DINING WITH THE DEVIL; SHE USES A SHORT SPOON

"Dad, no! I cannot marry him.

You cannot force this on me.

I have done absolutely everything you have asked of me, but this, this is too much.

My entire life is on the line here!" Diane responded nervously.

"Why are you being so unreasonable? You cannot have me asking Vanessa, your younger sister.

How the fuck do you want us to pay up the debt? Do you want us to lose the company?

You need to get your act together because you are marrying Alexander McQueen." Declan commanded in a placating tone. He didn't for once consider Diane's emotions.

To Declan, that was the best decision that Diane would ever think of.

"Please, Dad, do not do this.

I will work at the company day and night if it means paying off the debt," Diane vowed.

She scrubbed the ground with her knees and made it seem like she wanted to faint.

She looks sadly into her father's eyes, hoping to soften his hardened heart a bit.

Leaning forward, Declan rested his hand on Diane's shoulder as though he wanted to give her a listening ear. "Sweetheart, I love you, but you must do this for our family; you must not be selfish. All you have to do is marry the man and our problems are over,"

Upon hearing him speak, Diane tossed her Father's arms on her shoulder and shook her head disdainfully. She was lost for words at his attitude.

Ignoring her tears, he walked out of his office, leaving Diane kneeling on the floor in despair.

Diane stood up and dried her tears.

She knew her father too well.

She's damn certain that he won't listen to her even if she cried her eyes out.

She loved the company and would do anything to assist them in their financial crises, but was she willing to sacrifice her happiness for it? That's her most difficult challenge at the moment.

She sobs hard on the floor as she considers the number of workers who will lose their jobs, the vast majority of whom have families to support.

Amidst Diane's tears, her mother

Antonia walks into the office.

She called Diane's attention, but the latter failed to respond.

She was engrossed in deep thought and wasn't even aware that someone had walked inside.

It took another powerful yell to rejuvenate Diane's lost soul.

"Oh, mother.

You're here." Diane sighed in fatigue.

Antonia pats Diane on the back, and says, "I know it is hard, but try to heed your father's words

He wants the best for the company and will go to any length to achieve it."

Diana could not believe what she heard. She was disappointed in her mother.

She thought her mother was going to take her side. But clearly, she was mistaken.

She was stunned, and she realized it was time to follow in her father's footsteps.

______

"Where are you, Maggie? I have been calling your phone for over an hour now.

You need to get over to my house right away, I have a lot to tell you," Diane screamed her lungs out after pacing around her room.

She leaves yet another voicemail, hoping her best friend will come to her rescue with some knowledge of her current situation.

Suddenly, different cars drove through her driveway.

Glancing out the window to see what was going on, surveying the scene, her eye caught a sharp hazel eye staring intensely at her.

She jerked back, closing her curtains to avoid any interactions.

"Diane! Diane!" Vanessa called out after rushing into Diane's room. She seemed so excited as though she wanted to divulge important news.

"Hey, girl.

Take a chill pill.

If you keep acting this way, you're going to break your bones," Diane made an upraised arm to calm her sister's nerves.

She hasn't seen her sister before.

"Well you were not responding to your name, so I had to scream," Vanessa shrugged and itched her head.

"Daddy asked you to dress up and come downstairs immediately. He has guests he wants you to meet. Please hurry. Don't keep him waiting for too long," Vanessa disclosed after scanning the four corners of Diane's room.

She left afterward and slammed the door so hard that it nearly got pulled off the ground.

Taking a deep breath, Diane wonders why she is being summoned. "I just hope it's worth it. Because right now, I just want to be left alone."

Her instincts continue to irritate her.

They keep telling her that it has to do with the damn arranged marriage.

It didn't take too long for her to debunk its possibility wholeheartedly. Although, it thugs her heart.

No matter how hard she tries to deny it, the truth still comes back to haunt her.

"Why cannot he simply reject me and say no to the marriage?" Diane thought loudly to herself!

"Or should I make him hate me at first sight? Oh, no, I can't, my family and father's company depend on this," Diane soliloquized to herself. She's almost choking on her words,

She did not notice she was crying until the tears melted on her tongue, tasting the salty liquid.

She immediately wiped it away and went into her small, white tiled, three-quarter bathroom.

She always wondered why her room was compacted, and every other room was airy.

She was getting dressed when she heard a loud bang on her door.

"Coming, I will be right there!"

She lied just to avoid getting into more trouble.

"No need to dress up Diane, our guest is gone. He doesn't have the luxury of time or keep waiting for you anymore," Declan yelled at the door. He demonstrated his rage as though Diane could hear him.

In normal circumstances, it could have been one of the next news ever. She never wanted to entertain the guests anyway.

But after a thorough observation, she realized how agitated it would make her Father Feel.

She couldn't utter a word as she waited for her Father to be gone. Slowly, she peeped through the tiny hole at the door to satisfy her curiosity.

Luckily for her, her father was nowhere to be found.

Diane slowly unlocks the door, looking down at the floor; she suddenly sees her Father.

It turned out that he was hiding behind the door because he knew she was gonna show up.

All she had to do was remain silent and let him vent his rage on her. She could feel her father's gaze all over her.

Suddenly, he brought her head up with his finger, softly grazing her cheeks, and said in a low tone, "You made it difficult for me to love you."

"You know, sometimes you are just too difficult, but it is all good because you will not be my problem anymore.

Your wedding date is set.

In the next couple of days, you'd be married off to Alexander McQueen.

So get ready, do not worry about anything, just be good and ready for a husband."

After disseminating the information, Declan turned around and walked away as though nothing happened.

Diane was taken aback.

She stood at the door for long enough after her father had left her horrifying sight.

Diane jolted as she felt a presence beside her on the bed. "Oh, wonderful heavens! Maggie, I am glad you are here." She embraced her best friend while whimpering on her shoulder.

"Oh, my darling, what is the difficulty?

Sorry I took so long to show up.

I'm here now. You can tell me anything." Maggie asked nicely after wiping off Diane's tears.

Devastated and broken, Diane wept like a child. It became too difficult for her to speak. The words became too heavy to come out of her lips.

-------

"It is not that bad, Diane.

Alexander might be a good catch.

I heard he is stinking rich and good-looking.

I guess that's a plus for you," Maggie teases Diane after listening to her explanation.

"That wasn't funny, girl,"

Diane smirked. She wondered why Maggie would decide to joke with a delicate situation like that.

"I guess I should just do this for my family and everyone goes home happy.

But what about my happiness? Why is no one even putting that into consideration?" Diane lamented again. She raised her voice at Maggie even when she shouldn't have.

"So, what are you going to do about it anyway? Have you decided yet?" Maggie asked. She looked more clueless than Diane.

"Like seriously, girl?

If I had a solution, you wouldn't be here.

Don't you have any ideas in your head? Fucking think of something,"

Diane raged. She was disappointed that her best friend couldn't come through for her.

Chewing her nails to rack her brain, Maggie faced the ground a thousand times and stared at the ceiling to count its invisible stars.

"If I want to be honest with you, this may seem a bit too difficult for you. You know why?

You are practically being monitored by your Dad.

I bet he won't leave you until your wedding day. I heard him discuss that with your mother," Maggie made the shocking news.

Despite speaking in a low tone, she ensured that she rushed to peep outside to be certain that no one was approaching in their direction.