City of Angels Book 2

Chapter 6: Predicament

I searched my memories and found the root of the ring on my finger...

"It's good for business, Becky. We're about to seal a deal with the world's biggest publishing company. We will be the sole provider of all their advertising and the advertising of those who work with them. This is huge. It will rocket the Armstrong name to incredible new heights!" My father was a shrewd businessman if anything.

"So what you're saying is you'll just sell me off like chattel to the highest bidder? That's ludicrous!" I squeaked in disbelief.

My dad maintained his composure while trying to keep me calm. "It's not like it's a stranger, Becky. You and Non grew up together. You have always been friends. How difficult can it be to see him as a husband?"
I threw my hands in the air, unable to believe the sheer disregard for my own feelings at the time. I did not experience these emotions myself, but I could feel my vessel's disbelief at the situation. It was like someone grabbed hold of her heart and squeezed so hard that it exploded. It was definitely not something she wanted to do.

I could sense she wanted to marry for love and not for business. She was frustrated that her father would even consider such a ludicrous suggestion. She felt trapped, unable to breathe, and on the verge of a panic attack. These were feelings that I definitely had not experienced before and they scared me. The overwhelming fear radiating in my chest was intense and brought tears to my eyes. How could humans be so fixated on money that they would sell their own family for more?

I now remembered Non. He was rather short in stature and sort of slim, but had a handsome face. He was the heir to the Kanpiang Publishing Empire, which was huge as is. He always had a fondess for me and I for him. But although my fondness didn't exceed platonic feelings, he had eventually fallen in love with me. He wanted me to be his bride and I had experienced tremendous pressure from my family to marry him when he had made his intentions clear.

We had gone on a romantic dinner date in the Whattana district so that he could fine dine and woo me. This was also when he proposed. He had even gotten down on one knee and with all the pressure from the onlookers encouraging me to say yes, I couldn't do anything but. After that we had started planning a wedding and looking at houses. At this point I felt like a robot, just going through the motions.

At least he had never pressured me. In fact, he was kind and gentle and only ever wanted what was best for me. He was a true friend and I could see us living a happily domesticated life together, so I resolved myself to marrying him in the end. I could be happy. Couldn't I?

Then I met Freen. My avatar was smitten with Freen even before I was. I wonder if she would have gone through with the marriage if it hadn't been for her tragic death. Could I go through with it in the end? What if it hadn't been for me meeting Freen?

But I did meet Freen. She became my sun and my moon and my stars all at once. Her warmth settled on my skin like a comforting blanket when the world grew cold. Her eyes looked past my sorrows and my tribulations. Her smile made this human heart skip a beat, so much so that I thought I might be dying. Her eyes saw right through me into this human soul and picked my existence apart piece by piece.

Despite my engagement, I still longed for Freen. I would always long for Freen.

My wedding was in exactly one week.