Chapter 2

14 Days Earlier

Mr. Arddew sat spine-straight as he gingerly fingered the papers in front of him. His face was stone-still. After taking his precious time to read through the marriage contract, he glanced up at his visitor. The man was slicked in a black suit with clean trimmings. Beneath his pants, shiny shoes peeked.

Mr. Arddew pinched off his glasses and rocked back on the heels of his toes. "I didn't quite catch your name, young man"

The visitor beamed. "It's Allen Brooke."

"Right. Mr. Allen, you're saying that your client, a certain Mr…" he trailed off, shoved the glasses back on his face and peered at the contract to ferret the name of the man who was proposing marriage to his daughter by proxy. "…Mr. Calvin Banks is proposing to marry my Leya for a period of one year and in exchange, my family will be paid ten thousand dollars?"

"As initial payment." Allen corrected. "A balance of another ten thousand dollars will be yours after the contract expires."

"You mean after he divorces my daughter." Something flitted in Mr. Arddew's eyes that was too quick for Allen to read. "That's the exact word used in this contract."

Allen nodded. "You're right." He watched the father draw in a long breath. He was considering. Like the other families Allen had been to, the money was always worth considering because it was three times more than most utopian families saw in a year, even the ones that seemed to be better off than others. Like the Arddews. They were doing better than most.

Allen shifted his weight in the couch and allowed his eyes to take in the mild furnishings of the sitting room. It had the trappings of a cozy space, the sturdiness of middle class living.

Certificates, award trophies and framed family photos decorated the wall behind Mr. Arddew. Allen zeroed in on the poetically pale skinned daughter-and pride-of the family, a golden jewel as rumored. She was a sight for sore eyes, with long blonde hair and rosy cheeks. Allen bought into the hype. Maybe her father had every right to take his time on this deal.

"And how many families have you been to with this offer?"

Allen refocused his eyes on the father's impatient ones. "About sixteen." He only had to look at Mr. Arddew's face to know this was going to be another 'No'.

"I'm guessing they rejected it. You wouldn't be here otherwise." Mr. Arddew leaned forward and tossed the contract on Allen's lap. "As you can rightly see, my family and I aren't starving. Your offer is attractive but my daughter is far more precious than any amount your mysterious boss can pen down on paper."

Allen gathered up the papers and stowed them away in his bag.

"I might have given it some more thought if You had visited my home first, along with the intended groom. He should have had the decency to come in person so my daughter can be a part of this decision. I want nothing but the best for her."

Allen followed the glow in the man's eyes to the doorway where a fragile looking Leya Arddew hovered, fingers clasped gracefully in front of her. She walked in, her steps as confident as the gleam in her coffee brown eyes.

In a few seconds, her father filled her in. A smirk crept into her lips until he mentioned that the offer was being made to all families with eligible spinsters from eighteen to twenty years of age and had been rejected by the homes already visited. Allen watched Leya's eyes become flat and cold.

"I believe you have our answer."

He packed up his things and left.

"The audacity of that man to come here after other homes have rejected his suitor." Mr. Arddew clenched his jaw. Leya inhaled.

"He should have been directed here first." She whispered with dipped eyes. "I'm sorry, father." Her father said nothing and left.

Allen had visited more homes and gotten more rejections. For most, theirs was inspired by the fact that the Arddews had done the same. For others, the mystery behind the intended groom rumored to have caused the death of his first wife and the strange one-year marriage proposal did it.

There were so many questions but Allen didn't have the answers, like why the marriage had to be sudden. He didn't know. He was only an agent trying to secure a bride for a client. His client, Calvin Banks wasn't exactly a fountain of information. Allen's job was to get a family to say Yes and he was certain that in spite of how illogical the arrangement was, one family in utopia must cave. And he was right.

A small rap on the door unfroze the jittery bride, Rhylan, as she whipped her head towards it. "Twenty minutes to curtain." came a female voice. "Are we all set in there?"

"Yes" Gilly returned when Rhylan couldn't find the words. She dropped the blush palette and knelt beside the most fearful bride she had ever seen. "Breathe Rhylan, it will be over soon."

Those words.

Those were the exact words her father had used when she came home that fateful night to find the marriage contract papers in their living room.

Anger hummed hot in her blood as she read through the contract document her father had handed her the minute she snuck in past her curfew. He had been sitting in the dark, awaiting her return. And just when she thought she silently shut the door, a wash of bright light engulfed the room with the simple flick of a switch, revealing her scowling father.

