1: You are getting married

  JADE

"Shh you are making too much noise" I chided my cousin who lurched over me as we both eavesdropped on the

closed door conversation my parents had with two strangers.

Father did announce to us yesterday that we would be having some very influential guests today and we all ought to be on our best behaviour.

I really did not take it to heart until I was opportuned to take a sneak peak of our guests when they drove in with their convoy today.

It was an elderly man and woman. They walked with an extreme air of authority and the multitude of muscular armed men that flanked around them was so intimidating.

They seemed very dangerous, like people you would not want to mess with.

And it got me wondering what sort of business father and mother had with them.

I pressed my ear further into the door, my curiosity to hear what was going on biting down on me.

"And the marraige..........has she been informed yet?"

I could barely even make out what they were saying.

"What are they saying?" Melinda my cousin murmured.

"I can barely even hear anything and the only thing I can focus on is your shoulder which is poking my neck" I rolled my eyes at her before shrugging her arm away.

"It is something about a marraige" I murmured out.

"What marraige?" Melinda asked.

"I do not know goddamit. I can barely hear a thing" I was trying my best not to raise my voice at her.

"Then let us go if you can not hear anything. What is the use anyway? We will be caught sooner or later" Melinda groaned.

"You want us to call off the deal? And for what reason if I may ask? You are playing with fire Mr Andrea. And I hope you know the consequences of playing with fire. You will be burnt and you will be burnt badly" I heard the raspy voice of a male threaten my father.

And from his tone, I could tell he was not bluffing.

He was angry and wrathful.

What deal did my father make with these people? And what were the consequences that could make a total stranger threaten my father with such a menacing tone.

Some thing was terribly wrong somewhere. I can smell a rat.

"You can leave but I am staying. I have a gut feeling that something is wrong. That is why father and mother are having this confidential conversation with those two strangers.

Did you even see them when they drove in? They had quite a number of security aides. That means they must be very powerful and important individuals"

"It could just be a business deal. They are probably father's new partners. Stop over exaggerating Jade" Melinda said to me.

My mum and dad were successful business tycoons in the commercial world. Each of them had made their own empire and name.

And by now, I literally knew sixty percent of the tycoons and billionaires that my parents dealt with and those two guests did not look like people my parents would ordinary deal with.

"Let us just go before we get caught. I am not ready to listen to one of your mother's long lectures about social etiquettes" Melinda grumbled and tried getting hold of my arm.

"Let go of me" I protested back when the door suddenly flung open in my face revealing my parents and our visitors.

Oh my God!

I was frozen, glued, immobile and very much trepadised. I could barely even move an inch.

"I knew I could hear voices outside. Jade and Melinda what are you both doing here crouching by the door?" My father was the first to speak. He spoke sternly with the most terrible glare I had ever seen on his face.

I stood up ponderously with Melinda, a clog in my throat.

I sought for answers frantically in my mind and passed Melinda pleading stares for her to search for an excuse and bail us out but the dummy was a more bigger dimwit than I was.

"Can you both not talk? Have you lost your tongues or do you two need a good whooping to get you both to speak?!" Mother barked causing me to almost jump out of my skin,

Like her husband, she mirrored the anger and bewilderment on his face.

"We were just searching for my necklace. I dropped it somewhere here. I am sorry if our discussion disturbed you all" I lied.

Well that was what I could think of at the moment.

"Right Melinda?" I passed her side glances.

"R-right. Jade are you sure your necklace fell here? We have been searching for it since. You will get a new one let us just go" Melinda nervously rambled.

I nodded frantically seeing that my parents were not buying my lie, I mean who would?

Quickly, I attempted to walk out of their midst when the voice of my father caused me to halt.

"Jade" he called to me.

"Yes dad" I replied in the most polite tone I could muster.

"Have you met these two honoured guest of ours before?" Father questioned, his fingers pointing at the middle aged man and woman seated on the sofa.

  I observed their profile intently. The lady had brown hair with ounces of grey in them, black eyes accompanied by a pointed nose and a peach coloured lips which broke a line in her cheeks whenever she smiled at me making it  seem like dimples.

The man on the other hand had grey coloured hairs which were tied neatly to a bun, a stubble hugged his jaw and his two ears wore an earring.

