Marianna

Marianna

Kash

FOR THE FIRST time in a long time, I've been summoned to my father's house. My father demanded that I come to him for some kind of dinner. That's never a good thing. He's clearly got something up his sleeve and plans on making me some kind of pawn in his scheming. What he doesn't know is that we have a plan firmly in place and I will never go along with what he has been plotting and planning when he's alone in his attempts to get as much power as possible. There's no way I can continue living this way and pretend that everything is perfect in my world. The only reason I didn't put up a fight against going to this dinner is because Braxtyn will be attending it with me. His presence was also requested and there is no way in hell that it's some kind of coincidence that he's attending this dinner with me. My father never allows the other guys in his house for any reason. It's been this way my entire life and for some reason it's changing now. Braxtyn isn't any happier about tonight than I am. He's also clueless about why we're being requested to go there.

I've gotten ready and am ready to go find out what's going on as I walk into the living room to find Braxtyn waiting for me. He's dressed in a suit like me and his hair is combed back out of his face instead of pulled back like he normally does. My father won't stand for him to have his hair up in the man bun thing he typically wears it in. So, he's chosen to slick it back away from his face and he made sure there isn't a single strand out of place. It's nothing less than what my father will expect. We both fucking hate it with a passion. Both of us are wearing black as if we're about to attend a funeral instead of some kind of dinner. As far as I'm concerned, that's exactly what we're about to walk into—my funeral.

"Let's get this shit the fuck over with," Braxtyn grumbles, his voice dejected as he follows me from the house and out to the garage where his car is parked.

Braxtyn gets in the driver's seat while I slowly get in the passenger side. I'm dragging my feet and nothing will ever get me to speed up. I hate this shit and I understand I won't be coming out of this unscathed. Why Braxtyn has to witness my humiliation is beyond me. This is just one more step in my father's plans to ensure I follow his demands and there's nothing that will get in his way from getting what he wants. The one thing I know for sure is that he wants to sit at the head of the table and get as much money as he can get his hands on.

Our ride to the gated community is silent as we both get lost in our own heads about tonight. Personally, I'm pondering all of the various scenarios about what is gonna happen tonight. Including him arranging a marriage for me once again. I haven't allowed any of them to move forward so far and this one will not be the exception to that rule. None of the guys wanted us to go alone, but we have no choice in the matter since my father will only allow who he chooses into his house. If the other guys had shown up with us, they would've been kept outside and I would pay for my lack of judgment. It's happened before and I suffered for days at his hands. I refuse to let that happen tonight when I'm so close to getting away from him because of the plans we're putting in place. Eventually I'll tell Arabella about the abuse and what truly happens behind these walls when it comes to my father. Right now is not the time to bring up that topic of discussion though.

Braxtyn pulls into my father's driveway and there's already another car parked outside. It's a newer sports car and I can tell that it's owned by a girl. The vanity plate declares as much along with the feminine decals on the back window. Tonight is going to be a living hell for me. I've never seen this car before and it's clear that my friend hasn't either. We get out of his car and slowly make our way to the front door. It's opened before we even take a step up the marble staircase leading to the door. My father is clearly going all out tonight for some reason and I still don't know why. So, Braxtyn and I head inside and are led to the formal dining room where my father and some girl are already waiting for us. We're not even late. If anything, we're early like my father requested. If you show up on time with him, you're already late in his eyes so I make sure to be there at least five minutes early and no more. The least amount of time I can spend in his presence, the better it is for myself.

As normal the house is cold and empty. Every room is filled with shit that can't be touched or furniture you can't sit on. All to display my father's wealth. There's not a single ounce of love or warmth as we enter the dining room and look at the table. A chill runs through me at how cold I am sitting in this house and knowing nothing good ever happens inside these walls. They're filled with pain, abuse, hate, secrets, and everything that's made my life a living hell for so many years. Luke even commented when he was alive about how cold and empty the house is. Despite all the shit filling each room, it is in fact empty. That's how we've both felt and how I continue to feel every single time I step through the door that only brings me more pain and memories that are more nightmare than anything else in this world.

My eyes take in the girl that's sitting at my father's side already. She's got long, violet hair that's been curled around her head. The curls are in complete disarray as if she's been on her back and couldn't be bothered to brush her hair once she was done having sex. The eyes that look at me are straight black. I can tell she's wearing contacts and it's fucking creepy that she would choose black eyes over any other color you can get. Make-up is caked on her face in a thick layer that is visible around her jawline. The shirt she's wearing is tight and shows off her chest as she tries to secretly pull it down even more to show me her tits. Fucking disgusting! I can imagine the skirt she's wearing is short as hell and showing off more than what my father approves of. It doesn't bother this girl though. While I can appreciate going against my father in any way, this girl is over the fucking top and I won't have anything to do with her.

