Page 2 of Claiming His Wife
Her father slammed his large hand on his desk. The action startled both women in the room and Kalilah took a step back.
“Calm down, darling,” Katherine told her husband, and in return Richard placed a hand over his wife’s. Her mom then turned to her and said, “Kalilah, you must do as your father says. He knows what’s best for you.”
“But Mother, I no longer wish to marry Finn. I broke up with him earlier,” she pleaded, still hoping that this one time they would listen to her.
“Enough with this foolishness. I’ll hear no more of this nonsense. Finn has an excellent business mindset and will make a fine husband. You will marry Finn, and Anderson Realty will remain in the family.” Of course, that was all he cared about; not her; never her. She fought the urge to roll her teary eyes.
“Why do you hate me, Father?” She asked in between sobs.
“If by hate you mean, sending you and your sister to private schools, allowing you both to travel the world and giving you unlimited access to all of my credit cards then yes. I suppose I hate you.”
“Father please just listen to me. I won’t marry Finn. I swear it on my life that I won’t marry that user.”
“Are you talking back to me girl? The audacity!” Her father barked.
“I am so sorry, Father, I didn’t mean to talk back to you.” Her tears formed a river down her cheeks.
“You forget your place, Kalilah. You will do as your father says,” Katherine added placing your other hand on top of her husband’s.
She mustered up her last bit of courage, raised her chin and said, “I won’t do it and you can’t force me to.” She could barely recognize her own voice.
Her father looked toward his wife and then he looked in her direction as if surveying his prey. Kalilah knew instantly that her last bit of defiance was about to cost her dearly. And it was confirmed by her father’s next words.
“Daughter, you have two options.” He picked up his office phone and turned it in her direction.
“Call Finn now and tell him you made a mistake and you still wish to marry him, thereby securing our company’s future - your future - or, you can kiss goodbye to every luxury I have afforded you and leave my house tonight with only the clothes on your back.”
The ultimatum hit her hard. She gasped, losing her footing for a moment. Kalilah knew that tone, and she knew there was no use trying to convince her parents overwise. They had already made up their mind and dealt their final, painful card, and didn’t care that she was a casualty in their ambitions.
She weighed the options placed before her by her father and cringed as she thought of a way to get out of this predicament. Then, suddenly, she remembered the acceptance letter she received from the University of Washington a month ago, which she had chucked aside, and knew right away what she would do.
“What’s your decision, Kalilah?” Katherine asked softly. If Kalilah didn’t know better, she would mistake her mother’s tone as compassionate, but she knew better. Her mother was incapable of empathy.
Kalilah’s previous somber countenance faded as a summery smile spread across her face.
CHAPTER 1
THE POWERFUL ENGINE RUMBLED AT THE CURB as her driver made a slow turn and came to a stop. Kalilah took a deep breath. No time like the present to survey her surroundings. She had thought she was ready – she whipped herself into a frenzy of righteous purpose before she left the airport earlier. Her steely demeanor remained in place until she crossed the 520E highway from Dorval to Montréal and the feeling of coming home enveloped her.
The sway of familiar sights of French signs – the metro, Tim Horton’s, and orange cones – brought back old memories. Who would have thought that she would have nostalgia to battle, in addition to the mission that brought her here? The 15-floor office building of Anderson Realty that she was now looking up at brought on the most reminiscent feelings. It stood strong, imposing, and blocking out the sun’s rays with its magnificence. It was a testament to her failure… No, not failure.
To the great injustice that they had done her.
She was now back to finally put an end to the biggest mistake she’d ever made in her adult life. At twenty-five-years old and a recent graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, Kalilah knew it was time to put an end the five-year façade. She was finally ready to live her own life in her own truth.
She breathed in the cool interior air of the car before her now steady hand reached for the door.
“Do I wait in the lobby for you, Miss?” her driver asked in his heavy Haitian accent. The kind gesture, however small, boosted her confidence.
“No, thank you, Owen, I will be but a minute,” she assured him.
Kalilah had only met him earlier at the airport, and they had talked about quite a few things during the ride to downtown Montréal. She’d learned that he was originally from Haiti, and that he and his wife had moved to Quebec to join his wife’s sister after the massive earthquake had hit the island years ago.
“Bonne chance, Madame,” he replied and Kalilah sighed inwardly. Apparently, her inner consternation hadn’t been missed. That wouldn’t do; she had too much to fight for and she couldn’t afford to hesitate or show weakness, especially to her ex-husband Finn. The slow burn of anger in her belly at the thought of him was a welcome sensation.
She had matured much over the years she was away.
