"Is that a tear I see?" teased Mother, raising an eyebrow playfully.
Journee, proud and not one to easily reveal her emotions despite being only ten, retorted, "What? No way!"
"Alright, my honey bunny, time for lights out."
Titanic, such a heart-wrenching movie... Why did the lovers have to part? Couldn't they have stayed afloat together? Or perhaps benevolent spirits in the sea could have saved them? But spirits don't exist... And if they did, maybe they caused the ship to sink because they're evil! Journee reasoned in her dimly lit room, her eyes heavy with sleep. Her heart sank as heavily as the Titanic into the ocean. As tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, she surrendered to the embrace of deep slumber.
"Never fear, my sweet angel. I will always love you," echoed a warm yet authoritative voice in the depths of Journee's dreams. "Return to me, my love. Please... do not forget me." These words caressed her soul, and as she felt the warmth of lips planting a kiss on her head, Journee's eyes snapped open. Looking around, she expected to see her mother, for such a tender and affectionate kiss could only come from her. Yet, the room remained empty, and the silence of the night pierced her thoughts. "I must be dreaming..." she whispered, gently shaking her head, and drifted back into slumber.
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Ever since that unforgettable day, Journee had been plagued by dreams of a mysterious dark prince. What started as a fleeting and enchanting encounter had blossomed into full-fledged conversations.
"I never see your face!" Journee would often complain, yearning for a glimpse of him.
"That's because it is not time yet," his warm and familiar voice would envelop her, filling her with hope and tranquility.
"Then at least tell me your name."
"I can't. It is not time," he would repeat, frustratingly elusive.
"And so, you say the same thing over and over again. I'll be 19 in a week... please tell me your name. I think it's time, don't you?"
"No can do, my sweet angel. But soon, we will meet."
Her heart would skip a beat at those words. "We will meet. When?" Her heart would soar with joy. Even without seeing his face, the conversations they shared in her dreams were enough to fill her with anticipation for each night's slumber.
"Soon... very soon," he would say as his form gradually faded away, leaving her alone in the realm of dreams.
"Ugh!" Journee had pleaded and reasoned with him for nearly nine years now. Yet, the faceless prince remained steadfast, withholding the answer she longed for.
"Honey bunny, time to wake up," came the increasingly urgent knocking on her door. "You're gonna miss breakfast."
Journee cracked open an eye. The room was cloaked in darkness, shielded by the blackout curtains. However, the urgency in her father's voice indicated that it was well past 10 am. "I'm up! I'm up!"
"You better be. I made you pancakes with blueberries," her father called out, his footsteps fading as he descended the stairs into the kitchen.
She listened to the familiar creaking of the wooden stairs, a sound she had grown accustomed to over the years. This two-story house had been their home for as long as she could remember, a modest abode her parents had purchased in their youth, brimming with excitement for their future. The interior was elegantly minimalistic, a style her parents had embraced long before it became popular. Her mother, in particular, possessed an innate sense of fashion and sophistication that drew crowds wherever she went—a true paragon of grace and class.
Journee quickly dressed for the day, not paying much attention to her appearance. She opted for her usual jeans and a baggy tee. Grabbing her laptop and a bag of books, she hurried downstairs for breakfast.
"Such a heavenly aroma!" Her stomach growled with hunger. It was then that she realized she hadn't had dinner yet. "Hey! Why are there only 2 pieces?" Journee eyed her father suspiciously.
"Who told you to wake up so late? I ate the rest!" he replied.
"No way! You wouldn't!" She pouted. "You're so mean... you know I need my food to last the day."
"It's all in here." Her father rubbed his belly and chuckled. "Should I puke it out? I read some birds do that for their young ones."
"EWWW!!! I think I just lost my appetite." Journee pretended to be disinterested in her food.
"Well then, more for me, I guess!" Her father reached for the plate, but Journee smacked his hand away and devoured the delicious breakfast.
"Slow down! One day, you'll choke on your food and die!"
"That's what mommy used to say..." Journee said sadly.
"I'm sorry, honey bunny..."
The shock of her mother's sudden death had never truly left them. She was only 15 when her mother passed away peacefully in her sleep. There were no warning signs, no indications. Death had simply come and taken away his prize, like a thief in the night.
