Chapter 1
Chapter One
“Absolutely not,” I yell at my mother. “I’m not some cash cow you can just put up for slaughter just because you don’t know how to manage after Dad passed away.”
“It’s what your father would have wanted, dear.” I can hear the bitterness in her tone. I have no words left for the woman who gave birth to me. The woman who should have loved, cherished, and wanted the best for me.
But she never has.
The only person who cared about me is gone; he left this world too soon and left all of us behind. He left me behind.
I stare at her while she sits on the too-hard sofa that she insists, to this day, is comfortable.
A couch that she only bought because her friend told her the designer was all the rage at the moment, and anyone who was anyone would have one of their pieces.
Why people want to sit on a couch that is less comfortable than concrete will never make sense to me, but at the time, I don’t care.
I move to stand in front of her, as she is surrounded by items carefully curated to make a visitor think the house is filled with wealth and prosperity.
It’s a lie, one she cultivated and grew.
The moment my dad passed away, I knew I would be next on the proverbial chopping block for social climbers.
“You say that like I’m supposed to believe you, Dad never cared about moving up the social ranks as you have. It’s your dream to move up the social ladder, not mine, not Dad’s. You!”
My mother is a formidable woman; I’ll give her that.
Her grey eyes are often the color of hard steel, especially when she’s talking to me.
As she stares unblinkingly at me, I know I have to stay strong.
I don’t have many options right now, being under her thumb with her controlling the trust that was left to me after my dad passed has so many downsides, but if I can make it to my birthday, I will finally have access.
Turning twenty-four cannot come soon enough.
One more month, and the trust becomes mine.
One more month and she loses her leverage.
One more month, one more month. The mantra runs in my head over and over. In one month, I’m free. I can finally leave to explore, attend graduate school, and gain experiences that I never could have here.
“You will marry Liam three months after your twenty-fourth birthday. Not only is he the heir to his family business, but he is also currently the COO and wants you as his wife. Now, this is the end of this conversation.” Suddenly, she stands up from the couch, and while she smoothes the non-existent wrinkles out of her dress, I am now forced to look up to her.
I may have been blessed with her matching dimples, but I definitely lack in the height department, which she uses to her advantage when she wants to put me in my place.
I step back and take a deep breath before I say anything that may move this timeline up.
“Why do I have to marry him? We’ve never met. This isn’t the 1800s; I should be able to fall in love with whoever I want. Not have you make the decision for me.”
“What are you getting out of this?” I softly say, trying to regain my composure.
She stares at me for a moment, her eyes as hard as gray granite. “I don’t understand why you are so upset,” she tells me. “You’ve been given this opportunity to marry into a prestigious family.”
I am trying so hard to keep myself from crying, but the anger towards having this decision made has frustrated me to the point that tears well up in my eyes. “This isn’t normal, you knew Dad before you married each other.” Trying to defend myself, but still getting nowhere with her.
“You grew up together. He said you both fell in love and wanted to be together despite his family not approving.”
Her eyes briefly fill with a sadness I haven’t seen in such a long time, but the grief is brief and is replaced with her normal hard look of disapproval.
“It’s been decided. In four months, you will marry Liam. If you choose to meet him before that is up to you, but this marriage is happening.”
I watch as she walks away. True to routine, she heads down the hallway towards Dad’s office, and she’ll probably be in there for hours, going over spreadsheets and phone calls and making plans that don’t include me as a person, just as a piece on a board that she can control when necessary.
I walk quietly through the hallway and up the stairs, my socks barely making a sound against the hardwood floors.
Every creak sounds loud, but the pounding in my heart sounds louder.
I slip into my room and close the door slowly.
I walk over to my bed, but instead of sitting, I slide to the floor and put my head on top of my knees.
Trying as hard as I can to come up with any reasonable idea on how to get out of this marriage.
I take my phone out of my pocket and pull up the keypad without thinking. I realize I don’t even have Liam’s number, so there's no way to call him. I swipe out the phone app and go to the internet to search for his name.
and hit enter.
The screen instantly fills with articles, business journals, and family profiles.
The family business is shipping moguls, old money, old name, powerful, and untouchable. Their family has had generations of successful businessmen and women. I find photos of his parents at various charity events and openings. There are photos of his siblings smiling beside politicians and CEOs.
But one thing is missing.
Him.
I keep searching and scrolling after different search prompts. One thing remains the same. There is nothing tangible about the elusive eldest Davenport son.
No society pages.
No tagged posts.
No candid shots. The only information I manage to find is his name and basic information.
Liam W. Davenport, heir to the Davenport Family, successor, current COO of Davenport Industries, and future CEO of Davenport Industries.
I try different searches, different ways, but one thing remains the same.
There is no existence of Liam in cyberspace.
I shake my head in confusion, my mahogany brown curls brushing against my shoulders with the movement.
I want to fight this marriage with everything I have, but I also know if I do, my mother will move the timeline up.
I can’t marry a man I’ve never seen.
So, I won’t.