Marrying Mr. Arrogant (Revised)

CHAPTER 1: The Arrangement

SCENE 1 —The Arrange Marriage

The exact moment my worn-out canvas flats crossed the threshold of our grand foyer, I felt my soul literally detach itself from my body and levitate into the ceiling.

Hoo! Pagod is a massive, pathetic understatement.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." I muttered under my breath, wincing as I struggled to keep my balance on the slippery marble flooring.

My arms were burning—like, legitimately on fire. Imagine carrying three heavy-as-sin reference books, an iPad, and a canvas tote bag crammed with thirty different shades of pastel highlighters. All while wearing an oversized, thick knitted cardigan that kept stubbornly slipping off my shoulder.

Add my oversized, round-framed eyeglasses—which had an ongoing personal vendetta against the bridge of my nose—and voila! 

You get the ultimate, top-tier university nerd aesthetic.

Yeah. Welcome to the life of the invisible, boring nerd, Serena.

Just as I was about to give up and let my arms collapse onto the nearest console table, a gentle, worried voice called out.

"Ma'am Serena!" Napalingon ako. Mabilis na lumapit si Ate Caring—one of our long-time housemaids. She quickly set down her silver tray on the side table and practically sprinted toward me to salvage my dying arms. "Ako na po riyan, tulungan ko na po kayo!"

I let out a dramatic, soul-cleansing sigh of relief, instantly massaging my throbbing biceps. "Ate Caring, hulog ka talaga ng langit! Promise, I was two seconds away from passing out!"

" Magandang hapon po, Ma'am." she chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Pinapatawag po pala kayo ni Sir sa home office niya."

Napakunot ang noo ko. I pushed my glasses up using my middle finger. "Si Dad po?" I asked, my voice dropping into a confused whisper. My voice dropped into a confused whisper. "Kailan pa po sila nakauwi ni Mom? Sabi po kasi nila next week pa ang flight nila pabalik galing London?"

"Kakarating lang po nila kaninang tanghali mula airport, Ma'am. Nagmamadali nga po, eh."

"Ah... gano'n po ba?" I forced a polite, reassuring smile onto my lips. "Sige po, Ate Caring. Ako na po ang bahala rito sa bag ko. Pupuntahan ko na lang sila sa taas. Salamat po!"

Nang maglakad na si Ate Caring papuntang kitchen, naiwan akong mag-isa sa gitna ng napakalawak na grand hallway.

Something felt off.

Dahan-dahang bumagal ang bawat hakbang ko habang umaakyat sa carpeted  grand staircase. Yung mahinang kalabog ng sapatos ko sa karpet, biglang naging masyadong maingay sa pakiramdam ko.

Nakatayo lang ako sa tapat ng mahogany double doors ng home office ni Dad.

This is weird. Super, super  weird.

Don't get me wrong—Dad is the sweetest, most soft-spoken father. . Pero kapag sa home office siya nakikipag-usap? It's  purely corporate politics, multi-million deals, and heavy family business lang ang pinag-uusapan doon. Hindi niya ako kailanman tinawag para lang mag-hangout doon.

Baka naman paranoid ka lang, Serena? napa-pout kong isip. Baka namiss ka lang talaga nila kasi  isang linggo silang wala!

I took a deep, shaky breath to calm the erratic rhythm beating inside my chest. Inilapag ko muna 'yung mabibigat na libro sa wooden console table sa gilid, inayos ang pleated skirt ko at bahagyang itinulak paitaas ang salamin ko.