Madeline's POV
I descended the grand staircase and found Calixto standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me and the moment he noticed my presence, he looked up, and a wide grin appeared on his face.
"You look so lovely, Ms. Brownwood, and I think your future in-laws will be thrilled to have you in their residence." He said.
I couldn't stop myself from beaming at him. I felt nervous, but I set aside my fear. It is not my choice to be here, so if they will evict me, the better. I love the beauty of their home, but I have my life, and I don't want some stupid billionaire to ruin my life.
I followed Cal outside, and my heart swelled when I saw the extensive garden of the Divenson mansion. The fountain at the center of the garden mesmerized me, and as we got near the pavilion, I couldn't stop the rapid beating of my heart. Calixto abruptly stopped, and I collided with him since I was still staring at the beautiful garden.
"I am sorry," I said as I kneaded my forehead.
"Be careful always, Ms. Brownwood." He answered, and I could see Hunter's family sitting on the patio chairs, looking like a royal family. I already saw their portrait in the living room. Only Hunter Divenson is not around.
Hunter's mother's face darkened after she scrutinized me from head to toe while his father continued reading his newspaper, and his brother stared at me with lust. I can feel he is watching me with desires, and I look away from his gaze immediately, but when I glance at his pretty sister, she also looks at me with contempt.
The time my eyes meet with a beautiful young girl who is looking at me with a broad smile on her face, I can't stop myself from beaming at her. Her lovely smiles calmed my restless heart, and I love her already.
"Mr. Clark Divenson, Mrs. Leticia Divenson, Ms. Charlotte, Mr. Parker, and Ms. Lily, I want you to meet Ms. Madeline Brownwood, the fiancée of Mr. Hunter." Calixto introduces me to his family, and they all look at me with diverse emotions, but I am sure it is more about anger blended with shock.
"Wow, this is so unexpected. I think I have to reprimand my son. What is he thinking? He wants to introduce his fiancée through his right hand. I don't find this funny, Calixto. We are not his business partners, and this girl is not a product." His mother spoke in a demanding tone that caused my body to feel weak.
"Hello! Ms. Madeline, welcome to Divenson Mansion. I can't wait to spend my time with you." Lily said happily, and her brother snickered. She is the only one who made me feel welcome.
"Hi, Lily. I am excited to devote some time with you." I smiled at her, and his little sister giggled.
"Hello, everyone; good afternoon. If it stuns you that I am here standing in front of you, I understand, and I get it, but I just want you all to know I am more surprised than you are." I spoke, and I could feel my heart racing while Calixto looked at me with horror in his eyes.
"If you will excuse us for a while." He spoke and dragged me away from Hunter's entire family.
"What do you think you are doing? You can't say something like that in front of his parents. You should act like you are his girlfriend and you are in love with each other." He hissed in anger.
"You didn't tell me about that part, Mr. Morgan. I didn't know I had to pretend to be his actual girlfriend." I said, feeling so defeated.
"I am sorry, it must have slipped from my mind; this is the most important part; you should remember you are Hunter's sweetheart for almost one year now; you meet at your University." He spoke, and I was shocked by his words.
"Do I need to do that?" I asked.
"Yes, if you want to survive in this place, can you see the look on their faces? They will dig your biography sooner than you can reach your bedroom door." He said, and he looked at me with concern all over his face.
"I won't be here to guide you on what you are going to do, Maddie. I will introduce you to Cerila she will be your assistant until your wedding day. We will wait for Hunter's decision after the wedding." He answered, and Calixto seemed so confident that the marriage would take place. He doesn't know I have plans.
"Do I need to go back in there?" I asked, and I felt so relieved when he shook his head.
"No, they are taking their afternoon tea; they are enjoying the summer together; your soon-to-be husband is good with what he does; he tripled the income of the company the moment Hunter assumed the position of his dad. Don't mention that to your future father-in-law, or else he will forever loathe you." He declared, and I am impressed with this Hunter guy.
