Arranged •{ONC 2020}•

《 Chapter Four 》

Ashlynn hated him, but she hated the fact that he was right even more. Her options had quite literally just walked out the door. She sat in silence for several minutes, arguing with herself. Meeting him was her worst nightmare; being stuck with him for six months sounded like hell. But he was making sacrifices as well, and she would have the satisfaction of kicking him to the curb once the six months were over.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll marry you," Ashlynn met his gaze and tried to ignore his unreadable expression. "You're lucky I have a hangover, or else you would be on your way to Hell right now."

"Excellent! I'll contact the lawyer and start on the paperwork!" Aunt Leah looked quite pleased with herself as she began rushing around the room. "Wesley—I can call you that now, right?—make any arrangements you need to have your belongings brought here. María is preparing a room for you, but you'll need clothing and toiletries. Get something nice sent over; we'll go to the courthouse tomorrow."

"Uh, isn't this going a little too fast?"

"The sooner we start, the sooner you can get this over with, Dearie. That is what you want, yes?" Aunt Leah hummed in satisfaction at her niece's silence. "Oh, I'll need to find a ring!"

Ashlynn bit her tongue. She didn't really want any of this, but her aunt had a point. The sooner they started, the sooner she could kick him to the curb.

The rest of the day was a blur. The lawyer, Mr. Deer, had the 'happy couple' sign a million documents and explained the entirety of the process to them. Wesley kept getting distracted by calls from his girlfriend, who was completely unaware of what was going on. Ashlynn could hear her sobbing on the end of the line, begging him to explain what was happening. He couldn't say a peep; if the media caught wind of what was transpiring, the company would take another severe hit. At the lawyer's reproach, Wesley put his phone on silent for the rest of the day.

Ashlynn felt numb throughout the process. Her mind was screaming at her for agreeing to marry Wesley Marker, the person who was to blame for her brother's death. If they hadn't made the decision to go out on the pond, none of this would have happened. She probably wouldn't be forced into marriage; Eric would've taken over the company. Ashlynn pushed the thoughts of that fateful day from her mind; she had more important things to worry about, like how she was going to survive six months without killing someone.

"Ashlynn, my dear, show me your hands." Aunt Leah interrupted her dark thoughts.

Ashlynn obeyed without even thinking, sticking her fingers out for her aunt to examine. She watched her aunt wrap a tape measure around her left ring finger, look at her excitedly, and tell María to fetch the box. "Box? What box?

"Well, you can't get married without a ring, can you?" Aunt Leah poked her forehead teasingly. "And since Wesley doesn't have the time to buy you one, you'll have to make do with one I got for you. Well, not for you..." she trailed off as María came around the corner, a small box in her hands. Aunt Leah thanked her and gently opened the box, handing it to her niece afterwards.

"Is that Mom's ring?" Ashlynn stared at the familiar diamond ring that her mother had always worn.

Her aunt nodded, a bittersweet smile on her face. "I helped your father pick out this ring shortly before their arranged engagement. Your mother didn't like flashy jewelry, but she did like diamonds! This ring has seen a lot; its wearer put it to the test more than once." She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Ashlynn. "I know you don't want this, but I ask that you give him a chance. The worst that can happen is you end up divorced in six months."

Ashlynn pressed her lips together and remained silent. She'd been holding onto her grudge for too long to give it up on a whim. Forgiveness does not come easily to those who don't want to let go.

"May I...?" Wesley looked pointedly at the ring box, unaware of the turmoil the other party was feeling. Ashlynn handed it to him quickly and carefully, keeping her hand as far away from his as possible. He looked at the ring in awe. "It's beautiful; it must have cost a fortune!"

"Eh, money wasn't an issue, as you are about to find out for yourself." Aunt Leah waved her hand nonchalantly and grinned mischievously. "Now, be a proper fiancé and put it on her finger."

The pair arched their eyebrows in unison and looked at one another, waiting to see who would cave to Aunt Leah's request first. Had it not been for a speck of dust that found its way into her eye—because she was most definitely not affected by a pair of brilliant blue eyes—Ashlynn wouldn't have held blinked first. Sighing in defeat, she held out her left hand. "Let's get this over with."

Wesley gently removed the ring from the box and looked at her with that unreadable expression once more. He took her outstretched hand gently but firmly; loose enough so as not to hurt her, but tight enough so she couldn't pull away. Coolness spread from where his skin made contact with hers, offering some relief to the sudden, stifling heat Ashlynn felt was surrounding her. His eyes never left hers while he slid the ring onto her finger, nor did his expression change.

The room felt even hotter now.

As soon as the ring was in place, Ashlynn tugged her hand free and tried not to glower at him for taking so long.

Aunt Leah put on a solemn face and addressed the pair, sarcasm tainting her voice. "Well, I regret to inform you that you have been engaged. I wish you both the best of luck with your spouse!" She saluted them as if she was sending them off on a mission.

Wesley played along and weakly saluted back, but Ashlynn was not amused. With a spouse like Wesley Marker, it was going to take something a lot stronger than luck to survive the next few months. That 'something' was tequila. Lots of it.

Aunt Leah resumed her fawning over Wesley and was helping—interrupting, really—the lawyer explain what the next steps were. Seeing an opportunity for escape, Ashlynn slipped out of the room with the excuse of needing to use the restroom because of all the coffee she drank that morning. She didn't wait for acknowledgement and headed directly to the bathroom on the first floor.

Locking the door behind her, she slid down the wall until she could rest her chin on her knees. The diamond on her finger glittered innocently in the fluorescent light. The numbness she had felt before was dissipating, and it felt like she was drowning in a swirling sea of emotions.

A tear slid down her cheek. Then a second fell, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, until so many were falling, she could no longer keep count.

Someone knocked on the door gently. "Ashlynn?"

"Go away," she choked out, swallowing the new ball of emotions that was threatening to burst.

He inhaled to say more but held his tongue. How long he stood at the door waiting, Ashlynn didn't know, but eventually she heard his footsteps recede.

They returned a few minutes later, and Ashlynn heard the scrape of something being shoved under the door. She waited until he had left again before grabbing the piece of paper.

One side read, "Dinner's ready" in her aunt's neat handwriting. The other side simply read, "I'm sorry."

Ashlynn crumpled the note and threw it in the waste basket. She didn't want apologies; she wanted a drink.

She pulled out her phone and called Hana. Her friend didn't pick up, so she left her a message. "Today was awful. Get Cassidy and meet me at the club in an hour, my treat."

With that, she left the bathroom and went to her room to change clothes. She was getting blackout drunk tonight, and no number of pathetic notes was going to change that.