"Meet Ethan Bishop, Seraphina's new husband."
Alexander could feel a sting to his every pressure point. He looked around the room until his eyes met Seraphina's, hoping she would tell him her mother was joking, but instead;
"We need to talk," she said.
That's a phrase that has never been a good sign, anywhere in the world.
Alexander followed Seraphina into their bedroom and closed the door shut behind them.
Seraphina began by rubbing, locking, and intertwining her fingers in an awkward manner, making it obvious that she was about to drop a bombshell, one too heavy for her tongue to carry.
"Is it true?" Alexander asked as he walked straight up to her face.
"Firstly, I'm really sorry for kicking you out of the car and leaving you on the highway. I was just so angry at the time."
"I understood, apology accepted. Now answer me, Seraphina, is it true?" he asked.
His voice was firm and authoritative. Seraphina had never heard him speak to her this way. She froze.
"Seraphina," he called to her, even though she was right in front of him. His voice startled her.
"Yes, I mean no, I mean honestly I don't know," she rambled, unable to find her bearing.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I don't know what to do, Alexander. Thanks to you, I am forced to choose between losing my place in my family and marrying that jerk seated in our living room," she lamented, almost weeping.
"I see, so you have not made your choice yet?"
"No, I haven't, but there's not much of a choice to be made. If I get kicked out of the Lockwood family, I will be destroying everything my father worked so hard to accomplish."
"So you are just going to give up? What happened to your dream of climbing to the top of the Lockwood hierarchy without the help of some rich asshole in search of a trophy wife?"
"Alexander, if I don't marry that rich asshole, there'll be no Lockwood hierarchy to climb."
Alexander took a long pause. He understood where she was coming from, but still, he couldn't just sit back and watch her give up.
Alexander held her by her shoulders and said, "Seraphina, you don't need him. You are going to get the contract. I just need you to trust me on this."
"Just trust you? Trust myself?" Seraphina re-asked as she began to chuckle.
"You keep saying things, Alexander, but how can that possibly happen? This is the real world, things don't just happen due to mere wishful thinking. Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made," she said, brushing past him to the room exit.
"Sacrifices," Alexander said aloud, as his mind flashed back. Back to how he met Seraphina's father. Back to the time he sacrificed his life to save him.
The frustrating sight of watching his daughter sacrifice so much to save him yet again made his blood boil with adrenaline.
Alexander snatched her by the wrist, pulled her close, and pinned her against the wall.
"Seraphina, you are going to go to the Maverick Corporation tomorrow and you are going to submit your proposal. Not for me, maybe not for you, but for your father's sake. Understood?"
Her mind had been made up already; she was going to marry Ethan Bishop. But yet, in her current position, she looked right into Alexander's eyes. Seraphina had never seen this side of Alexander. Firm and commanding.
"Yes," she said.
"Good," Alexander said, letting her go.
"But if things don't go as you say they will, you understand that I will then have no other choice but to marry Ethan Bishop."
"Understood," Alexander replied, opening the door for her to proceed.
"I just hope it doesn't become too late by then" she said, as she walked out of the room.
Alexander followed behind, with a firm thought in mind:
"As long as I breathe, my wife Seraphina shall not marry Ethan Bishop."