Brian, Mariah's dad, looked gloomy that morning. He was too tense to have breakfast or talk to anyone.
Mariah had tried asking him what the matter was. He only looked at her and looked away.
""What's the matter, dad? Why are you like this? What's wrong?"" She asked.
He looked at him and shook his head in sorrow.
'If only I could tell you what was wrong.' He said in his heart.
She looked at him confused, "Tell me what the matter is, dad."
"Just go away Mariah, I don't want to talk." He shook his head and looked away.
Mariah was surprised, her dad had never spoken to her this way.
Clara went on, "Mariah, please go inside." She equally had a worried expression on her face.
Mariah looked at both of them and then went inside but stopped in the hallway to listen to their conversation.
""It's okay Brian, everything will be fine. We just have to hope and pray."" She held his hands.
"No Clara, everything is not fine." He emphasized on the 'is'.
" You don't have to talk like that, Joseph shouldn't be that hard on us. Maybe he'll have some mercy on us. "
"Joseph? Who is that? " She creased her brows.
" No Clara, you don't know this guy, he's not someone with a heart, he is definitely not going to spare us. We are past the time to refund his money. " He held his head.
"Calm down Brian. We'll figure something out. " She patted his hand.
Someone knocked on the door. Clara and Brian looked at each other and gulped.
"I'll get the door." She ran to the door before her parents could react.
She opened it and saw a man outside the door in a black three-piece suit.
"How may I help you sir?" She asked politely.
"Well, my master wishes to speak with your parents." He replied in a sonorous voice.
"Uh, Who now? " She arched her brow.
"My master," he repeated.
"Who is this master you're talking about?" She probed further.
He was about to say something when someone else interrupted.
"Me."
She turned her head in his direction, her eyes widened. It was the same man she saw in the barroom!
"You? What are you doing here? " She arched her brow, irritation obvious in her eyes.
He strode authoritatively towards her, "We will meet the teddy bear again." He smirked.
"Teddy bear?" She popped her eyes at him.
"Uh-huh? What are you going to do about it? " His smirk widened.
He strode past her and into the parlor. Her eyes followed him. The nerve of this man!
She looked at the man outside, "Who does he think he is?" She fumed.
"Mr. Smith? " He raised his brows.
"Hmph. Whatever. " She walked inside.
"Mr. Smith. " Brian stood up on seeing him.
He didn't acknowledge his greeting, he walked to a couch and sat on it.
" You owe me, Mr. Adams. " He said without any emotion in his voice.
"Mr. Smith, I- actually,"" he stuttered.
"I don't want any explanation, I just want you to pay me what you owe." His voice was so cold.
Mariah scoffed, " Excuse me? Who are you to come here and just say my father owes you? " She was pissed off.
"Keep quiet Mariah," Brian told her.
Mr. Smith gave her a long cold stare.
"It seems you can't pay me in cash, but you could repay me with something else." He smiled, his smile not reaching his eyes.
" What is that, Mr. Smith?"" Clara asked, looking at Brian and back at him.
Mr. Smith looked at his fingers and said casually, "Your daughter."
Mariah's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"What?"
"But Mr. Smith,"" Brian said, shocked.
"Well, you have two options, either you pay me in cash or you give me your daughter." He said with an expressionless face.
"No way. Never! I can't marry him dad!"" She looked at her father.
"Mr. Smith sir, I don't think she's ready to get married. As it seems, she doesn't want to. Please sir, give me some more time. "
"I have already given you enough time!" he said fiercely.
""If you don't want to give me your daughter, then you'll pay in cash. If you can't pay, in cash, then be prepared to pay with yourselves" He said coldly.
Brian was terrified.
"I'm sorry Mariah, but we have no other choice." He sighed, " Mr. Smith here will be your husband. " He looked at his daughter in pity.
"Mom." She looked at her mother for some support.
"I'm sorry Mariah." She looked away.
"But I don't love him!" She yelled.
Mr. Smith stood up and walked to her. He stood a few inches away from her and bent his head to meet her face. He was breathtaking. She quickly shook her head.
" Listen sweetheart, there's no need for love and all. We live in a cruel world baby, there's no love. "
Her eyes teared up at his words, "You don't know anything." Her voice choked.
He smirked, "" Oh really? Well if I was lying, you wouldn't have to come to the bar last night, would you? "
Clara looked at Brian, "Bar?" She creased her brows.
" Well prepare to be my wife, Wifey." His smirk widened.
He turned to face her parents, ""I want to marry her as soon as possible. Tell me what is to be done and I'll do it."" He faced Mariah with a smile.
"That's because I'm getting married to a teddy bear." He walked past her to the door.
He stopped at the entrance, "I will come here again, next week." He walked out, his PA walking behind him.
She walked to her dad, ""Dad you can't let me marry him!"" She cried.
""Don't you get it, Mariah? We can pay him back in cash."" Clara scolded her.
"What are you guys talking about? Did you borrow from him?"" She asked.
"Well, yes," Brian said simply.
"And you want me to marry him just to pay your debts!" She screamed.
""When will you grow up? Can't you see we can't pay back?"" Clara yelled at her.
""Why did you borrow money from someone like that? How in the world did you think you could pay back?!"" She hit her head.
"We borrowed the money because of you, Mariah, we did it for your own good!" Brian shouted at her.
Mariah looked at him disappointed and angry, ""So you're just selling me, right? That was what you wanted to do to me all along? You don't even care about your own daughter!"" She ran into the room.
"We are not selling you!" Brian shouted after her.
She got to her room and slumped on her bed. She sobbed loudly.
""How could you do this to me dad? How could you do this?"" She cried.
She hugged her pillow tighter.
"What did I ever do to deserve all this?" She sobbed louder.
She had just broken up with her ex, and now she was to marry a complete stranger? Why was life so cruel? She had always dreamed of meeting her Mr. Right and having a perfect family with him.
But life wasn't going as she had thought. Life dished out what it wanted.