Chapter 1

"Your life is a joke," Diana Barrymore hissed at Merryl, her tone always nothing less than stern whenever she spoke to her two daughters.

Angrily, she turned to face Honey, who flinched the moment her eyes made contact with her mother's, "Your relationship with that boy is a joke, too! Break up with him before the end of the day - As I've asked you to over five times already!"

Diana was more inclined to shout when she spoke with Honey, who was the most stubborn of the two, whereas her words were harsher when it came to Diana, because Diana was the oldest and should have known when to take responsibility for her life.

Turning back to Merryl, Diana now spoke softly, "The wedding date has already been set. The groom is ready. I don't care if you aren't. It doesn't matter which one of you shows up. As long as he has a bride… that will save our family from bankruptcy."

Merryl and Honey were sitting right next to each other in two mahogany armchairs – a purchase they had come to regret – and Diana was standing, unmoving like a mannequin, a few feet away from them. She looked down at them as a disappointed mother would because that was precisely what she was.

Her eyes stoically shifted to the left at Merryl. She observed her eldest daughter's every feature from her long blood-red hair that flowed straight down her back like a long waterfall, to her apple green eyes that burned with a fearless passion. She was simply too beautiful. Diana was proud of Merryl, especially her perfect facial bone structure that could not be traced back to any relative or ancestor from either side of her family. It was a miracle and a true blessing that Merryl was gifted with such a marvelous face.

Diana's eyes averted to Honey, who, though she was also exquisitely pretty, had a beauty that paled in comparison to Merryl's. As her name suggested, her hair was the color of honey, and her eyes were a deep brown that matched her hair very well. Her face was on the plumper side, and her figure slightly fuller compared to Merryl's. But none of that mattered to Diana because they were both very beautiful.

"None of you are coming forward?" A new voice entered the conversation. Merryl and Honey knew better than to turn their heads to face their father, who's voice thundered throughout the room, "We gave in and allowed you enough time to choose amongst yourselves instead of us choosing for you. But it seems your indecisiveness knows no bounds."

"Dad, I'm still in school-"

"And?" Paul interrupted Honey with a roar, "Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you, Honey? You've been held back already, and your grades still aren't improving! You're 20 years old already!"

Paul's raspy voice reverberated in Diana's ears, and she felt as though her knees would buckle under her. How she loved it when he would shout in that masculine voice. She had to keep her composure, for she was in front of her daughters.

"Now you're trying to run off with that boy despite being betrothed-"

"I'm not engaged to anyone!" Honey snapped, and right as she was about to stand up, a quick slap sent her back into her chair. She clasped her cheek to ease the pain and looked up at Diana with tears in her eyes.

Diana was seething, "You will show the utmost respect when you speak to your father!"

After that harsh scolding, Diana turned to Merryl, awaiting an excuse from her. Unlike Honey, who was relatively weak spirited compared to Merryl, Merryl sat upright with the most proper posture, unflinching, and with no emotion on her face. The passion that was painted in her eyes vanished the second she heard her father's voice.

Those words… 'your life is a joke' had been playing in her mind on repeat ever since she heard them. Yes, she chose to be an archaeologist instead of pursuing a career that would enable her to inherit the family business as the eldest daughter. But she was proud of her choice. Evidently, her parents were frustrated with that decision, seeing as no one else could inherit the company because Honey was dim.

Due to the lack of an heir, the company's worth gradually decreased, and they now found themselves in a dire situation where they had to sell the company for over a hundred percent less than what it was initially worth, or to merge the company with another. The latter was the best option, though it came with a condition that was a hand of one of their daughters in marriage.

Another reality was that Merryl was secretly in a relationship with someone. A man named Felix that she had met when he came to the university to give a short lecture on business ventures. Naturally, that did not interest Merryl. She wanted to become an archaeologist, not an entrepreneur. But they accidentally bumped into each other in the cafeteria, and their relationship ensued from then on.

"I'm not too reluctant to make the decision myself," Diana spoke next, an attempt at convincing the two daughters that she was remorseful about having them married off, which wasn't true in the slightest, "Honestly, I'd rather Honey be the one to marry him. I'm saving you for someone else." She glanced at Merryl as she said the last part, which didn't sit right with either of the daughters.

Diana continued, "… But you're still in school, and even if you weren't, you're so stupid that you'd end up ruining his reputation. You are at least aware that he's amongst the top of the elites, right?"

Honey was still sobbing from the pain of the slap to take offense by what her mother said.

"You've had your chances," Paul started from the door, "Since neither of us can decide, I'll have him make the decision."

Once Paul had left, Diana ordered Honey, "Go clean your face. And get back here before he arrives." Honey hurriedly stood up and ran out of the room. Diana eyed Merryl closely. Ever since she came to him, Merryl hadn't said a word nor had her eyes met Diana's even once. Diana scoffed and left the room to make sure that Honey was presentable for their guest.

Sitting alone in the room, Merryl felt a cold breeze come through the window. It was strange. The sun was all the way up in its zenith, and the sky did not have a single cloud floating about. To add to that, there was no wind. If there was one, the curtains would have been moving.

"Oh, it's you…" Merryl whispered, looking over at the ledge of the window, "You can come out now."

She was expecting him to appear at the window. So, when his arm rested on her waist, brushing on her hip bone, she jolted from the shock and quickly stood up.

"I told you to stop doing that!" She half-shouted at him, slightly annoyed. He gave her a cold, lifeless smile that was oddly reminiscent of the cold breeze she felt mere moments ago.

This was Honey's boyfriend, Alexis; the sweet yet conniving man that she chose to date, disobeying her parents' orders. Honey really loved him; how could she not? Not only was he kind to her, but he was also magnificently good-looking. His smile may have been lifeless, but it was seductive. His shabby platinum blonde hair made him come off as inviting, like an old friend she had grown up with.

There was something else about him that neither Honey nor Merryl could quite figure out, and that was his hair, which was bright in the sunlight. They could not tell if it was glowing or if the sun was reflecting off of it.

"You need to stop acting so cold towards me," he chimed almost too excitedly. It had already been established that he was fond of Merryl… too much so. Merryl was not attracted to him. Yes, he was alluring, but she would not fall for him as Honey did.

"I would if you would just-'

Before she knew it, he had appeared behind her. He breathed against the nape of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. She moved her right hand up and tried to elbow his side. In doing so, her body twisted, he dodged successfully, and she slipped. In an attempt to stop herself from falling, she grabbed his arms, and they both came tumbling to the floor.

"Merryl… This is too much for me. We just met," he laughed jokingly when they both came to and realised the position they were in. His right hand had somehow found its way right under her breast, and one of his legs had ended up between hers.

"Y-You did this on purpose!" she stuttered, her face as red as her hair. He chuckled and looked up at the door, his smile immediately dropping. Merryl wondered about that and tilted her head up to see the look of disdain on Honey's face. She was standing by the door and was obviously not happy with what she was seeing.