AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It was one time.”
“One time that I know of.”
Clenching my jaw, I say nothing. Because he’s right about that, of course.
Outside the windows, the warm midday winds chase soft white clouds across the heavens. It makes the light that hits my pale walls disappear and reappear as the clouds temporarily cover the sun before moving on again.
Dad heaves a deep sigh. “I have set up a meeting for you.”
“A meeting?” I frown up at the empty ceiling. “It’s Sunday. I have classes again tomorrow.”
“I know. It’s today.”
“It’s almost noon.”
“It’s a lunch date.”
My heart jerks in my chest and I sit bolt upright on the bed. “A date?”
“Yes.”
“But you said—”
“If you have time to go out drinking and partying, then you have time to start meeting potential alliance candidates again.”
“Potential alliance candidates?” I scoff. “You mean men you want to marry me off to.”
“Don’t be a brat. We all have different roles when it comes to protecting this family.”
“And mine is to be sold off?”
Silence falls on the other end of the line.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I grimace in regret while dread washes through me like cold water. Because I know that I just went too far.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. Opening my eyes, I keep my voice soft as I say, “It’s just, you said that you would give me this year. Here at Blackwater.”
I had been hoping for three years, but it looks like that won’t be happening.
“And I will,” Dad replies. “But there is no harm in looking for potential candidates in the meantime.”
“But—”
“It’s just one lunch date, Alina. Is that really too much to ask?”
Yes. But I can’t say that, of course, so instead I reply, “No.”
“Good. Then it’s settled. He will come by and pick you up in an hour.”
I stare at myself, still in my pajamas, in the mirror across the room and suppress a sigh.
Great.
To be fair, Josh ends up being a pretty decent guy. He is pretty in the way that most rich people are. Light brown hair that is styled perfectly, straight white teeth, and brown eyes that glitter in the sunlight. And as opposed to the other rich heirs I’ve been forced to go on dates with, he doesn’t only talk about himself. However, it unfortunately still doesn’t change the fact that I’m bored out of my mind fifteen minutes into our lunch date.
Seated at a table for two in a trendy lunch restaurant that mostly serves various kinds of salads, I try to keep a polite smile on my face while I alternate between eating and nodding along to whatever Josh is talking about. But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate, because I constantly feel like the back of my neck is prickling.
Sweeping a discreet glance around the crowded restaurant, I half expect to find Kaden standing there, glaring at me with a dangerous look on his face. I know that it’s ridiculous. He has no idea where I am. But I still can’t help worrying that he will somehow magically appear out of thin air and cause a scene. After all, he was very clear that night two days ago. No other man touches you.