She recognized the document the minute she saw it. There had been lots of rumors flying around the library of a certain stranger bidding for a utopian bride. What Rhylan couldn't understand was why the document was still in her house. Did any of her sisters get unlucky to be drafted into the matrimonial joke?

Her father's face filled her with dread. Why did he toss her the document? Why wasn't he saying anything? Uncharacteristically, her sisters were not present to watch her get scolded. As she thought about it, they emerged and plopped on the couch next to their father. The formidable duo made Rhylan gulp in air. This can't be what she's thinking.

"Why is this still here? Are you planning on selling one of your daughters for money?" She craned her neck at her sisters but they were sitting too calmly for it to be their fate. Then it clicked.

"I'm glad you heard." Her father spoke up.

"It's utopia; rumor travels fast." Rhylan replied, dumping the contract on the floor. "I'm sorry I'm late. I was so caught up in a trilogy I lost track of time" She stopped cold in her tracks when her father bluntly spilled the tea.

Rhylan tossed her head to look at him, at her sisters with thin smiles blooming on their faces. "What?"

"You're getting married." he repeated. "I accepted the offer on your behalf. I wanted you to hear it from me directly. Before you ask why I didn't consider your elder sisters, let me spare you the effort. Belle has received some interest from three eligible bachelors just last month and she's seriously considering them. She might as well be engaged. Rumi wants to work a bit and earn money before thinking about settling down. That leaves you."

Rhylan couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That leaves me? Your youngest daughter who's fresh out of high school?" She was yelling at this point and her father's eyebrows winged up in warning.

"You just turned eighteen. You're an adult now."

"I won't do it! I won't marry anyone much less a rumored killer. I won't let you destroy my life…"

"Rhylan!" It was her oldest sister Belle, propping forward with her elbows on her knees. "Why do you always think the worst of Papa? He thought long and hard before making this tough decision." Belle paused as Rhylan snorted loudly at her last comment. "We all know he's worried about your future. You have terrible grades that can't get you into college anytime soon."

"I'll make up my grades somehow…"

"Plus…" She continued, gave Rhylan a onceover and fell silent.

The silence was painfully long and bitter.

"Plus what? I am fat? That's what happens when you develop an eating disorder to cope with your mum's death. What else? I haven't gotten a single suitor since I turned sixteen and at this point I probably wouldn't so I should be grateful to be marrying a mysterious man almost every family in utopia had the sense to reject for their beloved daughters? Is that what you want to say?" Rhylan's eyes were flaming torches now.

"You said it, not me."

Their father rose up, causing a hush to fall on the room. "I didn't stay up to argue with you. I have just informed you. This is the first time you'll be taking responsibility to assist your family in a financially difficult time. You should be grateful."

"Dad!"

"ENOUGH!"

Rhylan rocked back on her heels at the fury in his eyes. "I have made up my mind. Your suitor will take care of the wedding preparations. Everything will be over soon, in a fortnight to be precise. You want more information? Read the agreement" he speared a finger at the contract papers on the floor before shuffling away with her sisters in tow. Rhylan slid to the floor weakly, choking back a wail.

She shook her head to clear that painful memory now and drew in a lungful of air. There was no point in reliving that pain. It was almost time to say "I do". If things went her way today, she wanted more than anything to have the last laugh. To watch the shock and envy on the faces of everyone, from her family to the entire town.

A drone of startled gasps echoed from the wedding hall. Rhylan whipped her head up, just as Gilly shot to her feet to go peek at the door.

"I think the groom is being ushered in." When she whirled to face the bride, Rhylan was ghostly pale. Gilly came to crouch next to her friend, took her hand. "I'll go have a look and be back, okay?" Rhylan nodded her head.

Alone, she tightened her fists and whispered a prayer to quell her wild nerves. It was now or never.

Did it work? Was he really out there or was she marrying an old geezer after all?

When Gilly returned after five full minutes, she levered a hand against the wall to steady her legs. Her mouth hung open and wide like her owlish eyes. One look at the surprised gleam in her eyes smoked away the dread in Rhylan's.

"Rhylan…" Gilly managed between strangled breaths. "Your…your groom. He's…"

"Unreal" Rhylan aptly supplied with a distant look of relief. Then under her breath, and with a thin smile, "I know."