Marriage of the Will

By Eternity Rose

E-mail: [email protected]

Rated: PG-13

Standard Disclaimer Apply

Chapter 3

A week later...

Isabelle walked up to her youngest daughter's room and knocked gently on her door. "Serena? It's time to go."

"All right, Mother. I just need five more minutes. I'll meet you downstairs later," Serena's muffled voice replied.

Isabelle sighed and left.

Inside her room Serena was sitting in front of her vanity table with her hair up in it's usual odangos with black ribbons wrapped around them. She wore a black turtle neck with a black skirt that went down to her ankles. She had on black slippers with black leather straps around her thin ankles. She knew she was dressed a bit too modestly but she hated revealing clothing. They always made her too uncomfortable. It also kept boys away. She had been boy crazy in the past but she never had a date or a boyfriend, ever. Her sister got dates and boyfriends, Mina got dates and boyfriends, even Amy got dates and boyfriends! But Serena never got asked out. Why? She never knew. But she knew she never really wore revealing clothing in front of people. Only when she knew she was alone and didn't have to deal with any looks. Maybe that was why.

Picking up some blush Serena tried to put some life back into her skin but it didn't work. It just made her look like a clown. Gently, she wiped off the blush and sighed heavily. She just didn't want to go to the reading of the will. She knew her father was dead but to hear the will being read was going to kill her even more. She didn't want to know what her father left her. It would only make everything else seem so much more real and she would have to deal with the painful reality.

Finally, she decided not to wear any make up, like it had been at the funeral. She stood up and turned around, her skirt swishing around her ankles, and picked up her small black purse where she carried her most important items such as her drivers' license, credit card, cash, some lip gloss and a packet of tissues.

She slung the purse on and left her room. She walked downstairs to find her mother and older sister talking quietly with each other. Isabelle Blackwood was wearing a soft cashmere black sweater with black slacks. Lita was wearing a black blouse like she had the first day she came and a black skirt with black ankle boots. Her hair was back up in it's high ponytail again. Except without the green balls to hold it together it was black.

"Serena, are you okay?" Lita asked worriedly.

Serena frowned angrily and looked away. "Why do people keep on asking me that?! Of course I'm not fine! But I'm dealing so don't bother me anymore about it!" Her head snapped up in horror. She gasped and paled even more than her impossible white complexion. "I'm so sorry, Lita. I didn't mean to come off so harsh, it's just that...Oh, Lita I'm so sorry!" She rushed over to her sister and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry."

"That's all right, Serena. I know your upset. We're all upset," Lita said quietly.

Isabelle closed her eyes painfully. Her once happy, golden daughter was now such a sad and dark young woman. It tore Isabelle to see Serena in such a state. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself before bursting out into tears.

"Come, you two. We have to go now," Isabelle said shrilly. She struggled not to cry and won.

Serena and Lita nodded quietly and followed their mother out the door and to the black limo which waited for them. All three of them got in and the limo drove off to the law office in the heart of Baltimore city.

~*~

"I don't understand, Grandfather. Why do I have to go to this will reading? I'm not even family," Darien said, clearly baffled as his aged grandfather hustled him into the limo and got him himself. The limo pulled out of the drive way and down the quiet residential street.

Darien's grandfather had woken him up early in the morning with a phone call to tell him to get dress and wait outside for a limo around ten o'clock. He had been a little confused but did what he was asked since he would do anything for his grandfather. His younger sister, Raye Knight, had said he was crazy to get up so early and then went back to sleep after all the commotion. He just shrugged and waited for his ride.

Now that it came, it was time for questions.

"Well, Darien, you are involved in the will so you have to be there," Edward Knight said simply. He was 79-years-old but still had a head full of snow white hair. He had a redwood cane since he was getting pretty old and needed something to walk with although he was in pretty good shape for a man his age.

"Why am I involved?" Darien asked suspiciously.

"You'll see when you get there," Edward said mysteriously.

Darien decided to just wait it out since it was clear his grandfather wasn't going to say anything more.

~*~

Isabelle and Lita walked into the office of Keith's lawyer, Mr. Hayes, and took a seat on each of the plush chairs. Serena came in last and took a seat herself beside Lita. Mina, David and Aunt Kelly were already there. Immediately Aunt Kelly began to speak with Isabelle about everything that had happened. Serena flashed a small smile over to Mina and David who both had serious expressions on their faces. Mina responded with a similar small smile and David nodded soothingly.

Mr. Hayes was a forty year old man with a wife and three children. He was a nice man and Serena liked him. He always came over for dinner to discuss business with her father and sometimes he even discussed it with her when she looked interested enough. And all of what Mr. Hayes and her father did was fascinating to her.

