Love Arranged (#1)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: Maggie

In all the years I've witnessed my mother make puzzling life choices, had this been the only time she had truly outraged me. I've watched her stay with my father despite his foul treatment towards her, and I've watched her allow people to walk all over her because she actually let my father's actions define her worth.

That's why I've done my part to be the one who stays the strongest between us both. I've always been the one to shout at my father whenever I watch his actions go way out of line, and I have always been the one to help my mother out whenever she's in a slump.

But every single time, I have not once judged her. In spite of all her choices, I've always given her the benefit of a doubt because she is still my mother, and I know some of her choices just correlate to her wanting the best for me.

But now? I can't think of any reason as to why her practically selling me off is gonna do me any good.

"The ones who offered this proposal were former associates who wanted to collaborate with your father back in the days but never really had the chance due to some intervening affairs." she told me "But I reached out to them again asking if they were willing to offer a loan to put Carpenters & Field back up to its feet, and they were more than happy to agree."

"However, with the loan came a condition of theirs that would make everything into a balanced agreement, and so they have suggested our rightful heirs be engaged. Their son is about to graduate high school soon and will take over the family business, but according to them, he hasn't been the most... reliable."

"That's why they thought of this proposal because they did a background check on you-"

I stared at her, dumbfounded "They what?"

She continues on, dismissing the shocked look on my face "Seeing as how you're someone who's more than qualified to manage a business once you grow up and get enough proper training, they thought their son would learn a little bit from you."

"Look, I am not gonna act as some sort of mentor for their son, let alone get engaged to him against my own will." I protested.

She puffs out a breath "It isn't like that. They thought maybe you two could work as a team and that he would reevaluate his choices by trying to mirror your own, and the only way they knew they could do that is if they joined you two together in an engagement."

"But this is absurd!" I cried out "Instead of trying to find a less nonsensical solution of how we're gonna rise back up to our feet, such as fighting back at dad, you chose to sell me off to a bunch of strangers with whom dad was once in contact with?"

She stands up at that, her face a mixture of hurt and frustration "That's not the point, Maggie! Do you think I'd resort to this if I had no other option? Because I don't! I know I made my fair share of mistakes and I'm living through the consequences, and I know this must be hard for you, and trust me I'm doing whatever I can to try and get back my share of the company, but for now, I need to find a way for us to remain financially stable."

"It's not like I wanted things to end up this way." she relented "You know how he is and how he's manipulated me over the years and I'm trying my best not to go through that again."

I shook my head "With the way you're handling this situation now, I see no difference." I snapped which she was taken aback by, her eyes brimmed with tears "I have seen you be continuously mistreated by him and now that you two are finally divorced, I would've thought that you'd stand on your own feet and not let him dictate your life and for you to just let him get away with it. But it seems as though even when you two are separated, history will repeat itself."