Engima

chapter 1

Sometimes people aren't what they seem.

Just like my mother, Rai Moretti, sitting opposite me at the dining table. The table is decorated like it's someone's wedding, and it's safe to say the decorations change every day, but the lavishness always stays. This is obviously done by my mom, and no, she doesn't do it herself; she just gives what she likes to call "inspo images" to the staff. Her blonde hair is in a bun, hair colour neither me nor my brother inherited, which she sometimes makes a fuss about.

She's a social butterfly and a Mother Teresa clone to the outside world. She donates money to various charities, spends lavishly on clubs that give clothes to homeless people, and does many more good deeds. But that's where the good persona ends. If you met the real her, you'd understand how fake the world can be.
Next to her sits the golden child of the family, James. Even his name screams "good-for-nothing piece of shit." His hair is black, but since he got into college, he says he prefers to dye it dirty blonde. His eyes, which used to shine like diamonds when he was a child, are now hollow.

I roam my gaze to the chair where my father, Noah Brown, is sitting. He's basically an older version of me: same brown eyes, same hair, some of the same facial features. He was twenty when he took over his father's failing business and turned it into a million-dollar company. With that money and the connections he made, he started his own company, Ether Industries, which soon turned into a billion-dollar company. The oil-to-chemicals division brings in nearly half the company's revenue, followed by digital services, media and entertainment, and gas. It's safe to say he's one of the few people I actually respect, even though he's not much of a family man; his company always comes first.
"Zeyden, why weren't you present at the party yesterday?" Mom said with disappointment, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Mom, you know I hate parties, and it wasn't even important," I said with a bored expression. Actually, I was going to go, but at the last minute, my friend Austin found some important information for me, and I studied it for the whole fucking night.
"But-" Mom starts to say but is cut off by my father. "You're right, yesterday wasn't that important."

I sighed in relief. Now Mom wouldn't give me a lecture for not going.
"Zeyden, I asked you to come to dinner because I have something to discuss with you," Father said, coming straight to the point. "You know Ivy, right? Liam West's youngest daughter?"
"Hmm," I said. I don't know much about her. I've met her once in person, but that was only because I was with Mom. All I know is that the smile she always has on her face is clearly fake.
"I think she's a perfect candidate to be your wife," Father said, putting his fork down.
"Wife?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, her father is a politician."
"But we already have enough connections with the government," I argued.
"That's the thing, enough is never enough," he said. "Besides, their family has much less power than us, so we basically could control them."
"Okay..." I said, still thinking about what Father was saying. I looked at James, who was unusually quiet today. Maybe he knew Father was thinking about arranging my marriage.
"But I think she's almost twenty-six," Mom said with a frown.
"And I'm almost thirty-three, Mom," I said with a serious tone. Mom probably wanted someone much younger for me, which is hilarious considering even the age gap between Ivy and me is seven or eight years, which is a lot in itself.
"By your reaction, I think you're not opposed to the idea," Father said.
"I don't care who I marry," I said without much thought. "If it's good for the company, then I'm okay with marrying Ivy."

"Okay, then my assistant will send you her number. You both should be seen together in public before the marriage," he said, and then he stood up. A moment later, he was out of the room.