To ensure that her mother actually ate and took her medicine, Rhea stayed at her parents' house overnight. After all, she had been living in the house she bought for herself for quite some time.

Stepping out of the bedroom she had used as a teenager, Rhea descended the stairs and made her way to the dining room for breakfast.

Upon arriving, she saw her mother already seated at the dining table, where their breakfast had been neatly laid out.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Aliza greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning, Mom."

Rhea sat down, facing her mother across the table.

"I've already informed your fiancé that you want to meet him today."

The glass of water Rhea had just sipped almost came spraying out of her mouth. "What? What did you say?"

"Yesterday, you said you wanted to meet him. So, I contacted him and let him know. He said he's available today. He'll be waiting for you at Time Square Mall at 10 a.m."

Rhea was stunned, unable to believe how quickly her mother had acted on this. "Mom, you should've asked me first instead of just calling him like that."

"Well, you were the one who said you wanted to meet him."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I wanted to meet him today. Besides, I have an important meeting at the office. I can't meet him."

Aliza clicked her tongue. "This is exactly why you're still single. You're too focused on running the company. Blaire Industries is already the largest food corporation in California, sweetheart. Our restaurants are everywhere, even expanding overseas. Our boutiques are in shopping centers all over the country. There isn't a single person who doesn't know Blaire Industries. The company is already hugely successful, so stop chasing your career, Rhea. It's time for you to get married and have a family. Remember, you're already in your thirties."

Rhea completely lost her appetite. The chopsticks she had been holding were now set back down on the table.

"I know, but I don't want to rush into this, Mom."

"That's exactly why I'm letting you meet him first before getting married. Just go see him. I don't want to hear any more excuses."

Aliza turned her head away, crossing her arms in a clear show of her serious discontent. If Rhea dared to come up with another excuse to avoid meeting her so-called fiancé, her mother would undoubtedly get even more upset.

"But I just found out that you've been in frequent contact with him?"

Hearing her daughter's question, the middle-aged woman finally looked straight ahead again. "Yes, I've contacted him several times, which is why I know he's a good man who will make you happy. He's a pleasant person, and I'm sure you'll like him. Oh, by the way, his name is Dion Damares. He's very handsome-you're lucky to be marrying him."

Rhea frowned. "Have you met him in person?"

"No. But I've seen his photo. Do you want to see it too? I can send it to your phone."

Rhea shook her head. "No need. I'll be meeting him, so I'll just see him in person later."

Aliza's face immediately lit up. "So, you're going to meet him today?"

"As if I have a choice? I know you'd just pout again like yesterday if I refused to meet him, right?"

Aliza grinned widely, nodding her head as if she felt no guilt over her childish behavior yesterday, which had sent everyone into a panic.

"I'll send you Dion's number so you can contact him later."

Rhea simply shrugged, choosing not to comment further and letting her mother do whatever she wanted.

***

At exactly 10 a.m., as promised, Rhea arrived at Time Square Mall, one of California's largest shopping centers, to meet the man who was supposed to be her husband.

The mall was already starting to get crowded as it had just recently opened to the public. Rhea sighed, realizing she had no idea where to find the man. He hadn't mentioned a specific meeting spot, even though the mall was vast. She regretted declining her mother's offer to send his photo. Feeling tired from standing around, she decided to enter a café just outside the mall.

After choosing a table and ordering a cup of coffee, Rhea finally decided to call the number of her mother's chosen candidate.

She sent him a message first, but after ten minutes without a response, she opted to call instead. On the second ring, the call connected, and a deep baritone voice came from the other end.

"Hello."

"Hi, my name is Rhea Addilyn Blaire. Are you Dion Damares?"

"Oh, yes, yes. I'm Dion. Are you already at Time Square Mall?"

Rhea rolled her eyes. Clearly, this man hadn't checked his phone. "I've been here for almost thirty minutes. You should have checked your phone-I sent you a message earlier."

"Oh, really? Sorry, sorry, I was busy earlier. Since you're already there, can you come upstairs? I'm at Time Zone."

Rhea frowned. Time Zone. She knew exactly what that place was-a gaming arcade usually crowded with kids and teenagers. To her, it seemed completely inappropriate for an adult man to be hanging out there while talking to her on the phone.

"You're at Time Zone?" she asked, making sure she hadn't misheard.

"Yes, that's why I didn't see your message earlier. Sorry about that. Can you come here instead?"

Rhea let out an audible scoff. "No. I don't like crowded places. You come to me instead. Do you know the café in front of the mall?"

