His White Rose

Chapter 2

Alejandro stood before his father, puzzled and irritated. "Dad, what are you talking about? What do you mean I have to break up with Hailey and get married to this random chick?"

Leon sighed and told his son the story of how his best friend saved him, his family, and his company. "His only condition was an arranged marriage, and the girl you're going to marry isn't just a 'random chick.' You're going to marry his daughter."

Alejandro let out a hollow laugh and said, "Dad, you can't be serious. I'm not going to marry a complete stranger! Also, why now? Why didn't you tell me this years ago? Did you just expect me to drop everything and simply follow through with an arrangement that you made 30 years ago?" Anger and frustrated, he ran his fingers through his brown hair as he sat down on a chair in the living room.

"Unfortunately, son, I am serious. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to spend your growing years feeling like you're tied down. I didn't want you to worry about it. However, I did mean to tell you when you became older, but it just slipped my mind." Leon sighed and sat beside his son. "Alejandro, I apologize for not telling you sooner, but you got to understand that if you don't marry Carson's daughter, we're going to lose the company. Besides, she's not a complete stranger. You've met her when you were younger. Esther. Does that name ring a bell?"

Alejandro's blue eyes filled filled with recognition. "I remember her." His thoughts drifted off to the 3-year old girl with green doe eyes who just sat alone on the porch with a teddy bear. It was Mr. Anderson's birthday, and friends and family were invited. Alejandro didn't have playmates at the moment so he decided to be Esther's quiet company. "Yeah. I remember her, dad, but we were children then. She can barely speak at that time! There must be some other way. Can't we just pay Mr. Anderson? Can't we just give him the amount of money he invested?"

"Son, Carson doesn't need the money. His condition was the security of his daughter's future. He knew that your mother and I would raise you to become the fine man that you are today, and so he decided that you would be perfect for Esther."

"What about Esther? She's a grown woman with her own decisions. Surely, she doesn't want to marry someone she barely met," Alejandro tried to reason.

"Actually, she agreed. Look, son, I negotiated with Carson, but he said no. He said that Esther agreed and it's either you get married or he takes the company."

"What about Hailey, dad? I love her. I can't just break up with her. I won't leave her."

"Alejandro, you still have a choice. I'm not going to force you to do anything. Quinns Shipping Company is now yours. It's your decision if you want to give it all up or if you want to keep it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alejandro sat inside a restaurant, waiting for Esther and her father. He was finally going to meet his supposed fiance. He couldn't throw away all his father's hard work. He knew what he must do, but that didn't mean he's going to stop trying to find a way around it.

After a few minutes, a little lady with hair as black as the night and eyes as green as the forest walked into the room. Her doe eyes scanned the room until it landed on him.

Alejandro was stunned for a moment. She looked so innocent and beautiful. He snapped out of his trance and stood up as she walked towards him. He noticed how her yellow dress made her fair skin glow as she initiated a handshake.

"You must be Alejandro Quinns. I'm Esther Anderson. I'm sorry, but my dad couldn't make it tonight. He had to attend to his prior commitments," her voice, sweet and quiet with a hint of an English accent danced towards his ears.

Alejandro shook her dainty hand and noted how it contrasted with his tan skin. "Nice to meet you, Esther. Unfortunately, my dad couldn't also make it tonight. He and my mom also had prior commitments."

They sat down, and Alejandro realized that his father planned this all along. So tonight, it would just be him and Esther. Sneaky old man.

They placed their orders as Alejandro, stared at the little lady before him. She bit her lip as she looked over the menu. Her hair had a slight curl to it and was cut short, barely grazing her collar bones. She looked young and pure.

"How old are you?" Alejandro asked as the waiter walked away.

"25," she replied.

"Hmmm you look younger than 25," he said, his face void of emotion.

"I get that a lot, and I'll take that as a compliment," she chuckled lightly.

"As you should," was his curt reply.

Awkward silence filled the air as Esther noticed Alejandro's stoic face. He was handsome. Brown hair and blue eyes. He was also a man of great stature. Standing next to him, made her feel like a child. There was also a certain coldness to him. Polite, but his voice held a chill that didn't quite welcome her. Of course she knew why. He was after all forced into this arrangement.

"Listen, Esther, you couldn't possibly agree to this arrangement, right?" Alejandro cut to the chase.

"Mr. Quinns-"

"Alejandro. Just call me Alejandro," he cut her.

She sighed and continued, "Alejandro, it was my dad's decision to marry me off to you. Not mine, and I've always been a dutiful daughter. I have never went against him, and this won't be the first."

"Dutiful daughter? Esther, this is ridiculous! Don't be stupid. This is our future -- my future-- we're talking about. Don't ruin it for the sake of playing this obedient daughter act," he snapped at her.

She blinked away the tears that threatened to spill. She was soft, and his words struck something in her. Despite the want to shed her tears and run away, she held her head up and put on a cool and collected demeanor. "Did you think I want you? There's a hundred of suitable men out there. It just so happens my father chose you, and what do you think of me? A monster who likes walking around town, wrecking havoc? Did you think I wanted this? My life was in London, but I left it all for my father. My decision might seem idiotic and meaningless to you, but to me, it's more than just 'playing this obedient daughter act.'"

Seconds passed, and no words were spoken. Alejandro was too stunned to say anything. First of all, he didn't expect the little lady to stand up for herself. She may seem fragile, but she can stand her ground. Secondly, her eyes that were filled with tears before turning into ice made him feel a certain way. He regretted how he callously spoke to her. He wasn't really an insensitive man, but frustration got to him. "Esther, I-"

She sighed and let vulnerability slip through the cracks of her armor, "When my mother passed away, my father was all I have left. So I made a commitment to myself to make him happy, to be obedient, and to be the best daughter I can be because I thought that if I can make him proud of me, then maybe, somehow, I can make my mother proud of me too. So I'm sorry, Alejandro, if this all seems stupid to you, and maybe it actually is, but my decision is final."

"Look, Esther, I apologize. I didn't mean to hurt you, but you got to understand where I'm coming from."

"And I do. So now I have a proposition for you. We are to be married, but that doesn't mean we have to get married right away. We can have a long engagement. Let's have a platonic relationship, making our fathers believe that we have given this arrangement a chance. After a reasonable amount of time, we tell them that it truly is not working out. Hopefully, by then, my father will think of another arrangement with your father. Do we have a deal, Mr. Quinns?"

Alejandro sat quietly for a few seconds. For the third time tonight, he was stunned. The little lady before him turned into business mode and negotiated with him. Her proposition held hope, and if it was a means of getting out of this arrangement, he's in. He held out his hand and said, "It's a deal."