The Arrogant Husband

Chapter 1

In a rural area inhabited by both the rich and the poor, Mrs. Helen Kingston was driving through the market when her car came to a stop.

She was a middle-aged woman, and had supported Nadia Harrison, a 24 year old woman when she traveled home to see her sick mother.

Mrs. Helen met Nadia at the market square and inquired from her aunt. "Aunty, who's that pretty young lady?"

"Oh! That's Nadia Harrison. She comes from a very poor family here, and while her mother sells foodstuffs, her father is a hunter to this day," the older woman replied, looking out the car window as she joined Mrs. Helen admirng Nadia.

"But they're very well-mannered."

"Hmm," Mrs. Helen hummed. She had two sons, and one was over thirty years old, but she wanted him to marry on time.

"I would like to arrange a marriage for Richmond. He keeps bringing different women home, and I fear he may contract a disease from one of them," Mrs. Helen expressed her worry.

"Hmm," her aunt, Lady Tina hummed.

Lady Tina was above 60-years-old. "I don't think your husband would accept, neither would Richmond want her. Richmond hardly comes here to this village to see us. He might not find Nadia attractive, and I don't want to push her into a difficult marriage. She already comes from a challenging family, and they would want a good man for their daughter, not someone as arrogant like Richmond. You spoiled him too much. When I used to advise you then to stop pampering him and to train him properly, as a well mannered boy, but you refused to listen. No look at him ." The older woman ranted.

They continued sitting in Mrs. Helen's black car, worth billions of dollars and looking across the market where Nadia's mother's stall was.

"Please, Aunt, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your grandson. Richmond is also your grandson, since you are my mom's only sister. I want the best for him, and I like that pretty young woman," Mrs. Helen expressed her desire, her black eyes glued at Nadia.

Mrs. Helen wore an expensive red dress, likewise her aunty, and her car remained parked across the busy.market.

It was the first day of the week, and many villagers living in the poor rural area went about their daily activities.

Nadia Harrison, who had just arrived at her mother's stall, was busy sampling what her mother sold.

Nadia had a beautiful brown skin, long brown hair, and she was so beautiful with blue mesmerising eyes.

Her attention was on her customers arriving to purchase from her. Nadia donned a short brown dress that resembles her skin. Each patrons smiled at her, referring to her as, "Our wife. Answer us."

"If you're the who wanted to marry Nadia, I would have helped you to speak with her family, but you know there's no lesbian marriage here in our village. So, I cannot help you talk to them about Richmond. Unless Richmond travels down here to this village by himself to see Nadia's family, and then asks for her hand in marriage. Let us go home," Aunt Tina concluded, not wanting to involve herself in the arrangement as she looked away from the busy market.

"Hmm," Mrs. Helen frowned. Unable to order her driver to start the car, she carefully got out of her car and crossed the main road. Then she walked ahead to Nadia's mother stall to meet her.

Many passersby stopped to look at Mrs. Helen.

Her husband was a billionaire, and she was a beautiful black woman.

She majestically walked over to the roadside marketers and stopped. Stopping in front of Nadia's shade, Mrs. Helen smiled, "Hello."

Nadia turned to look at Mrs. Helen.

"Welcome, madam. What would you like to buy?" she inquired, rising from the stool where she was sitting down. She had finished sampling the food stuff her mother sold. Her mother sold crayfish, smoked fish, and other soup ingredients.

"Hi, pretty damsel. I am not here to buy anything," Mrs. Helen smiled, meeting Nadia's surprised gazed.

"Okay, Ma. What can I help you with?" Nadia politely asked. Although, she knew the rich woman standing in front was from an affluent family.

"I am here to ask for your hand in marriage," Mrs. Helen dropped the bombshell, and saw Nadia's mouth drop in shock.

"My hand in marriage?" Nadia seemed taken aback, but she saw Mrs. Helen smiled.

"Yes, can't I marry you?"

Nadia blushed as she heard Mrs. Helen's inquiry, but her mother, Lady Diane Harrison arrived at her shade.

"Nadia, what does this rich woman want to buy from us? I see that she's distracting you from attending to other customers?" Mrs. Diane said. She wore a green dress and looked from her daughter to Lady Helen.

"Good afternoon, madam. Is she your daughter?" Mrs. Helen asked. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be in the marketplace, or standing in front of a small table asking questions.

The sun was rising above the clouds and burning on her expensive look. However after she saw Nadia, she couldn't look away and she wanted her to marry her first son.

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

"Of course, you both resemble. But I am here for something else and 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 everything, and I will gladly pay for it, too."

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

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

"I'm not joking, Madam. Here's a check of 1 million dollars, so you know I'm serious. I didn’t come here to scare you at all. That’s my car black parked over there from across us. I am from the Henry's family here, but married into the Kingston's family. I want your daughter to marry my first son, Richmond Kingston," Mrs. Helen concluded, extending the written check to Mrs. Diane, whose mouth drop in shock as she collected it.

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

**$1,000,000**

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

"I am serious, ma'am. I have been seeing your daughter around; anytime I came home for my mother's treatment. Mama fell ill and called upon us her children to come home, but thankfully she is still with us and hasn't passed away yet," Mrs. Helen emphasis, looking lovingly at Nadia and her mother.

Mrs. Diane smiled. She thought, 'If only I could 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 accept it.

"No, no. You can hold it," Mrs. Helen said.

Nadia attended to other customers arriving at her mother's shade to purchase some soup ingredients from them.

Their neighbors at the market watched them in awe.

"You shouldn't be afraid of me, Ma. I am not taking your daughter along with me now. No. You just need to give me your home address, so that later, I will come with my son and my husband's people to do all the necessary arrangements for the marriage rite. I am not asking for your daughter to follow me now. No way. Just keep the money first and use it to take care of yourself. It’s a gift from me to tell you 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. Give me your number, too." Mrs. Helen pulled out an expensive phone, the latest model, and handed it over to Mrs. Diane whom collected it and input her phone 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 too," Mrs. Helen requested, giving her phone back to Mrs. Diane .

Mrs. Diane accepted the phone and handed it over to Nadia to input their house address.

Nadia was too speechless, as she looked 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 said the same, that they wanted their son 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 anything lovely, I just cannot stop admiring. Your daughter’s beauty caught my attention, and I want my first son to marry her, so that she can give beautiful grandchildren," Mrs. Helen smiled looking at Nadia sweetly. "She won't regret this. I promise," she said once she collected her phone back.

"Thank you, Ma. Please, take this dried fish as my appreciation gift, too." Mrs. Diane quickly packed up some dried fish into a black nylon bag and gave 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 goodbye, "Thank you, madam. My wife." Mrs. Helen smiled sweetly at Nadia, who looked at her in confusion, wondering if this is how people often get 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 forcibly replied, "Okay, ma."

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

The driver started the car and drove away.

Nadia looked back worriedly at her mother.

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

"Nadia, did someone swear for you in this village to remain poor? Do you want us to remain in poverty? So, would you prefer to suffer in this life with all your beauty? You're even lucky that Mrs. Helen said her first son will marry you, and 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 about," Nadia protested, but her mother's face turned serious.

"Shut up your mouth, you this 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 grab this opportunity. Look at you; despite being brilliant academically, your father is doing nothing to support your education. His family is all 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 having to taste the sweetness of life?" Mrs. Diane questioned, and Nadia was left speechless.