"Kash. Braxtyn," my father greets us as we take our seats on the same side of the table across from the girl. His voice is hard and devoid of any emotion as usual. "This is Marianna Cortez. Marianna, I'd like you to meet my son, Kash. This is your cousin, Braxtyn. I know it's been a very long time since you've seen one another. That's why I've asked you to join us tonight, Braxtyn."

"It's nice to see you again, cousin," Marianna says, a smile on her face that's fake as hell as she takes her cousin in. Her voice is soft but fucking harsh and I know it's just another part of the act she's currently putting on. "Kash, I'm thrilled to meet you."

"Marianna. I don't remember you. How are we related?" Braxtyn asks, confusion filling his face as I turn to look at him because of the hatred filling his voice. My friend is usually the most laid back one of us so to hear his voice like this is rather shocking.

We both know what this dinner is about now. I won't say anything until my father says the words we both know he's waiting to drop on me. This time I will fight with everything in me and there's nothing he can do that I haven't already suffered through at his hands. This girl isn't genuine and will never stand at my side for any reason. She's simply another manipulative skank who's out to get her hands on money, status, and any kind of power she can gain. Exactly like Karmen and Collette. The type of girls we fucking hate with a passion and will bring down as hard as we can when everything gets put in place.

"Kash, I've entered into a contract with Marianna's father for the two of you to be married," my father states, acting as if Braxtyn hasn't said a word. He only pauses as the staff brings out our plates already filled with whatever he decided to have for dinner tonight. "The two of you will marry in a few months. Just enough time for me to continue training you for you to accept the head of the table for The Faction. Since the Hicks' family already has a seat at the table and our two families are joining, we have the advantage with you as my son. I will take your place until I deem you worthy of replacing me."

And here's exactly why my father is going to push for this marriage to happen. The head of the table seat that's been vacant since the death of Mr. Moore. Every single one of our fathers with the exception of Mr. Peterson have been vying for that fucking seat and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it from everyone else. It's a fucking disgusting show of selfishness, greed, and how power hungry these assholes really are.

"No! I'm not marrying this girl. I know nothing about her and refuse to allow this to happen. I don't give a fuck what you want to do. This will not happen ever!" I yell out, slamming my hand on the table in front of me as Marianna stares at me with wide eyes filled with a calculating gleam.

It takes several long seconds before she starts the waterworks. Tears pour down her face as she starts crying. It's all an act. I can tell based on the smirk she gives me before my father turns his full attention to her. She's a good actress, I'll give her that.

"I don't know what I did wrong so soon," she sobs, making her voice break and hitch as she looks at the table in front of her. "Why doesn't he want to get to know me? To have me be a part of his life?"

"It's okay. He will get to know you and the two of you will be married. If I have to move the wedding up to ensure it happens, I will. Marianna, please don't cry," my father addresses her as he glares at me while continuing to act like he truly cares about her. The reality of the situation is nothing like who he's portraying himself to be right now.

"I'm not marrying her or anyone else you put in front of me. This shit ends now!" I state, standing from my seat as Braxtyn follows my lead and we leave my father's house without a word to him or anyone else. If I have to move up the wedding with Arabella, I will. I'm not going through with this shit for any reason at all.

I know I'm eventually going to pay for the scene I've just caused in front of my father. Add in that I walked away from him without a word after arguing with his demands and it's going to be a bad one this time. I truly don't give a shit though. I'm done playing his fucking games and for the first time I'm going to take control of my life.

***

I've been in my head all weekend about this situation with my father. He's been trying to summon me to the house again and I've refused to take his calls or answer any messages he sends me. I've saved everything though. All of his threats of hurting me and trying to kill me to get what he wants. I'll use it all against him sooner or later. Right now, I simply need to get through each day and ensure that Marianna understands this shit isn't gonna happen. I don't know what her end game is other than the obvious. Braxtyn doesn't even remember having any relatives with the last name Cortez. So, I've been trying to dig into this girl all weekend long and I've been coming up empty handed. She doesn't fucking exist anywhere.

Leaving the house after taking a shower and grabbing breakfast, I head toward the courtyard where I know the rest of the guys are waiting for me. It's a rare occasion that I don't have my head buried in my tablet as I amble across the campus and drag my feet. I don't register the heat of the sun already today or anyone else passing me by. If anyone says a word to me, I don't hear it. I'm completely lost in my head and trying to figure out what this girl's name truly is. It's obviously not Marianna Cortez. She's a fucking girl and there's not a hint of social media on her. That's just fucking unheard of in this day with all of the technology out there.

None of the guys are happy about what happened and they're ready to start bringing our fathers down. We just don't have enough evidence against them to make anything stick. I've been running so many fucking programs in order to get what we need and there's still shit buried so deep it's taking forever to find it. I print out everything and lock it away after showing the guys the newest piece of evidence against our fathers. Still, it's not enough to bring in an agency outside of High Point. We all know they have the cops here in the palm of their hands so nothing will happen if we take that route. We have to bring in outsiders to get what we want.

