Addicted To The Arranged Bride

***

~~ZARA~~

***

It was past 10 p.m. I was still up, folding clothes and fixing my bed like some busy bee even though my body begged for sleep.

I tried not to overthink, but my brain refused to shut up.

It drifted back to what happened earlier at school-that stupid moment when I tripped and fell into Dante Wright's arms.

Just remembering it made my skin heat up. Ugh. I could still smell his stupidly expensive cologne like it was haunting me.

God, why did I have to fall? Why did he have to catch me? And why did my heart have to act so stupid about it?

I shook my head, climbing into bed.

It didn't matter. Dante is irrelevant. He's just Adrian's annoying older brother who loved to mess with me. That's it. Nothing more.

I pulled the covers over me, staring at the ceiling.

Mom had been acting weird since she got back from the Wrights' mansion earlier. She hadn't said a word to me. Just walked in, went straight to her room, and stayed there.

Something was off. I could feel it.

But I'm too tired to deal with whatever drama was brewing.

I closed my eyes and let sleep take over.

***

The next morning, I woke up to my alarm blaring in my ear.

I groaned, slapped it off, and dragged myself out of bed.

My body felt heavy, like I hadn't slept at all. But I had classes, so I couldn't stay in bed no matter how much I wanted to.

I showered, threw on my uniform, and tied my hair into a high ponytail.

I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.

Mom was sitting at the dining table, staring at her coffee like it held the answers to all problems. She didn't even look up when I walked in.

"Morning," I said, dropping my bag on the chair.

She glanced at me, and her face looked... sad.

"Mom?" I said, walking closer. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer right away. She just kept staring at her cup.

"Mom?"

She sighed, finally looking at me. "Zara, we need to talk."

Oh no. Nothing good ever started with "We need to talk."

I sat down slowly, my heart already starting to race. "What happened?"

She took a deep breath. "I went to see the Wrights yesterday. I asked them to help us with the company."

I nodded. "Okay? And?"

"They agreed."

My eyes widened. "Wait, seriously? That's amazing! Mom, that's-"

"But there's a condition."

I froze. "What condition?"

"They'll only help us if you marry Dante," she revealed.

For a second, I didn't process it. I just stared at her, waiting for her to laugh and say she was joking.

But she didn't laugh.

"What the hell? That's so outrageous!" I shouted, standing up. "They agreed to help us only if I get married to their eldest son, Dante?"

She nodded, her eyes filled with tears.

I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach. "Mom, everyone knows I have feelings for Adrian! His parents literally know that! So why would they want me to marry Dante? I hadn't even seen him in years until yesterday!"

"I know, baby. I know."

"No, you don't!" I snapped. "I love Adrian! Not Dante! Why can't I marry Adrian instead?"

She stood up, walking over to me. "Zara, please. I didn't want this either. But we don't have a choice."

"Yes, we do! We can figure something else out!"

"There's nothing else!" she said, her voice breaking. "The bank is coming for everything, Zara. The house, the company-everything your father built. This is the only way."

I shook my head. "So that's it? You're just throwing me into a loveless arranged marriage because of money?"

"Love will come with time," she said.

"Love will come with time?" I repeated. "That's your answer? What about my dreams?"

She reached out, but I stepped back. "Mom, what about my goals? I wanted to open my own restaurant, travel, and build something that's mine. Do those matter anymore?"

"Of course they matter-"

"Then why are you doing this?" I wiped my tears angrily. "I don't have a problem marrying into the Wright family. But why does it have to be Dante? He bullied me when we were kids! And now you expect me to marry him? Why not, Adrian? Everyone can see I love him."

Mom looked at me with that knowing look she always gave when she was about to say something I didn't want to hear. "Zara, if Adrian loved you, he would've asked you out by now. You've been giving him signs for years."

And she was right. I hated that she was right.

Adrian flirted with me, smiled at me, and hung out with me-but he never asked me to be his girlfriend. Never made it official.

Why?

"I need time to think," I said, grabbing my bag. "Where are my car keys?"

"The bank came this morning. They took all the cars," she replied.

"What?!"

"They're coming for the house next," she informed.

I stood there, staring at her, so confused.

This is really happening.

"I have to go," I muttered, heading for the door.

"Zara-"

"I'll think about it, okay? Just... give me time."

I walked out before she could say anything else.

Luckily, I caught the school bus just in time.

I sat in the back, staring out the window. My mind kept replaying everything Mom said.

Marriage. To Dante Wright.

The same guy who teased me with every chance he got.

How am I supposed to marry him?

When the bus pulled up to campus, I got off and immediately spotted Dahlia getting out of her car.

She waved at me, then frowned. "Why are you on the bus?"

"Long story," I muttered, walking over to her.

Before she could respond, the sound of an engine revving made us both turn.

A white Bugatti Chiron rolled up in front of us. Everyone nearby stopped to stare.

The window rolled down, and Adrian popped his head out, grinning like he'd just won the lottery.

My mouth literally fell open.

"No way," Dahlia said with wide eyes.

Adrian got out, looking way too happy for this early in the morning. His black hair was perfectly styled, and his smile was enough to make any girl lose her mind.

But all I could think about was what my mom said. "If he loved you, he would've asked you out by now."

"Cool, you got a new car?" I asked, forcing a smile.

"Advantage of having an elder brother back in town," he said, grinning. "Dante got it for me this morning. My brother and I might've had grudges back then, but he still loves me."

Of course. Dante.

Everything always came back to Dante.

Dahlia rolled her eyes. "Rich people problems."

He's out here bragging about a gift from the same brother I'm being forced to marry.

The school bell rang, and we headed inside.

During the first period, I couldn't focus. The professor's voice was just background noise while my thoughts ran in circles.

All I could think about was the marriage arrangement. The fact that my entire life was about to change because of money and business deals.

I didn't have a choice. Not really.

If I don't marry Dante, my mom and I would lose everything.

But if I marry him, I'd lose Adrian.

What was I supposed to do?

"Zara."

I blinked, feeling someone tap my shoulder.

I turned. Dahlia was on my left, Adrian on my right-both looking at me with concern.

"The professor's talking to you," Dahlia mouthed.

I turned to the front, and my art professor was staring right at me.

"Miss Williams," he said. "The bursar wants to see you in her office. Now."

I stood up slowly, every eye in the room following me as I walked out.

This won't be good. I felt nervous.