“Troy Robinson?” The person’s voice is quite shaky. It is a female’s voice that sounds like she needs to get something off her chest.
"Yes," I look through my bedroom window, fearing that some psycho is following me. But a psycho's voice wouldn't sound like they were talking from a closet. "Who are you?"
“I am Jasmine, Emilie’s best friend,” the lady says, and I wait to listen to the rest of what she has to say.
"Don't marry her," she says, "…it is a trap; her family is trying to make you give her half of your property. They won't stop unless you stop them."
As much as I hate Emilie and resent marrying her, I am not sure that I want to believe the words of an anonymous caller.
“How do you know this?” I ask Jasmine.
Jasmine sighs. "I know you won't believe me. I know about the plan because she told me. I am her best friend," Jasmine says. "Iwasher best friend."
"Why are you telling me this?" I ask.
Jasmine says that convincing me will take work. She doesn't know that I have been looking to find the slightest excuse to avoid marrying Emilie, but I need to be sure Jasmine is not just a girl who is jealous of her ex-best friend.
“I am telling you because I want to get back at her for sleeping with my boyfriend,” she says. I can hear the pain in her voice. She wants revenge by spoiling her plans to rip my family off our property. “It is left for you to take action,” she says. “Be careful.”
When her line goes dead, I take my phone to check if someone named Jasmine is Emilie's best friend. I am not surprised at what I find out.
Jasmine and Emile's pictures are littered everywhere each other's pages, but they must have recently unfollowed each other on social media.
Now, I believe everything Jasmine just told me. I think it will interest Mother to know this huge secret about Emilie and her family.
****
I rush to Mother's mansion. I can't wait to see the shock on her face when I tell her Emilie's true intentions. I can't wait to hear her apologize for almost falling victim to such treacherous fraud.
I find Mother at her favorite spot in the house, the balcony where she enjoys fresh air.
“You are telling me this because Emilie’s jealous friend told you not to marry her?” Mother looks disappointed. “You should know better, Troy. These girls play dirty.”
I shake my head. "I think you should investigate further," I say. "Emilie may have something under her sleeve."
"I found your diary." Mother stands up, taking two steps closer to me. "Where you wrote about not wanting to get married because you don't want the solitary marriage your father and I had. I know you have been doing all you can to stay a bachelor for the rest of your life." Mother swallows hard. "It won't happen; you need to propose to Emilie and let us get this wedding over with."
In my defense, that diary was written in my early twenties.
I am a grown man now, and I see the world differently. But Mother doesn't buy it.
"If you don't hold that ideology again, then you have to prove it by marrying one of those girls on my list."
“I know you wrote those ladies’ names on the list because you know I wouldn’t marry any of them. They are all -” I try not to say the wordhorrible. “You want me to marry Emilie at all costs.”
Mother doesn't deny the allegations; she only smiles. "Now you know how things work." I can see how impossible it will be to convince Mother that Emilie has a bad intention for agreeing to marry me.
I start to consider Henry's advice and think it was the easiest way to escape the trap Mother was mindlessly setting for me and the family.
I need to talk with Camile, find out what she dearly needs, and make her marry me before Mother makes the biggest life mistake.
****
“I found out something about Camile,” Henry says as he barges into my house. "Something she won't be able to resist." Being in the same neighborhood as my family may be the biggest mistake I've ever made.
Henry comes and goes as he pleases, and Mother thinks she can always summon us for mandatory family dinner anytime she is bored of staying in that huge house.
I stand up, interested in what he has to say because he mentioned Camile.