shackles » todoroki

Chapter 1: Slipping Through Her Fingers

She looked down at the hand grabbing her arm, and looked up to it's owner's. Her father's face looked at her pleadingly, "Emika! listen to me! I know you don't understand right now because you're young but this is for your own good, I'm doing this because I love you."

She yanked her arm back, causing the water filled glass that was on the table to crash against the wooden floor of the dining room. "This isn't love." she said coldly, then proceeded to get up leaving behind the rest of her family members that were seated at the table in a state of dismay at what just went down.

She felt dizzy walking down the hallway to her room, but nonetheless made sure to slam the door loudly and then made her way to her bed to lie down.

her head was spinning, how did it turn out this way? it was supposed to be a happy family dinner, celebrating her elder brother Yuuto's return from his trip to America, She had no idea what her father planned on revealing this fateful night. 

He had seemed tense throughout the whole dinner, tapping his foot lightly against the floor. It was like he had predicted her reaction. Her younger sister Katsumi, dropped her utensil when the announcement was made, her mouth was left agape and her food was forgotten.

He cleared his throat but it was to no avail, his voice still sounded hoarse when he announced that Emika was to marry Shoto Todoroki, The son of Enji Todoroki who was a big corporate owner and made a few deals with her father here and there. Emika has never met a Todoroki beforehand, but has seen enji numerous times in the media. He had seemed like an unpleasant and cold man, his hair a fiery red and intimidating light blue eyes, she shuddered at the thought of what his son could possibly be like.

She had just turned eighteen, and had plans of continuing her studies abroad, she felt her dreams slipping through her fingers, and her room closing in on her. She was about to marry someone she didn't even know, and would eventually move into his house and live amongst strangers. She held her hand to her face, and felt the wetness on her fingertips. When did she start crying? 

Her father had mentioned that shoto was supposodly going to take over his father's business once he retired. She scoffed, So what? she couldn't care less about money when it came to marriage.

She turned her head to stare at the frame that was resting on her bedside table, it was a picture of her and her two childhood friends, Fuji and Haruto. She held her hand to her lips as the realization hit her, what would haruto say when he finds out?

Emi was not naive, she knew of haruto's feelings towards her. His green eyes would always drift to her when they were seated in class, she knew this because of the multiple warnings he got due to not paying attention, she found that his face would always flush and his hand would scratch his neck when she threw him a quick retort during their multiple banters. And fuji, her lively but blunt blue haired friend had always encouraged their non existent relationship, she'll be crushed to know that her fantasies have been squandered.

"It's a union that is mutually beneficial for both sides", she recollected the statement her father said not even an hour ago, she knew of his plans to merge companies with enji, but she didn't think he would include her, did her own father really think of her as a pawn?

She gripped the sheets as the sobs overtook her, she felt helpless. The deal was done, she couldn't back out even if she wanted to. What would enji do to her father's business, all his hard work if he broke their deal?

There was nothing she could do and she hated it.