When I was younger and knew less about the world and how relationships between people were supposed to function, I had thought that it was normal for a parent to ask for favors from their child. For the life of , I cannot recall a conversation with my father where he didn’t want or needed sothing from . It was when I grew up that I realized that it wasn’t normal, and that the conversations that my father had with Anthony were different. At the sa ti, I realized that my father had no other reason or desire to have any other kind of conversation with . As ti passed by, the things I thought were requests turned into commands.
I wasn’t sure how I felt at the ti, but I was surely not at all surprised. It was as if deep down, I had always known that my father and his wife and the entire Vulkan family did not give a damn about or my mother. Just as my father would only appear from ti to ti at our house during the dead of night to seek comfort from my mother’s body, he only appeared in front of when he needed help. I didn’t know what else could take precedence with my brother lying on the hospital bed in that condition.
“Who is it this ti?” I asked without showing any interest because I didn’t harbor any within .
“This ti it’s different...” my father replied before letting out a sigh that made him sound so tired.
“What is it this ti?” I asked again while slightly changing my question.
Most of the ti, my father’s request only boiled down to two types. The first was for to erase soone. The second was for to destroy or clean up sothing. The dark side of the Vulkan family only existed for those kinds of purposes. Removing obstacles and cleaning up the ss made by the main family was my job. Acting in the shadows to perform deeds that the main family mbers could not do out in the open under the shining sun was also my job.
“I need you to marry soone,” he said quite clearly.
“Marry...?” I murmured that word that seed so mysterious to .
What does he even an?
“That’s right. I need you to marry soone,” he repeated sternly.
Although I could tell that he was being serious, I didn’t quite understand what he wanted. He was certainly honest and right when he said that this was different than all the other requests before. My eyes narrowed slightly as my mind struggled to comprehend the truth behind his words.
“I don’t understand,” I replied after a mont of thought.
“What don’t you understand? I need you to marry Diana Alnault, the heir of the Alnault family,” he said, loud and clear.
“Diana...” I whispered her na.
“Surely you rember her. You’ve t her countless tis before,” my father reminded needlessly.
There was no way that I would forget about Diana or the various tis that I t her.
However...
“Diana is Anthony’s fiancée,” I pointed out the obvious.
“Precisely,” he repeated without missing a beat.
“I won’t marry my brother’s fiancée,” I refused calmly.
It wasn’t my particular preference in the matter that I was worried about. Anthony was in love with Diana and their relationship had been one for many to feel jealous of ever since they got engaged from when they were kids. I wasn’t sure how in love with Diana he was, but it was enough for him to go along with father’s wish for the wedding. He held her in high regard and always treated her with utmost care and respect. That much was clear to , and he had made sure to drill it into that I should do the sa. I would never marry Diana or do anything to take her away from Anthony. Period.
“The wedding is just around the corner,” father pointed out.
“Then postpone it,” I replied with the most obvious solution.
“The shareholder eting where I’ll be announcing Anthony formally as the next heir is in two days,” he said as he glared at .
I already knew what he was getting at...
“Postpone it. Everything can wait until Anthony gets better,” I said with a straight face.
“No, it can’t! We can’t postpone anything. Not the shareholder eting and definitely not the wedding. Everyone has been waiting for this to happen. It’s finally ti to formally unite our families and move this country forward into a new era,” father announced passionately.
How can he say such things ambitiously when his son is in that broken condition?
“It will have to wait,” I surmised without backing down.
“You don’t get it, do you? Anthony isn’t going to wake up anyti soon. He won’t wake up today and he won’t wake up tomorrow or the week after that...” my father raised his voice loudly.
“What is that supposed to an?” I asked although I had a very bad feeling of what it really ant.
“His brain is damaged. The doctors aren’t sure how serious it is, but they have ruled that he’s in a vegetative state right now. He won’t return back to normal within a week...” my father said before trailing off.
“He’s...” I murmured as the shocking truth began sinking in.
“We’re running out of ti...” Anthony’s mother spoke up for the first ti since we entered the eting room.
“I will not go along with this,” I stated firmly.
“You don’t have a choice. We don’t have the luxury of a choice either,” father countered with a frown between his brows.
The situation was indeed bleak for both our family and the future of the country if this marriage wouldn’t go through as planned. However, none of that concerned enough for to do anything that may harm my brother’s life and future.
“We should wait for Anthony to regain consciousness. You should tell everyone the truth about what has happened,” I suggested with what I thought was the most sensible solution.
--To be continued...
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