How could I fall in love with him？

The silence that eroded the dining room even as the maid served the food on the table was alarming. Each one of them seated watched the maid's action even in that silence. Although their minds were filled with different thoughts.

It took about half an hour before they dived into their meal for the night just after the maid had left.

Alexia let her eyes fly around while she took a spoonful each of her food. Just as her stares traveled from her father to her mother, so did the thoughts of what she had been told before hand. And the possibilities of it coming to pass.

Alexia couldn't help but keep praying inwardly that whatever played in her head did not turn out to be real.

Just a few days ago, her father had brought up an issue Alexia had rebuked.

"Alexia," she suddenly heard in the middle of her thoughts and raised to see who it was amongst her parents. His usual stoic expression caused her heart to beat faster this time.

She didn't provide a response to his call, rather, she just stared at him. He wiped off the invisible crumbs of food around his lips before letting the cat out of the bag.

"Your wedding with Dane Belmont has been fixed." His words caused Alexa to choke on her food. She helped herself with a glass of water immediately.

"Father, what - what wedding are you talking about? What do you mean by marriage!We never concluded on that." She finally found the courage to say.

"Don't act like you were never informed from the onset." Mr Tamas said to her.

Alexia let out a scoff as she adjusted herself properly on her chair.

I'm not acting like I was not informed. But you sound like it was a decision that was made whereas it wasn't."

"It actually is. And I hope that you understand why we did that." Mr Tamas went on, his stares fixated on her while his voice drove out an authoritative tone.

"Father," Alexia tried to talk, but the words were too heavy to spill. "Mother," she looked from her father back to her mother.

"You need to understand why we're doing this. It is one of the sacrifice we have to make for the family." Her mother said. However, her eyes were never on Alexia, but at a direction she couldn't even tell.

"You want me to understand? What on earth do I have to understand? And when did I become a sacrificial lamb?" Alexia shot out, a sting of pain and anger dancing around her voice.

"Alexia," her mother tried to speak.

"No mother, stop." She was quick to say.