The Arrogant Husband

Chapter 2

"Welcome, madam. Yes, Nadia is my only daughter. Do we not look alike?" Mrs. Diane asked, smiling back.

"Of course, you both resemble each other. But I am here for something else, not necessarily to buy anything," Mrs. Helen said. "Anyway, if you want me to shop for everything you sell, that’s not a problem. You can calculate the total, and I will gladly pay for it."

Mrs. Helen grinned as she opened her purse and pulled out her checkbook, noticing the surprise on both Nadia's and her mother's faces.

"She's joking, right?" Mrs. Diane asked her daughter in disbelief, laughing loudly, but Mrs. Helen was serious.

"I'm not joking, madam. Here's a check for 1 million dollars to prove I'm serious. I didn’t come here to scare you at all. That black car parked over there is mine. I am from the Henry family, but married into the Kingston family. I want your daughter to marry my first son, Richmond Kingston," Mrs. Helen concluded, extending the check to Mrs. Diane, whose mouth dropped in shock as she accepted it.

"What?! One million cash for what exactly?! Is this a joke?! I don't believe it!" Mrs. Diane inspected the check, her big blue eyes widening in disbelief when she saw the amount written.

**$1,000,000**

"Unbelievable!" Nadia was left speechless, smiling worriedly as she looked from her mother to Mrs. Helen, especially as she peered at the check in her mother's hand.

"I am serious, ma'am. I have been seeing your daughter around each time I came home to help my mother, who was unwell. Mama fell ill and called for her children to come home, but thankfully she is still with us and hasn’t passed away yet," Mrs. Helen emphasized, looking lovingly at Nadia and her mother.

Mrs. Diane smiled. She thought, *If only I could marry off Nadia, but I cannot.*

"Thank you, madam. I really appreciate your kind gesture and interest in my daughter. I know the Kingston family, but I didn’t know you were their wife. But unfortunately, my daughter isn't for sale, and I’m not sure if I should accept this check from you," Mrs. Diane said, wanting to return the check, but Mrs. Helen refused to take it back.

"No, no. You can hold onto it," Mrs. Helen insisted.

Nadia resumed attending to other customers arriving at her mother’s stall.

Their neighbors at the market watched them in awe.

"You shouldn't be afraid of me, ma'am. I am not taking your daughter away right now. No. You just need to give me your home address so that later, I can come with my son and my husband's people to make all the necessary arrangements for the marriage rite. I’m not asking for your daughter to leave with me now. No way. Just keep the money and use it to take care of yourselves. It’s a gift from me to show that I'm serious," Mrs. Helen explained, smiling sweetly, while Mrs. Diane thanked her.

"Okay, madam. Thank you. I will keep the money, but I hope I won't regret this?" she asked.

"Not at all," Mrs. Helen smiled. "Here's my phone number. You can call me later. Please give me your number, too." Mrs. Helen pulled out an expensive phone, the latest model, and handed it to Mrs. Diane, who inputted her number.

"Done," Mrs. Diane said before returning the phone to Mrs. Helen.

"Thank you very much, madam. I will come back to visit you. Please give me your address as well," Mrs. Helen requested, handing her phone back to Mrs. Diane to input her address.

Mrs. Diane accepted the phone and handed it to Nadia to input their home address since she couldn't type fast.

Nadia was too speechless, glancing from her mother to the rich woman. She heard Mrs. Helen say she wanted her first son to marry her, but she wasn't comfortable.

Nadia knew many women had made similar claims that they wanted their sons to marry her, but this rich woman seemed serious.

"Thank you very much, madam. I am Mrs. Helen Kingston; you can ask about me. I am a very nice woman, and when I see someone or something lovely, I cannot help but admire it. Your daughter’s beauty caught my attention, and I want my first son to marry her so that she can give me beautiful grandchildren," Mrs. Helen said, sweetly looking at Nadia once more. "She won't regret this. I promise," she added as she collected her phone back.

"Thank you, ma. Please take this dried fish as a gift of appreciation, too." Mrs. Diane quickly packed some dried fish into a black nylon bag and handed it to Mrs. Helen.

Mrs. Helen accepted it and waved over to her maid to come out of her car and take it. Then she said her goodbyes: "Thank you, madam. My dear." Mrs. Helen smiled sweetly at Nadia, who looked at her in confusion, wondering if this was a dream or how people often got married in their village.

"Take care, okay? I will come by with my son this weekend to see you at home," Mrs. Helen said, and Nadia reluctantly replied, "Okay, ma."

Nadia sighed as Mrs. Helen walked back to her black car. She entered, waved goodbye to Nadia and Mrs. Diane, who were still looking at her.

The driver started the engine and drove away.

Nadia looked back worriedly at her mother.

"Mom, how can I marry that woman's first son, and you accepted it?" Nadia protested, looking at her happy mother in disbelief.

"Nadia, do you want to remain poor? Do you want us to stay in poverty? Would you prefer to suffer in this life when you have all this beauty? You're lucky that Mrs. Helen said her first son will marry you, not her brother or uncle. He will likely be a handsome young man, given that Mrs. Helen is a beautiful woman, too." Mrs. Diane continued to dance happily, not minding Nadia’s worried expression.

"Mom, I cannot accept her son. I cannot marry a man I do not know," Nadia protested, but her mother's face turned serious.

"Shut your mouth, you village woman. If I had the luck that you're having now, I wouldn't have settled for less or married your father. He deceived me with his handsomeness and allowed me to marry a hunter like him. I want you to seize this opportunity. Look at you; despite being brilliant academically, your father is doing nothing to support your education. His family is useless, and your elder brother is working hard to support himself in the city. Why can’t you see this as an open door for us to escape poverty? Do you want us to remain in poverty for the rest of our lives without tasting the sweetness of life?" Mrs. Diane questioned, leaving Nadia speechless.