Chasing Fairy Tales(1)

Penelope's name was not on the list, but she'd never expected to hear that their mother managed to make Melody get engaged to Raven Hendrix the next day. She was caught off guard and didn't know what to feel about the situation.

Melody's cry echoed within their manor, startling Penelope as she hurried down the grand staircase. She found her sister in the sitting room, tears streaming down her face as she clutched a crumpled piece of paper in her hands. Penelope knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on Melody's trembling shoulder.

"What happened, Melody?" Penelope asked softly.

Melody looked up with red-rimmed eyes, her gaze filled with a mixture of disbelief and betrayal.

"Mother...she did this without even asking me. I don't love Raven Hendrix, Penny. I barely know him!"

Penelope's heart clenched at the despair in her sister's voice. She knew that Melody yearned for a love that would set her soul on fire, not a strategic alliance crafted by their mother. However, they both know that Melody's marriage to Raven Hendrix could potentially help their failing family business.

"I can't do this, Penny," Melody sobbed, her tears soaking into Penelope's dress. "I don't love him. I love Oscar, and I will never marry anyone else but him."

Penelope felt her own heart constricted with sympathy for her younger sister, but she had no idea how to help her younger sister. Their mother was desperate to marry them off to wealthy businessmen to save their company, and the longer they resisted, the tighter the constraints would become.

Penelope held Melody in her arms, feeling the weight of their circumstances pressing down on her. As the eldest sister, she knew she had to be strong, not just for herself but for Melody as well. But what could she do? It was hard for anyone to change their mother's mind, especially if she had already set her mind on Melody's future with Raven Hendrix.

As Penelope sat there, pondering their predicament, She wasn't happy with this arrangement. She didn't want to watch her sisters marry men they didn't love. Although she knew that finding a decent husband these days was hard, Penelope hoped her sisters could marry men who would cherish and respect them for who they truly were. She couldn't bear the thought of her sisters trapped in loveless marriages for the sake of business.

It took three hours before Melody calmed down and fell asleep in her room. Penelope silently closed behind her and found her other two younger sisters waiting in the hallway.

"Is Melody alright? Clara informed me of what happened." Priscilla said barely a whisper.

Penelope was surprised to see Priscilla at home at this time, as she was usually doing her rounds in the hospital where she worked as a doctor. Her presence now was a telltale sign of how serious the situation had become with Melody's forced engagement. Penelope sighed, her shoulders heavy with the weight of responsibility for her siblings' well-being.

"She's devastated," Penelope replied, her voice heavy with worry. "Mother has orchestrated an engagement between Melody and Raven Hendrix without Melody's consent."

Priscilla's eyes widened in shock, while Clara frowned in confusion.

"But Melody is in love with someone else." Clara said.

Penelope sighed, wondering the same thing herself.

"Mother believes it's for the good of the family business. I'll try to speak with her later, but I cannot assure that I can change her mind."

Priscilla nodded and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Mother has gone too far this time. She managed to find a husband for Melody. I'm afraid it won't take long before Clara and I find ourselves in the same predicament."

The weight of the situation settled heavily on them as they stood in a somber silence, contemplating the uncertain future that lay ahead. It was clear that their mother's ambitions for advantageous marriages overshadowed any consideration for her daughters' happiness.

Penelope's heart ached at the thought of her other sisters facing the same fate as Melody. She knew she had to find a way to protect them, even if it meant going against their mother's wishes. As the eldest sister, it was her responsibility to ensure her siblings' happiness and well-being, seeing that their mother was too desperate to keep their lavish lifestyle by selling them off for marriage.

"We have to find a way out of this, Pen," Clara added, stepping closer to her sisters. "We can't let Mother control our lives like this."

"But I don't understand why Melody was chosen to be engaged to Mr. Hendrix when it's clear to me he's interested in you, Pen?" Priscilla couldn't help but ask.

Penelope's expression hardened.

"You are thinking too much, Ceecee. Why would he be interested in me? We've never seen each other prior to the charity gala. He might be curious about our family, given how persistent Mother has been in introducing us to potential suitors. But that doesn't mean he has any genuine interest in me rather than the family fortune," Penelope said as her mind raced with possibilities.

"We don't even know what kind of person Mr. Hendrix is." Priscilla agreed with her sister. She then glanced at Clara and asked, "Do you know anything else about him, Clara?"

Since Clara was the friendliest amongst the four Dimitriou sisters, she had made a lot of friends within their circle, and Priscilla had no doubt their younger sister knew more than they did about Raven Hendrix.

Clara bit her lip, deep in thought, before she spoke up.

"I've heard some rumors about him. They say he's a shrewd businessman, ruthless when it comes to making deals. But beyond that, not much is known about his personal life. From what I've heard, Raven Hendrix is a successful businessman with a ruthless reputation. He's known for his cutthroat tactics in the corporate world and his lack of empathy towards those he deems to be competitors. He's built his empire from the ground up, but rumors swirl about the lengths he's willing to go to maintain his power."

Penelope frowned, the information adding another layer of concern to their already complicated situation. If Raven Hendrix was truly as ruthless as the rumors suggested, Melody's future looked even bleaker.

"I don't trust Mother's judgment in this matter," Priscilla said firmly. "We need to come up with a plan to help Melody and prevent the same fate from befalling us."

"This doesn't bode well for Melody. If what we heard is true, then she'll be miserable in a marriage with him." Clara added. "There is also no assurance that Mr. Hendrix will help us with the company. We don't have that much, but the connections and resources Father had would surely benefit him."

Penelope nodded grimly, her mind already racing with plans to somehow derail their mother's intentions without bringing ruin to their family name. She couldn't bear to see Melody shackled to a man who would make her unhappy for the rest of her days.