Kendrick stared at himself in the mirror, adjusted his tie and buttoned his jacket again, so yes, he knew his family were going through a crisis, but did he really need to be the scapegoat for their plans to work? Why would they want to marry him off to a girl he'd never met just for the sake of the company's growth, why couldn't Caleb do it, he was of marrying age and involved in the company too, but No! it always had to be him because he was the first son, the first born and heir, so everything fell on his shoulders. He was the perfect son after all, doing everything to make please his parents, never causing them pain or heartache because that was how he had been programmed from the time he was little.

Yeah, the perfect son alright, they didn't know that he wasn't anything like that, but he wasn't going to tell them either, its not like rebellion had worked out so well for him anyway, the one time he'd rebelled and look how it had ended. He could still smell her when he closed his eyes and concentrated really hard, still hear the rain beating around outside as they kissed and struggled to take off their clothes in a haste that defied logic. If he even tried hard enough, he could taste her just as she had been that night "For God's sake" He said as he felt himself getting hard. It always annoyed him because he'd known he needed to say something that night, he'd known that he didn't just want it to be sex, that he would want to see her again after that night, but he'd held back for some reason he didn't know. A reason that still made him curse when he remembered how he'd woken up alone in the big hotel bed all in the morning with no way to find her or anything because they hadn't exchanged anything really meaningful except bodily fluids. If that was the woman walking towards him this morning, maybe he wouldn't be feeling this way, as it was though, it was all he could do not to jump out the window.

He walked towards the window slowly, almost like he was in a trance, he looked out to the horizon and saw freedom stretched out around him, then he looked down, saw the guest and the waiters walking around and felt the noose tighten around his neck and took a step closer, just as he would have started climbing out though, a hand rested on his right shoulder.

"I hate this, I really hate this" Ruby said to her mother who was dressing her to step out and meet her groom "It's not about what you love or hate Ruby, its about what's best for our family, your father and I are getting old, I couldn't give him male children, who do you want to run the company once he retires, or do you want him to die there and all his brothers and sisters now start fighting for property, is that what will make you happy?" Ruby frowned at her mother "No, but-" "But nothing Ruby, your father and I are the ones that brought you into this world we will never do anything to harm you, if we say this marriage is the best thing, then surely it is the best thing for you" Her mother said, then went back to tightening the straps at the back of the dress like the conversation was over now that she had made a grand point, this was also an indication that she was tired of this conversation and if her daughter had any sense, she would have stopped then, but she was sick and tired of this whole situation and wanted as many answers as she could get "What if it doesn't work though, what if after I marry this man that I don't even know, daddy still dies and all his brothers and sisters still come to fight for his properties, because this man will not be our own blood?" Her mother stopped what she was doing for a minute like she'dnever thought about that.

Then she continued what she was doing like she'd never stopped "Your father will surely take care of it, he and your new husband will take care of it" Ruby didn't answer, she couldn't, she was just too angry, who blindly put their faith like that on a possibility or in someone else for that matter? She wished she knew the guy her parents were putting her through this crap for, she would punch him in the balls for accepting an arranged marriage in the 21st century "I still wish Tamera was doing this instead of me" "Sure-" Tamera said as she walked into the dressing room "-And you'll be heavily pregnant and wearing heels to your baby sister's wedding because she's such a cry baby" Tamera said, coming in to search in the fridge for something. Ruby turned red at her words, feeling ashamed that she'd even said that in the first place "Am sorry Tammy, I just-" "I know you don't like this Ruby, but come on love, you can do this, I promise" Tamera said as she put a bottle of juice to her mouth and drank it hungrily, it made Ruby smile knowing that at least something's had not changed. Her sister still loved juice and everything was still right in the world.

Tammy had been lucky, their father had not started thinking about his death so much when she'd met Peter Baiye, so everyone had welcomed Peter into their family and here they were with Tamera expecting her second chance with the love of her life while she was getting married to a man she didn't even know because her father was finally thinking about his death. Her sigh must have said more than she meant to say, because Tamera came to stand beside her, her arm around her shoulder "The fact you are getting married doesn't mean we are abandoning you Ruby, as a matter of fact, it just mean we will be indebted to you always for the sacrifice you are making for our family, okay Love?" She said, then waited for her sister to look at her before she hugged her close and said what she knew their parents would not say "We all love you very much Ruby".

Kendrick turned around slowly, shrugging the hand away from his shoulders " What the hell man?" He asked the guy in front of him even as a smile split his face "Come here man" He said as he pulled his friend in for a hug "I can't believe you made it" I told you I wouldn't miss it for the world man" His friend said, smiling back at him "Thank you so much Simon, come meet my family" Kendrick said as he led his friend towards his family's side of the hotel, unaware of the way the other man looked at him.