The Unwanted Attraction (#1) (Preview)

Chapter 4

"Maximus King?" Ornelia asked, confused and visibly tense.

All her father could do was nod in agreement.

The guy who glared.

"You mean the horse face who attended our graduation ceremony?"

Again, all she got was a weak nod from her father and a barely audible chuckle from her mother.

Maximus King. The name sent shivers down her spine.

He was very well-known in the entire state of California as a ruthless businessman. He was also California's very own manwhore but never a boyfriend—let alone a husband. The latter just did not exist in his dictionary.

He came from a family of old money. This man couldn't get any more cliché. He was famous for dating beautiful women from all around the world, at least that was how the tabloids portrayed him. He was every girl's fantasy hero and every guy's worst nightmare.

Never had Ornelia imagined that this nightmare dressed as a fantasy would be her future husband, not even when she saw him up on that stage like perfection, glaring down at her as though she was a filth.

"Honey?" her mother's voice broke her trance.

Ornelia released a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. "Are you okay?" her concerned voice came.

"Not quite, Ma," Ornelia out the words.

Her mom's face looked crestfallen, suddenly making her feel guilty for bursting on her. It wasn't her fault; she couldn't have known herself.

Ornelia faced her father and asked, "Dad, why? I mean I just got a f*cking degree, so why all of a sudden?"

She saw him hesitate at first.

"A long time ago, Harrold King, . When your mother was pregnant with you and went into labour, I drove her to the hospital, and I was in a mad rush. I ran a red light and collided with a car. It turned out that were Harrold's grandson and son, Dominic. Luckily no one was severely hurt except for the grandson who had minor scratches and a broken arm. Dominic ended up calling Harrold to fix things, and he wouldn't let us leave. Your mother was getting increasingly uneasy." Her father looked at her mother and sighed.

"What does any of this have to do with me marrying Maximus King?" As much as she loved watching her parents still in love, right at that time all she wanted were answers.

"We owed him a lot of money, Nella. He paid all the expenses of your birth and postnatal care. Your Papa was laid off at that time. Turned out Harrold had bought the firm and while downsizing they cut your Papa's job too. Once he came to know Alex had worked there, he rehired him as a manager. We insisted we pay him back, not all at once, but as much as we could. Harrold was an adamant old man. He didn't want any of our money. He said he would ask for payment only when the time was right," her mother explained further with tears in her eyes.

"I still don't get it. Where do I stand in all of this?" Ornelia snapped at her.

"Nella, he recently passed away," Alex continued.

"My condolences . . . and I am sorry you lost your boss, Papa. But I'd still like to get some of my answers first and then we can mourn his death, I promise." Her anxiety was getting the better of her. She never spoke to her parents like that—let alone disrespect the dead man.

"I was invited to his will reading, Ornelia. That was the will reading I had to attend a few days ago." Alex was trying his best to lay the story down on her as gently as he could, of how such an unpleasant deal came to be. "And in his will, he mentioned leaving some of his property worth a few millions in your name. And in order to have access to this property or to transfer it, you will have to marry his grandson. Maximus King is his grandson, Nella." Her father just dropped a bomb on her.

"So you're telling me that I, Ornelia Dawson, am technically a millionaire? And his grandson has to marry me to get any sort of access to that property? Is this a joke?" Ornelia started laughing maniacally.

"I wish it was a joke, honey. But it is not. And Maximus wants to get married as soon as he can and get it over with. I am sorry, Nella. I wish I could do something." He looked heartbroken.

"Why would he do that? It's like his grandson is incapable of getting women, which really is not the case. We all know about his quests and my God, that man is a genius businessman and has been on Forbes Thirty under Thirty list and all that. Why do I have to marry him? So that he can get the inheritance?" she asked helplessly, not knowing what else to say.

"In , you will get married," he firmly said without answering her question.

It was the first time she had seen her father so . Usually he would answer all her questions without hesitating.

She felt betrayed and was overcome with emotion, so helpless and scared. Then her eyes widened with sudden realization. "But, Papa, the—that's like barely a month! I don't even know him! How am I going to spend the rest of my life with that man?" she asked.

"Honey, if only I could do anything."

She looked at her parents. They seemed to be struggling to get a grip on reality just as much as she was.

"You keep saying that, while Maximus King ruins my life. F*cking piece of sh*t." Ornelia stomped to her room and banged the door.

Ornelia had always been one of those girls who wanted to have a happily ever after, but her ever after just took a sickening twist. Actually, the ever after disappeared the moment her father announced she was getting married.

She was twenty-one, and she'd never even gone out on a proper date with a boy, and now she had to get married. This was just too much to take in. Three weeks was such a little time to prepare herself, mentally. She needed more time—time to make up her mind, time to know about this person, and time to plan out her life. The question was, Would she like to include Maximus King in her plans?

Maybe not.

She had a vague feeling that all her studies were going to go to waste. She wanted to pursue a career, settle in, have her own apartment and then think of getting married. "Think" was supposed to be the key word. She couldn't believe everything was about to go down the drain, just because Harrold King wanted his grandson to have a happy life. Couldn't they see they were destroying her happy life? It was like her future was being snatched away from her when it was just within her reach, and she couldn't do a damn thing about it. All she could do was contemplate what the future held for her.

After a few minutes she heard a knock on her door. She let her parents come in. They sat next to her on her bed and hugged her tightly. Her mother softly sobbed into her shoulder. while her father waited for her to say something.

"Honey, please, say something."

She heard her father plead.

"I really don't have much to say, Pa."

Ornelia felt like a mess. She'd just gotten her degree, and there was so much left to see and so much left to do. Getting married wasn't even on her to-do list, not for a very long time at least.

"I am going to sleep on this. I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. Good night." Ornelia had decided to retire for the night. It really was too much for her to take in.

"There is nothing to sleep on, Nella. This is going to happen whether you like it or not. It is written in the agreement. I wish I knew how to change any of this, sweetheart. I am sorry." Her father was on the verge of tears as he declared her fate, as he declared her life would change in three weeks.