[The Brown Family]
Robert's deep voice broke the silence of the lavish living room. "Rina, as the eldest daughter of the Brown family, you will marry David Allen of the Allen family."
Rina froze mid-step, her breath hitched and her hands clenched as she slowly turned to face her father with her eyes wide with disbelief. "Dad, is this a joke", she asked tentatively.
Robert's expression remained firm, his tone unrelenting "I signed a business deal with them and that is one of the requirements needed to facilitate it."
"An alliance?" Rina's voice rose sharply. "With a cripple? David Allen is finished, Dad. His family doesn't even want him anymore. How does this benefit us? This marriage will be my destruction, dad!" Rina cut him off, her heels clicking furiously as she paced. "Have ever paused to think of what people will tell me and what they will think of me?"
"You'll learn to adapt," Robert interrupted, his voice firm. "The marriage isn't about personal feelings. It's about the bigger picture."
"The bigger picture indeed?" Rina scoffed, turning to face him. Her eyes blazed with anger. "When you're asking me to throw my future away for someone who can't even stand on his own two feet. What about my dreams, Dad? My ambitions? My goals dad?"
The phone on Robert's desk rang, cutting through the tension in the room. He hesitated for only a moment before reaching for it, his brows furrowing as he glanced at the caller ID.
"I'll be right back," Robert muttered curtly, his voice stiff as he turned toward the hallway. His footsteps faded as he answered the phone, leaving Rina and Clara alone in the room.
Rina shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her fingers tapping restlessly on the armrest. The silence in the living room apparent between her and her mother Clara.
Clara let out a soft laugh, her fingers gently tracing the rim of her glass. "It's not just a game, darling. It's an opportunity. One you'll learn to make the most of if you can agree with me."
Rina's eyes flickered with irritation as she shot her mother a sharp look. "Opportunities? You mean to manipulate me into marrying someone I have no interest in?" She clenched her fists, her voice rising with frustration.
Clara raised an eyebrow, unfazed by her daughter's outburst. "You don't seem to understand the bigger picture. It's not about David Allen. It's about the family's reputation and glory. Being an in-laws with the Allen family is a dream come through."
Clara leaned back in her chair, her expression turning calculating. "I'm thinking of an alternate solution." She spoke slowly, her voice filled with a dark amusement. "What if we didn't need you to marry David at all?"
Looking at her daughter's anxious face, she caressed her face as her lips curled into a sly smile. "What if we let Jasmine take your place besides she is the real eldest daughter?"
They both laughed at the idea though it was colder, more venomous. "Exactly. She's the perfect pawn. She'll do whatever we say, without questioning. All she's ever known is obedience, and that will work to our advantage."
Rina's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I can already imagine her face when she finds out she's been traded in place of me. The look of horror when she has to face the reality of being bound to Davis Allen. She's never seen anything like this."
"But then there is something you have to do." Clara said with a glint in her eyes.
"What's that?" She asked nervously.
"You will be the one to suggest that to your father when he returns now because he loves you."
"But mom—" she wanted to protest.
Clara's voice dropped to a whisper "Think about it, Rina—Jasmine marrying in your place as the eldest daughter will not only relieve you but also create opportunities for you."
Rina thought for a while before nodding "Okay, mom I can handle this", she said with a grin her fingers curling into fists, her satisfaction palpable. "She won't have a choice. Once she's back, she'll be too far gone to fight it. The Allens will never suspect anything. They'll be too focused on the marriage to notice we've substituted their candidate.
Clara's eyes softened, a knowing gleam in them. "No, they won't. And when it's all said and done, you'll be free to pursue your own ambitions, unburdened by this... mess."
Rina's grin widened as she stared at her mother, her hands now trembling with anticipation. "This is going to be perfect."
The two of them exchanged a look, and Rina hurriedly returned to her seat as not to arouse her father's suspicion while their silent agreement hung in the air as they both envisioned the better future ahead as Jasmine takes the fall while they reap the benefits.
Robert returned to the living room taking his seat again, glanced at Rina briefly "I believe I have made this clear. The is not up for debate and the arrangements are already ongoing.
For a moment, silence hung in the air, thick and suffocating. Then Rina's lips curled into a cold smile, a glint of cunning entering her eyes. "Fine, Dad. If this is about tradition, then why don't we honor it properly?"
Robert's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Rina straightened, her tone turning calculated. "Jasmine, She's the real eldest daughter of this family, isn't she? The rightful one, why not let her marry David Allen."
The Brown family had long allowed Rina to claim the title of eldest daughter, a role she arrogantly assumed at every upper-class function. Robert never corrected her, dismissing Jasmine as a worthless burden incapable of contributing anything to the family's name while Rina usually poses as the face of the Brown family.
Clara tilted her head, her expression indifferent as she exchanged glances with Rina. "Jasmine has been away for years. She's practically forgotten how to navigate the high society."
Rina shrugged, her voice laced with mockery. "And that makes her perfect for David. He's a nobody now. They'll make a wonderful pair—quiet, obedient, and easy to overlook."
Robert frowned deeply, his hand tightening around his glass. "The Allens might see this as a slight. They are expecting you, Rina."
"Not if we spin it right," Rina argued, her tone growing confident. "We'll frame it as a gesture of respect by giving them the true eldest daughter of the Brown family. They'll buy it. Trust me."
Clara's lips curled into a faint smile. "She does have a point, Robert, Jasmine owes everything to this family. It's time she gave something in return."
Robert hesitated, his gaze flickering between his wife and daughter. "If this backfires—"
"It won't," Rina interrupted, her voice firm. "Jasmine is the perfect solution. Let her play the role she was born for."
"Robert, I think Rina has a point. She is too young to be tied to this Allen family son. Please think about it." She said her voice seductive as she held Robert's arm gently caressing him.
Robert sighed rubbing his brow with tiredly "Fine, you can make the arrangements but on the condition you won't let the Allen family know.
Clara rose gracefully, smoothing her dress as she headed for the door. "I'll make the arrangements. Jasmine will be back within the week."
Rina's smirk widened as relief washed over her. "Perfect. It doesn't matter who marries that crippled as long as I am not the one.
Robert stood up, his face hardening. "I hope you're right, Rina. For all our sakes." he said as he left. He has other important matters to attend to.
As the room fell silent, Rina sank into a chair, a triumphant glint in her eyes. She hasn't expected this to go through. Her mother really isn't to be trifled with, she thought.
Rina chuckled darkly. "She'll never see it coming. I can't help but Imagine her face when she learns that she's not the forgotten daughter anymore but the one forced into a marriage with David Allen."
Her tone became a mockingly sweet imitation of Jasmine's innocent voice. "Yes dad.. I'd marry anyone you tell me to, father." She laughed again, the sound hollow and cruel.
Somewhere in the countryside, her half-sister was blissfully unaware of the trap being laid for her.