I can not believe my father could do such a foolish thing. Am I dreaming?!

"Do not tell me, your ego is stopping you from saving my mum, I meant your wife." I looked at him, anger boiling inside me. If he want to destroy his life, he is free to do so, because I do not care. But the life of my Mom, hell no I could not stand it.

"No that is not true," he said. He brought out his right hand, and held my hand. "Jessica, no, I have a plan. I know someone who is willing to back me. The person believe in my plans. I know I will be able to fix everything with his help. But... he is requesting for something else in return."

I felt a strangely precise sense of what was coming. "This appears to be one of those inappropriate proposal stuff, isn't it?" I asked. I raised my voice more than I should have.

People in the cafe turned to our direction."Fuck, I am your daughter for goodness sake!"

"No please you are thinking to far," he said, his face became red as he turn around anxiously. "Jessica, it is not like what you think."

"Okay tell me, do I have to have sex with one of the richest men you know and he will offer you millions of dollars, and I will get nothing in return? Is that the deal?"

"No Jessica, it is..." He turned his attention to the briefcase that was always by his side, opened it, and brought out a thick contract as big as a novel. He passed it to me, but I refuse to take it, he had to place it on the table between us.

"Jessica, this is a marriage proposal," he told me.

I began laughing. "Oh goodness, jezzz. Please tell me you are joking here. Because I thought you meant it!" For real, this joke is not funny at all. Making fun of cancer was awful — but I was just calm that I could forgive it.

"I am not joking but I am serious," he said quietly.

The laughter died in my throat.

Who is backing you up? I asked as I pictured his business partners who he had worked with. Settling down maritally with one of the corporate assholes was not on my bucket list.

He inhaled deeply. "Richard Creighton"

I shot up my brows so far they almost disappeared into my hair.

"The Richard Creighton Family?" This can not be true

I gazed at the contract in front of me on the table, and I found his name on it.

The man, Richard Creighton is a well known person who I had read about in a magazine, I have also hear people gossip about him online or on television. He owned Pearson Empire, one of the biggest companies in the world. He was powerful, formidable, commanding, and conventionally handsome. He had come from nowhere before he became famous over the short period of eleven years, stopping and crushing anyone who gets in his way.

And here, my father is showing me Mr Richard Creighton marriage contract, like we are in the nineteenth century. And his full name is on it.

What’s the underlying condition? I wondered. There have to be conditions. Because I know there is no way Richard Creighton will want an arranged marriage. He could get any woman he wanted. He is rich and I also heard he is very good on bed. Probably. Young men of his age, who are powerful, good looking loves fucking bitches.

My father used to be that type of man when he was young.

But look where that got him.

And my mom, look at what happened to her. She is now suffering.

I wet my lips with my tongue. "What does the marriage contract say?" I asked him.

"You should have a lawyer by your side when reading it," he responded, "but it exactly like a marriage agreement. An agreement about money and landed property."

Right, a marriage agreement. What gain is Mr Richard Creighton gaining from this proposal, why would he need an arranged marriage?"

My father took his eyes away from me, and started looking at the window. "I have no idea. He did not give me any reason, I think it is best known to him. If you do not want to sign the contract, it is fine by me. It is just a condition for his backing." I can not walk away and let my mom die. The unsaid truth hovered, palpable in the silence.

"He is willing to help you from this challenges you are in, all he wants is to get married to me, your daughter, a lady he has never met before?" I questioned my father. The words from my mouth somehow sounded more worse than it was.

A faint smile flickered on his lips. "Well I will be getting plus ninety-two percent of the shared profit, and I will take full control of the business—"

I took my hands up. "Please stop this. I do not want to hear it." I reached out to the proposal on the table, and pushed it gently with my fingers, like if I touch it, it will explode. Maybe it might explode, if I probably touch it. I need to find a good lawyer, not anyhow lawyer but a lawyer who can understand, speak for me, someone who is willing to take part in arranging why was basically selling me off to be married like a piece of property.

Yes, I know what to do. I will just go to the state bar office and explain everything to them.

I drew in a long breath. This proposal on the table seemed heavy, as though it could pull me in and change my entire life.

"Does my mom knows about this and what does she have to say about it?" I asked him in a soft voice.

My father stared at his hands, quietly pulling and twisting his fingers like he is playing with them.

"You have not discussed this with her, right, have you?!" I realized. I called her few weeks ago, and she choose not to tell me because she did not want me to get worried.

Foolish. Foolish, foolish.

Mr Richard Creighton want to talk to you first before anything," he said. "He also said you can or should visit him at anytime, he want to know of you are the kind of wife he is in search of."

He wants to know if I am his type? Oh Christ, that sound ridiculous. A chill gripped my stomach, twisting it tightly.

I looked at my father, "this is completely unbelievable," I said. "You know, right?"

He ignored me.

I took the marriage agreement, and stuffed it in my bag. "I will go to his office to talk to him " I said. And let him know exactly what I think.

I looked at his face, I saw how relieved he was and it made me angry. The cancer my mom is battling, he was the one who caused it, he ruined her life without caring, and now he is here to destroy my life by using me in his plans.

Yes, I really loved my mom and I wish her quick recovery but I was different from her. I got up from my seat , and I left the coffee shop without saying a word to him. The direction of my life was mine to decide. I would not let any man make decisions concerning my life, and if Richard Creighton think, he could just walk into my life and decide he want to buy me as a wife in this day and age, he needs to rethink.