1 Bad News

The atmosphere in the room was tense.

Violet Xu swept her gaze around the room before landing her eyes on her father. She still hoped that her father would back down and stop making the situation tense.

However, it doesn't look as if her father is going to give up soon.

The tick-tocking from the clock on the wall sounded very loud.

Violet Xu's face turned uglier with each passing second.

"Honey, you look awful."

The voice broke the silence in the room. 

Violet Xu gave a sideways glance at her mother. Her mouth started to twitch as she wondered whether her mother was trying to lighten up the tension between them with that joke.

Noticing the way her mother continued to look at her, Violet finally spoke, "Thanks Mom," she deadpanned.

After being told that she was engaged to a boy when she was still a two-year-old baby, it would be a miracle if her expression did not look as terrible.

She should have sensed that trouble was brewing when her father gathered the family around after their dinner. Imagine her shock when her father announced this terrible news! Violet could not stop thinking that it was only a dream and that everything would be fine when she woke up.

However, she was disappointed to find that she was not dreaming.

Violet tried to shut her eyes tightly and pinched herself in her arms just to ensure that everything was not a dream. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times, but the scenes before her did not change. Her mother was still staring back at her with worry, and her brother, Jace was arguing with her father regarding this engagement.

No matter how hard she tried to think of this situation as a bad dream, Violet realized that this was real life.

At this time, Violet was stunned by her parent's decision to set her up with a friend's son with marriage as their future prospect. She did not know how she should react or think about it.

Her mind whirled to think of this sudden news. She could not compute with this information at the beginning and now that her mind was working once again, Violet found that she did not like her parents' arrangement.

Not one bit.

For the last five minutes, Violet sat on the sofa with her expression gradually paled. It was not until her mother had spoken to her that she was able to react.

What year was it?

How did arranged marriage still exist?

Was this the reason why her eyes could not stop twitching from the moment she woke up this morning?

A lot of questions went through her mind all at once and Violet was wondering if she could stay in her mind forever thinking about all the unimportant things instead of the silly arrangement.

However, Violet realized that she could not escape this discussion.

Frankly, she didn't like the idea of an arranged marriage. It didn't feel right to have her life sorted out like this—to marry a stranger… this idea sounded so ludicrous. How her parents thought that it would be a great idea to set a marriage for her while she was still a two-year-old baby was beyond her imagination.

Her father, James Xu was a professor at a prestigious university. He was supposed to be someone smart. But Violet began to suspect that there must be something wrong with her father's brain when he decided to agree with this marriage arrangement.

Or else, how can he set an engagement for her when she was merely a two-years-old baby?

For years... No. Ever since she was born, Violet was loved by her parents. As her father's daughter, she was doted on, had received a good upbringing and education. Even when she mentioned that she wanted to open up a Cupcake bakery, her father was the most supportive and has been her largest investor.

And because of this friendship, her father was willing to overlook his daughter's happiness...

Fortunately, even though her parents were not able to think straight, her brother, Jace Xu, took her side and defended her against her parents' wishes.

But watching the arguments made her feel like she was in a war zone or some sort with her brother and her father shouting at each other. At this rate, if Violet chose not to say something, she knew that in the end, she would be forced to accept this engagement. Because... it looked like her brother was losing.

Anyway, it was better to fight for her future than to let it follow the flow.

"You can't do this, dad. You're not being fair to her," Jace said with frustration in his voice. His gaze alternated between their father and their mother. His gaze stopped at their mother and Jace felt his anger accelerated when their mother did not say anything. "Mom, you need to say something too! Don't tell me that you have agreed to Dad's idea?"

Anna Wu pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and sighed. "What am I supposed to say? You know your dad. Once he made his decision, he wouldn't change his mind."

As someone who has been married to James Wu for years, Anna knew her husband's temperament well. To make him change his mind, a lot of work needed to be done.

"You're his wife," Jace argued. "There must be something you could do or say to make him change his mind."

"Now, stop it, Jace." James finally rubbed at the space between his eyebrows. He then tilted his head up to look at his daughter. "I think it's only fair to let Violet make her own decision."

Jace snickered. "Dad! You're the one who made this arrangement. Now you're telling her that she can make a decision? If she said that she's against this arrangement, would you agree to it?"

Violet winced. For a brief moment, she thought screaming out loud or perhaps sprinting out of the room in a dramatic way to protest. But that was not her style.

Finally, she held up her hand as a cue to stop her dad and brother's endless shouting.

Jace stopped in the middle of his sentence to look at his sister with his eyes wide.

Violet took a deep breath and gave her brother an assuring gaze. "Don't worry. I can handle this," she whispered. 

She appreciated his brother's effort to take her side, but the argument was getting on her nerves. It started to give her a headache. At this time, Violet knew that she was the only one who could stop the father and son from their arguments.

"So," James smiled. "Violet, have you made your decision?"