Silvia Avislana was a name that carried weight. Today, her father had taken her to the hospital, though physically, she felt fine. Her father, however, was concerned. He believed her mind to be an anomaly. Silvia often entertained strange thoughts—thoughts that no one else would even think about. Some of these thoughts, he would argue, were downright bizarre. As members of a family with high social standing, her father's worry about her psychological development had grown. So, he decided a check-up was in order.
The examination had taken place about an hour ago, and now they were seated in the waiting room, waiting for the results. Bored, Silvia passed the time by playing with the fish in the aquarium. It wasn't much, but it gave her something to do rather than simply sit still in the sterile white room.
A moment later, the door to the doctor's office opened. "Silvia Avislana, please come in," a nurse called.
Silvia had nearly died from boredom in that place filled with illness and cold, white walls. After bidding the fish goodbye, she and her father walked into the room.
"So, what's the problem, Doctor?" her father asked, taking a seat, Silvia following suit.
The doctor, a young woman with glasses, was absorbed in reading the examination results. Her brows furrowed deeply. "Well, Mister Nolan, I've examined your daughter thoroughly. Physically and psychologically, she seems perfectly fine. However, there was something unusual when I examined the nerves in her brain."
"Is that something bad?" her father asked, clearly alarmed.
"Well, the performance of Silvia's brain cells is beyond normal. Each cell that transmits data works seven times faster than in a normal human brain. It's like a fly. With a brain like this, your daughter is essentially a genius. I believe this is why it's difficult for you to follow her way of thinking. Her mind far surpasses ours, and that affects her actions. This is likely the reason you find her behavior odd."
Her father blinked in confusion, opening and closing his mouth, unsure of how to respond. The only thing he managed to say was, "So, is this something bad?"
"It depends on your perspective. Personally, I consider this a gift, not an illness. And even if it were a condition, I'm not sure if there's any cure for a brain that's too brilliant."
Silvia exchanged glances with her father. "So, there's really no problem with me?"
"Exactly. You're perfectly fine, Silvia."
"Well then, if there's no problem, we'll be on our way. Thank you for your time, Doctor."
They left the hospital quickly. In the car, Silvia sat in silence, pondering what her father might be thinking. His face was unreadable. His eyes were fixed on the road, but she could tell his mind was elsewhere. Then the rain began to pour, making the road slippery and forcing other drivers to slow down.
But not her father's car. Silvia felt the need to warn him to slow down, especially in such weather.
"Silvia," her father finally spoke, his voice low. "To be honest, I'm relieved that you don't have any illnesses. But that doesn't mean I forgive you for what happened yesterday. The mistake you made was huge. From now on, you need to control your thoughts, like a normal person."
"I understand," she replied, sinking lower into her seat.
"Listen," he continued, "there's a guest waiting for us at home. A colleague of mine. He's a powerful businessman who dominates the energy market. I need you to attend this meeting with us. There are things I need to discuss with him that involve you. And during the meeting, I don't want you to say a word. Don't think about anything strange. If this meeting doesn't go well, you'll regret it. Understood?"
"I understand."
The car sped up even more, cutting through the rainstorm. The thunder rumbled, adding a sinister symphony to the night. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived home. A sleek white car was parked in front of the gate, expensive and classy.
Inside the house, the atmosphere felt awkward. A tall man with a black mustache, wearing a white suit, sat in the living room sipping tea. Beside him was a younger man with black hair. Their faces were similar. Silvia recognized him.
"Waksi?" she exclaimed in surprise.
"Silvia? What are you doing here?" Waksi asked, equally shocked.
"What do you mean, what am I doing here? This is my house."
Her father interjected, "Do you two know each other?"
"Well, he's my classmate in psychology class. Wait a second, does this mean the businessman you're meeting with is Waksi's father?"
Without answering, her father walked into the house, starting to dry off. Twenty minutes later, they were all sitting in the living room. The tension was palpable. Silvia felt a shadow flicker outside the window. In the midst of the storm, she wasn't sure if her father even noticed the people watching from outside. What were they planning to discuss? Why did she have the sense that something bad was about to happen? Her father rarely brought her to meetings like this. In fact, this might have been the first time.
Waksi, the young man, appeared just as clueless about what was going on. He sat with his arms crossed, staring into the room.
"Now that everyone is here, let's get to the point," the man in the white suit said. "Mister Nolan, as we discussed before, I'm ready to accept your offer. That's why I've brought my son, Waksi Astara, here personally."
"I'm very glad to hear that," her father said with a smile. "I'm sure Silvia won't mind at all."
"Wait a second, what are you two actually talking about? What do Silvia and I have to do with your business?" Waksi interrupted.
His father explained, "The companies owned by Nolan and me have decided to collaborate. Right now, we're the two biggest players in the global energy market. But in business partnerships like this, there are often problems, both internal and external, that could cause the partnership to break down. To ensure that doesn't happen, we've made an agreement where the decision is no longer in our hands, but in yours."
"What do you mean, in our hands?" Waksi asked.
Her father chimed in, "Waksi and Silvia, we're planning to have you two marry. That's the essence of our agreement. If either of you breaks up with the other, the agreement will be void, and the one who causes it will lose control of their company. In other words, the company will be taken over by the other party."
"What?!" Both Waksi and Silvia exclaimed in disbelief. Waksi spoke up first, "This is ridiculous! Why are you involving us in your business politics?"
"That's right," Silvia added. "Let alone being lovers, the two of us barely spoke to each other in class. This makes no sense at all!"
"Calm down, both of you," said Waksi's father, trying to soothe them. "As I said, this agreement is just a piece of paper signed between Mister Nolan and me. Sooner or later, one of us would have found a way to cheat on it—corruption, things like that. To prevent that from happening, we decided not to be directly involved in the agreement. Honestly, we'd like to see you both married, but since you're still in college, dating for now will be enough. Then, after graduation, you can marry."
Waksi's father handed them the agreement papers. Silvia read them carefully, making sure not to miss a detail. Everything they had said was true. Their relationship was the key to this business agreement.
"Please sign the agreement, both of you," Waksi's father said, offering them a pen.
"No way. I won't be part of this ridiculous agreement. I'm not going to get involved in your business feud!" Waksi refused vehemently.
Silvia wanted to say the same thing, but when her father's eyes met hers, she felt paralyzed. His gaze pierced through her, making it impossible for her to speak.
"Waksi, stop being stubborn. We've talked about this before. You don't have a choice. Sign it, or I'll throw you out, and you'll be left to live on the streets. Do you want that?"
"But, Father!"
"There are no buts! Sign it now!" Waksi's father yelled angrily.
Reluctantly, Waksi picked up the pen, signing the paper with an angry expression. His hair covered his face, but Silvia could still see how furious he was. After he signed, Silvia did the same. Her hand trembled as she held the pen. She didn't want to be tied down by such a stupid agreement, but her father's and Waksi's father's stares felt like they would devour her if she refused.
"Well done," her father said with a smile, clapping his hands. "From now on, you two are officially a couple."