Arranged to Marry Her Ex-Billionaire Lover

Chapter 6

Jinn

My cousin, Alana observed me closely. She had invited us all to announce her pregnancy and though I was happy for her, I had been extremely quiet tonight.

“So, what is it that is bothering you? Is it about your fast-approaching engagement?” She inquired when we were seated on the lawn after dinner.

“I’m not ready to get married yet but grandpa doesn’t seem to understand that..” I answered her with an exasperated frown.

“Jinn, come on. You are going to be thirty soon. How long do you plan to remain single?” She rebuked me. “I met Lia at grams farmhouse. She seems to be such a nice woman and I’m sure you are instantly going to fall in love with her..”

“I highly doubt that..” I snorted and muttered

“You wouldn’t be telling this after a couple of months into your marriage..” She smirked and I simply decided to ignore her.

Thankfully Alana’s husband came to my rescue, “Can I steal her for some time?” Zayn asked me humbly.

“Gladly.. She is currently hell-bent on pissing me. Please take her away.” I grinned at Zayn and earned a tight slap on my head from Alana before she walked away with him.

I sat there drinking and thinking about a certain girl who had managed to bring out the worst in me. I couldn’t believe I was still thinking about her when I was going to get engaged to another woman in a matter of two days.

Though I hadn’t met the woman before, I am sure I would never be able to fall in love with her. This marriage would always remain loveless since I had lost my heart to someone else a long time back.

Chugging down the remaining drink in the glass, I got up and left the place angrily without bothering to bid my farewell to anyone.

*

Shit!

After meeting Alana and Zayn, I spent the last seventeen hours at my office absentmindedly nodding my head at the budget meeting. I felt insanely distracted throughout the discussion with the investors.

As soon as I reached my bachelor pad, I tugged on my tie and chugged it roughly on the floor. I flanked my hands on my hip, annoyed with my grandfather’s ridiculousness. Two days ago I was dying to come back home but now I cannot say the same.

I could deal with any challenge and I am not the person to run away from one.

But Marriage?

I have not even given it so much as a thought after the massive heartbreak I went through. I know it was a long time back and I should have healed by now but seriously, the idea of marriage never crossed my mind. It was not even in my next five years plan.

In the last two months, there wasn’t a single day that my grandparents hadn’t talked about the caretaker.

What’s her name again? Mia or Lia?

Whatever

I understand she is very responsible and all but that doesn’t mean you straight away arrange a wedding with her. I mean, it truly doesn’t bother me that she is a caretaker. I don’t form an opinion about a person based on their economic status but this is my marriage we are talking about. It is too big of a commitment for me to handle right now. I already have so much to deal with and I don’t think I am ready for that kind of a huge responsibility.

And in addition, how can I marry someone I don’t love?

My strong belief is that you don’t marry the person you can live with but you marry the person you cannot live without. What can be more perfect than marrying the one love of your life?

My parents were never in love with each other yet they got tangled in an arranged marriage and that’s is the reason why they ended up broke. I don’t what that to happen to me.

But the real question was will I ever be able to fall in love again?

I had a whole ten years to find the right woman for me but why couldn’t I succeed in finding one? Not that I had tried to find one. Over the years, I had received countless marriage proposals from many beautiful women from around the world but I would be damned to say I was attracted to none of them.

I thought with time wounds heal but I guess not even a decade was enough to make me bury the feelings I have for her.

Why has it become impossible for me to forget her and move on when she could so heartlessly dump me and marry another man? How many more years will it take for me to completely take her out of my head?

I can’t lie about this, she had this strange effect on me and she still has. She was different in her own way and I loved her for who and what she was. I even saw a future with her but in the end, she stomped on my heart.

“I hate her, I f*****g hate her..” I grunted and punched the wall a bit too harshly that I knew my knuckles will bruise soon.

‘Do you really hate her?’ My inner voice mocked me which I tried to ignore.

I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply trying to get rid of my anger and vexation. Maybe I should obey grandpa and just marry the woman. Who knows I may end up falling in love with her or even if I don't, I would learn to live with her in a loveless marriage.

