The moment I reached my bedroom, I stood in front of the mirror, breathing in and out like someone trying not to faint. My mother's words kept replaying in my mind—"Get ready. We're having dinner with the Vior family tonight."
Dinner.
With Theodore's family.
And it wasn't just a casual dinner.
No. It was the dinner.
The one where both families would talk about the marriage contract.
My stomach felt like it was doing acrobatics.
I pulled out the dress Mama picked for me: a long, soft-pink vintage spaghetti-strap dress with a flowing skirt that swished delicately whenever I moved. I tied my hair into a mid ponytail—something simple but elegant enough for a formal dinner. A few tendrils framed my face in soft curls, and for once, I didn't look like someone who tripped on flat ground.
I looked…
well…
decent.
"Sab!" Mama called from downstairs. "We're leaving in five minutes."
I nearly tripped putting on my heels. Great start.
At the Vior Mansion
When we arrived at the Vior family's mansion, my jaw dropped. It was huge—no, gigantic. The kind of mansion that made you question if you were actually poor even though your family was rich.
We stepped inside, and there they were:
Piona Vior, Theodore's mother—elegant, poised, and surprisingly warm-looking.
Thunder Vior, his father—strict but dignified like someone who commanded respect without even speaking.
And then…
Theodore Roosevelt Vior.
He stood like a marble statue from some museum: perfectly groomed black hair, sharp blue eyes, a calm expression that looked carved into place. He wore a black suit, simple yet stunning, and I instantly wished gravity would stop targeting me specifically tonight.
His gaze flicked to me, paused for a moment, and I swear something unreadable crossed his eyes before he masked it again with that calm, collected demeanor.
"Good evening," he said, voice smooth as usual.
I nodded, smiling awkwardly. "Hi."
Just hi.
Beautiful, Sabrina. Perfect.
We sat at the long dining table, lined with candles and soft lighting. The atmosphere wasn't stiff—more like awkward with a soft comedic undertone, which made it bearable.
The first awkward thing happened three minutes in.
Piona smiled warmly at me. "Sabrina, dear, how are your studies at Henderson University?"
"Oh! Um—I'm doing great. I mean, not great. I mean—good. Just good. But also not bad."
My parents stared at me like please stop talking.
I cleared my throat. "I'm doing fine."
Thunder Vior chuckled softly. "You're honest. That's good."
At least someone found that charming.
Then came the second awkward thing.
In the middle of eating, I reached for my water—and the fork slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with the loudest, most dramatic clang I had ever heard.
Everyone paused.
I wanted to melt into the floor.
"S-sorry—my hand—uh—humidity," I whispered.
Theodore, surprisingly, leaned slightly toward the maid. "Could we get another fork, please?"
His tone was calm, not annoyed. Not even a hint of judgment.
Why is he like this? Why is he… nice?
The Vior family didn't seem bothered at all. In fact, Piona smiled and said, "She's adorable."
My soul left my body.
As dessert was served—some fancy chocolate thing I couldn't pronounce—our parents finally started talking about the real reason we were here.
"The marriage agreement," my mother said gently, as if saying it quietly made it less real.
My fork paused mid-air.
Thunder nodded. "We believe merging the Navarro and Vior companies will secure a solid alliance. They're both strong, but together, they can dominate the market."
Piona glanced at me with genuine softness. "We want the children to grow in a stable environment. And we believe they can support each other."
My chest tightened.
Support each other?
Me? Support someone like Theodore?
And him… support me?
I peeked at him.
He was sitting straight, calm, his expression unreadable except for a tightness in his jaw I almost missed.
He wasn't thrilled.
He was accepting, yes—but not happy.
And that made something in my chest pinch.
My father spoke next. "Sabrina, Theodore… we want both of you to know we won't force you. But this is the best way to keep the companies stable."
My heart dropped.
Not forced—
but expected.
I looked down at my hands. "I… I understand."
Theodore nodded slightly. "I understand as well."
His tone was calm, controlled—but I could feel the unease beneath it. His eyes didn't hold excitement nor anger—just a silent acceptance wrapped in conflict.
It was strange.
Comforting, but also heartbreaking.
Thunder Vior leaned closer and said, "We'll schedule a formal engagement announcement next month."
But what my ears heard was:
"We'll schedule your wedding next week."
My brain panicked.
"Next week?!" I blurted out too loudly. "Isn't that too fast?! I—I don't even have a dress, I don't know how to plan a wedding, I haven't even—"
The room froze.
Theodore slowly blinked, like he couldn't believe the universe had placed this human disaster beside him.
Thunder raised an eyebrow. "I said next month, dear."
"Oh."
I nodded slowly.
"Never mind."
My mother covered her face.
Piona Vior laughed softly. "She's lively. Refreshing, really."
Lively.
That was one way to say walking catastrophe.
When the servants cleared the plates, our parents continued talking while Theodore and I sat there in awkward silence.
I fiddled with my hands under the table. He didn't look at me, but I could feel his attention flicker in my direction once in a while.
Finally, he spoke—quietly, so only I could hear.
"You don't need to force yourself," he said. "I know this is overwhelming."
I blinked. "You're overwhelmed too?"
His jaw tightened slightly. "I didn't expect any of this."
"So you don't want this marriage…?" I whispered.
He paused…
then shook his head slowly.
"It's not that."
Another pause.
"I just don't know what to feel yet."
His honesty hit me harder than I expected.
For someone like him—calm, proper, composed—to admit something uncertain…
it made him feel more human.
"I don't know what to feel either," I whispered back.
For a moment, his expression softened—barely, but enough to see.
But then he straightened again, putting the calm mask back on.
When we stood to say goodbye, I almost made it through the entire night without tripping.
Almost.
As we walked toward the door, my heel got caught on the carpet edge, and I stumbled forward—directly toward Theodore.
To my horror, he caught me effortlessly, one hand on my arm, the other steadying my waist.
My face burned.
"S-sorry—"
"It's fine."
His voice was calm, but I felt the subtle tension in his hand.
He helped me stand straight, letting go once I regained balance.
Piona whispered to my mother, "They look cute together."
I almost died
When we finally got in the car to go home, I stared out the window, watching the lights blur past.
My chest felt heavy.
Not from dread—
but from confusion.
The dinner was supposed to make everything clearer.
Instead… it twisted everything deeper.
Theodore wasn't cold, nor rude.
He wasn't thrilled either.
He was caught in the same complicated situation as me—
calm on the outside, unsure on the inside.
And somehow, that made me even more nervous.
The butterflies in my stomach weren't from the dress or humiliation.
They were from that moment when he caught me…
from the softness in his voice when he said he didn't know what to feel…
from the way he didn't mock my clumsiness even once.
And for the first time since the marriage was announced—
I didn't know what scared me more:
The marriage…
or the possibility that Theodore Roosevelt Vior wasn't as unreachable as I thought.