"It's okay. It's been 4 years, daddy." She forced a smile. "This was amazing. It's a wonder I'm not fat." She teased to lighten the mood.
"Not fat... yet!" Her father quickly retorted.
"Hey!!!"
"Hey yourself. Now get out of here. You have 10 minutes to get to campus."
"Bye!" Journee blew her father a kiss and rushed out the door, just in time to see her best friend, Dorthy.
"Yo!" Dorthy high-fived Journee, a tradition they had maintained since childhood. "Pancakes?"
"Yup! Blueberry ones too." Journee matched Dorthy's long strides as they briskly walked on the pavement.
"What's the occasion?"
"Do we need one, Doe?"
"Nah... your dad usually fixes a quick instant noodle. There must be something special today, Jo."
"You and your suspicions. Can't he just feel like pampering me occasionally?" Journee rolled her eyes. Dorthy had always been a pessimist. It hadn't even been 5 minutes when Dorthy pulled Journee into a side street.
"What the heck?! Dorthy, what's your problem?"
"Shhh... I think we're being followed, Jo."
"Ugh! Seriously? I know finals are next week, but there's no need to be paranoid."
"I'm dead serious, Jo. See that black car? It's been following us for the past 2 minutes."
"Doe, this is a residential area with a speed limit of 20 km/h. What can they do? Speed past and risk hitting a kid or two?"
"Look, Jo... the car stopped. It's not moving now."
"Maybe the driver is waiting for someone or is lost." Journee dismissed Dorthy's concerns as paranoia and walked back to the main pavement. Her best friend followed silently, still keeping an eye on the car, which seemed to have started moving again now that they were no longer hiding.
They arrived at the campus shortly after, much to Dorthy's relief. Class went by in a blur for bespectacled Dorthy. Standing half a head shorter than Journee, her short brown hair and large eyes made her prominent cheekbones even more distinct. Many had teased her, comparing her looks and behavior to that of an anime character. Despite her petite frame and occasional overreactions, boys always followed her like puppies. Today, she couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched, especially Journee. She was on edge, looking around to find the source, but there was none. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid," she muttered under her breath.
"What?" Journee half-turned to Dorthy.
"Nothing, nothing..."
"Alright then. I'm heading home."
"Yeah, you should."
"Is it still bothering you? That black car."
"Maybe?"
"Doe... how many times have you suspected someone was out to kill me?"
"Um..."
"Has it ever happened? No. Remember last year when you were worried the bartender at The Groove had spiked my drink? Turns out he just wanted to give me his number."
"Okay, okay... I get it. I'm the ever-jumpy best friend who's just trying to look out for you."
"And I love you for it... it's just sometimes it gets a bit too much."
Dorthy let out a heavy sigh. She knew how much Journee disliked making a fuss over little things. "Off you go then. I'll head to the library for a bit."
"See you next week, Doe."
"Luv ya, Jo."
"Back at you, Doe."
Journee headed straight home, sticking to her habit of not lingering despite outwardly dismissing her best friend's fears.
"I'm home!" Journee announced the moment she stepped inside.
"Honey bunny... I have someone I need you to meet."
Journee walked into the living room to find a well-dressed lady staring at her. "Good evening. I'm Journee."
"Why hello, my dear." I gave her a simple nod and looked at her father, nudging him to continue. With a sigh that conveyed his mood, her father looked up. Seconds turned into minutes, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.
"Um... shall I make some tea?"
"No. Sit down, honey bunny. I have something to tell you."
Pulling the futon stool next to her father, she sat and waited for him to speak.
"I... I..." Words failed him as he dejectedly looked down at his hands.
"Perhaps I can convey it on your behalf." The silver-haired grandmother spoke with an air of authority.
"...please." Journee looked at her father, realizing how aged he looked compared to a few hours ago. "Daddy? What's wrong?"
"Ms. Lee, we have come to an arrangement, your father and us."
Journee held her breath and barely whispered, "What kind of arrangement?"
"You will be marrying into the Lewis family after your final exams next week."
"WHAT?!!!" Journee stood up almost instantly. "This is a joke, right, daddy?" Seeing that her father's expression hadn't changed and he was still staring at his hands, Journee knew it to be true. "...Please excuse me." She ran up the stairs to her room as fast as she could and slammed the door shut. Tears fell as her confusion and disappointment grew. She simply didn't know what to think, nor did she want to. Instead, Journee allowed sleep to take over as she sought her dark prince, finding comfort in his arms and voice.
