Chapter 2. An Arrogant Husband

RUBY

"But Dad, how could you do this to me? Who still practices arranged marriages? Why would you choose a husband for me? I don't have a problem!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face. At that moment, I must have looked like a shattered soul, as I had been crying non-stop ever since Dad dropped the shocking news.

"You can't continue living your life as such an introvert! Are you going to marry your books? Can't you understand that this is for your good? You're entering into the prestigious Daniels family. You should be happy!" Dad replied, adjusting his glasses and remaining focused on the paperwork on his desk.

"Happy? Did you just say happy? Do you even know Toby Daniels? He's a jerk, an arrogant womanizer, a heart-breaker, a cocky idiot! Numerous newspapers are filled with scandals about him. He's so full of himself and his arrogance knows no bounds! And why does it have to be me? Why not Sapphire, huh?" I shouted, growing more annoyed and frustrated.

Dad must have had a fascination with precious stones back in the day, naming his daughters Ruby and Sapphire. It was unique, though, and always made us stand out.

"You're older than Sapphire. She's only nineteen, and I can't thrust her into something like this," Dad calmly explained, his composure irritating me even more. He always defended Sapphire, making me wonder if it all came down to her body, beauty, and looks.

What about brains?!

"Oh, so now I'm the oldest? You didn't realize that when you sent Sapphire on a vacation trip to Hawaii? You didn't know this when you appointed her to represent you in Paris, even though I am the one who should have gone to represent you there? You only remember that you have a daughter somewhere whenever it's time for sacrifice. I'm just an option for you, Dad. You only use me for your selfish interests!" I shouted, my voice growing louder with each word.

"But... you like Toby. It was so obvious," he insisted.

I would never deny that I had an enormous crush on Toby Daniels from way back and even now. But that didn't mean I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. A silly crush doesn't mean I'd willingly choose a life of misery. I never even wanted anything to do with him. He was always so rude, arrogant, and conceited. He had this belief that the whole world revolved around him, that bastard.

I could vividly recall our time in high school when he publicly humiliated me by proclaiming to the entire school that I was an annoying dog who wouldn't stop following him around. And with Daniels Academy being his father's school and one of the top elite institutions in the country, everyone worshipped the ground he walked on.

He was the most popular, influential, and wealthiest student. Everyone wanted to please him and be in his good graces. He practically acted like a god. I couldn't even begin to count all the cruel things he said to me. He constantly referred to me as "fatso" and "ugly" among other insults. It wasn't my fault that I had a slightly curvier figure and wasn't as conventionally beautiful as my sister.

"Yes! But don't act like you don't know how he always treated me! He treated me like garbage even when we were kids! I'm sure he's even worse now! Dad, you have to cancel all these arrangements. It's not right. You can't make decisions like this for me. I still have so many dreams to fulfil, and this will cut them short. Besides, I'm still in school, and I'm only twenty-two," I explained, desperately trying to make Dad see reason. But he remained stubborn.

"Ruby, you're marrying Toby Daniels, and that's final! Accept it!" he snapped.

"I can't believe this! You're the worst father ever!" I shouted, storming into my room. I slammed the door shut and started crying again, this time even louder. I couldn't believe he would do this to me.

"Ruby, please, just open the door. I'd like to explain things to you," I heard his voice from behind the door, but I was too angry to let him in. He deserved to be locked out.

"Look, this is for your own sake, Ruby. I'm sorry you feel this way, but this marriage will provide immense help to both us and yourself. You'll live a life of wealth and never have to worry again. You know how much I want my children to live like royalty," he pleaded once more. Seeing that I wasn't ready to open the door and listen, he started to leave, and I could hear his retreating footsteps.

I stood up, planning to collapse onto my bed and cry some more, but then I halted when I heard my dad and his wife's loud voices. Lola had an irritatingly loud voice that always got on my nerves, coupled with her typical Karen attitude.

"Why don't you just tell her that we'll all be as poor as church mice if she doesn't marry that man? We'll probably starve to death within months..." she began to say before Dad interrupted her.

"Shush, Lola! Telling her it's for her good is better than outrightly saying she's just a sacrificial lamb. Just calm down," he whispered loudly, clearly attempting to pacify her.

"What difference does it make? Why go through the difficult path when the easy one is right there? She's so emotional that she'll do anything for her family. Just let her know that we're bankrupt and our only hope of survival is her damn marriage!" Lola snapped again, raising her voice even more.

"Just...shush..." I heard my dad's faint voice say, and soon, I couldn't hear them anymore.

Lola had deliberately shouted so I could hear. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew how to manipulate and gaslight me. She knew I would start to reconsider my decisions once I heard that my family's survival depended on my marriage. She was a cunning snake. But what I could never understand was what had happened to my dad.

Where did that loving father go? The dad who always bought me ice cream and teddy bears, the dad who loved to spoil me, the dad who couldn't stand to see me cry. That dad would always try to make me happy and do what I wanted.

Well, it all changed after he remarried. He changed the moment he said "I do" to Lola.