Chapter 1 The Decision

• ALESSIA
• “I can see that you are a few minutes earlier than your appointment with Mr. Robinson, I am afraid he can't attend to you right now, he is pretty occupied.” The secretary politely told me. “You might want to wait until your scheduled appointment with him over there.” She gave me a smile as she pointed me to where the couch was.
• I knew exactly what I was there for, to take the first step in saving my sister, Lia. I knew I needed to do this, as a matter of fact, I was sure I was willing to do whatever it takes to get my sister back.
• As I was waiting for Mr. Robinson, I was trying to distance my mind from the weight of all these emotions that were squeezing my brain for how many days now. Although my initial reaction to this idea was to protest against it, I saw no other way to confront everything than this. Either this would work or not, at least it would not add up to my list of regrets.
• I remembered that day so we'll, the moment when Mr. Martin dropped the news that changed the course, not only of my life, but also of my sister's. Thankfully, I had my Aunt Edith with me who actually orchestrated the idea of seeking help from the Robertsons.
• "Auntie, what are we going to do now?" I was on the verge of tears again. To be honest, my eyes had been stinging since we left the restaurant earlier. Not only were my ears ringing, but my eyes were also hurting.
• Because I refused to comply with what the old man wanted, he dragged Lia along and took her away. I couldn't do anything to stop him. Aside from my sister's willingness to go along, the old man also threatened that no help would come if Aunt Edith tried to prevent their departure.
• "There’s only one way that I can think of to save your sister," Aunt Edith replied.
• "What is it?"
• "Ask for help from your father's friend, the owner of Artisan Furnitures. If your parents arranged you to marry their son, maybe they can also help you now," my aunt suggested.
• The idea of going to the Robinsons and asking them for help frightened me. Not only because I have never seen and met them in person, but I knew that this huge of a favor may require something huge in return. What was even more frightening was the fact that these people, together with my own parents, had agreed to an arranged marriage for their respective child.
• The only thing that came to mind after dissecting that idea was the thought of being married to a man, whose face I had never laid my eyes on. Either I take the fate of being married to a stranger or letting that horrible old man, Mr. Martin, destroy the life of my younger sister.
• "What do you want to happen? Which one do you prefer to be arranged in marriage, you or your sister? Do you have anyone else in mind whom you can ask help from if you don't want to approach your father's friend?" That very question of Aunt Edith had ignited the big-sister instinct inside my heart.
• No matter how I looked at it, one of us would be in danger with Mr. Martin. Who should sacrifice? I knew that I should be receptive to the idea that it should be me being the eldest. Lia was too young to just marry Mr. Martin, who seemed to be older than my parents.
• After that conversation with Aunt Edith, I wasted no time and researched about the Robinsons’ Company, Artisan Furnitures. I easily got all the details I needed to contact them. Gladly, three days later I was able to book an appointment with Mr. Robinson himself.
• I was feeling nervous as I was waiting, and the realization of facing someone I hadn’t talked to before had finally hit me. I hadn't met Mr. Robinson in person yet. My father never mentioned that he was friends with the owner of Artisan Furnitures. I had some ideas about who the business associates of my parents were, but I only found out now that my father and the owner of one of the most famous furniture manufacturers were friends.
• But come to think of it, our companies have similarities. The names of our companies are similar. My parents' company is Artisan Pages Corporation, while my father's friend's company is Artisan Furnitures. They also both source their raw materials from trees. It's a mystery that my parents never mentioned this to me. Even their conversation about the arranged marriage was never mentioned by my parents before. What could be the problem?
• "Excuse me, miss."
• I suddenly looked up when I heard someone spoke beside me. I was surprised to notice the elderly woman standing right in front of me. The woman's face was unfamiliar to me, but she had a broad smile as she gazed at me.
• "Are you Miss Alessia Harris?"
• "Yes, ma'am."
• The woman's eyes sparkled. "I’m so happy to see you, dear," the woman said before she bowed and hugged me tightly.
• Although I was surprised by the elderly woman's reaction, I still felt compelled to hug her.
• "Oops! Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself, dear," the woman said as she released me. "I’m Mrs. Lavinia Robinson," the woman introduced herself to me, extending her hand.
• I was pleased to hear her name. I stood up and shook the woman's hand. I asked her if she was the wife of Mr. Robinson.
• I could see the delight in her face as she was telling me that she was the wife of the person that I was looking for. She took my hand as she led the way going to where her husband was.
• As we entered the office, we approached an elderly man who seemed to have just ended a conversation with someone over his phone.
• "Donnie! Sia is here!" Mrs. Robinson happily announced as she approached the elderly man.
• The elderly man immediately stood up and greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek.
• "Are you Sia? Greg's daughter?" the elderly man asked me.
• "Yes, sir. Do you know me?"
• "Of course!" Both the husband and the wife replied simultaneously.
• "How could we forget you when Greg and I agreed a long time ago that you and Claude would get married when the time was right?"
• After hearing those words, I knew that I never had to ask myself about the name that he just mentioned. Clearly, the Claude that he just mentioned was the same man I was being arranged a marriage with.
• I cleared my throat, but that didn't ease the nervousness that was devouring me in that instance. The last thing Mrs. Robinson said didn't sit well with me.
• "Ma'am, Sir," I said, shifting my gaze between the couple in front of me, "I didn't come here for the agreement between you and my parents. Actually, I have another purpose."
• The couple exchanged glances. "What is it, dear?" Mrs. Robinson asked.
• I took a deep breath before speaking. I needed to gather all the courage there was in the world. I knew right then that I had no one else to turn to for help, and there I was right in front of these lovely old couple, wishing that they would be the lifeline that I needed.
• "I would like to ask for a favor from you, if possible. When my parents passed away, we found out that they had a large debt with Horizon Bank. If it's not paid, they will foreclose on the house and land they left for me and my sister. Additionally, Artisan Pages is also at risk of collapsing, so we have no other resources. We tried talking to the bank owner. But he will only help us if my sister marries him. In fact, he already took Lia the other day. I don't know how to get my sister back now."
• The woman gasped. Mr. Robinson released a heavy sigh. "To be honest, I've known about your father's problem for a long time. I even offered help, but he refused to accept it. Then I heard what happened to him and your mother. I didn't catch up with him. We didn't even attend the wake and burial because we were in Europe at that time, taking care of Claude, who was in critical condition. I don't know how we can help you now because it's hard to go up against someone like Martin."
• I wanted to collapse upon hearing what the couple said. I was lost for words, and it felt as if an arrow pierced through my heart. I was ready to beg, I was ready for anything that they would ask in return, no matter the consequences.
• The couple exchanged glances again. I was already gathering all my strength assuming that the next thing that I would hear from them was an apology for not being able to be of help.
• "Let's do this, dear. I'll talk to Harding,” Referring to Mr. Martin. “I'll help you lift up your father's company and take back your sister as well as your house and land. If I can do that, I hope you can also help me and my husband."
• I just needed to hear those so I could loosen up a bit. I started to breathe again; my heart felt free from a chain that was suffocating it.
• I felt hopeful at Mrs. Robinson's words. "Okay. I'll do whatever you want as long as you help me." That was the point when I felt that I would give in to anything, and I meant anything.
• "That's settled then. I'll call you once I've sorted everything out, dear."
• Feeling hopeful, I thanked the couple as I bid them goodbye. As I reached home, I tried calling my sister's phone, but all my attempts were unsuccessful. It worried me even more, and I couldn't help but think that something bad was happening to her. I tried calling her some more times, but still, her number was unreachable.