"Why don't we all head over to the dining area?" Maria, Rachel's mother, suggested with a nervous smile on her face, taking the lead.
"Great idea, Maria," Sarah, Nick's mother, chimed in. "But how about these two take a little walk outside and get to know each other better, maybe even settle any differences they might already have." Sarah shot a pointed glare at her son.
"Fantastic idea. Right, Rachel?" Maria responded, giving her daughter a meaningful look.
Rachel nodded, mustering a quiet "Yes."
"Right this way, please," Maria said, leading the group to follow her.
Ashley turned to her brother and Rachel, flashing a supportive smile before joining the rest.
Rachel and Nick stood there in silence.
"Out of all the men in the world, it just had to be you," Rachel finally spoke, breaking the silence as she turned to face Nick.
"Hey... I was unlucky too," Nick retorted. "I mean, look what I got." He scanned Rachel from head to toe. "A total letdown," he remarked, accompanied by a smirk that infuriated Rachel.
She felt an overwhelming urge to punch his stupid face, but she managed to exercise self-control.
"You think you're pleasing to look at," Rachel shot back. "Trust me, you're not. So don't be so full of yourself."
"Sure," Nick replied confidently, running his fingers through his hair.
"Ugh..." Rachel groaned, storming out of the house and onto the expansive estate grounds.
Nick followed her, quickening his pace to catch up.
"Why did you even want to get married to me?" Rachel asked, continuing to walk without bothering to look at Nick, knowing he could hear her.
"Trust me, I don't. But I also didn't have much of a say in the matter. Our families arranged this, and here we are." Nick replied, trailing behind her.
Rachel abruptly stopped and turned to face him her eyes narrowing.
"Then call it off," she stated firmly.
"I can't," Nick replied curtly.
"You can't or you won't?" Rachel asked, growing annoyed.
"I said I can't."
"And why not?" Rachel demanded.
Nick's expression tightened. "I just can't."
"Unbelievable," Rachel scoffed, turning away from him and continuing her walk.
"Trust me when I say this: I don't even want to spend a minute with you. What makes you think I want to spend my entire life with you?" Nick replied, his frustration evident. "I can't call off this arrangement," he added.
Rachel didn't say anything. She simply resumed walking away.
"Wait!" Nick called out, reaching for Rachel's arm and gripping it gently. "I can't call this off, but maybe you can," he suggested.
"You think I haven't tried?" Rachel replied, pulling her hand away from Nick's grip and continuing to walk.
"Obviously, you didn't try hard enough," Nick retorted.
Rachel's steps faltered for a moment.
Unbelievable, she thought. This guy was simply unbelievable. He claimed he couldn't call off the arrangement and accused her of not trying enough when he wasn't doing anything at all.
"Listen to me, okay? Everyone is here, so this is your chance to make a fool of yourself. Make my parents believe that you're incredibly foolish, and that this whole thing was a huge mistake," Nick proposed, wearing a self-satisfied smile. He thought he deserved a pat on the back for his brilliant plan.
"Wow," Rachel responded, her tone short and unenthusiastic.
"What? You don't like the idea?" Nick inquired.
"No, I love it." Rachel replied sarcastically.
"Great. Then let's go back inside so you can make a fool of yourself," Nick said, turning around.
Rachel was left speechless. Not only was he annoying, but he was also clearly dense.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Rachel asked, causing Nick to turn back.
"What?"
"I'm not going through with your stupid plan."
"Why not? You said you liked it."
Rachel felt an overwhelming urge to smack some sense into him.
"I was being sarcastic."
"Well, sarcastic or not, we're going through with my plan."
"Fine. But you'll be the one making a fool out of yourself, not me."
"Absolutely not. I have way too much to lose, and besides, I think you'll be incredibly good at making a fool out of yourself. So it's only fitting that you do it," Nick insisted. "
"God, you're an ass," Rachel blurted out, unable to contain her anger.
"So I've been told," Nick replied, wearing a smirk, referring to the numerous times Rachel had called him an ass.