Chapter 5

Charlotte:

Anthony Crosswalk is meticulous in everything he does. From what he eats, to the way he chews, to choosing a wife for his son. 

I watch him cut his food into neat little cubes. As I chew my own food, I count the number of times he chews the food. I'm not surprised to count thirty two. Of course he chews his food thirty two times. 

"Charlotte, how's business going?" My father snaps me out of my counting. 

"Business is going great, father." I put some roasted carrots into my mouth, hoping he doesn't berate me. 

"She doesn't want my diamond business, Anthony. Can you believe that? My billion dollar business."

"Charles..." My mother tries to stop him. 

"No, Elise. She has everything handed to her on a silver plate, and yet she just doesn't want it. She goes and opens a boutique, something that's only good as a hobby."

I put some mashed potatoes in my mouth and find it hard to swallow. Well, there goes my appetite. I sip some water and remove the handkerchief from my collar, wiping my mouth with it. 

"Well, I've never had that problem with Sebastian. He was eager to take over the company from day one. Sometimes, they rebel just for the fun of it. For attention."

A spark of anger shoots down my spine, before I snuff it out. How can a man who doesn't understand his own son understand a complete stranger?

I stay silent. As I always do. My mother looks at me with the same sympathy in her eyes as she always does. My father levels me with a hard look, as usual. The only new addition here is Anthony Crosswalk. Who looks at me like I'm way beneath him. But, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what he thinks about me, because it's not him I'm marrying, it's his son, who, from what I've seen, does not like his father. 

"Where's Warren?" I ask my mother, referring to the boy who used to landscape our garden, AKA my childhood crush. 

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Warren doesn't work here anymore. Do you know Accelerate?"

"Those gyms?"

"Yes dear. Well he's the one who owns them."

I gasp. "Seriously?"

She smiles at me and nods. She'd found out about my crush in its early stages. God knows how. 

"He used to be our landscaper." My father fills in the blanks for Anthony. 

"How does he concern you?" Anthony asks me and I'm stupefied by his audacity. 

"He's my friend."

When it's time for the Apple Pie, I know I don't want a piece, so I excuse myself from the table and go inside, up to my old room. 

Everything is still the same. It looked uninhabited before and it looks uninhabited now. 

Gold and white accents, with a queen sized bed on a raised platform in the center of the room. Lustrous gold curtains hang in front of the windows. Often, the room made me sick. The gold was too much for my eyes. I'd often change rooms when I was a kid, to one with purple accents instead. 

Looking at the room still makes me feel sick, so I go to the purple room, which feels like me. There's even a fireplace in this room. It was one of my favorite things about it. 

The mantel is still lined with my knick-knacks. The night dresser still has my floating moon lamp and my mini Big Ben clock. I would have expected my father to throw all this out, but perhaps he hasn't even been here to notice. 

I toss myself on the bed, reveling in the amazing feel and close my eyes.

I might have fallen asleep because when I open my eyes, it's thirty minutes later. I get up and go into the attached bathroom to wash my face. I dry it with one of the hand towels and go downstairs to find everyone in the family room. 

"Where have you been dear?" My mom asks me. 

"Just took a little nap. What did I miss?"

"Nothing yet. We're just about to discuss the dates."

The thought makes me go pale. I always knew my father would arrange my marriage to someone of his choice. Perhaps, that's the reason why I've never bothered giving any importance to my love life. Still, it's intimidating to marry a complete stranger. 

"We'll hold the engagement next week. The wedding will be within the next two months."

The words make me queasy and I fall into a loveseat. 

"No. No. No." I keep chanting. My nerves are all over the place and my stomach wants to turn in itself. 

Everyone looks at me strangely. Me! When they're the ones who have gone completely insane. 

Anthony crosses his arms over his chest. 

"I don't see a problem here."

"I can't plan a wedding in two months."

"You don't need to. All you have to do is pick out a dress. I'll take care of the rest."

"But, I'm not ready." I say this on a whisper.

"For what?" He asks me. 

"To get married to Sebastian."

"What is it that scares you so much?"

I think about it. 

"For sharing my life with him."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. How is it so different from living by yourself? The only difference being, you'll have company. You'll even love our house. You can go to your boutique as you wish. We even have a cook, Julia who prepares all the meals. I'm not even home most of the time, so you won't have to worry about that. If you have any problem, you can always tell me or Sebastian. We can even get you your own driver."

I digest all his words and surprisingly, they make me feel much better. Everything he said sounds appealing, and Anthony Crosswalk seems like a man who keeps his word. 

I nod, even though I'm internally searching for any holes in his words. It sounds easy enough, but I'm still a little nervous. 

"Now that that's settled, I'll have to get going now. Charlotte, will you be joining me?"

"Yes. I'll be right back."

I change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and say my goodbyes to my parents.