Michelle's P.O.V

I fixed my hair while I was walking up the pathway to my parent's house. Letting out a breath of air, I knocked my knuckles rapidly on the wooden door. The locks clicked and soon, my mother's head was peeking out of the shelter.

"Michelle!" She exclaimed. "You look like a tomato with a bird nest on your head! Why are you looking so ugly?" 

Breathing in some oxygen through my nose loudly, I ran my hand through my "bird nest." "Hello to you too mother, glad to see your doing well. May I come in?" I gestured inside the house as she stepped out of the way.

Taking my shoes off, I heard my father groan while getting up from his place on the couch. He walked into the hallway and gave me a smile.

"Hi Michelle, come on in. Your mother just made her famous xiaolongbaos." He led me into the kitchen and I could hear my mother following us.

I sat on a stool and was served a plate of steamy dumplings, the aroma reaching my nose and putting me into a trance.

"Don't eat too much," my mother said. "You'll get fat."

Rolling my eyes, but cautiously just in case she looked over and saw me, I grabbed my chopsticks and picked up the food. Stuffing the baos into my mouth, my stomach's feeling of uneasiness and worry slowly faded away. My mother was looking at me with slightly narrowed eyes as my father was reading the newspaper once again.

After finishing the plate, I pushed it aside and decided to be blunt with them.

"Mom, dad," I addressed them. My mother stopped her glaring and my father looked up from his newspaper. "I need to tell you guys something."

"Go ahead," my dad reassured, but I saw his brown eyes drift down to the paper once again.

Ignoring his gesture, I took a deep breath and spit out my words along with most of my confidence. "I don't want to marry Lorenzo Salinas."

The room went quiet and the feeling brought a certain tenseness to my body. I could feel my parent's stares and hear the ticking of the clock that was strategically placed on top of our fridge.

"Why?" My mother inquired. "Why don't you want to marry a handsome, smart, and rich young man that has a fantastic reputation, a college degree, and several investments in stocks already?" She looked at me expectantly. "Huh, why?"

Breathing in and out rapidly, I was trying to piece together words in my head something that would make my guardian's understand. "Why?" My mother asked again, interrupting my thoughts.

Gathering up my courage, I just decided to blurt it all out. "Because I don't love him mom! Isn't that the whole point of marriage? To marry someone you love? Why can't I marry someone I love? Lorenzo's a great guy, but he's not the guy for me!"

"Then who is the guy for you?" My mother questioned, her voice going a few octaves higher and a bit of her chinese accent breaking out.

"Scott. Scott Chazan. Scott Chazan is the guy for me," I told her with an abundance of hope and confidence inside me. "I love Scott Chazan."

"No!" My mother screamed while my dad's eyes widened. "No! You do not love him. It's just a silly game that you two are keeping up because you're both still young!"

"I may not love him forever, but I love him now mom! Can't you accept that?" I yelled.

"Don't raise your voice at me! I fed and clothed you and kept you under my roof and you can't even get married to the person I pick because you're too busy 'loving someone else.'" 

"That's not the point of marriage! Marriage is supposed to be forever and you're supposed to marry the person you love. We're not in China anymore mom, you can't marry me off to some guy with fancy sports cars and five college degrees, I get to have a say in this too!" I breathed heavily and tears stung my eyes, but I pushed them back down.

"The Salinas agreed to this deal as well! Your father and I came here so you could have a better life! When you joint companies, you're ensuring that your children will have a bright future ahead of them." 

I looked over at my father, helpless. He peered back at me and opened his mouth. "The Salinas won't be very happy when they find out you want to break the contract."

"Mom, dad, no. Just no. You can't get us married without my consent."

"Fine, you know what? Go marry that little Scott Chazan of yours! I can always get another daughter anyways!" My mother yelled.

I stood there, shock hitting me like a truck while realizing what she just said. I could see the rage in my mother's brown eyes but also the disappointment and the sadness. I glanced at my father who was frowning a bit while his eyes drooped downwards.

I started rushing out of the house, rapidly opening the door and slamming it shut. With tears in my eyes once again, I ran back to the college campus alone. 

Once my feet landed on the wooden floors in my room, I threw my shoes at my closet and cried into my sheets. When I heard Katie come in and slowly undress and slip into her pajamas while slipping into bed, I quieted down.

Soon, her soft snores filled the room and I began sniffling again. Grabbing my phone, I turned it on, the bright light blinding me, and I looked at the time. A notification for a text message popped up on my home screen. I unlocked my phone and read the message with squinted, puffy eyes.

From: (639) 483-0283

Hey, I got your letter.

A small gasp escaped my lips as I read and reread the text message. It was from Scott because I'm pretty sure he's the only one I've sent a letter too. Unless it's my aunt who is currently living in China, but I doubt that she knows how to text.

To: (639) 483-0283

You did?

From: (639) 483-0283

Yeah, and I forgive you and hope you forgive me for getting on a trampoline.

I furrowed my eyebrows at his text.

To: (639) 483-0283

What?

From: (639) 483-0283

Because I jumped to conclusions. . .

Holding in a deeply needed laugh, my smile widened. Then, it fell once I remebered the harsh words spat at me earlier in the day by my own mother. Sighing sadly, I poured my heart into the keyboard.

To: (639) 483-0283

I went to my parent's house earlier in the day and we fought.

From: (639) 483-0283

How bad was it?

To: (639) 483-0283

Horrible. Treacherous. Terrible. Disheartening.

My eyes filled with tears as I texted him the events that went down previously in the last 48 hours. From my "best friend" crushing my spirits to my parents just crushing me. In the end, my heart and head felt lighter but my breathing was heavy and ragged.

From: (639) 483-0283

Look, forgive Viktoriya. She was looking out for you and she brought you back to reality. You may not like it much here, but it's unfortunately life. And you know what goes down in life? Shit.

Literally, my sister found a stray cat and brought it inside, and you know what it did? It shit in the middle of the floor of the shop for all of our customers to see.

I let out a small and much needed laugh and afterwards, I smiled like a maniac. 

To: (639) 483-0283

What about my parents though?

I waited for his reply while looking around the dark, dorm room. The only light came from my phone's screen, casting a bright white light up onto the ceiling.

From: (639) 483-0283

Well, they're your parents. And they know what's best for you.

To: (639) 483-0283

What are you saying?

I breathed in shakily, wondering where he was getting at. I had a slight hint, but I was pushing it away, trying to replace the theory with another option.

My phone chimed with a notification and my eyes met the screen.

From: (639) 483-0283

You should marry this "Lorenzo Salinas", he sounds like a good guy. 

To: (639) 483-0283

You can't be serious.

I tyed the message fast and sent it as quickly as possible.

From: (639) 483-0283

Michelle, they raised you and they love you more than I could ever love you. This relationship was short, and maybe it was love at first sight, but your parents have loved you all their lives.

This Lorenzo Salinas guy is really nice and smart. Dammit, I haven't even been to college. Pick your parents because you could one day lose me forever and have no one to turn to. 

After reading the message, with shaky hands, I responded.

Author's Note-

Second to last chapter my lords! Thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin, you all mean the world to me!

1505 WORDS