs, and I was sure my father would have someone drag me down kicking and screaming if I didn’t come down willingly. It was better to keep what dignity I had left at this point.
“Let me give you something before I go,” my mom said, reaching into the pocket of her flowy summer dress.
She pulled her hand out and pressed a small silver cross into the palm of my hand.
“This was my mother’s. She gave it to me before my wedding, and I would like to think that it helped to keep me safe all these years. It did what it needed to do for me. Now it will do the same for you.”
Tears pricked my eyes as my mom leaned in to kiss my cheek.
“Thank you, Ma.”
Without another word, she turned and sauntered out of my room. Rosa walked in as she let herself out.
“Let’s get you out of this dress so you can meet your fiancé,” she said as if there were anything normal about meeting the man I was supposed to marry thirty days before the wedding.
She and I both knew that I was just another pawn in the game these rich and powerful men played. That thought alone made me want to gag.
Once Rosa helped me out of my dress, I changed into the cream pencil skirt and matching blouse laid out on my bed.
It was required that I wear a shade of white to the meetings to indicate my purity.
After getting dressed, I gave myself a quick spritz of my favorite perfume.
When I was as satisfied as I could be with my appearance, I took a deep breath and left my room, headed for the dining room.
I walked into the room to find my dad seated at the head of the table as usual. Aside from the feast presented on the table, the room was set up like a conference room with folders at each place setting. No one seemed to be as interested in the food as they were about getting down to business.
My dad stood to his feet as I walked into the dining room.
For a second, everything stopped moving.
There were eight seats at the table, but only six of them were occupied.
My parents, both of my dad’s lawyers, and two other men that I didn’t recognize.
Both men paid me a furtive once-over before turning their attention back to my father.
I felt the weight of his scrutiny as I walked deeper into the room.
“This is the same girl that was supposed to marry the Fuller kid a few years ago?” the one in the dark-rimmed glasses asked.
“That’s her. She’s let herself go a little bit, but that’s her,” my dad replied with a shrug.
“Just talk about me like I’m not standing right here,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“She’s a spicy one,” the other guy noted with a grin.
“That’s why we’ve had so much trouble moving her. That and the fact that the Fuller boy just up and decided he didn’t want her. She still won’t tell the truth about that situation.”
“You don’t have to move me like I’m property. Furthermore, I didn’t do a damn thing, and I wish you would stop blaming me for everything that goes wrong around here.”
“Enough!” my father snapped.
The younger of the two men chuckled and leaned back in his chair.
“Sit,” my dad said, waving his hand toward the empty chair to his right.
Without another word, I lowered myself into the chair.
“Zenia, I’m Roderick St. Thomas. We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting in person,” the young and amused one said.
“Hi,” I replied.
I had to admit he looked even better in person. Roderick wore a perfectly tailored suit, an expensive watch, and was overall put together. Being put together didn’t mean anything. Looks weren’t important. I’d seen plenty of fine-ass fuckboys in my life.
“It’s nice to finally meet my future wife.” He smiled as he extended his hand for me to shake. A handshake usually sealed a deal, but I wasn’t ready to commit to anything.
A look of disgust quickly covered my face. My dad caught it before I could wipe it off and hit my knee.
“Nice to meet you,” I mumbled.