I turned to Selene and saw how she was shaking in her seat but I couldn't blame her. She was sitting in the presence of my father after all. She must have felt my stare because she met my eyes before looking away but my eyes didn't leave her. It was the first time I was seeing her with clear eyes. If I had been fully in control of my actions, I wouldn't have touched her, even with a pole. I should not have had too many drinks, I said to myself for the umpteenth time. if I had just left early or held myself back when I saw her, I wouldn't have been involved with… her. She dressed like she just stepped out of a slum. Yes, there was that strangeness in the aura she gave off but the lowliness of her life shine through it. And after all that I still introduced her to my father as my girlfriend. What was even more shocking was his reply.
"Good," My father said calmly, getting my attention back.
I sighed. He didn't drag it as long as I thought he was going to, asking me questions I had no answers to, I just knew her name barely minutes before him. I couldn't wait to be done with her
"I want you to get married Damian," he said to me. His words hit me like a projectile. My father was not someone that made jokes but I waited for a while, hoping that he would tell me that he was only kidding but he didn't.
"Married? I'm not ready for Marriage right now," I replied. "I have a whole life ahead of me. More than enough time to think about that. But not now."
"I don't care about that," He replied. "You need to start showing that you have a sense of responsibility and the first step is getting married."
"I would but…" I started but he cut me off immediately.
"I want you to get married to Selene," he said.
Was this some bad dream I was having? He didn't just want me to get married, he wanted me to get married to Selene. The same Selene I had just met? The same Selene that sneaked into the mansion through some means I didn't know about just to take advantage of me? The same Selene I was staring at that didn't have any social refinement? The pathetic Selene that smells and looks like she was from the slums? He wanted me to end my relationship with Eden and get married to Selene? He had to be kidding. There was no way I was getting married to Selene. Not in this life or the next.
"That can't happen. We just met and there's really no need to rush this," I told him, trying to appeal to his sense of logic but his lips were pressed in a thin line.
"My words are final and if you go against them… if you go against my words, I will remove you from the inheritance and the only thing I would be merciful to leave with you would be the clothes on your back." He said and motioned for us to leave.
Selene had been quiet the whole time but I had seen her reaction too. I was expecting to see the look of happiness on her face but she was just as shocked as I was and she even looked more scared than she was. She jerked to her feet and was already walking towards the door. I turned to argue with my father again but I thought better of it. I was only going to come back with reason but there was no way he was listening to me at that point. I followed Selene outside his office and motioned for one of the men to take her out of the house. She tried starting a conversation but I wasn't having any of it. I was done with her and that was going to be the last time I set my eyes on her.
***
I got back from work two days later and immediately went to his office. I had gone to the gym, worked out till my muscles hurt, I even had a spar with my instructor but I couldn't get a clear head… my mind still reminded me that I was getting married to Selene, according to my father. He was wearing his glasses and was reading a very large book. He continued reading for a while after I entered and only looked up when he had marked the place he had stopped.
"Damian," he said simply as he leaned back on his seat, acknowledging my presence.
"Selene is not right for me. She's just," I began.
"You're wasting your time," he snapped. "This is about your feelings, no one cares about that."
"I can't commit my life to someone that has no value to me. And that's what you're trying to make me do," I protested. "I don't want to live a lie."
"You're already living a lie," he replied without missing a beat. "You're living a lie pretending that you have a choice."
I clenched by fist and all I wanted to do at that point was to smash his mahogany table to splitters but I clenched my jaws and held myself back. I was quiet as the fiery hot anger simmered beneath the surface threatening to burst out because I knew that if I spoke out, I was going to lose the tiny thread that was putting a rein on my anger. I stared at him for a while before storming out without another word.
The next time I tried talking to him was during breakfast but he just reiterated the fact that I had no choice, after telling me that I had to learn to be responsible, and how I needed to start making sacrifices.
I knew there was no other way and the only thing I had to do was break up with Eden as soon as possible before she knew that I had cheated on her with someone far lesser than she was.
***
Eden sat across from me in the private part of the café, she was sipping her coffee while I folded my arms and thought about the best way to break up with her.
"You're been silent. There's something wrong, so start talking," She said with a raised eyebrow as she watched me. Eden was very perceptive and it was difficult to get past the piercing eyes that were watching me like they could see through me. She hated when it seemed like I was making a fool out of her so I decided to be direct.
"We should stop seeing each other," I said and watched her, waiting for her reaction.
She furrowed her brows. "Stop seeing each other? What does that even mean? You want to stop seeing me? Do you need a break? I don't understand what you're saying Damian," she said calmly.
"We need to break up. The relationship is over, Eden," I replied.
Eden dropped her mug and looked away. The place was silent but I could feel the tension and the electricity crackling between us. I just needed her to accept it so I could leave. When Eden turned back to me, she had a smile on her face, a dry smile that didn't get to her eyes. Then she started laughing and that was all I needed to hear to know that it wasn't going to be as easy as I had anticipated.
"You want to break up with me?" She said when she caught herself. "What happened to getting married?"
"It's not possible anymore," I replied. "I just needed to tell you that before I leave. I hope you'll be okay."
I stood up and headed towards the door that led out of the private areas but paused when she called my name. "You're okay with having a powerful enemy?"