"Where are you? Please... Where are you? Please... I need you," Journee cried out in her dream, but there was no answer. Her heart tore into shreds. Why...? Did you not promise to always be there for me? Please... come to me. Her tears flowed freely as she allowed her overwhelming feelings to burst from her heart.
It felt like an eternity until she sensed someone staring at her, followed by a gentle hand shaking her awake. Opening her eyes, she saw her father sitting at the edge of her bed.
"Can we talk?" he asked, his eyes puffy from crying.
"Why?"
"I am so sorry..."
Journee sat up and crossed her arms, staring intensely at her father. "Don't give me your sorries. I want to know why you agreed to it and what this is all about."
"Do you remember when I started that consulting company?"
"Yes. The one that closed after just a year." She vividly remembered it. Her father had started a consulting agency with two colleagues, and things had been going well. They secured deals not only with Microsoft but also with The Ascott Limited and a few others she didn't care to remember. "The economy was bad, and you guys decided to take a break."
"Well... I didn't tell you the whole truth."
Journee looked at her father, knowing he had never lied to her before. No matter how tough things got, even when her mother passed away, he had always shared the complete truth as they supported each other through thick and thin.
"They stole the loan we took to run the business... and left just before we actually signed any of the contracts."
Journee's mind went still. "Uncle John and Uncle Zack?" She couldn't believe they had done that. Weren't they her father's best friends from their university days? They had weathered every storm life had thrown at them together. "Why did they do that?"
"I don't know... They stopped taking my calls and started their own consulting company."
"And is their new company doing well?" The initial shock she felt had now transformed into anger.
"Very. They just celebrated signing another million-dollar deal," her father said sadly.
"Oh, how nice! I wish karma snaps back at them!" Journee half-screamed.
"I was angry too... but I have you to think about."
"What do you mean?"
"The banks were after me, and I had nowhere to turn. The Lewis Bank was the only one willing to take me on and settle the debts I had."
"And at what price, daddy?"
"That you marry into their family after your 19th birthday."
Journee's thoughts reeled as the realization sank in that her father had essentially sold her to settle his debt. "Why me? As the heir to the Lewis assets, couldn't their son have his pick of any woman?"
"Well... from what I was told, their son is always busy with work and doesn't have time to date. He asked his parents to find him a middle-class lady who would be a suitable daughter-in-law," her father explained, exhaling with a mix of relief and guilt.
"...I don't believe this... I simply don't." Journee's eyes welled up as tears threatened to fall. "You are selling me off. I'm going to be a slave. What's the point of me finishing my degree then? You could have made the exchange last year," she added sarcastically.
"I never intended for this to happen. It was either this or you would be out on the streets."
"I was already 18. I could have found a job to support us both."
"I thought I was giving you a better life, a wealthy one filled with luxuries that I could never provide," her father said with a hint of remorse
"Is that what you think I want, Daddy? That I desire a leisurely life, constantly at the beck and call of snobbish in-laws?" Journee retorted, her frustration evident.
"I know... I'm so sorry... I can never say it enough, honey bunny. If there was a way to get us out of this, I would find it. I just don't know how," he confessed, tears streaming down his face.
Journee's heart softened as she witnessed her father's vulnerability. In all her 19 years, he had never cried in front of her, not even during her mother's funeral. The fact that he could no longer maintain his dignity and pride in her presence showed how genuinely sorry he was.
"You know, Daddy, you may not be the sharpest person, but I love you and always will. If it eases your mind even a little, I will go through with the marriage," she said, trying to comfort him.
"Oh, my honey bunny... I'm so sorry," he choked out, his voice filled with regret.
"Will we still be allowed to contact each other?" Journee asked, hoping for some reassurance.
"I believe so. Surely they wouldn't cut off our communication completely. We should still be able to keep in touch and spend time together occasionally," her father replied, attempting to offer some solace.
"Surely not," Journee responded, though deep down, she knew it was a lie. She had an instinctive feeling that all communication would indeed be severed, and she would be forced to serve the family for the rest of her life.