He is the sun, and she is the star of the dawn.
He is a rich bachelor and she is but a maid.
He is Prince Charming and she is Snow White.
He's looking for an angel and she's looking for a god.
He's Jace Harronate and she's Mary Morningstar ...
J...
Jace: It all started four years ago, when Mariza tricked me into accepting the engagement.
Mary: Tricked you? What's that supposed to mean?
Jace: I'll tell you, but it's best to start at the beginning. Lisa is the daughter of some of Mariza's friends. When my siblings and I were kids, they used to visit us a lot. Lisa always had a soft spot for me, but I didn't care. I remember her saying, "When I grow up, I'm going to marry Jace."
Mary: Oh! That's so sweet!
The sarcasm is on my face, but also in my voice. Jace looks at me and smiles.
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Jace: Now come on. I'm sure there was someone you wanted to marry when you were a little girl.
Mary: Sure. Like every little girl.
Jace: Who?
Mary: Ernesto Che Guevara.
Jace: What? Really?
Mary: Yes. I wanted to become Mrs. Che Guevara and lead revolutions all over the world with him.
Jace: My little rebel.
Mary: Go on.
Jace: Like I said, I didn't care about Lisa's interest at all. We never liked her very much. She was selfish, mean and extremely jealous. Especially of Isabella.
Mary: Your sister?
Jace: Yes.
Mary: Why?
Jace: Because she had our attention. One time, Izzy had an accident on her bike and hurt her knee. Alex and I ran to her and hugged her so she wouldn't cry. We asked Lisa to bring something to clean the wound, and she brought alcohol. In the panic we didn't notice and when we used it Izzy started screaming because of the burning. She still has a scar on her knee.
Mary: For God's sake! What did your parents do?
Jace: Mine weren't alive then. George and Michael - Lisa's dad - weren't around, and Mariza and her mom didn't do anything but rant.
Mary: Unbelievable! If someone did that to my daughter...
Jace: Yeah. Tell me about it! Anyway. After high school, her visits stopped, but only for a short time. When I turned 18 and took over the company, she went completely nuts. She started pushing her parents to do the matchmaking. They talked to George and Mariza, but they agreed to wait a while because we were too young to get married.
