Emily Astaril was the heir to the Astaril fortune and next-in-line to become the CEO of Astaril Industries. However, due to her grandfather's patriarchal attitude, she was forced to have a husband before acquiring the the position. And he had alread...
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CADE
Marriage was not something I thought about often. In fact, it had never crossed my mind. At least not until I met her. The most beautiful, kind-hearted, and loving person I knew—Helen Diosa. Even her last name translated to goddess in Spanish.
"I swear, you are so whipped. Can't even keep your eyes focused on the road." My younger sister, Nicole, gave me a disapproving head shake.
"It's the nerves," I defended as I sat up straight in my seat and held onto the steering wheel tighter. I spared a quick glance at Nicole. "Do you think she'll say yes?"
"She waited two months for you to return from your business trip," Nicole hummed. She looked at my worried eyes and sighed, "I am sure she'll say yes."
I smiled content with her answer. It gave me the reassurance I needed to go through with my plan.
"You should be worried about is our parents. Do you think they'll approve of this plan of yours?"
I frowned at her question. "I don't care if they approve or not. I am going through with it."
"Even if it stains the family image?"
My jaw twitched knowing she was right.
My mother and father, Eleanor and David Dalton were the town's sweethearts and the most influential people here. My family was rich—not millionaire-rich—but rich enough. We were well-off and that was all it took to blow my parents heads up into the sky. Even though I loved them, they always thought themselves as more than others simply because they had a couple of extra dollars.
My beloved Helen and her family were some of those people.
Helen was the daughter of a local seamstress and mechanic. Her parents did not have much. They were barely able to get her into college. Their poor background was what upset my parents. However, I did not care because I loved Helen truly.
"They'll get over it once they have a grandson," I reasoned. "You know, mom melts when it comes to babies."
"Whatever you say," Nicole said in a sing-song voice.
In a split second, the confidence boost she had given me was gone. All I could think about was how my parents would react.
"Welp, this is my stop. I will see you tonight for the dinner with our parents. Let's hope they accept your engagement with Goldilocks." Nicole stepped out of the vehicle after I stopped outside her apartment complex.
She threw me two thumbs-up for good luck before taking out her suitcase from the trunk and making her way inside the building. I placed the car back into driving mode and made my way down the street where Helen lived.
