"Father," he was still staring, not a word coming from him.
I stared back at him in his blue robe. He hadn't even showered. Is that how much this whole stuff has gotten to him.
Pftt.
He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between us, then he wrapped his arms around me, giving me a tight hug.
My breath was caught in my throat, and my eyes widened.
17 years! I've been adopted for 17 years, and not once have this man come this close to me.
"I'm proud of you, Adriana! Proud!" He said, letting go.
"How did you do it?" He chuckled, placing his hands on my shoulder.
"Come, come sit, let's talk," he led me to the cushions.
"Hey, bring coffee for us." He said to one of the maids.
That's when mom walked in. "Adriana is allergic!" She spat.
For a moment, I almost forgot that I was allergic to coffee. I was too occupied with this man's reaction.
"Ohhh," he said, looking down.
"Orange juice would do, right?" He asked.
"Yes," I forced a smile.
"As I was saying, Adriana," the smile on his face was something I rarely see. I can safely say it's something I have never seen.
"The Willinghams called and spoke about you getting married to their son!" I swear I think I heard him squealing. Who is getting married here?
"Adriana, your appearance at the gala was splendid! I wasn't expecting such an amazing outcome."
"I wasn't expecting it either." I said.
"Father, I'd love to apologize for yesterday…" I started, but he cut in.
"No, no, dear, it's fine."
"No, it's not, I shouldn't have put you in that spot, I should have known better."
"It's fine. Look at the fine outcome. I'm proud of you." He beamed, his face aglow with satisfaction.
"Now just make sure you don't disappoint me dear, remember, they want you for their son, but if he doesn't want you, then it's useless." He said.
"Trust me, father, he will want me." I replied.
"Adriana, don't get yourself involved with anything you don't want to," Mom, who has been quiet, said, she dropped in the chair beside me and placed my hands in hers.
"Look darling," she said. "I don't want you feeling compelled to get married. You can always choose a man of your choice, it doesn't have to be an arranged marriage."
"I know, mom, but I want this."
"Exactly! She wants this Lisa, I don't know why you choose to nag about the whole issue. What better family can she get married to in the whole of this country!" Father spat.
"I don't want her to make wrong choices or feel compelled. She's just 20." Mom said.
"24," I corrected.
"Who said we are compelling our daughter?" Father asked.
"Our? Since when, Christopher? You've never accepted or treated this girl as family, but now, because of your political and social interest, she's suddenly your daughter too!" Her hands were shaking as she clutched the end of her dress. I held on to her tightly, but she slipped her hands and stood up, and then she made her way out of the room.
Father was silent.
"Don't worry, I'll convince her." I assured him.
"Whether or not she is convinced, this marriage will take place. Don't mess it up." The audacity this man has is on another level.
"Father, if they call and talk about a date and all, do try to convince them to make the wedding happen fast. I don't want them getting a better option." I said.
He placed his hand on his chin, his eyes focused on the fireplace.
"You do have a point. I'll make sure they make it fast." He said.
.
I rushed upstairs and took a refreshing shower, it was a long day, but it was worth it.
My thoughts went back to this afternoon. Does he really want to get married to me this quickly? Why?
I've always felt that getting into the Willingham family will be a hectic journey, but so far, it's going smoothly. Getting here wasn't easy, but also not as hard as I thought.
I picked up my purse and brought out the card that he handed me earlier.
I copied his phone number on my phone. My first thought was to give him a call, but I changed my mind and went with texting.
'Hello, Mr Willingham.'
To my surprise, he texted back almost immediately.
Eric: I told you, Adriana, it's Eric, Mr Willingham sounds old.
Me: It suits you. You aren't young anyway.
Eric: Haha, a very funny thing to say to the most eligible bachelor in Portland.
Me: Most eligible? Ohhh, why am I hearing that for the first time?
Eric: No way :(
Me: Yhup.
Eric: Haha. We'll have this conversation later. I'm in a meeting.
Me: Ok. Bye.
Eric: Bye, babe.
I stared at the last message for a while.
It sounds so off.
It's what I want, but it sounds too off. I can't take it.
My mind was brought back to reality with the sound of my phone ringing.
Raphael.
What now?
"What?" I asked the moment I picked the call.
"Calm down, Ms Steele." He replied.
"What do you want now?" I don't like the games he was playing.
"Oh come on, you really think every time I call it's because I want something?" He paused.
"Well, you are right, send some money." He added.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a sigh.
"I always wonder, Raphael, as the advisor of the Willinghams, don't you get paid?"
"You know what they say. The more you have, the more you want. The human soul is known to be greedy." I could literally imagine that sly smile on his lips.
"I'm sending nothing. Not until Eric and I sign our marriage papers." I said. I have sent this man every dime I've saved over the years.
I need to get rid of his greedy ass.
"That reminds me, Adriana, I forgot to applaud you." He said.
"For what?"
"For being so cunning. How did you get Eric to want you this much?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I just got informed that he told older Mr Willingham that he wants to get married to you next weekend or never."
"He did?" I was pretty surprised. I did not think he was serious about this. "I guess we can safely say, luck is by my side."
"Hmmm. I still have the power to change that." He said. This man is so insecure. Shit.
"Yes, of course you do, Mr Raphael, don't worry, I'll send your money to you. But as I said, only after I got married. So make sure this wedding happens." There's no way I was going to let him keep taking all my money.
"Sure." He said and then hung up.
Asshole.
I rushed to the search engine and searched Eric Willingham.
His face came to the screen immediately.
What does he want, and why does he want to get married so quickly. I'm fine with that, as long as he's not out to ruin my plan.
I kept scrolling and reading articles about him. Though I've already done that before, his sudden eagerness makes me quite curious.
My phone rang again, and this time it was Eric.
"Mr Willingham?" I said the moment I picked.
"Tell your family and everyone you can. We are getting married next weekend." He said.
Finally!