"What did you just say? What is that supposed to mean, Mom?" Emma asked her mother in disbelief.
Her chest was heaving up and down in anger and her fists were clenched.
"Of course, I didn't hear that right." She muttered more to herself but her mother heard her as she was closer to her.
"You heard me right, Emma." Margaret informed her, clearing her doubt instantly.
Even at that, Emma scoffed in disbelief.
"No... No, you've got to be kidding me." She insisted and let out a dry chuckle.
"I am afraid I am not. This wedding ceremony has to take place. We can't lose David as our son-in-law." Margaret informed her daughter, casually, as if she was talking about how great the weather was.
"Mom, he cheated on me. And not just on any other day but on our supposed wedding day, how bad can it be? Did you even think about this at all? Do you know what this means?" Emma shot at her mother.
"You are the one who wasn't thinking at all by putting up that silly video. We could have sorted it out within the family, but instead you brought it out to the public." Margaret shot back. Her anger was finally starting to show in her voice.
"If this is a dream, I would love to wake up this very minute because this is so absurd." Emma mumbled under her breath as she shook her head. She could only scoff in disbelief.
"Mom, are you seriously telling me that this is my fault? Aren't you supposed to be yelling at Victoria and David right now. Those shameless two should be kneeling before me pleading for forgiveness." Emma inquired in shock after she found her voice.
That was when her father, Henry who had been quiet all along, decided it was time to intervene.
"Sweetheart, you have to get married to David." Henry told her firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument.
"Dad!" Emma shrieked. She had thought his silence all along would mean something good but she was disappointed.
"I can't get married to him." She replied to her father sharply.
That was after she had assessed his countenance and realized he was indeed serious.
"I won't get married to a cheater who is so shameless to the point of sleeping with my own sister on our wedd..." Emma was venting when she got interrupted by her father.
"Fine, then your sister will get married to him. Enough of this drama, people are looking at us." Henry stated with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. His eyes were narrowed on his daughter.
The statement hit Emma like a physical blow and she actually staggered backwards in shock.
"Excuse me?" Emma dared to ask for clarification even though her father's voice had been stern as if to warn her that he wasn't going to give any room for further argument.
"It is what it is, child." Margaret chipped in.
"Why? How? How can that be?" Emma blurted out, her eyes darting between her father and mother. She didn't even realize when a stray tear fell from her eye.
From the corner of her eye, she could see David's parents were done discussing whatever it was they were discussing with their son and the trio were now facing her and her parents. As if they were waiting for her decision.
"We have to keep the family business running, Emma. Things are tough for your father in his business, at this time. We need this marriage to Montgomery's family to keep things from finally falling apart." Margaret explained to her daughter and placed a placating hand on Emma's shoulder. Margaret's countenance had grown soft a bit as she saw Emma's teary eyes.
"You want to save business to the detriment of my own..." Emma was saying but yet again she was interrupted.
"Your own what, Emma? Don't you know how the business is so important to our family? That is the business that gave you the beautiful, spoilt princess' life you have lived since birth. This is your time and chance to protect the business. You either marry him or allow your sister to." Henry told her firmly in a tone of finality.
Emma was stupefied by her parents' decision. She had thought she knew how hard her parents could be when it came to business but at that moment, she was slapped by the harsh reality that she didn't know how far and how low they could go.
"I fell in love with that man and brought him home... " She was saying but got interrupted yet again. She seethed.
"You brought home the only son of a business associate who could stop the company from going bankrupt. And trust me, we are really grateful for that, but we can't allow something as trivial as cheating to stop us from saving the company. You should understand that, child." Margaret said to her, her voice was a bit soft and persuading.
"Mom, don't you find that ridiculous?" Emma cried out.
"Not at all, dear child. It happens." Margaret deadpanned.
"And don't worry, we are going to talk to him about that. He won't ever cheat on you after marriage. I can see it in his eyes, he won't be the type to cheat after marriage." Margaret added, flatly.
"Seriously mom?" Emma asked rhetorically and huffed in annoyance. She felt her head spinning. And she could feel her throat getting dry by the second. She wanted everything to be a bad dream where she would wake up.
"How can someone's world just crumble like this? Are these two really my parents or I just don't mean anything to them?" Emma wondered inwardly as she stared at her parents, bewildered.
"We don't have all day, young lady. Now, choose. Are you going to be the bride or you will let your sister be?" Henry asked his daughter and tightened his jaw as he waited impatiently for her reply.