CIGARETTE DAYDREAMS, kyoya ootori ✓

ㅤㅤ⁰⁰⁹ : the solution

"Akise's engaged to Renge," Hanae straightened up, and with her voice still trembling she tried to defend herself, "You don't care that he sleeps around with half of Tokyo!"

Her mother's nostrils flared up. "He's different!"

"No, he's not, no one cares who I sleep with–"

"Your fiancé cares."

Hanae blinked rapidly, how had her mother found out about Hideo?

"What–What are you talking about?" Hanae said quickly.

"Ritsu Kasanoda." Her mother's eyes narrowed as she looked down at her. "I doubt he'd like hearing rumors about his fiance doing drugs and whoring herself out to any man that smiles at her."

Hanae's mouth fell open in an instant and after what felt like an eternity she spoke.

"You... You're bluffing." Hanae let out a dry laugh. "You wouldn't do that to me... you wouldn't arrange a marriage for me without even asking me." She looked at her mother desperately.

"Am I laughing?"

Hanae turned to look at her brother over her shoulder, "Akise,"

He didn't even look up at her. He was looking down at the floor, he was too ashamed. The truth loomed over her shoulders suddenly, her mother was not joking, she was engaged... to a man she barely knew.

"How could you do this?!" Hanae yelled her voice catching in her throat. "There's no way my dad was on board with this," She turned on her heels, determined to go speak with her father until her mother pulled her back by her sleeve harshly.

"Are you as stupid as you look?" Her mother hissed. "There's no way you haven't realized it by now."

"What are you talking about?" Hanae cried pulling back.

"That we're bankrupt! You imbecile!" Her mother yelled.

Hanae's eyes widened as she looked over at her mother.

Bankrupt?

She shook her head, her mind, not able to wrap around the words that had spilled out of her mother's mouth, in her moment of fury.

"You're lying, we're not bankrupt... we're not broke! You're just telling me that so that I'll say yes to getting married."

Suddenly her brother came out from behind their mother, the scowl evident on his face.

"She's not kidding, Hanae... If you–If we don't get married, and quickly, we're going to lose everything." He looked up from the floor to meet her eyes for the first time since he started speaking. "Dad's going to lose everything,"

Hanae blinked quickly the news settling slowly.

"Why didn't you tell me? There's got to be some other way we can fix this, marriage is bizarre–"

"Do you have another solution?" Mitsuri interrupted. "I'd love to hear it."

Hanae's lips parted but no words came out.

"Exactly, marriage is the only solution, and lucky for you I found the perfect candidate."

Hanae's chest sunk and like a child, three words fell from her mouth; "I'm telling dad," She was about to turn around, she was ready to run into her father's study and tell him all the ridiculous things her mother was telling her, but her mother's cold voice kept her rooted in place.

"Go ahead, I'll tell him about the soldier."

Hanae felt every muscle in her body go slack, and she could've sworn she heard a ringing in her ears. She jerked her head to look over at Akise.