Bella's POV
I scarcely noticed the smell of fresh flowers and wood polish filling the air as I stormed through the front entrance of the Rodriguez mansion. Every step I took toward my father's office felt heavy as my footsteps echoed on the marble floor. My mind was racing with Lucas's remarks, "half of the estate," and the contract's deceit, and I could feel my rage simmering just beyond the surface. My father didn't tell me? How could he?
The elaborate gold-framed portraits of my relatives staring down at me made the vast hallway appear darker today. Normally, I would be proud of our ancestry because of our home's opulent construction, which included chandeliers made of crystal and exquisitely high ceilings. It felt like a cage today.
I didn't bother knocking when I got to my father's office's massive oak door. My breath caught as I went inside after pushing it open.
With piles of papers and files all about him, my father, Daniel, was seated behind his large wood desk. The warm lamplight reflected on the rich brown leather of his chair, and the polished wood of his desk reflected the gentle light from the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him. He scribbled notes on several papers without looking up. He seemed to be focused on everything but me.
"Dad!" I yelled, sounding harsher than I intended.
With a serene expression, he raised his gaze. "Bella, what is the issue?"
The sound of the door shutting behind me gave me a shock to the chest. "What's the deal?" My voice trembling, I repeated. "Why did you keep the clause from me?"
He didn't appear astonished, even if his eyes narrowed a little. "Which clause, exactly?"
I shot back, advancing toward his desk, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. The section found in marriage contracts. The one that states half of our wealth will go to the other family if Lucas and I divorce within the first year.
With his arms folded across his chest, he reclined on his chair. "I see Lucas finally found out"
My palms tightened as I felt the heat creep up to my face. "Why didn't you inform me?"
He said in a voice that was unbelievably calm, "Because it didn't matter. It is impossible to undo this marriage, Bella. There's no other way to save this family. It was a necessary precaution, to say the least."
"A necessary precaution?" My heart thumping, I repeated. "Now that you've forced me into a marriage I didn't choose, you're telling me I can't even leave without losing everything? How could you treat me like this?"
He let out a sigh, got up from his desk, and turned to face me. "I fulfilled my obligations. Bella, the Rodriguezes are about to become bankrupt. Our only chance is this marriage. What's at risk is known to you."
Shaking my head, I took a step back. "You choose to set me up, then? to trap us? You didn't leave provide me with an option."
With a forceful voice, he declared, "There was no time for choices. You're not aware of the situation we're in. We've been drowning for months due to the debts and lawsuits. Our only hope is Lucas. This is how we preserve both the business and our heritage."
His remarks felt like a kick to the stomach. What I was hearing was so unbelievable. I gritted my teeth and whispered, "I'm not a lifeline. I am your daughter."
I noticed something flashing in his eyes for the first time. Maybe guilt. But as swiftly as it appeared, it vanished and was replaced by the same icy determination that I had come to detest.
Quietly, he added, "Bella, you have to understand. There is no other way."
I ignored him and fixed my gaze on the large window behind his desk. Previously a haven of comfort, the expansive yard outside felt alien, as though it belonged to someone else. This family, this house, and this business had consumed my entire existence. And now I was the pawn in the scheme to keep everything together.
I shook my head and muttered, "I never wanted this. You never even asked whether I wanted this."
With a slightly softer tone, he remarked, "We didn't have the luxury of time. I'm sorry Bella, but there was nothing else we could do."
With a tightened throat from rage, I turned around to face him. "Lucas, what about him? Did you give him the whole truth?"
His expression tightened once more, and I knew the answer even before he spoke. "Lucas consented to the marriage."
Denial and anger washed over me as I shook my head. "You tricked him. The way you've tricked me."
With a cold voice, my father stated, "He signed the contract. He understood the situation he was in."
I shot back, raising my voice, "No, he didn't." He was unaware of the provision. Did you really not tell him everything?"
He did not respond. All I needed to know was that he was silent.
I had the impression that the earth was giving way beneath me. It wasn't only about me. Lucas was also a factor. Similar to how I had been tricked into this marriage, so had he. Now, both of us were trapped by a contract that none of us had completely read.
I hardly raised my voice beyond a whisper when I responded, "You had no right to do this. To whichever of us."
"It's done," he declared in a concluding tone. "There's no turning back now."
I felt his comments weighing heavily on my shoulders as I continued to stare at him. No turning around. I was forced to stay in a marriage to a man who detested me and had every good right to do so. I couldn't even go now without destroying everything.
"Daddy, why?" My voice cracking, I questioned. "Why keep this from me, why?"
He waved his fingers through his hair and moaned. "Because I was aware that you wouldn't consent to it. You would have been ignorant. Bella, I had to decide what was best for you. That was the sole available option."
I retreated a step, feeling the walls enclose me. My breathing stopped. I was unable to think. I was stuck in a bad dream with nowhere to go.
Without saying anything more, I turned and left his office, feeling unsteady on my feet. I required fresh air. I require room. As I sped toward the back garden, the enormous hallways of the estate felt oppressive, the walls drawing closer with every step.
When I fell upon a bench near the fountain, the garden was peaceful and had a light rose scent. I could still feel the storm inside of me, even if the water was dripping quietly. In what way may this have occurred? How could the father I knew abandon me in this manner?
Sitting there with trembling hands, I attempted to make sense of it all. I was unable to appreciate the garden's magnificence as the sun was sinking and bathing it in a warm orange hue. I felt trapped, and that was all I could think about.
Lucas. I thought about him and the way his gaze had swept over me that day. His words were cautious, and his eyes were cold. He was probably as astonished as I was. He was ignorant. It was impossible for him to have agreed.
I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard the muffled sound of voices floating across the yard. I got up and listened intently. It came from my father's office within the house.
I stood and walked slowly back toward the estate, the voices growing closer as I went. His office door was slightly open, and I could hear him talking to someone, possibly his legal team.
Heart thumping in my chest, I edged closer.
One of the attorneys said in a hushed voice, "He didn't ask too many questions. We succeeded in getting him to sign without disclosing the clause."
I couldn't breathe through my throat.
"Very well" my dad responded. "If Lucas had known the whole range of consequences, he never would have consented. In his opinion, it's merely a merger."
When I understood what they were discussing, a shiver went down my spine. Lucas hadn't known about the clause when my father had duped him into signing the contract. The same way he'd tricked me, he'd tricked him.
With my head whirling, I retreated from the door. Lucas was unaware. Like me, he was ignorant of the reality. And here we were, both of us, trapped in a false marriage.
The truth weighed heavily on me as I retreated into the shadows. Lucas was unaware that my father had mistreated both of us. How long, though, could I keep this a secret?