I hate the idea that he used his money and power to bring me to his place. Still, I had already made a promise to myself that if there was one thing I wanted to do for my aunt to stop the bank from taking her house, I would do it. And it seems Hunter saved my aunt's family, and I should be grateful to him.
"Take this, Maddie; this is your mobile phone from now on, and you will use this to send me messages or call me if you need anything. I already saved my number there and Hunter's number." Cal said as he handed me the phone.
"The moment I found out you don't indeed own a phone, I was shocked. Who doesn't own a cell phone nowadays? You are exceptional, Ms. Brownwood." Calixto added, and I could see the amusement on his face. And I was astounded to find the newest iPhone edition in my hand.
"Why should I need a phone? I don't even have friends; I only have one best friend, and I shared my aunt's phone for job purposes. She lets me borrow her phone every time I go to work. My life differs from all the girls my age, Calixto." I responded.
"I don't have the luxury of enjoying life because I am an orphan. I can't even think of buying a new dress, as you can see. My belongings mostly consist of my book collection. I mostly spend my time reading since I don't require spending cash on reading. I usually bought them on sale, and most of the time, I buy at the thrift stores." I added, and I became sad to remember how hard it is to find money just to survive.
"I need to go to work even if I get sick because I can't be absent when my aunt needs the cash to amortize her debts. And now that she has no debts left, it feels like it has lifted a thorn from my chest." I continued.
"When my mom got sick, I felt so helpless because we didn't have enough cash to send her to the hospital, and she resisted treatment. I begged her and informed her I would find different part-time jobs and quit studying." I recalled.
"But my mother asked me to drop the issue because she wouldn't let me suffer because of her. I saw my mother die before my eyes, and I can say it was because of poverty I lost my mom. It hurts to accept that if you don't have the money, you will not survive in this cruel world." I declared, and I tried to contain my tears.
"I know everything you have been through, Madeline," Cal answered, and my eyes widened.
"Why? Did you know all my life stories? Were you spying on me?" I asked.
"I am sorry for invading your privacy, Maddie, but since you were my boss's subject, I don't have a choice but to identify you. Don't tell Hunter about all this, but I can feel your pains. For two months, I always spent my time at your aunt's house, minus the bodyguards. I talked to her since I desire to learn what kind of person you are." He said.
"You are going to marry one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, so we require you to be sure you don't have a boyfriend, you are not involved with any types of vices and addiction that can ruin his reputation, and most of all you have an excellent scholastic record, and most of all have a perfect physical appearance." He added, and I couldn't stop myself from raising my eyebrows.
"Why does he want me to join a beauty pageant like the Ms. Universe? Why do I need to have those traits to be his wife? Is he that handsome and glorious in person?" I asked, and I couldn't stop myself from being irritated.
"I don't intend to hurt your feelings, Maddie. I am just telling you the truth." He responded, and I felt guilty.
"I am sorry, Calixto. I am not angry with you; I just hate where I am right now. I love this place, but being married to a stranger is not what I dream of," I said.
"Be careful with your words, young lady; you may eat all the words you have uttered at this very moment when you meet Hunter Divenson." He declared.
"Why are you so confident I will fall in love with your boss?" I inquired.
"I just have the hunch; besides it, all happens to all the women he meets." He said, and I shook my head.
"Well, don't count me in, Calixto. I don't have any plans to fall in love with him, and I desire to have a word with him if possible. Do you think you can set me up for a meeting with him? I just demand to discuss with him this stupid marriage arrangement. I want to know why my father dragged me into this situation." I said, and I looked him in the face.
"Well, I will try, but I can't promise you this week since his calendar has been so full already." He spoke, and I felt disappointed, but I could wait for my schedule.
"By the way, from this day onwards, you have an allowance, Maddie, and it will be credited to your bank account monthly." He added, and I was shocked.
"Yes, Hunter wants you to have some money you can spend if you want to buy something for yourself, and I already set you for a driving lesson since I also found out you don't know how to drive yet." Calixto declared, and I couldn't stop myself from being surprised by these current changes in my life.