MR ROME'S PUERILE LOVE

Chapter 1: The Name Rome

'Who the fuck even calls himself Rome when they don't live in Rome.' I lamented yet again then took another bite of my Cheetos.

'Young lady, watch your mouth.' My father warned.

Though he did not sound like it, I could see it in his eyes, he was sad for me and my tears did not help either.

'I don't want to do this!' I cried out again as I lifted my hand to wipe my tears. The orange crumbs stuck on my cheeks, adding to my frustration.

My mom looked at me scornfully. She always hated that I acted like a child when in fact I was a child. Twenty years is merely two decades, I am still a child.

'Get up from the bed and change into something presentable.' She scolded.

I looked down at my attire and true to her words, I was in my pajama shorts and a baggy Drew t-shirt I had stolen from my brother's closet.

'I don't want to do this!'

This time the reality was just setting in and I buried my head in my pillow and screamed.

Don't get me wrong, I was sad. But two decades was enough time to learn that there was a price to pay when you had Adams as your surname. It is basically what my siblings and I were trained to do since childhood, continue the family business.

One thing with the elites of this town, everybody knows everybody. Every rich family knows the other and the ties are so tightly woven that no outsiders are let inside. So you know what that means; your aunties start whispering who your potential husband could be as soon as your boobs start showing in your dress and the uncles? They weigh in on which two unions would be most profitable to their business.

'Dad, his name is Rome.' I frowned. It was easier to reach out to my old man than to the steely woman who was fighting the urge to flip me over and whoop me with a slipper on my ass.

'He sounds like a serial killer, what if he ties me down to a chair and tortures me because it's his hobby?'

'He is the son of the Cades, he is not a serial killer.' My mom said, more like yelled unpleasantly.

She really needed to cut me some slack man, I'm a child.

The Cades were part of the big five families. Only the richest who use helicopters like they are Ubers and fly overseas like it is a trip to the toilet.

Speaking of toilets, I needed to take a pee.

'Why can't Eva do it? She was so excited about meeting him.' I suggested as I walked away to the bathroom.

Eva was my elder sister who was twenty-five. See? Now that is the age of a grown-up. She was the one to marry Rome Cade, such a weird name, not me.

'Your sister does not meet his qualifications.' My dad yelled. If only he knew the wall was paper thin he wouldn't.

'Qualifications?' I frowned in disbelief. 'That is definitely something a serial killer would have.'

'It's not him, it is his family. Their son is twenty-eight so they don't think it is a good idea to keep the age gap so small.' My mom replied, even from the toilet seat, I could still tell how annoyed she was.

'So I am their second option.' I murmured.

There was nowhere in the world anything like this would be considered normal. From what I heard in our gossip group chat, this man, Rome, was not even in the country. Yet, in absentia, his parents were out and about picking him a wife good enough for the camera eye and with the best ability to birth them cute grandchildren.