I unlocked my car with the key after getting out. I walked up to the door, pouted, rang the bell, and waited for it to open.

"Welcome Miss Amelia." Greetings Chloe, who offered to take my things.

I grinned and said, "Thank you, but I can do it," as I moved by her toward the stairwell that led directly to my bedroom. Right now, all I wanted to do was lie on my bed and try to figure out how I could salvage as much time as possible from this catastrophe.

"Hey, sis?" Scarlett called, and I heard her. In answer, I rotated my head to face her. My sister, who is seventeen, is a senior in high school. We have similar hair colors and are about the same height. Occasionally, someone may ask if we are identical. She now has our father's eyes, which is the only significant difference. I observed her appearance from the doorway; she had disheveled hair and a sweatshirt on.

"Amelia?" From the sitting room, my mother entered. I could tell she knew what was going on as our eyes met. Her eyes glowed with sadness, and her face conveyed inequality. With the same expression occupying his features, my father slipped in behind her. They had to be in here discussing our situation.

"Amelia? "Honey, how are you feeling?" As she approached me and clasped my hands, Mother inquired, with Dad and Scarlett trailing closely behind. Their behavior was oppressive; right now, I needed time to myself and reflect.

"Amelia. You are under no obligation to do this if you choose not to. You are free to do this and not have to correct other people's mistakes."

"Amelia, please think about this decision, it impacts us tremendously."

"Are you serious now, Fred? Are you genuinely attempting to have your daughter clean up your mistakes? Besides, we hardly know this man," Mom cried out.

"It's not that I want her to... it's just... the consequences that follow this are tremendous."

Do you wish to keep your money by selling my daughter? That is twisted. My mom broke down. Her look terrified me, and I was relieved that I was not facing her.

"I don't know what else to do, but I'm not selling my daughter! He is capable of stealing everything we own. There are so many things at risk—you'd have to go back to work, other employees might lose their jobs, etc."

"He must first prevail in the case! That isn't guaranteed."

"Why are you being so harsh on Aria? You see why we must take this action; it's not what I had in mind, but it's what has to happen given the circumstances."

"Fred I know this for sure! Although I have made my share of sacrifices, I will not give up my daughter."

"I'll do it!" I let out a cry. My family was not worth being torn apart over this. Everybody was staring at me with their mouth agape. I averted my gaze since I didn't want them to witness my distress over this.

I sighed and went on. "If I don't do it, everything changes, so I'll marry him. I refuse to split up this family and cause so many of our diligent employees to lose their jobs. When I have the key to solve it, I can't just watch things like that happen. I don't have much to lose because I'm not in a relationship right now either."

I had never seen them look so astonished, as I turned to face them again.

"I'm tired; I need to be alone right now." I made my request before turning to go up the stairs to my room. I was relieved that no one continued to argue against my choice. Maybe this was a good thing. After taking a bath, I got into my pajamas. Perched on my bed, I surveyed the space. It was comfortable and homey, though not as magnificent as you would expect from my father's position. There was nothing remarkable to look out of the window; the walls and ceiling were white with glossy brown tiles.

The door was suddenly knocked on. "Come in!"

When the door cracked open, Scarlett peered inside. "Is it okay if I'm in here?"

I laughed a little.

"I already said you can come in."

She gave me a smile before entering directly and taking a seat next to me.

"I came to tell you something that will make you feel better." With a giggle, she reached behind her back to retrieve a magazine. "Hey look who it is!"

One of the prettiest boys I've seen in a long time was on the cover of the MEN Magazine. He wore a black tie, a white shirt, and a royal blue suit. His dark hair was a tangle of expertly styled hair. His eyes were intensely focused, and his face was a little stiff. I narrowed my eyes at the picture and knitted my brows.

Oh, Lord! That's the same idiot with whom I had a heated conversation earlier. I could not stop staring at him since he looked so good. Too bad he has a foul attitude. If only people were aware of this man's true nature.

"He's Andrew Baker, one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, and your husband-to-be!" Scarlett let out a cry.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh please, Amelia. Are you implying that he isn't attractive enough to swoon over? He's worthy of the front cover, literally. To be in your position, so many ladies would queue up!"

And you're expected to cheer me up with that? Scar, you truly have no idea what a nightmare he is to deal with. My interaction with him has taught me that, at this point, the only qualities that make him appealing are his money and good looks. That's not what I'm after."

"Whoa, I had no idea how significant this was. It has only begun to take effect." Scar said, her eyes fixed on me. Her eyes had a somewhat amused look, which I could see.

"Leave it to me, here's an idea. It's not a problem because you love him."

Scarlett said, laughing, "No thank you," and got out of bed.

"Well, anyways, I call being the Maid of Honour, I don't care who the rest of the bridesmaids are, okay?" In response, all I could do was shake my head. She seemed not to realize the significance of this sacrifice, I could tell. I have a lot of years ahead of me with this man, and even if we end up divorcing, I will always be connected to him because of the media and everyone around me. I'm not going to find the person I truly want to spend the rest of my life with. I'll be stuck in a marriage devoid of love. "Goodnight, Scar," I said, putting on a dejected grin.

Gesturing, Scarlett said, "I'm leaving the magazine for you," and walked out of the room.

"Nah! Keep him with me, please!" I tried calling after her, but it was too late; she had left.

I took up the magazine next to me and looked down at it. I scowled at myself. How come it feels like he's looking directly at me? How come? Do you think you can break into my residence as well? "Where are my scissors?" Before I looked around for the scissors, I wondered aloud. I located one.

"Let's see how you like it when I come in and mess everything up for you!" I cried out as I started using the scissors to tear off the magazine's front cover. Later, when I realized how ridiculous what I had done was, I laughed a little. An excellent method for relieving tension and releasing some of my repressed rage.