"Yes, I know it," Dion replied.

"I'll be waiting for you there."

"Oh, okay, okay. I'll head over now."

The call abruptly ended-Dion had hung up without warning.

Rhea couldn't believe it. The man she was supposed to marry still enjoyed playing games at a mall arcade? She couldn't help but wonder what kind of husband he would turn out to be.

Still, she decided not to dwell on it. She sipped her coffee and turned her attention to a report that Monica had just sent to her phone.

Just as she was deeply focused on the screen, she was startled when a man suddenly sat down across from her without permission.

Rhea shot him a blank stare. He looked young-probably a college student, judging by his appearance. She had to admit he was incredibly handsome, and with that smile he was flashing, his charm seemed to increase tenfold.

"Sorry, but that seat is already taken," she said, politely trying to dismiss the young man.

But instead of leaving, he extended his right hand toward her.

"Hi, my name is Dion Damares. And I won't be leaving this seat-because I'm the one it's reserved for. Isn't that right?" He playfully winked at her.

Rhea blinked, utterly shocked by his introduction. "W-wait... What did you say your name was?"

"Dion Damares. I'm your fiancé. And you must be Rhea Addilyn Blaire-I've seen your face on TV and in magazines plenty of times."

Rhea was too stunned to hide her reaction. She instinctively stood up, leaving Dion's outstretched hand hanging in the air, unanswered.

"W-wait here for a moment," she stammered before hastily walking away, leaving Dion sitting there, looking confused.

She stepped outside the café, finding a quiet spot before quickly dialing the one person who owed her an explanation for all of this.

"Hello?" A familiar voice answered. The very person she wanted to scold to no end-if only that person wasn't her own mother.

"Mom, explain this to me. Why is there a young man claiming to be the fiancé you chose for me?"

"Oh, so you've met Dion?"

Rhea scoffed. "I just told you there's a young man claiming to be-"

"That is Dion. He's still a college student. So? What do you think? He's handsome, just like I told you this morning, right?"

Rhea was at a complete loss for words, too shocked by her mother's response. "So that young man is really my fiancé?"

"Yes," Aliza answered without hesitation.

"How old is he, Mom?"

"Twenty. And remember, you already promised me you'd marry him, so don't say anything that might hurt his feelings, okay?"

Rhea was officially speechless. How could her mother have arranged for her to marry someone ten years younger than her?

Rhea still could not believe how her mother had arranged for her to marry a man who was much younger than she was. Wasn't he more suited to be her younger brother rather than her husband?

"Mom, there is no way I can accept this arranged marriage." She quickly and firmly protested, having already decided that she would not agree to marry a man who was ten years younger than her.

A clicking sound from her mother came from the other end of the phone. "Don't say that. We have already agreed to this arrangement."

"If you were going to arrange a marriage, you should have considered our circumstances first. That man is still so young, Mom. He is ten years younger than me. He is more like a little brother than a husband. You were reckless in arranging this match."

"I already explained yesterday. Initially, we intended to arrange your marriage with his older brother, but since our families lost contact for a long time, his older brother was already married to someone else. So, well..."

"So, he is just a replacement for his brother, who was originally supposed to marry me? That doesn't make sense, Mom. If his brother is already married to someone else, then just let it go. Why does his younger brother have to take his place?"

"Because we want to uphold our long-standing agreement to marry our children. We want to become family through your marriage."

Rhea clicked her tongue in frustration. To her, this was a huge mistake. "That's not how it works, Mom. This is selfish. You are only thinking about yourselves without considering my feelings-or his. He is still in college. I'm sure he would reject this arrangement too."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

One of Rhea's eyebrows raised upon hearing her mother's challenging tone.

"All right, Rhea, I have an idea."

"Oh, really? What idea is that?" Rhea asked lazily while rolling her eyes, already tired and fed up with her mother's stubbornness.

"Ask Dion directly. If he refuses this marriage, then fine... I won't force you two to marry. But..."

"Hmm, fine. I'll ask him now."

"Hey, wait. I'm not finished talking yet. Don't just cut me off."

Rhea growled inwardly. She felt like hanging up the phone immediately, as she could no longer stand talking to her mother or staying in that mall any longer. In her mind, it was far better to go to the office than waste her precious time on something as ridiculous as this. Reviewing stacks of documents on her desk was far more appealing than dealing with this absurd arranged marriage.

"Alright, what else do you want to talk about, Mother?" For the umpteenth time, Rhea chose to comply with her mother's wishes, allowing her to continue speaking.