"We're going to have to wait for a while as Mr. Darien Knight and his grandfather Mr. Edward Knight show up," Mr. Hayes said apologetically.

Serena and Lita were a bit surprised. What did those men have to do with this?

Then the door opened and the men in question walked in. Serena looked up and finally saw the face of the man she had been brusque with that day of the funeral. He looked at her and raised a single eyebrow questioningly before taking a seat beside Lita with his grandfather at his side.

"All right, now that everyone is here we can began the reading," Mr. Hayes announced. He

pulled out a two sheets of paper and began to read from them. Everyone got something. Mina and David got $10,000 along with a private beach house along the coast of California; Aunt Kelly got $5,000 and a condo complex in Washington; and Lita got $20,000 to do whatever she pleased with. Isabelle got most of the family money and some properties.

Then it was to be read what Serena got.

She just sat there, pale as a ghost. She closed her eyes, not really wanting to know what she was receiving. She really didn't care.

"My youngest daughter, Serena Blackwood, receives my half of the company and all assets that go along with it," Mr. Hayes read.

Serena suddenly felt very dizzy and light headed. She had thought her mother was going to receive that. She hadn't expected this. And in her condition of barely having any food and little rest, Serena fainted.

~*~

Darien watched in shock as the frail Serena Blackwood slumped in her chair and passed out. He stood up and walked over to the fainted girl and her hysterical mother. Gently, he lifted the almost weightless girl over to a long couch and laid her down on it.

"Calm down, Mrs. Blackwood. You daughter is fine," Darien said patiently as he checked Serena's strong pulse. "She just fainted from all that shock she received. I don't think she expected this."

Mrs. Blackwood shook her head. "No, I didn't tell her anything about this. I wanted it to be a surprise and I didn't know how to tell her in the first place. But I didn't expect her to faint on me!"

Lita was hovering worriedly as she gently smoothed back her younger sister's hair. "Oh, Serena, you should have eaten before coming," she murmured as she checked her sister's pulse again.

"Is she really all right?" Mina asked anxiously.

"She's fine," Darien assured her. "Serena's pulse is nice and strong. She'll wake up soon."

The minute Darien said that, Serena's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at them with unfocused eyes. She blinked a few times before some recognition set it.

"What--? I fainted, didn't it?" Serena's cheeks remained pale as she sat up and sighed softly. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to."

Lita and Mina sighed with relief.

"That's all right. I guess it is a terrible shock to know that you now own your father's half of the business," Mr. Knight said gently. The old man smiled and placed his aged hand on Serena's small shoulder.

"There is more," Mr. Hayes said a bit reluctantly.

"What's that?" Serena asked. She looked up at the man and saw that he didn't look very comfortable. Something wasn't right and she wanted to know why. "Mr. Hayes, what's the rest of it."

"Well..." Mr. Hayes looked down at the paper in his hands and cleared his throat. "In order to inherit this you must marry Edward Knight's grandson, Darien Knight."

Darien paled and Serena became a scarlet red in embarrassment.

"What?!" Darien exclaimed. "This is insanity. I didn't agree to this."

"No, but your grandfather did," Mr. Hayes said nervously as he could clearly see murder in both individual’s eyes.

"Let me see that paper!" Serena demanded. She shot to her feet with a sudden burst of angry energy and took the will from the nervous man's hand. Darien stood over her as they read the paper over.

"This isn't right," Serena murmured. She shook her head, her eyes wilded. "Father would never do this to me."

"You? What about me?" Darien exclaimed furiously.

"What's the meaning of this," Lita demanded angrily. She didn't like her sister being ordered to marry a man she didn't even know. Darien seemed like a nice enough man but Serena was still a bit young.

"I'm sorry, but that's what the will says," Mr. Hayes explained sympathetically. "Miss Serena, your father wanted you to be safe and secured when you inherited the business so he decided that it was best you married Mr. Darien Knight for he is a reliable man and heir to his grandfather's part of the business. It only seemed right."

"But I don't even know him," Serena said, shaking her head. "We can't marry. I don't think Mr. Knight likes it either."

"Damned right I don't like it," Darien bit out.

Serena looked at him with a slightly annoyed expression before turning back to Mr. Hayes.

"What if we don't agree to marry?" She asked.

"Then the business will be sold to Beryl Enterprise," Mr. Hayes said.

"Beryl?!" Serena, Darien, Lita and Mina exclaimed in disbelief.

"But they're our greatest competition and my father hates the Berly family. Why would he do this?" Serena asked, completely baffled by her father's motives.

Darien knew though. Sneaky, old Mr. Blackwood was trying to push Serena in marriage by threatening to sell Blackwood to Beryl. That would get anyone to jump into marriage.

