“Because,” my mom speaks out quickly- so quickly- as if afraid my dad would say the wrong thing before she continues, “This isn’t your soulmate. Adam’s not your true love, Evelyn. You’re still too young to understand your feelings.”
My heart’s pace fastened beneath my chest as I raise my eyebrows accusingly. “What the hell does that mean mom? I’m almost 19! You married dad when you were 20, and you’re not me! You do not have a single clue on what I feel for Adam. ‘It’s impossible for someone to understand what another truly feels’. You said that to me once, and I might’ve believed that was what you honestly believed if it weren’t for the wavering in your voice.”
I cross my arms over my chest adamantly. “Now tell me what’s really going on.”
Just as my father was about to answer, my mom stops him with her hand as she states in a cold demeanour, “Your father and I do not approve of Adam. He’s no—”
I cut her off, speed-walk till I’m just a few feet away from her, place my right hand in front of her, and point to my ring finger where my engagement ring was before I reply in an equally cold expression, “Well, it’s too late for that, isn’t it? You know mom? If you had a problem with Adam and I being together in the first place then you should’ve spoken to me before maybe we decided to get engaged, before he became my fiancé, and before you even agreed. Why would you agree on our engagement if you didn’t like Adam from the very beginning? I don’t believe you, so please just stop with the nonsense talk because honestly you’re just giving me a headache and tell me where the problem real—“
Adam’s father- Gabriel Sanderson- interrupts me with a loud, rage-full voice. “The problem is that with the both of you getting married.” He shares a knowing look with the rest of the parents before diverting his attention to Adam and I as he explains, “You’ll be ruining the plan.”
“What the…? What plan? Would you please stop with the encrypted messages and decode to us what you’re trying to say, so we can at least try to understand where the problem is?” Adam’s anger was at its peak now, and I was starting to get a bit worried that things would get out of hand, so I slowly walked over to him, intertwined our fingers and offered him a gentle squeeze.
Gabriel glares at our hands, points to them and, in a seething manner, illustrates, “This ends right now- whatever it is going on between you too.”
“You can’t do that.” I look at all of them flabbergasted before I continue, “You can’t decide whether or not two people are in love; you can’t decide whether or not we get married, and you certainly can’t just ask us to end this and expect us to do it. This is our life you’re so blatantly talking about.”
Adam nods his head, agreeing to what I just said, while staring at his father with a clenched jaw, and I know that if I let go of his hand, it might end up connecting with Gabriel’s face.
My mom’s expression softened a little. She rotates her head a little just to face my father, whose eyes are burning holes in my head, as she offers. “Maybe we can change the c—”
“We can’t!” My father’s glares turn to my mother.
“Change the what?” Adam’s question is laced in confusion.
“The contract,” his mother speaks for the first time.
“What contract?” My eyebrows furrow.
“The contract we signed twenty six years ago.” My mother huffs out a breath.
Gabriel starts with his explanation. “You both know that the Williams Incorporation and the Sandersons Incorporation were established about thirty years ago, don’t you?” At our nod, he continues, “Well, let’s just say that there were way too many complications between both companies due to their highly competitive markets. They always have been the best two companies in England, but with the tons of problems between them, they were bound to start falling from their high rank of success, so we decided to eliminate these complications. We decided to raise our profits, and we decided to have a truce to stop the disputes between both companies. We decided that we will have a truce until a certain time comes then we will merge both companies as one. The contract states the conditions of this time and how the merge will take place.”
“Well, what did the contract state?” I elaborate my question further, “What is this time both companies supposedly merge?”
“The time when the oldest son marries the youngest daughter.”
An involuntary gasp escapes my mouth, and my eyes widen an inch or so at the ending line of the confession. It all actually makes sense now. I feel like I finally understand everything as if every missing puzzle is finally falling into its place. I get now why Evelyn was beyond livid with my parents, and I also get why my parents were so afraid that I’d figure out their secret, and they’re right- they should’ve been worried because I’m feeling the kind of rage Evelyn felt right now.
Even though I’m not as deeply in love with Adam as Evelyn was since I’m just starting to get to know him, I feel angry at my parents for destroying my life- for sealing my fate with someone I wouldn’t have wanted to end up with. Maybe I would’ve actually had it in me to forgive them for what they’ve done hadn’t they took my memory loss to their own advantage. Maybe I would’ve truly been capable of forgiving them if they left me and my road for true love alone. Maybe our relationship would’ve been back to before Evelyn hated them if they didn’t force Adrien