"But if Dion agrees to this arranged marriage and is willing to marry you, then you must also accept it. There will be no more excuses for you to refuse. You will have to marry Dion. So, what do you say? Do you agree?"

Rhea shook her head, thinking that her mother had lost all sense of reason by insisting on marrying off her daughter, the president of a major company, to a mere university student.

Letting out a long sigh and exhaling slowly, Rhea finally opened her mouth and replied with resignation, "Alright, Mother. I agree. Besides, I am sure that man will reject this arrangement. There's no way he would want to marry an older woman like me. He must want to marry someone his own age. I am certain of it."

A chuckle echoed through the phone, as if her mother was mocking her words. "That is not necessarily true. Alright then, go ahead and ask Dion now. Let me know his answer later, alright?"

The call abruptly ended as her mother hung up without waiting for Rhea's response. Rhea shook her head again, unable to comprehend her mother's way of thinking. How could she so easily arrange her daughter's marriage to a much younger man?

Clearing her throat briefly to calm herself from the frustration she was feeling, Rhea then walked toward the place where Dion was waiting for her.

Her steps were quick, driven by her impatience to confront the man she was being arranged to marry.

When she finally arrived at her destination and saw Dion still sitting in the same place, Rhea immediately approached him.

"Ah, you're finally back. Where did you go? You took so long," Dion said.

Rhea cleared her throat once more to steady herself before sitting down in the chair directly across from Dion. "There is something important I need to ask you, and I hope you will answer truthfully."

Curiosity was evident on Dion's face as he gazed at Rhea intently. He was undeniably handsome, and now his eyes were locked onto hers. "Hmm, what do you want to ask?"

"You must already know that the reason we are meeting here is because our parents arranged for us to be married?"

Dion nodded. "Yes, I know. And?"

"Now that we have met in person, do you still want to go through with this arranged marriage?"

Rhea could only swallow hard, anxiously awaiting Dion's response. Deep down, she hoped he would reject the arranged marriage just as she did. Well, let's see if her wish would come true.

"So, what's your decision? Are you willing to accept this arranged marriage?" Rhea asked once more, growing impatient. However, Dion didn't immediately respond, which only irritated her further.

"What about you?"

Rhea gaped at him. Instead of answering, he had thrown the question back at her. "I'm the one asking you! Why are you asking me instead?"

"Before I answer, I want to know what you think about our arranged marriage after this meeting."

Rhea rolled her eyes. First her mother, and now this man in front of her-they were both equally infuriating and had successfully ruined her mood for the day.

"Of course, I refuse. There's no way I would agree to marry someone like you, who is much younger than me. Tell me, how old are you?"

"Twenty," Dion answered quickly.

"See? I knew it. There's a ten-year gap between us because I'm thirty now. Do you know what that means?"

"What?"

"It means it's impossible for us to be husband and wife. We're more suited to be siblings. Got it? So, I firmly reject this arranged marriage. I don't want to marry you."

"But I... I accept this arranged marriage and am willing to marry you."

At that moment, Rhea's eyes widened in utter shock upon hearing Dion's response.

"Huh? What did you just say? I didn't mishear you, did I?"

Dion shook his head firmly. "No, you heard me right. I said I accept this arrangement, and I'm ready to marry you."

"Even though you're still in college?"

Dion scoffed. "And so what if I'm still in college? There's no rule against getting married at my university. So, I can marry you anytime." As if oblivious to Rhea's rising frustration, Dion playfully winked at his supposed future wife.

Meanwhile, Rhea could only pinch the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on after hearing Dion's shocking answer.

"So, when are we getting married?"

At this point, Rhea felt like screaming out her frustration. She was dealing with two people who had completely lost their minds-her mother and Dion. Both of them were insane for agreeing to this ridiculous arranged marriage.

The weekly meeting was in progress as usual. All division heads were giving their presentations, reporting their respective division's performance over the past week. Of course, these reports were directed to the meeting's leader, none other than the president director, Rhea Addilyn Blaire.

However, there was something different this time. Rhea, who was usually meticulous and firm, appeared unfocused. Her gaze was empty, as if a multitude of thoughts were swirling in her mind. Naturally, her unusual demeanor raised questions among all the meeting participants, especially her assistant, Monica.

The previously calm meeting atmosphere suddenly turned into a commotion when everyone's phones vibrated simultaneously. Rhea looked in confusion at all the people before her, who simultaneously checked their phones and then shifted their gazes toward her.

"What is this? We are in the middle of a meeting, so why are you all playing with your phones?" Rhea asked, demanding an explanation for the participants' inappropriate behavior.

