ISABELLE.
"Aunt wait she is still sleeping!" Was the first thing I heard before I was sputtering and spattering, my sleep-glazed eyes burning as water filled my eyeballs and my nose. "Ahhh!" I exclaimed as I used my hands to wipe away the excess water from my eyes.
As my blurry vision cleared my gaze settled on my glaring aunt, before I could even begin to say a thing she shoved an Ipad into my hands, and again I was left confused and overwhelmed, it took some time for my eyes to adjust to that but the moment it did I knew that I was beyond fucked. At that moment my phone began to buzz so hard it didn't come as a shock to me, one call got through at least, it was my lawyer.
Out of my confusion, my reflexes reacted pretty quickly this time, I instantly declined the call before my aunt could see who it was.
"Who was that?" she spat out and I shook my head
"Jessie, it was Jessie, I don't think I should take her call right now, do you?"
"What a mess! Look at what you have done?! Have you taken a look at our stocks this morning?" Our stocks?
"How dare you disrespect this family and the company, you had one job, one job. I thought your insolence back at the Quing house was a one-time thing but it appears you are a repeat offender! How are you going to face anyone after this? How are we going to face anyone after this?!" She yelled and I shut my eyes and sighed. I couldn't even say a single thing, this was a massive disaster, forget about retorting or looking for a solution, my brain had gotten an instant halt. Nothing went through my mind but the fact that I was fucked.
"Do you know how many dinners I have been disinvited to? How many lunches, I was even disinvited to my gathering!" She continued to yell, and I just let her go, this time it was my fault and I screwed up. Byun health group was an elite of the elite when it came to companies. The Quing empire sat at the top as number one, then the Byun group sat below that alongside a few other companies. But I knew even with all that prestige, a scandal like this would have us kicked out of all social circles in an instant. Rich people were like that, vultures waiting for their prey a moment of weakness before they pounce no mercy.
I shut my eyes tightly as my aunt screamed threats and bloody murder over my head, this was going to cost us severely, damn it!
"Get dressed, both of you. Xerxes Quing has invited us to the apex."
Both my aunt and I turned to my uncle who was standing at the door, looking at me with such disappointment and some other emotion I was sure was regret or maybe a repressed urge to strangle my throat at this moment.
"An hour, you have an hour do not be late." He said.
"But how can she get ready for the apex in an hour?" Marianne's soft voice called out and my uncle's glare changed direction.
"Well, she should have thought about that before she dared to talk back to her fiancee."
My aunt gave me a final glare before she walked out of the bedroom, I shivered as the moisture on my body began to cool. "How long did she boil the water for?"
"You are giving her too much credit, she just got warm water from the bathroom," Marianne said, "at least it's clean, imagine she used one of the water they scrubbed the floor with."
I shook my head, "she wouldn't do that, she can barely look at it not to talk of actually touching it. Thank goodness madam Gu isn't around though she would have ordered her to do it."
"Well for the first time I am thankful she isn't here" Marianne sighed, Madam Gu was the nanny that raised Marianne well most of the time. But before that, she raised our cousin that demoness Giselle, until recently she was here with us but precious Giselle couldn't survive without her nanny. I'm glad Marianne is recovering from another painful loss, I mean how could a person steal a fourteen-year-old's nanny, she is my age mate for crying out loud, older by some months even.
It was a hassle but I managed to make myself presentable in an hour, forget that I had a test today, I don't even know why I am thinking about it, it is too insignificant to be mentioned.
It was literal hell when we got to the Quing house, grandmother wouldn't even look at me, I had no idea what to expect, judging from the stock reports I checked on the way here, the Quing corporation wasn't doing any better. They could shun us and refuse the engagement, which would mean total destruction for Byun health plus if they did that. Gosh, look at how far I have fallen, begging for the engagement I fought so hard to break? I didn't know if it would be worse for them but they were the Quing surely they would be able to bounce back.
The room was utterly silent, everyone was here, well everyone but the smaller grandson and the mother. I wished she was here, she spoke up when nobody else did, at least someone should be talking at this point. Asher's eyes burned holed through me, never once looking away. I see he is deciding to be this way, childish much. I on the other hand sparred him no glance.
The chairman nodded at the I'm assuming the servants? I couldn't see how was there. And my shame and destruction came to bask to slap me in the face, only this time the video was on a bigger screen.
*********
"Then why are you doing this? We clearly hate each other and you did say you would marry me over your dead body so why the hell did you now decide to get engaged to me out of the blue? Just end this and let us go our separate ways then?"
"Are you mad?"
"Yes, I am, how can I not? You are the one lying to the whole country just to get the stocks of your company up, how can I not be mad for being used?"
"Used? After how you turned my family against me? You also do not want to get married to me, so why did you pretend to be nice to my family? Wasn't it because you wanted all the heat to be on me alone?"
"Fine, I did that but you are a lot worse, is this the only way to show your competence? By lying and forcing someone to get married to you? After all the years you spent studying?"
"Hey!"
"What? Did I say anything wrong? I have a headache, get out of my way."
************