Serena shook her head and handed the paper back to Mr. Hayes. "I'm sorry but I need to think." She looked desperately to her family and they nodded. After a few quick good-byes, Serena obviously ignoring Darien, they left.

Darien, his grandfather and Mr. Hayes were left.

"I don't understand this, Grandfather. Why did you do this?" Darien exploded.

"Your getting too wild, Darien. You need to settle down and Serena Blackwood is the perfect young lady for you," Edward replied simply.

"But forcing us into marriage by threatening the sale to Beryl? That's really low," Darien said furiously but keeping his voice low.

"Yes, well, an old man would do anything to ensure his grandson is properly married off."

"Grandfather, I don't even know her!"

"You will after you two get married." Edward paused and looked at Mr. Hayes who was trying hard to blend into the background. "We'll talk in the limo."

Darien nodded. Yes, they will talk. Politely, they said good bye to Mr. Hayes and walked out to the limo. They got there to see the Blackwood limo disappear around the corner.

They got in and the limo pulled out on to the street.

"Explain, Grandfather. I want to know what's going on," Darien said quietly.

"Like I said, it was best you get married, Darien. Your 27, still young but you need to settle down and I know Serena Blackwood. She's a very good girl with a wonderful heart. You'll learn to appreciate and love her, Darien."

"Grandfather, I don't want to marry. Can you understand that? Marriage is like a trap to me and I don't want to be trapped."

"It's not a trap, Darien. Only if you think of it that way." Edward paused and sighed softly. "Darien, I'm also doing this as a favor to Keith. He loved his daughter Serena with all his heart but it doesn't look like the men are attracted to her and she's never known to be around boys. Her father wants her to be married off happily so she doesn't live alone. The girl is a very intelligent young woman but she is also a very dependant one and Keith knew if he ever left her she would be shattered."

Darien frowned. His grandfather and Keith Blackwood wanted him to marry Serena Blackwood because no other man wanted her? It was clear that the girl didn't pay attention to her looks very much and was a very, very modest girl from what she wore each time he saw her. But why was he the one picked to marry her? It just didn't seem fair to him. If he married he wanted to marry for love. Not because some girl couldn't get herself her own husband!

He knew he was being unfair, he didn't even know the girl, but he was furious that half of his grandfather's company was going to be sold off if he didn't marry Serena. He didn't want that to happen. Especially if the company was being sold off to Beryl! They would ruin it completely with their dirty tricks.

"Please, Darien. We also made it so that as long as your married for a year, the company will be yours and hers securely. Then you two can divorce if you want to," Edward said gently. "The business will still be ran by the both of you but only as partners. You can go on and marry someone else if you wish to."

Darien looked skeptically at his grandfather. He expected Darien to fall in love with Serena in a year's time? Well, at least he wouldn't be married to her forever. It didn't sound that bad and if he got some experience in married life maybe he would be better at it when and if he marries another young woman after he and Serena divorced.

"All right," Darien agreed.

Edward smiled. "That's a good boy. You'll like her, Darien. She's a very sweet girl."

Darien nodded but really wasn't listening to his grandfather. He was just thinking of his predicament and if a year was going to be a very long time.

~*~

Serena locked herself in her room and refused to come out. First her mother had tried to talk to her, then it was Lita, then it was Mina. But she still refused to come out. It was starting to get dark as night fell but she just had too much to think about before she could come out to face her family.

Her father had made sure that she agreed to the marriage. Why did he do that? Why was her father trying to force her into marrying a man she didn't even know well enough. She only knew how he looked and he was arrogant from the way he spoke to her that day of the funeral. He was handsome too. But she only knew that much. She didn't know anything more and it scared her that she might marry a man that she barely knew. What if he was one of those abusive kind of men? How could she deal with that?

But then anger filled her. She knew her father was making this marriage for her own good but he had no right! Then there was the fact that she didn't want Beryl Enterprises to get their greedy hands on her father's company. That and she didn't think Darien would make that great of a business man....She would have to be there to help him out.

Oh, I'm just making dumb excuses. I really do want to take the company. But marriage? Am I truly ready for that? Serena looked out of the window from her window seating and stared up at the gibbous moon. She sighed softly. Am I really ready for marriage? I haven't even had my first kiss! Now I might be getting married? It was just crazy and too fast.

But in the end, Serena decided that she was going to marry Darien Knight to secure her father's business. It was the least she could do for her father. She loved him and from the looks of it he wanted her to do this. So she will.

Closing her eyes, Serena once again fell asleep at her window seat.

~*~

I hope you like it so far! This is relatively easy for me to write so the chapters are just coming in quickly. Please, write. I love e-mail and feed back from readers.

Eternity Rose