However, no one answered. Instead, they whispered among themselves, leaving Rhea, who had no idea what was happening, increasingly irritated.

"Miss, I believe this is the reason," a voice whispered beside Rhea, catching her attention.

"What is it, Monica?"

"Look, Miss, a message was sent to all of us."

"A message? What kind of message?"

"A message informing us that you will soon be getting married. Is it true, Miss? Oh, congratulations!"

At that moment, Rhea's eyes widened in shock.

"Congratulations, Miss Rhea! We are happy for you," one by one, the meeting participants offered their congratulations, making Rhea even more frustrated.

Without saying anything, Rhea stood up from her seat and left the meeting room. Walking quickly toward her office, she let out a heavy sigh as she opened the door and found her mother sitting comfortably inside.

"It must be you who did this, right?" Rhea asked bluntly.

"Did what?"

Rhea rolled her eyes at her mother's pretense of ignorance.

"You were the one who sent the message to all the employees in this company, announcing my wedding plans."

"Oh, so they've read the message already? That's great." Aliza laughed cheerfully, in stark contrast to Rhea, who could only pinch the bridge of her nose, unable to comprehend her mother's antics.

"Why would you do something like this? This is so embarrassing."

"What's so embarrassing about it? You're getting married, of course, all your employees should know. I plan to invite all of them to your wedding with Dion."

Rhea shook her head, clearly disagreeing with her mother's plan. "No, Mom. It's bad enough that you arranged my marriage to a man ten years younger than me. Don't humiliate me any more than this."

Aliza clicked her tongue. "Who's humiliating you? This is wonderful news. You, who are always obsessed with work, are finally getting married. I'm sure this will be exciting news for all your employees. They have the right to know."

Rhea didn't know what else to say to her stubborn mother. She chose to give in, not wanting to prolong the argument. "So, why did you come to my office? It's unusual for you to show up here."

Aliza smirked, making a bad feeling settle in Rhea's chest.

"I'm taking you somewhere. Let's go."

Seeing her mother walk toward the door without waiting for her response, Rhea knew she had no choice but to follow her mother's wishes once again.

***

Rhea said nothing, merely closing her eyes as two boutique assistants adjusted the wedding gown she was wearing. Yes, this was the reason why Aliza had come to her office and stirred up chaos by announcing her wedding plans to all the company employees-she wanted to take Rhea to one of the most renowned boutiques in California to try on the wedding dress she would wear on her wedding day with Dion.

"Wow, you look absolutely stunning. I knew this dress would suit you best," Aliza said cheerfully as Rhea emerged, looking breathtakingly beautiful in the wedding gown her mother had chosen.

"I'm sure Dion and all the wedding guests will be mesmerized by your beauty."

Rhea crossed her arms in front of her chest, clearly unimpressed by her mother's praise. "Have I even agreed to marry that man?"

"As far as I remember, I haven't said anything to you," she said casually, without a hint of guilt, even though her words made her mother's eyes widen in shock.

"What do you mean by that? Didn't you already agree to marry Dion?"

Rhea shook her head firmly. "I never said that. I only agreed to meet him, but I never agreed to marry him. Besides, after finding out that he's ten years younger than me, do you really think I'd be willing to marry him?"

"I've told you many times, you can't refuse this marriage because I already promised his parents that you would marry Dion."

A scoff escaped Rhea's lips. "That's your mistake for making promises without asking me first. Now, you have to deal with this mess yourself because I still refuse to marry that man."

She turned her back on her mother, intending to remove the wedding dress she was wearing.

"After losing your father, do you want to lose your mother too?"

Rhea's steps halted instantly upon hearing her mother's words. She turned back to face the woman who had brought her into this world.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If you refuse this marriage, it means you don't care about me anymore. It means you don't care even if I die."

Rhea let out a weary sigh. Once again, her mother was threatening her.

"I'm serious, Rhea. You will see your mother die if you reject this marriage."

"Mom, please don't do this. Besides, why does it have to be him? He's more suited to be my younger brother than my husband."

However, Aliza ignored her daughter's words. She pouted and turned her face away, refusing to look at her defiant daughter.

Seeing her mother's behavior, Rhea once again felt powerless. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Fine, Mom, I'll marry him."

Aliza's sulking face instantly brightened. "Really?"

"Yes, I'll marry this man named Dion, but on one condition."

Aliza frowned. "One condition? What is it?"

A faint smile formed on Rhea's lips, carrying a hidden meaning. This time, she wouldn't let her mother win so easily. What condition was she about to propose?