Love in Red Numbers

The Fake Engagement

Ava felt overwhelmed by the responsibility she had taken on by accepting Daniel Busch's marriage proposal that same morning. After finishing work, she arrived home, greeted her family quickly, and headed to her room. Anxiety quickly set in, her heart racing.

She felt her hands becoming sweaty and cold, and the weather wasn't helping with all the nervousness about her future decisions. She was about to tell her family about her fake engagement, but she didn't know where to start. What were the right words? As she prepared to leave the house, her phone rang, and she answered it immediately.

"Ava? How are you?" It was her father's weak voice. He was still in the hospital, recovering from cancer treatment.

"Don't worry about me; I'm getting better every day," she told him.

Ava felt a lump in her throat, hearing her father's voice, knowing that her mother had told him how sick he was. He had always been her rock, her source of support in difficult times, but she couldn't understand why he had to get into so much debt. Now she and her sister had to be the strong ones for their family.

"Dad, there's something important I need to tell you," Ava said, then bit her lip.

"What's wrong, daughter?" her father asked with concern.

"There's something I have to tell you... I got engaged to someone," Ava said with a trembling voice. "It's a different kind of engagement, just for business. But if everything goes well, we can save Daniel Busch's company, that's his name... and our family from the mortgage."

Her father remained silent for a moment, processing the news. Finally, he mustered the strength to speak.

"Daughter, I've always trusted your decisions. If you believe this is the best thing for the family, then we'll support you. Just make sure you're doing what's right for you too. At the slightest sign of anything fishy, step back, don't get carried away, and scrutinize everything, please be very careful."

Ava felt partly relieved that her father supported her, but she still had to face her mother and her siblings. She knew her mother had always been very traditional and wouldn't accept the idea of her marrying for business. But she was determined to do whatever it took to save her family at any cost.

She left her room and walked to the living room to talk to her mother and siblings. She was nervous about the impending conversation, but she knew she couldn't postpone it any longer; that would only make things worse and more complicated.

Her mother and siblings were gathered in the small living room, barely fitting comfortably. There was only a rustic table and two uncomfortable sofas. Ava adjusted her chestnut curls, approached them, and took a deep breath before starting to speak.

"Family... I have something to tell you," Ava said firmly. "I got engaged to Daniel Busch, a very well-known man."

Everyone in the room was left speechless.

"What did you say, Ava?" her mother inquired, leaving her dinner preparations aside. "But you haven't even had a boyfriend. If he didn't have the guts to come ask for your hand, I don't think he's worth it."

Her siblings nodded, without words, as they were stunned.

"It's just... It happened about three weeks ago... It's a fake engagement for business purposes. We need the money he can offer to save our family from the mortgage and pay for dad's treatments."

As Ava fidgeted with her fingers due to nerves, her mother's expression changed from surprise to anger.

"Ava, how could you do something like this? Marry for money?" her mother said with a furious voice.

Ava tried to explain, but her mother remained unconvinced.

"I can't believe you've sold your future for money," her mother said with disdain.

Ava felt devastated by her mother's reaction, but she knew she had to move forward with the fake engagement to save her family.

"Mom, I'm really sorry, but this is what I have to do," Ava said sadly.

"How could you be so selfish, Ava? How could you think only for convenience? Do you realize what you've done? Do you understand that you've sold your future for money?"

Ava's mother fell to her knees, and her sobs echoed within the humble living room's four walls.

"Mom, that's not how I see it. Daniel and I have talked about this. He also needs help with his company, and this benefits both of us."

"I don't care what you've talked about with him. I can't believe you've made such a stupid decision. What will your children think when they find out you married for money? What will your friends and society think? I'm so disappointed in you, Ava."

One of Ava's older brothers helped their mother up and intervened in the conversation.

"Mom, calm down, our sister is right. This is an opportunity to help our family and ensure her future. We should support her instead of attacking her."

The mother opened her mouth slightly; she couldn't believe what she was hearing from her own children.

"Exactly, Mom. Ava didn't do anything wrong. We should be grateful that she found a solution to our financial problems," added the eldest sister of the three.

"I can't believe you all support this madness. What's gotten into you? Do you want to sell your souls for money too? This is madness, and I won't accept it. Do whatever you want, Ava, but don't say I didn't warn you about this nonsense!"

The three siblings fell silent and went to their respective rooms without having dinner. Ava cried most of the night; she hated disappointing her mother like this, but she had already made her decision.

The next day, Daniel Busch arrived early at Ava's workplace to wait for her at the door and surprise her with a romantic dinner at a luxury Greek restaurant. He was dressed in his finest suit and held a beautiful bouquet of red flowers in his hands. When Ava came out of the building, she was surprised to see Daniel there. He offered her the bouquet of flowers and told her it was a special dinner to celebrate their engagement.

Ava got into the back seat of the limousine, swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. She felt very nervous, especially when she saw a green velvet dress. Soon, she realized it was her work uniform and understood what all of this was about.

"Please, princess, change into it, I'll take you to a delicious place."

Daniel's words, for some reason, made her feel a little tingly in her stomach. Where did he intend to take her? She still didn't fully trust him, but those warm words were provoking strange sensations in her.

"Of course," she smiled nervously.

Daniel closed the partition to give her privacy. Ava changed hastily, and as soon as she finished, he drove her in that luxurious car to the restaurant, where he had reserved a table on the terrace with a view of the city.

The chef and other waitstaff watched in amazement at the man who had come to pick up Ava, and they muttered unintelligible things, but it was evident they were criticizing every move of the young girl, likely because the man was much older than her. The gossip had begun.

Daniel whispered words of love to her as they ordered dinner and drank wine. Ava stared at him intensely while he spoke passionately about how happy he was to be with her and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

But Ava still felt insecure and confused. She didn't know if she was doing the right thing by getting involved with Daniel.

When dessert arrived, Daniel took out a small red velvet box and placed it in front of Ava. She opened it and found a beautiful engagement ring with a large, sparkling diamond in the center.

"I want this to be a symbol of our love and commitment," Daniel said, his eyes shining. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Ava remained speechless, feeling a mix of emotions. On one hand, she was impressed by Ava's generosity and romance. On the other hand, she felt guilty for deceiving him and not being sure of her own feelings.

Finally, Ava accepted the ring and the engagement. She promised Daniel that she would love him and be a good wife to him. But in her heart, she still had doubts about whether she was doing the right thing.

As soon as dinner was over, Daniel approached Ava slowly, gently caressing her cheek. She felt a strange tingle in her stomach.

"Ava, I know this is a lot for you, but I need you to trust me," he said softly and longingly.

The young woman felt nervous but couldn't help but be somewhat drawn to him, by his words and his gestures, things that no one had ever done for her.

"Daniel, I... I'm not sure if I'm ready for this," Ava replied timidly.

He looked into her big hazel eyes.

"I understand. But I don't want to wait any longer to kiss you," he said with determination.

Ava was left speechless, not knowing what to do. He was getting closer, and she could feel his breath on her skin. She wasn't ready to kiss him, but there seemed to be no other option. This was only the beginning.