Livia Huang dreams of a life behind the lens, but her father's ultimatum threatens to ruin everything: marry Lucas Walker, the charming yet scandalous playboy CEO, or give up her passion for photography forever.
Lucas Walker, trapped by his own fami...
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I lifted my camera, framing Isabelle's bright smile and inappropriate pink hair. "Isa, pose." I smiled.
She chuckled, the dimples framing her face and she flipped her hair over her shoulder and I clicked away, capturing the perfect shot of her. She was a natural in front of the lens, with her pink hair and blue eyes and what you call a dark humour.
"Okay, wait." I said, adjusting the lens. As I worked, Isabelle moved closer to me. "How's work going?" She questioned, gazing down at my camera. I peeked at her through my eyelashes before chuckling and lifting my camera once again. "I don't know, dad's still the boss but I'm trying." I sighed, my mind drifting to my family's company. I worked for it, though the only thing I was interested in was photography but it was a time pass for dad, he thought there was no career out of it. He wanted me to handle his company, to carry on the legacy.
"What about photography?" Isabelle asked, moving to the edge of the quiet bridge and flashing a smile. I snapped another picture. "Well, he wants me to handle his company. So I guess, photography would be just a hobby?" I looked away, lifting down my camera and looking through the photographs I had clicked.
"But you're talented liv, you should pursue it full-time."
"You know it Isa." I muttered, bringing the camera to my eye. "Now, one last shot."
Isabelle placed one hand on her hip and extended her other arm overhead, it was the perfect pose of grace and confident. She had been trying to make a name for herself in the modelling industry - not an easy thing to do when your dad owns the biggest modelling agency in Paris. People thought it'd be given to her but it was all assumptions, I had seen her struggling and going through sleepless nights.
We had met nine years ago in a gala none of us wanted to attend. Where I had escaped to the balcony, away from the choas, she greeted people with beautiful smiles and elegance. She had introduced herself first, sneaking out to the balcony with me. That night, we talked and somehow it still lasted.
I adjusted my camera lense and captured the last picture, lowering my lense. "Perfect." I handed her the camera, sitting down on a bench and gazing at the river that flows beneath the bridge. She sat beside me, looking through the pictures I had clicked.
"Oh gosh, liv-" My phone rang in my pocket before Isabelle could complete her sentence. I let out a quiet sigh when the caller id read -Dad. I looked at her and pressed my lips into a thin line, picking up the phone and bringing it to my ears.
"Yes dad?" I murmured.
"Livia, I need to talk to you about something important." His voice was low and even. (Edit: Get married, settle down, have kids and handle the company)
"What is it?" I asked, looking at my wrist watch, usually it didn't matter for how long I stayed outside (It did until I was not out with Isabelle) and it was only six in the evening. It was a weekend as well which meant that I could do photography without getting bothered by work calls but today had other plans for me.
"Come home, now."
"Okay." I whispered and hung up the call.
---
The silence hung in the air as I sat down on the couch across my parents. The silence was too similar, too suffocating. I knew what they wanted, it was probably about another blind date they had fixed for me but I wasn't ready to marry, especially not when I was only twenty four but I did belong from a very traditional chinese family, which meant, I should have been married by now. Though, they were a part of the business world but it didn't bring a change in their mindset.
"Liv, how many times should I tell you to take care of yourself? Look at how pale you are going." My mother gave me a concern look and sighed, the sound escaping her lips in a lazy way. Even though my mother was old but she still looked like a carbon copy of when she was earning fame as a model.(That explains a lot why she's obsessed with how I look.) but she left her modelling career after meeting dad. I didn't know the exact reason but she'd said she has lost interest and modelling caged her from being herself.
However, I still get compliments how I look like my mother back when she was young. (It doesn't feel like a compliment to me)
"Yes mom, work has been...a lot." I said, trying to find something else interesting until they bring up the topic about my marriage and I lost my interest in almost everything for a maximum week.
"Livia, I want you to marry Lucas," Dad said, his voice was commanding as if...it was all fixed already. "Lucas Walker."
Screw it. Lucas Walker? The Playboy CEO? Oh, for heaven's sake, I was not going to marry him, especially when there were thousands of dating scandals surrounding him. He did look handsome but it wasn't everything I needed, I needed someone loyal and by those scandals he didn't sounded nothing like it.
"I'm not going to marry him father." I clenched my jaw, my voice too forced to sound polite. "Don't you know about those scandals?" I looked at mother, who sat silent.
"He's not what you think. Those are just rumours and you know media does it for money." Dad spoke, his voice stern and eyes sharper than ever. "You can deny if you want photography to be over for you." He looked at his wrist watch, unbothered by everything.
I could never leave photography, it had been my passion since I was a kid and dad knew it, he knew it was my weakness. He was simply blackmailing me. He knew well how to pull the knife.
"No, you won't." I breathed out.
"I can." He looked at me, his eyes challenging, he leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. Damn, I knew he could do it but I wasn't ready to back down. It was my life, I should be the one to make decisions for myself, not him. "Marry him."
"I'm not going to marry him." My voice broke, heart sinking in my chest, before he could say anything I ran back to my room, followed by mother.
