Arranged by Force

⚜️58⚜️

{Blair's PoV}

I checked the time on my phone and sighed. It was 7:45 pm, Was it fine if I called Sophie? No it definitely wasn't. I had already talked to her in the afternoon and she'd get annoyed with me.
But was it really wrong for a parent to want to talk to their child?

She just went away to Washington without telling me. And neither her or my husband were willing to tell me the reason as to why. Deciding to ask William again, I walked to our room.

"What you thinking of?" I asked William as I approached him. Lately, he had been much quieter than usual. He was seated on the balcony swing, staring at the stars. He was once a countryman and his love for nature had never ceased.

" The company." He muttered and I sighed, sitting next to him.

" When aren't you thinking about the company?" I rolled my eyes as I talked,
"Now it's no longer your responsibility. You've already retired, I don't understand why you still stress over it." I asked William. His entire life was dedicated to the company. He built it from the base, being a newbie in a world full of vile people and now, he had a name of his own. A name I couldn't help but be proud of.

" I can't help but stress Blair. Reyah doesn't understand a single thing about working, she hardly knows any businessman. And today, when I asked her what the currency of dollar to yen was, she didn't know." William said, frustration clearly evident in his voice,

"Can you imagine she didn't know something as simple as how many yen are equivalent to a dollar." William said and I sighed. Even I wouldn't have known that, but my husband had a weird habit of randomly asking exchange rates and by now, I had learnt a few.

" Is that all you're stressed about?" I asked , turning my head to look at the stars.

" Yes, What else is there to be worried about?" He asked looking at me.

" Oh!" I didn't turn to look at him as I continued speaking, "I thought you'd be worried about Sophie."

" Why would I worry about Sophie, Blair?" My husband asked, sighing annoyed.

" Well, with the way she suddenly shifted and all, I thought maybe..." I said, stopping my sentence.

" She's happy with her husband so let her be." William scoffed, " Adam came to the company a few days back saying we shouldn't bother about Sophie cause they won't come back. " William said and I gasped,
Adam said that!

"....and now she's a Larsen, she won't be working for Delan Steel Makers anymore. " William finished saying and I sighed. I could totally understand why Adam said that.

" He doesn't like the way you treat Sophie." I muttered softly.

" Yes, but who the fuck is he to tell me how to treat my daughter?" William seethed, his jaw clenched in anger.

" Hadn't you disowned her?" I asked my angry husband, scoffing at him, "...and he's her husband for God's sake, The husband you chose for her." I told him and that shut him up.

We were quiet for a few minutes before I spoke again,
" William, you've been harsh on Sophie since Reyah left. No lie but you were an asshole. Always telling her what to do, when to do and how to do it and she followed you wordlessly. Never questioning you. Heck, she even married the man you chose for her, she didn't go for a love marriage but an arranged."

"....Can you imagine your father getting you married to someone. Would you have married her?" I said and my heart clenched.

I couldn't imagine William marrying someone else. We had had so many complications during our marriage. My father disagreed because we were still young and studying. Whilst Williams mother had disagreed because she wanted her son to take care of their farm. Just thinking of living in the farm made me shudder. I was a city girl and living amongst cattle was a horror for me. Who would want to wake up to chickens and the smell of cow dung?

" It's the twenty-first century William. The century where people are advancing, hardly anyone does what their parents want, but she has. William she left her career for you, everything she done for you but you still act like an ass to her."

" I can't help but act like one Blair." My husband said, "Have you seen her. She's stubborn, short tempered, hot headed and does whatever she wants..."

I cut William off, " she's no longer fourteen William!"

"No Blair, you don't see what I do." William said lowly and I looked at him, waiting for him to talk. " She's another me."

It was absolutely true. Sophie had gotten all her fathers characteristics . She was an angry woman driven by work. I'd see her once in two months or even worse, four. And the way she'd talk, so briefly and professional. She hated everything girly. she detested gossip and dresses, always wearing dark pants. And just like her father, she also loved animals.

"And have you seen those eyes of hers Blair." William said painfully, shutting his eyes,
" Do you know how hard it is for me to talk to her. Every fucking single time I look at her, I see my mother Blair. My mother being in my arms, smiling at me one second and the next, her life drawn out of her, making those eyes empty." My heart hurt and I placed my palm over Williams.

Williams mother hadn't liked me and refused William to marry me. So We cut our honeymoon short to go meet her. William was sure his mother would forgive him and accept our Marriage. But when we went to their house, we got to know she was at the hospital where she breathed her last moments in Williams arms.

" That still doesn't mean you should act the way you should William. Reyahs running away had nothing to do with Sophie. Reyah confessed it too Yet you still blame her." I spoke quietly after a while.

" She is at fault too Blair. Why couldn't she just tell me that it wasn't her who was dating Ethan but rather Reyah?" William said angrily.

" Only if you talked nicely to the girl William." I clenched my jaw. Once Sophie and Reyah became adolescents, William became distant with us. He was so busy with work and got vexed with the smallest of things. And so we all strayed from angering him but Sophie, Sophie was a crazy teen. She'd always get in trouble resulting to her father always shouting at her.

" Just like how you forgave Reyah, Call Sophie and apologise William." William grumbled and I sighed. "After all these years she deserves an apology William."

" What action of mine should I apologise for Blair?" William asked, looking at me with those angry green eyes of his, " and why should I even apologise? She hates me and I prefer it that way."

"....Now it's too late, I'm going to sleep. Don't stay out for too long, you'll get sick." William said placing a kiss on my head before he walked back to our room. He was a stubborn mule and he'd never accept his mistakes.

I picked my phone up and called the person who'd help me, looks like it was time I made things right.

♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️♣️

Eid Mubarak to everyone!

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