"No this is actually my first time meeting them" I replied after a brief silence.

"Alright. You both come in so I can introduce you two to them" Father instructed.

We ponderously walked in, anxiety clouding our features.

"Mr and Mrs Greco, may I introduce you to my daughter Jade and my niece Melinda. I am sure they are both sorry for interrupting our conversation with their loud chatterings outside" Father passed us a side eye.

"Y-yes we are. We are honestly sorry, we did not mean to" I quickly put up an act and feigned an apology.

"You both are beautiful girls. I am happy that we have finally met you, Jade, in person. Jade looks even more beautiful than in the pictures you showed to us Andrea" The lady stood up and reached for my cheeks, gently caressed it.

"Thank you ma" I replied still very much confused at where all these was heading to.

"Jade and Melinda, these two prestigious guests of ours are Mr Luca Greco and Mrs Gabriela Greco. They are very respected and powerful people in the society" Father announced to me.

"Oh. It is a pleasure meeting you both" I gave a slight bow.

"The pleasure is all ours. You are so polite. You will definitely make a wonderful bride for Luciano" Mrs Gabriela smiled.

At that moment my jaws dropped and it felt like the entire air had been sucked out of my body. They had been talking about my marraige all along!

"You are getting married?" Melinda almost exclaimed but the stern look from dad was enough to keep her tongue in place.

"Wait what?! A wonderful what? I do not understand please. This clearly has to be a misunderstanding" I shot back.

"Andrea, she has not been informed yet? Was that why you wanted us to call it off? We thought you had informed her already" Mrs Gabriela seemed taken aback by my outburst and so did Mr Luca.

"Informed me about what father?" I raised my brows at him.

"Keep quiet  for once and stop being too fiesty!" Mother reprimanded me.

"We shall brief her concerning the whole thing. You need not not worry. I am sorry for her outburst" Father apologised for my remarks.

"You better do so. I am very sure you know that Luciano will not be happy hearing this and I bet you do not want him to come here himself and take matters into his own hands. We shall be on our way now" Mrs Gabriela balefully said to my father in an omnious undertone.

What is going on? That sounded more like a threat to me than a warning.

"Of course. Let me walk you down the stairs" Father responded like a loyal dog.

I watched them both leave with tremored orbs and a rapid heart beat. What is going on here? Nothing is making sense.

I expected my mum to leave with father but she stood there with her arms at akimbo.

"Mother what is..." I had barely even completed my sentence when my mother rudely cut me short.

"Shut up Jade and you both follow me" She gritted her words out before dragging  my arms across the dimly lit hallway and into my room.

Banging the door shut, mother faced me with a wrathful scowl on her face.

"Mother before you say any thing...." I began but was once again interrupted by my mother.

"Oh so you know I am going to say something young lady!? Why did you have to eaves drop on our conversation?!"

"Mother I believe I should be the one asking the questions here. I mean are you and father really planning on getting me married off to Luciano, whoever the bloody nigga is?!"

Mother had no words to give as a reply instead she ran her hands through her blonde hairs and faced Melinda, "You talked her into eavesdropping did you not?"

What the hell?!

"No I did not Shirley. I swear. Infact I tried to talk her out of it. But still, are you both trying to get Jade married off like she is a total slave?" Melinda stood up for me.

" If you both had not eavesdropped on us then I and your father would have known how to present this topic to you both and tally it in a nicer manner but no! You two just had to fuel your ill timed curiosity. Well yes. You are getting married Jade! You are getting married to Luciano, Mrs Gabriela's eldest son!" Mother deadpanned to my greatest horror.

"What!" I and Melinda both exclaimed.

"You can not do that. I am just twenty three! I have my life ahead of me" I protested, exasperation making my blood boil within me.

"And you are an adult, fit for marraige. Like it or not. It is either you get married or we all die so its your choice" mother scoffed angrily before stomping towards the door.

I stood like a statue, anger causing a tornado of emotions to swirl within me.

Hell no! I am not getting married now and I will certainly not do this all because my parents are blackmailing me to do so.

To hell with Luciano, or whatever his name is! I am not getting married for all the millions in the world and if father wants me to get married to him then he has to kill me first!