"Seraphina, you have to get married to Ethan," Sebastian said and watched as the confused expression on Seraphina's face turned into a deep frown.
"Wh...what do you mean?" Seraphina asked slowly, with a low tone
"Before anything else, you have to be Ethan's wife" Sebastian stated clearly
Seraphina slightly gasped out appalled by Sebastian's statement,
"But why? Why do I have to be his wife? When all I want to do is take revenge on him!"
"Because that would be your strength Seraphina," Sebastian said as he leaned closer,
"Right now, there is nothing much you can do because you are powerless and have no connections unlike them. You need the kind of power they have, and accepting the marriage proposal from Ethan and being part of the Sullivans family is the only way you can get them," Sebastian said to Seraphina who looked like she was in deep thought.
"Seraphina?" He called softly
Seraphina turned his gaze to him, she gave a depressed sigh,
"I..i..can't bear to be in the same space with that monster, I..I don't think I can survive it" Seraphina complained
Sebastian slowly held her hands in his "I know Seraphina, but this is kind of our only way out right now"
"Are there any other options?" She asked, she silently hoped there was, because she really was not interested in getting married to Ethan, not even in her dreams.
Sebastian nodded as he sat upright in his seat, "we do have another option"
"Then let's go with that one" Seraphina quickly stated, without even knowing what the context of the other option was.
"Well, if you by any chance have the police force, the school, and even the whole of this city wrapped around your finger, and probably also is among any of the elite families in the city that can go against the Sullivans, then why not" Sebastian said in what sounded like a mocking tone.
Seraphina inhaled and let out a deep sigh.
"I really don't want to get married to him, Sebastian"
"I know, but it will just be for a while, I promise you," Sebastian said softly and gave Seraphina a comforting smile, she smiled back slightly.
...
"What took you so long?" Olivia asked as she saw her husband coming into the house.
"Doesn't matter" He shrugged off her question, "where is Seraphina?" he asked,
Olivia rubbed her palms together, nervously. She was scared to tell her husband about how she had told Seraphina the truth, but she had to.
"I..I told Seraphina everything. About how Ethan's father threatened us to keep shut and even gave us money" she said quickly with her eyes slightly closed, facing down.
Thomas sighed out loudly.
"It's too late for any of that, and it's not like there is anything she can do about it now," Thomas said with a sharp tone, as he dropped the large envelope he was holding on the table.
"That is the marriage contract between Seraphina and Ethan, make sure she signs it when she comes back"
"A marriage contract" Olivia murmured to herself,
Thomas walked past her,
"What if she doesn't come back?" She quickly asked
"Then find her and make sure she signs it before today ends!" He said loudly, his tone sounded commanding, and he walked away.
"Oh dear," Olivia let out a weak sigh as she collapsed back on the couch.
Just then the door flung open and Seraphina walked in, she scared her mother half to death, the poor woman flung up to her feet in total shock, "Seraphina?"
"Where is father?" Seraphina asked flatly
"He..he is in the room," Olivia said, with a cracked voice,
Just as Seraphina made her way to the room, her father walked out, he looked like he had stayed up all night, and finding out why was the last thing she had planned to do.
"Where have you been, young lady?" Thomas asked curtly.
"Doesn't matter anymore, Take me to the Sullivans home, I'm ready to get married to their son" Seraphina stated, shocking both her parents.
Her mother fell back on the couch with her hand on her chest while her father held a feigned expression on his face.
A complete silence engulfed the room for a few seconds with Seraphina and her father just staring at each other while her mother looked like she was having a panic attack.
"Very well then," Thomas said, finally breaking the silence
"That is the marriage contract," Thomas said as he pointed to the large envelope on the table, "sign it, and start packing your things" he added flatly and then turned to walk away
"Oh my God! Thomas!" Olivia yelped out but her husband was already out of sight.
She turned to Seraphina and watched as her daughter picked up the envelope, Olivia quickly grasped her daughter by the arm,
"Seraphina, don't listen to your father, you don't have to get married to Ethan, we can make things right.." Olivia was saying but Seraphina gently took her mother's hand off her arm.
Not paying any more attention to her mother, Seraphina scanned through the room for a pen, she finally saw one and quickly rushed to pick it.
Immediately and at that spot, without any thoughts of reading the contents of the contract, Seraphina signed the papers.
"Don't worry Mother, I will make things right myself" Seraphina said as she dropped the Envelope with the papers back on the table.
With that Seraphina made her way to her room to gather her things just like her father had made clear earlier.
None of these felt right to her, Seraphina felt like she was sinking into a really deep despair but she had decided to trust Sebastian and have hope in the promise that he had made to her.
Thomas was seated on the bed with his arms folded over his chest, gazing out through the window, obviously lost in thoughts. He only had one wish, the wish that he could turn back the hands of time and change the past, but that was only a distant possibility.
He should never have been intimidated by the threats from Ethan's father, he should have fought hard but now it was all too late, and there was nothing else he could do but be a bad father to his beloved daughter who was now falling into a deep pit of desolation.