D E C L A N S U M M E R S
"You know you need not go through with it, right?" asked Thornton Summers, the eldest son of the Summers as he glanced sideways at his little brother, Declan. In all honesty, he had never heard of a promise as ridiculous as this one: a promise to be reunited as a family through marriage. Their grandfather, Cedric Summers, must have been insane when he had agreed to this. What was even crazier was that his grandfather had put this condition, to have his promise fulfilled, in his will. Not only had the Summers had to listen to their grandfather's last words informing them about this arrangement, now they had to read it in black and white.
"It was his last words, Tony," argued Declan, a bit reluctant to simply dismiss their grandfather's will. "I feel bad if we do not carry on with it."
"It was but he can not control our lives. He can not control you!" Anger had stiffened his back and he started pacing the room in an attempt to calm himself down. After a short while, he sat down on his chair once again and drew a breath. Thornton felt that his little brother was too calm for someone who was going to marry a complete stranger. Or perhaps it was not a stranger after all. Had his brother perhaps known who he was going to marry? There was only one way to get an immediate answer to that curious query. "Do you even know who you are going to marry?"
"No," Declan answered, shaking his head. Then after a while, he added, "But I have someone in mind."
"Who?" asked Thornton in a desperate tone. Perhaps he could make an arrangement so that his little brother would at least marry the girl he wanted. At least that way, he could secure his brother's happiness.
Declan smiled and turned to his older brother. "Her name is Qingshan. Ma Qingshan."
Without as much as a word, Thornton Summers said that name over and over in his head. The next time he called Ma Fenghuang, he would only approve of this marriage should the person from Ma Family was none other than Ma Qingshan.
M A Q I N G S H A N
Almost as soon as the dinner was over and everyone had gone to their respective rooms, Qingshan heard knocking on her door. From her working table, with one hand holding the financial report of the latest quarter of this company that she wished to acquire, Qingshan said, "Come in."
One of the butlers appeared at the door, a silver tray in his hand. On top of it, a brown envelope was placed neatly. "Miss Qingshan, a document has arrived and it is addressed to you."
"Ah, it must be the document I have asked Kitty to send to me," I muttered to myself, recalling that the other day I had asked my secretary, Wang Rui Kitty, to send the document which contained the additional information regarding the same company. "Put it on the table. Thank you."
"Of course, Miss." He moved further into her suite, took the envelope off the silver tray, and placed it on the table. "Is there anything you would like me to do for you, Miss Qingshan?"
"No," she offered a smile and the young butler blushed. It had been rare for anyone in this household to smile at their employees especially someone like him so young Daoming had a little taken aback and was shy about it. "Thank you."
That word had been rare too. Out of all people who lived in this house that he had met in this house, there were only two people who always expressed their gratitude once Daoming had done his work. One was the Lord of this house, Master Ma Fenghuang, and the other person was his granddaughter, Miss Ma Qingshan.
It seemed that his perplexity along with adoration had made him frozen in his place. Ma Qingshan looked at the young butler who had a dreamy look on his face and asked, "Are you alright?"
Young Daoming blinked and then blushed again. His cheeks were in the same shade as tomatoes in the kitchen. "Ah, yes, Miss. My apologies. I will take my leave then." He bowed, a little too deep than necessary, then turned around and left.
Once he was outside, he sagged to the nearest wall and breathed his relief. "She is so pretty," he whispered to himself then chastised himself for thinking of his employer that way.
About thirty minutes after Daoming's departure, Ma Qingshan heard another knocking on her door. "You may come in."
The door swung open revealing none other than her mother, Xiaoxian.
"Mama!" Qingshan dropped the paper she was holding on the table and rushed towards her mother. "You know you did not have to knock. You could just invite yourself in."
Xiaoxian smiled at her daughter, touching Qingshan's temple, and then put her hair behind her ear. "I do not want to disturb you, Shan."
"Nonsense." Qingshan shook her head and threw her arms around her mother's waist. "You are my mother. Even if you want to disturb me, you can, you know. I will let you."
Xiaoxian laughed heartily. "Exactly because you would let me that I prefer not to disturb you at all." She planted one kiss on her daughter's cheek. "I want to talk to you, Shan. Let's sit down."
"Do you want some tea? I could ring for someone to have it sent here."
Her mother shook her head. "No, that is alright."
"What is it, Mama? You look worried."
"I am worried," she answered. "I am worried for you."
Qingshan's eyes widened in confusion. "For me?" She tried to reel her mind, thinking of what had happened since her last meeting with her mother. For as long as she was concerned, she had never done anything that would cause her mother to worry. She had always acted appropriately and she had never caused any trouble either.
"Do you really want to marry this —" she paused for a brief moment, seemingly trying to find the right word before finally settled with, "American man?"
She held her mother's hand and nodded slowly. "I do wish to fulfill grandpa's promise, Ma."
"That is different." Xiaoxian pouted, shaking her head. "My question is whether you want to marry him. I already know that you wish to fulfill your grandfather's promise to Cedric Summers."
Seeing no point in concealing the truth from her own mother, Qingshan calmly said, "I do not want to marry him, Ma."
"Then you do not have to!" Her mother rose to her feet and was ready to bolt. "I am going to tell your father so he can inform your grandfather immediately!"
Qingshan caught her wrist just in time before her mother flew out of her suite. "Please don't."
"But you just told me that you do not want to marry this man. Do you think I will let you go through with this when I know you do not want to do it?"
Qingshan held her mother's hands and she could see her mother's eyes softened. "Ma, I do not want to marry him because I do not think I want to be married at all. But it is what it is. You know how society works, how our family works. Everyone must marry or else they would be called a spinster, an old maiden. So I am well aware that I have to marry, if not now then someday. And I find that this, to marry someone in order to fulfill grandfather's promise, is the right reason for me to marry."
"But still, Shan, I can not let you do this when you can marry for love!"
"I will never marry for love, Ma. Anyway, I have agreed to it and you know I am not someone who will take back my words."
Seeing the determination in her daughter's eyes, Xiaoxian finally gave up although her heart was hurting by this. She had not married for love either but in the end, she and her husband had fallen in love with each other. Perhaps this could happen to her daughter too. Perhaps she would fall in love with this American man and vice versa.
Yet she still had one question that she must ask or else she would not be able to sleep at night. "What about Chen Haoran?"
"What about him?" Qingshan asked plainly.
"Don't you love him?"
Had she?
With a small smile plastered on her face, she shook her head. "No. I have never loved him."
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