But seriously, I felt pity for the woman with who grandpa was trying to hitch me. She would come to know sooner or later that I don’t love her. I could try but how will I be able to do it when my heart doesn’t belong to me anymore?

I huffed and trudged to the bar cabinet. Perhaps a drink is what I need to relieve her memories out of my head. I would have preferred a strong one but I had to keep in mind the engagement that was to be held in a couple of hours. I couldn’t show up to my own engagement with my sorry drunk ass.

****************************************************************

Why on earth are my palms so sweaty? I couldn’t be nervous or was I?

I stood in the middle of the lawn talking to one of my grandfather’s guests. I had been waiting and waiting and waiting for almost an hour for my soon-to-be fiancé but there was no sign of her.

However, I wasn’t mad like I usually would have been with people who are not punctual. I mentally prayed that she ran away or something so that this charade of an engagement could be stopped.

“Jinn..”

I turned around with a frown, knowing who exactly was standing behind me.

“Gabrielle..” I gave her a curt nod of acknowledgment. My treacherous eyes helplessly roamed around to see if my father was somewhere around, even though the possibility of it was less to nil.

“Ohh honey, I am sorry your father couldn’t join us tonight..” She said in a not-so-sorry voice.

“Hmm..” I hummed and looked unbothered. Who cares if he came or not.

“I heard you are getting engaged to Leo’s caretaker..” She smirked at me.

“So?” I raised a brow back at her.

“Couldn’t you get anyone better than her?”

Gratefully, I was spared from answering her when I heard my Aunt Lara’s voice behind me.

“Will you stop it, Gabrielle?” Lara threw her a nasty glare. My paternal aunt and Gabrielle were never on talking terms. If they could, they would even kill each other.

“Aunt Lara. Where’s Alana?” I asked pecking her cheeks. Her husband Tony was behind her and I immediately pulled my hand out to shake with his.

“She is coming with your fiance..” She added with a teasing grin.

“Ohh..” 

I spent a few more minutes waiting when Grandma came rushing to me. “They are here, come on now..”

She led me to the temporary wooden stage that was constructed in the middle of our family mansion’s huge lawn. I thought grandpa promised me to keep the ceremony as simple as possible, I guess this is what simple means in his language. I rolled at all the unwanted extravagance around me. I really didn’t want to think about the plans he had for the wedding.

The bright lights were blinding me and I couldn’t see anything other than the silhouette of the woman walking next to Alana. Furthermore, her head was bent down and her hair was covering her small face.

The closer she walked towards me, the more clearly I could see her face and as if struck by a lightning I was stood electrocuted and rooted to the ground when finally her face came into my view. 

Dahlia!

She had stopped in her track and had a horrified look on her face as if she too was shocked to see me but I wasn’t naïve enough to fall for her drama.

I am certain she had a hand in all this but how the hell did she end up becoming a caretaker?

So this is the Lia my grandparents had talked so greatly about. No doubt she had once again succeeded in fooling me. 

“You?” I gritted when she came to stand in front of me. I could literally see her trembling under my passive and scheming eyes. More than shock, it was rage that I felt by her presence.

DAHLIA! The name alone was enough to plant a typhoon into my head, create havoc into my peaceful life.

“J-Jinn?” She gulped, sweat beads coating her forehead visibly.

“We all know that she is very beautiful but stop staring at her and put that ring on her finger already..” A jab from my grandmother pulled me out of the glaring contest.

I stepped forward and yanked her hand harshly into mine to slip the ring that grandma passed on to me. I slipped it into her finger and watched how she was panting heavily.  

“I knew you were shameless but I didn’t know you would stoop so low for money..” I gritted when I was sure no one would be able to hear me. “But this time it will be you who will suffer. You will regret ever coming into my life again..”

 I felt the shiver that ran through her hand yet I witnessed the resolution and determination that shone in her eyes.

“Let’s see..” My anger rose to another dimension when she responded to me challengingly.