Set me up

"I'm not a woman who will sleep with a man I don't love!"

"So you've slept with your boyfriend?"

"So what if I've slept with my boyfriend. Are you disappointed? Then you better cancel this ridiculous wedding plan quickly." In the end, Rose chose to lie because even though she had been in love for a long time with Rayhan, they had only ever held hands, hugged and even kissed a few times, and even then, only briefly kissed for a fraction of a second.

Rayhan and Rose indeed have a healthy relationship and don't violate religious norms to prove that even orphanage children like Rayhan also know the limits of having a relationship where they are not married yet but the shameless man who is currently barging into her room is the man of her parents' choice. Who 'said' as a child from a respectable circle but turned out to be an asshole who even dared to kiss her cheek earlier.

William was still in Rose's room as if exploring every corner of her room and without even bothering to touch some of the displays such as miniature knick-knacks in the shape of an elephant and several other shapes such as flowers and urns made of porcelain.

"You have good taste too." William said while looking at a small blue and white urn with a flower motif, but it wasn't the compliment that Rose was waiting for but the answer to the 'negotiation' of canceling the wedding plan between them.

"Do you still want to marry me even though I've slept with my boyfriend?" Rose's question this time forced William to answer, not forgetting that he also snatched the miniature jar from William's hand and looked at it earnestly.

"Why not? I won't have to be so careful on our first night." William replied, he even smiled meaningfully now and made Rose even more fed up.

"Wow amazing, I forgot where you grew up, Mr. gentleman." Rose's pout.

"What's wrong with the place where I grew up, you don't reflect the customs where you grew up, do you?"

Damn it... Damn it... William dammit... Sometimes he reversed her words and instead made Rose feel insulted even though Rose was actually just lying about 'having slept with her boyfriend' but she couldn't take her words back and now Rose was really confused have to do anything else so that this tall man in front of her immediately disappears.

"So my honey Rosie, instead of you just looking at me like you're going to eat me how about we warm-up before our first night?" William asked teasingly, he didn't even hesitate to lift Rose's chin with his finger.

"Don't even dreaming about that!" Rose's edge was rough.

"And don't call me Rosie!" She continued threateningly, not forgetting to put her index finger right in William's face.

William smirked, he was more attracted by Rose's courage which made him not even hesitate to grab Rose's waist and bring her closer to him.

"Let me go or I'll scream!" Rose threatened.

"Scream and I'll cover your red lips with mine!"

"You think I'm scared of your threat?"

"You think I'm just joking?"

William's face getting closer made Rose finally stop struggling and wait for William to let go.

"Forgive me."

Rose's eyeballs moved up, didn't she hear wrong? did the frequency of the voice that sounded apologetic really come out of William's lips? The bastard who's still holding her now, really?

"I know you have wonderful plans with your lover," William spoke again this time without a teasing grin and sounding more serious.

"Then please cancel this ridiculous wedding plan," Rose asked, her voice also sounding softer following William's quieter way of speaking.

"That's what I apologize for," William said, he then released his strong arm from Rose's small waist and then touched Rose's left hand.

"Because I will ruin your beautiful plan." Like being affected by magic, Rose was silent when William pinned a diamond-studded ring on her ring finger.

For a moment Rose was stunned but then she immediately realized, without wasting time she roughly removed the ring William had pinned on her ring finger and threw it right under William's feet.

"Don't ever dream that you will succeed in marrying me," Rose said firmly, her eyes flashing annoyance shrouded in anger.

"Unfortunately I married you in the real world not in the dream world so honey, accept this reality," William said after taking the ring that was right under his feet and then walking away from Rose's room.

****

"Like that, I won't promise anything but pain so that you continue to hate me that way you will never get hurt if we part later."

William wiped his tears, how many people he had to hurt.

His brother, Gwen, Mark, and now Rose and her boyfriend.

William never thought that he would only bring suffering to the people around him.

He had contacted Jackson before he barged into Rose's room earlier.

William was clearly furious at Jackson for setting him up twice instead of just turning him into a traitor as the governor who would only take advantage of a building project but also get caught up in a marriage.

"I will refuse this marriage, you fooled me by saying this marriage is a condition. I will not marry that girl." William said in a tone of suppressed anger but with emphasis, over the phone, Jackson could be heard laughing innocently.

"Hey, isn't that girl as pretty as the one in the photo? Why do you sound so angry?"

"Because you lied to me!"

"You don't know that Dad just wants to choose the best match for his son and unfortunately you're not my son."

"I never wanted to be your real son!" William said raising his voice slightly but Jackson just snorted as if he didn't care.

"You've usurped Mark's position and you also want the girl he loves, that's too greedy, Will."

"I never wanted to be in Mark's shoes," William said in a lower voice now, it was true what Jackson told him if he had become greedy by also loving Gwen whom Mark clearly loved.

But the feeling of love cannot be forced.

"You set me up." William continued.

"And you can't escape the hole I made so just enjoy your life for now or I'll tell you about the relationship between you and Gwen that way Mark will hate you or maybe he'll jump to suicide because of a broken heart."

"How can you say that about your own son."

"Mark would be like that if I told you about your relationship with Gwen so it's all your fault."

William ruffled his hair roughly, Jackson making his position even more difficult.

"But it will be different if you marry that woman while waiting for Mark's love for Gwen to fade then you and Gwen can be together but if that sick woman doesn't die quickly," Jackson called before hanging up the phone.

Now there is no other choice but to marry Rose and then become governor and complete the construction of the project. That's the only path William can take right now, a road full of potholes and thorns that can not only hurt him but also those around him.

***