When I finally get close enough to the fountain where we usually sit, I see a new addition to the group of girls surrounding the guys. Marianna is here. The second she sees me, she races to my side and wraps her body around mine. Today she's wearing the shortest skirt I've ever seen. It looks like she shops in a children's store it's that small on her. Her toned legs are on full display and with the back of the skirt bouncing up, I can see the bright pink thong she's wearing along with her ass. The top she chose for today is black and barely covers her chest. I'm sorry, but any woman I choose to be with will not show off her body for everyone else around her. The only person who should get to see this much skin is me when we're behind closed doors.

"Kash, I was wondering where you were," she purrs, her voice grating on my nerves as I attempt to get her claws out of me. The only thing I accomplish is her latching onto me even tighter than before.

I continue to make my way over to the fountain in silence as Marianna continues to talk about nonsense. She's not making any sense and jumping from one topic to the next with no warning. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear she's on drugs of some kind. Another check in the fucking abort column. It's one thing to have a drink or two when you're at a social function. To be blitzed out of your mind at school is completely different. I will never be with someone who takes drugs and gets drunk on a daily basis. My father drinks daily and we all know how much of a fucking douche canoe he is.

Fallon and the rest of the guys look at me with anger filling their eyes. I notice Karmen is perched on Fallon's lap and it's taking everything in him not to push her to the ground at his feet. Dante and Dash are sitting together in some kind of conversation while Braxtyn is sitting on his own with anger filling his face as he glares at his cousin. He's not any happier about this shit than I am. They all greet me while continuing to ignore the females surrounding them. I've noticed none of them are entertaining a single girl since Arabella has agreed to marry me. Yeah, there's more plans in place that she doesn't know about. It's not the right time to talk to her about them with her admission that she doesn't trust us. Hearing those words come out of her mouth broke something deep inside. They're warranted for sure, but it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

When I take a seat on the ledge surrounding the fountain, Marianna attempts to sit on my lap. I move around so she can't. With a stomp of her foot, she aims her glare at me.

"Kash, we're to be married soon. You can let me sit on your lap so I don't get cold from the marble surrounding the fountain," she demands, her voice worse than nails on a chalkboard as she projects loud enough for everyone to hear her. "I've already told all of these skanks to stay away from you because you're mine. I will make sure every female on campus knows not to get close to you. Or even look in your direction for any reason. You better make sure no one gets close to you, Kash. I don't share my man with anyone."

"We will never be married," I state, my voice loud enough for everyone to hear as I remove all emotion because I truly feel nothing other than loathing when I look at Marianna. "I want nothing to do with you. And if you didn't want to be cold sitting over here, you'd have worn a longer skirt that doesn't show your ass off. That's the main reason I'll never be with anyone like you. You want to show your body off to everyone around you and be the center of attention like Karmen and all the other sluts over here. None of us will ever marry a single one of you for any reason."

Marianna's face turns red as more than a few girls turn red in the face as they hold in their laughter. They don't want to anger this girl for some reason. I don't know what's been said while I wasn't here, but I'm sure the guys will fill me in when we're alone later today. She stomps her foot in anger and attempts to push me into the fountain behind me. I have more strength than she does and her pathetic attempt does nothing but anger me even more.

"Why are you looking at him?" I hear Marianna screech as she finally moves away from me.

I look up to find her making her way to some girl toward the back of the group standing around us. Before any of us can make a move, she pulls her arm back and punches the girl right in the nose. I can hear the crack of her bone from here as blood starts to flow and go down her face to the lowcut white shirt she's wearing and dripping on the ground at her feet. Screams and yelps of pain fill the air around us as Marianna proceeds to beat the shit out of the girl. We all jump up and go to break them apart.

"Get the fuck off me!" Marianna yells and screams as she fights against Dante's hold on her. "She doesn't have the right to look at my fiancé! Let me fucking at her!"

It takes several minutes, but we finally manage to get her far enough away from the girl that she doesn't continue getting beat on. Dante and I lead her away from the crowd and take her to the infirmary. I'm not gonna hold this shit back and Dean Maddison will hear about this incident with Marianna. He doesn't tolerate this shit and we're not gonna keep her safe from getting expelled and shit.

Dante and I make sure the girl is safe with the staff before we leave her behind and make our way to our classes. Marianna is fucking crazy and I hope she gets put in her fucking place by someone here sooner rather than later. I'm not going to tolerate her and all the bullshit she spews about us getting married. If I weren't going to marry Arabella soon, I'd almost want to go out and fuck some random girl just to prove to her how much I don't belong to her. Instead, I'm going to save myself for the only girl I've ever loved and will allow to have that part of me. Arabella is the one who gets to have every piece of me I can give her. She might say our marriage will be in name only, but I'll do whatever it takes for me to make her want more from me. I'll make my Song Bird want my love, trust, and everything else I have to offer her for the rest of our lives.