Inheritance [M.T]

chapter five

The car ride was comfortably silent, the faint sound of the wheels rolling against the road as well as the engine's running, being the only thing that the two of them heard. That is before she realised how the turns were getting more and more unfamiliar. And soon, she was no longer in the vicinity she'd grown up in. "Simon, where are we going?" She asked politely, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked over to the man in a tuxedo. "I was instructed to bring you to the Tuan household for measurement-taking."

Her eyes widened, looking down at her clothes, seeing how it was the complete opposite of how she would've preferred to portray herself to her in-laws. Shaking her head vigorously, she was drawn back to reality. "What are you thinking about, Aerin? This is all fake." She thought to herself, letting out a huff before she sat back against the black leather that lined the vehicle's interior.

Soon enough, the car pulled into a brick-lined driveway that had a few other cars lining the mansion's exterior. One of them, she recognised to have belonged to her brother. With her hand on the door handle, she pushes the door open before Simon had made his way over to her side of the vehicle. Aerin spared him a small smile before she spotted Jackson.

"What am I doing here, with all of you?" She asked immediately, hooking her arm with her brother's as her anxiety shook her usual confidence. "Wedding gown fitting." He answered, letting out a sigh as he lifted a hand to pet his sister's head. "J-Jackson.. I'm scared."

Despite her facade, she was fragile on the inside. This, she couldn't hide, especially from herself and her brother. Jackson merely shook his head, giving her one final smile before he, together with the other five guys walked towards the entrance. The boys could sense her nerves, just by a slight glance over to her gestures. Her confidence has dissipated, the minute she entered this luxurious neighbourhood. She was afraid, and that was obvious.

The large white-painted oak doors soon flew open, revealing a butler on the other side of the door. "Welcome. Ma'am is awaiting you in the left wing, by the soon to be wedded couple's room." Aerin nervously gulped, her eyes meeting with those one of the man who bowed his head, extending a hand over to his right which caused her eyes to trail up a flight of stairs that separated the two wings.

Soon enough, her sneakers slid against the marble floor, making soft squeaks before they arrived at the room. The door was white, and its interior had yet to be adjusted, this was obvious due to how.. sterile everything seemed. Like it belonged to a luxurious hospital. Aerin slowly entered the room, an arm draping around her waist immediately as a greeting from Mark. There he stood, where he belonged. He was wearing a red button up together with black jeans and sneakers. His hair was tucked into a black beanie, and his earrings were on full display.

He didn't fit the usual expectations of a spoilt-rotten golden child. And it was soon evident that he wasn't the only child. As the room slowly exposed more of its true self to her, she noticed how some portraits were hung on the walls of him and his family. "How was the trip here?" He whispered audibly, placing a kiss on the side of her temple. "It was fine." She answered simply before her eyes trailed over to a woman with her hair in a crown-like style with braids. Her light blue dress that hugged at her sides comfortably together with cream pumps told her that she, in fact, was the latter's mother.

"Mrs Tuan, nice to meet you. I'm-" The formalities immediately fell out from her lips, this before she was interrupted with an embrace from her soon to be mother in law. "Oh gosh. It's such a relief to see that my son has finally chosen a good one." She said with a soft chuckle before finally pulling away. "Come, the seamstress is here to take your measurements. Together with some display gowns."

With a simple gesture, the boys left the room, closing the door behind them before a lady in her mid 40s revealed herself, giving Aerin a smile. "Let's get some measurements." The tape was placed along her body, before she was asked to remove her clothing and soon, this was replaced with almost ten different gowns. With each gown, came a new picture.

As the hours progressed, she sensed a new presence in the room. Her own mother had arrived and she seemed to be agreeing with everything that had already been said. Aerin was immediately struck with the realisation of how this was not only a deal with Mark, but it was something that made both their mothers so incredibly happy. Her heart shattered at the thought of how they would be, the day the deal gets broken off.