THIRTY FOUR

"getting married" l say repeating after him

"Yes but trust me this is not something l want for myself. My father is forcing me to" he defends

"you are a grown man capable of making your own decisions. Surely you can't tell me that this is your father's doing" l say getting annoyed

" It's an arranged marriage" he deadpans

"arranged marriage in the 21st century" did he honestly think that he could make a fool out of me. Understandably, the actions l had taken during the course of our relationship were not in my favour but this was the moment l drew the line

"My grandfather entered into an agreement with.... I don't have to explain myself to you. I never lie to you about my affairs. Why should l start now, all in the name of not hurting your feelings. Give me more credit than that" and he hit the nail to the coffin. He did have a point and l didn't see the use of arguing any further with him about the situation

"and that's the good news that you have been raving about all week?" l ask in disbelief

"Only because now l can finally take over the company as CEO" the selfish man spoke. It had always been about him and never anyone else.

" And how the whole wedding would affect me has never been a good enough reason to reconsider or to convince you father. If you told him you were going to get married to me he would have probably let you get away with it all" l suggest knowing he will turn down my suggestion

"The only way for me to get the company is to go along with his arrangement. Its only for two years. The number of years we've been in this relationship" he laughed in my face like what he said was the most normal thing in the world

"whatever Hilden, at this point l don't care" l said

"The door is always open for you to leave. You are not tied down to me. If you have a problem then leave" he said slapping a couple of notes on the table before storming out. I remained seated trying to process everything that had just happened. Form catching him with Celia to his 'arranged wedding'

"We are meeting my bride tomorrow. Be nice. I will text you the details" he said via text. The nerve of the man. He was lucky that l loved him or else l wouldn't put up with his nonsense.

The next day didn't come fast enough. I was anxious to see who had caught the attention of John that Hilden had to pay the price to be crowned the next heir, as if that was a surprise. The man was extremely controlling of Hilden, always disguising his actions as character development activities. And Hilden is too obsessed with being the CEO that he would blindly follow through with whatever his father requires of him.

"Baby?" Hilden spoke into the phone with no animosity or regret. As if all was well between us and he hadn't just told me that l had to meet the woman who was taking my place as Mrs Smith.

"what do you want?" 

"Is that how you speak to the love of your life?" he said jokingly, slightly laughing 

"The man l love? what do you want Hilden Smith?" l wasn't in the mood for his games. I just wanted to be alone, processing the events of the last twenty-four hours.

"I want you to know that you are the only woman l love. It doesn't matter who l sleep with or who carries my last name. You are the woman of my dreams, without you in my life l will just be a shell of a man. You alone have my heart" l could hear the sincerity in his voice and it is unfair of me to blame him for something he has no control over. The person only person to blame is John. He has ever accepted me as his son's girlfriend and he would do anything to remove me from Hilden's life

"And l love you. I'm sorry for handing the situation so childishly." l apologised to the only man in my life.

"Don't blame yourself for it. I wanted to remind you that tonight we are going to meet Aurora, the woman l am going to marry. Will you be able to meet her tonight? or should l postpone" it warmed my heart that he was being considerate of my feelings, one of the main reasons l loved him so much.

"Why prolong the inevitable? let's get it over with" l would rather know early on what l would have to put up with. 

"Perfect, l will see you tonight"

"A little heads up will be appreciated. What type of person is she? Is she pretty? prettier than me?" l was easily an insecure girl in the presence of other beautiful women simply because Hilden had a type. I wouldn't want him getting married to a woman who could easily take my place.

"You have nothing to worry about. She doesn't like this arrangement and she definitely isn't a threat to you. she is not my type, beautiful but not my type." his last statement did nothing to calm my nerves because the last time he said that about a woman, l found her sneaking out of his place in an attempt to keep their affair a secret.

"Look, get ready and l will see you tonight. I love you" he said

"Before l let you go, l have one question for you." 

"I'm all ears"

"Is there anyone else in the picture, any affairs or flings l should know about?" l asked hoping he will be honest about Celia as he has been about his old conquests. Because as they say, 'you never hide what you don't love'.

"Just you and l against the world baby doll. My heart is all yours. I seriously have to go. I will see you tonight" he said ending the call and shattering my heart into pieces yet again in a space of less than twenty four hours