Remington Mansion
Night had already settled in. After an early dinner, the house grew quiet. Ria was in her room, revising her medical notes.
Knock.
She looked up and said softly, "Come in."
Zach opened the door. "Were you sleeping, dear?"
"No, Dad. Come inside. I'm just revising last month's reports and my notes," she replied with a smile.
Zach walked in and sat beside her on the bed, careful and gentle.
Ria closed her notebook and moved closer to him.
"What happened, Dad? Is something bothering you?" she asked, worry lacing her voice.
Zach chuckled and patted her head. "It's nothing, dear."
Ria pouted slightly. "Tell me, Dad. I know you're here to say something."
Zach sighed, his gaze drifting away. "It's.."
A knock interrupted him.
They looked up to see Rian, Adeline, and Meg standing at the door.
Ria sighed, defeated. "The door is open, Boboo."
Rian chuckled as all of them walked in. Ria's worry deepened.
"Why are you all here? What happened, Mamma?" she asked.
Adeline sat beside her on the bed, while Rian settled on the floor near her feet.
"You guys are scaring me now!" Ria said, visibly tense.
Rian took her hands in his. "Hey, it's nothing, Muffin… What do you think about... wedding?" he asked carefully.
Ria's face lit up with a smile.
"Oh! So you're here to talk about your wedding. Don't worry. I've planned everything perfectly," she said proudly.
Adeline cupped her cheek affectionately. "No, dear. We're asking about you. Your…"
She swallowed hard. "…your wedding."
"Me?" Ria frowned, confusion clouding her face.
They all nodded.
Ria lowered her gaze to her hands.
"Do you want to send me away that fast?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Rian gripped her hands. "No, muffin, never. We could never send you away. But of course, you should get married one day…" He trailed off.
"Yes, baby. Marriage doesn't mean you're going away," Adel said, hugging her from the side.
"You'll always be with us, after marriage too," Rian reassured her.
Zach, who had been silent all this while, suddenly stood up. "See, I told you. She doesn't like him. The wedding is cancelled," he said firmly.
Adel sighed. "You didn't even ask her, darling."
Zach looked away.
Ria frowned. "Who?"
Meg chuckled softly. "Your dear General."
Ria's eyes widened, and her cheeks heated instantly.
"How about marrying your favourite Uncle Theo's son?" Adel asked gently.
Ria blushed furiously. "I… I…" She hid her face in her palms.
"See? You've got your answer," Meg said teasingly.
"My baby…" Adel kissed her cheeks lovingly.
"Is it okay now, Zach?"
Zach only raised his eyebrows at Adel, and Ria noticed it.
"Umm… if you, if you don't like him, then I don't either," Ria said in a low, hesitant voice.
Zach sighed and sat beside her again, patting her head.
"Yeah, he's a brat. But nothing is more important than my baby," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Woah! Dad, your opinion changed so fast," Rian teased.
"So… you'll call Brother Theo and fix it?" Adel suggested.
Zachary nodded. "Okay, dear. Have a good night's sleep. We're leaving."
He stood up, and Adel followed after giving Ria a goodnight kiss.
"Okay, muffin, we're also leaving," Rian said.
"Huh! What 'we'? Only you're going. Meg is sleeping with me," Ria said, teasing him.
"No way!!!" he exclaimed in horror, lifting Meg onto his shoulder and sprinting out.
Ria guffawed at his antics.
Late night.
Ria tossed and turned on her bed. She was too excited to sleep, yet fear clutched at her heart. She still didn't know how he felt about her. They had never spoken about that, about feelings.
'Should I call him? Yeah… I think it's okay to call him. But Goooooood, it's embarrassing.
Still, it's okay to confirm, right? Yes. I'm going to call him.'
Her mind was a whirlwind of questions, doubts, and emotions. Brushing everything aside, she finally made the call.
"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable."
She tried again.
"The number you are trying to reach is currently switched off."
"Maybe he's busy," she mumbled sadly.
Just then, her phone rang again, this time from the hospital. It was an emergency. She quickly gathered her things and rushed out.
Meanwhile…
Military Camp
Alex's cabin
Alex sat alone, lost in his thoughts.
'God! What am I supposed to do? Dad seems too serious. I can't defy him. At the same time, I can't even think about marrying someone else…
I love Ria. I'm damn sure of my feelings. But Dad…'
His phone chimed, breaking his thoughts. Alex froze when he saw the caller ID. His chest tightened.
'It's her. What should I talk to her about? Tomorrow I'm supposed to meet my so-called fiancée? No. Never. She doesn't know anything. I can't let her know like this.'
The call disconnected.
Without another thought, he switched off his phone.
"I'll call her back once everything is settled," he muttered. "Tomorrow, I'll meet that woman and make it clear, I won't marry her. Till then... wait for me, babygirl."
He looked at Ria's picture lovingly.
A message from Emma flashed on his screen earlier, Theo had requested to meet her the next day at a café. But Alex had already made up his mind.
He wasn't going to wait. Tomorrow morning, he would go to the Remington mansion and clear everything for good.