Jessie's pov
Nick looks over at me and i turn my gaze as i watch him drive past the tall buildings.
"How have you been?" He asks.
"What do you think?" I fire back at him. I am sure he has a preview of what my life has been. As a kid he always had this protective urge to watch over me.
And occasionally I have felt as if I was being watched, in a way that never scared me, but gave me confidence of a guardian angel.
He clears his throat and focuses back on the street as school kids jump up and down crossing the road.
"Why are they in town?" I ask. My parents live five counties away, we had a deal and i kept mine. I left. I don't understand what they want.
He glances briefly at me.
"I don't know," He says, i am sure he has an idea as to why. He was very close to my father.
I check my phone, it is like Grey's
name will magically appear on it.
I lean my head on the window and shut my eyes. I am both apprehensive and happy to see them. However, i don't know if they will share the same feeling.
"We are here." I open my eyes when Nick speaks.
I hesitate to get out. I am confused and can't make sense of my thoughts.
"It will be well," Nick coos, opening the door for me.
"It is just..." I trail thinking of my last encounter with my parents.
"I know." He ushers me outside and shuts the door.
I look up at the tall building, craning my neck.
"Just follow me Princesa," He smiles warmly.
I follow Nick to the foyer and inside we are welcomed by a well dressed man who acts like the concierge. He seems well acquainted with Nick and they exchange their pleasantries and we walk to the elevator.
When the elevator stops. I start to feel worried about what awaits me.
I feel like I am running out of mind. Why would my parents breach the agreement?
A casually dressed man roams the hallway, I know my father's security personnel by just looking.
He has always hated big cities and on a personal level, he loves to feel special and powerful surrounded by mean looking men.
Nick announces of our arrival and the door open. I might have been curious throughout the journey, but as soon as i walk in, fear takes over.
Nick leaves me inside the huge apartment alone.
"Jessica!" The familiar voice of my mother calls and i follow its source. My steps are calculated, ready to run incase it is a trap.
I enter a room that resembles a video art museum, filled with VHS tapes and neatly stored Compact Discs - my mother's trophies. It is like she intentionally put them there for everyone that walks in to see them. She's a well-known model and actress, famous for appearing topless in many shows and movies. Most people call her Spiralis, for her curly hair. She is darling of the people and her beauty just made it easy for her.
"Don't just stand there, dear. Sit." She orders and i look further to see my father's head buried in a newspaper but aware of what is going on.
"I haven't done anything wrong. I didn't break any rules in the contract... I stayed away..." Suddenly, the defensive stance I always had around my parents returns.
"No one is accusing you of anything," my mother smiles and calls for someone to bring a drink or a snack for me. Their welcoming attitude towards me is suspicious.
I sit on the nearest couch and avoid looking at them.
"Your sisters send their regards, especially, Iris." She says.
"Why am i here, mum?" I ask, instead.
"Years ago, you wrote a letter, seeking our forgiveness and acceptance back into the family. You claimed you had changed and were willing to do anything to prove it," she explains.
I nod with a sigh of relief, thinking they might be forgiving me. Perhaps I can be with my sisters and the rest of the family again.
"Your father and I want you back as well, but there's one condition."
Maybe i celebrated too early.
"What is it?" I inquire.
"Your sister, Iris, is supposed to get married in a few days..."
"Wow..." i say impressed and surprised that my sister who is like made of steel, takes life extremely serious is capable of falling in love.
"But she is a run away bride, and that is where you come in."
"I don't know where she is." Once again, my defensiveness takes over.
"She ran away with a man she just met ." My mother says, and I'm still struggling to understand the whole situation.
"The bridegroom can just call off the wedding. It is sad but..." I shrug my shoulders.
"We want you to marry him, instead." My mother drops the bomb.
I throw my head back and laugh. Her words provide comic relief in the midst of this difficult day.
"Is this a joke?" I ask, as i see my father put his paper away and his scrutinizing eyes find me.
My mother opens her mouth, but my father stops her. "You've brought nothing but trouble to this family. All those times, this family carried that burden until you decided we weren't good enough. Now, you want back, and it's your turn to return the favor. You owe us. If you can't, leave and remain dead like you have been." he says angrily, with the same pained expression he had in that lawyer's office when we signed the papers.
A mix of tears and pain overwhelms me, and my mother notices it. Her features soften. "He's a good man, wealthy too, and with him, you'll be taken care of."
"If he's so good, why did Iris run away?" I ask. My mother looks to my father for approval to explain.
"He is sick. He is a dying man." She utters making the situation worse.
"You want to burden me with a sick man. I will be just his caretaker. What kind of life is that?" I can't even understand why i am entertaining the idea of being married to a stranger while when i still glance at my phone, i think of Grey calling, seeing him again...
My father glances at me with annoyance, "Do you know the kind of life you put us through?" He asks.
"I love Grey." I say the forbidden name.
"That man has never loved you. And we understand you broke up." My mother says.
"I don't know this man, and I don't love him," I insist, desperately thinking of ways to escape this mess. I want to be with my family, but not like this.
"You will learn to love him."
"He doesn't love me."
"Dear, you've always been hard to love, but he won't live much longer. Afterward, you'll be welcomed back into the family, and you can go on to be with that Grey."
"What's his name?" I should at least know the name of the man who will be the reason I walk away from my family for the second time.
"It is Oliver Cooper." My mother says.