Chapter 2: The Introduction

Fauna Kent's POV

After I show the lost person to the bathroom as I saw that he was in so much pain, I left to get inside the painting room as my mother has called my name. After I walked inside the room, the Florenz looked at me up and down as if assessing me if I was worthy of their daughter-in-law.

"I thought it was Flora that was promised to Adam," Mr. Florenz asked my father as he looked at me briefly. I turned my gaze to the ground.

"Hush, darling. Don't be so rude. It was a pleasure to meet you, Fauna is it?" Mrs. Florenz said as she was taking my hand into hers. I looked up into her blue eyes as she was smiling at me. I smiled back at her.

"Yes, ma'am," I said in my behave voice as my mum was eyeing me from afar. I know that if I let my true behavior slipped up, I would be sleeping in the dumpster.

"Okay, now that you have come, why don't we get to know each other better?" Mr. Florenz said as I took a seat next to my mother. The seat in front of me was vacant. I guess it was for Adam Florenz, my sister's betrothed.

"Ah, there you are, honey. Come, come and meet your bride," Mrs. Florenz said as I turned to look at the same person who was lost looking for a bathroom. I did not notice before that he has a disheveled black hair and his bright grey eyes as he was searching around the room before he settled into my eyes. I drew sharp breath but I don't think he would notice that.

"Adam, meet Fauna, your fiancée," Mrs. Florenz said as Adam took a seat in front of me. We were sitting on the sofas but I don't think this room will be much smaller than before.

Breathe in, breathe out. You do this for your family's honor. Do not ruin it. I chanted to my mind as I was trying to control my urge to fly from the room and never to come back here.

I wanted to get out before he stopped me as he gripped my arms. I looked at his hand before he released it almost immediately as he cleared his throat.

"I wanted to thank you for the direction to the bathroom before," he said as he was running his hand through his hair. It made it even disheveled and I have the urge to stop it right now.

"don't mention it," I said before I went out of the room as he followed in step with me. Maybe he gets lost in the way to the dining room that he followed me.

"So, you're Fauna, right? I never thought I have a fiancée before," he said as he was laughing. I shoot him a glare before he cleared his throat again.

"Look, I know this is weird, I mean, for me at least. I just know that I have a fiancée across the Atlantic Ocean a couple of days ago and that I will be married by the end of the month. I don't think that you wanted this more than I do," he said as he stopped in front of me. I closed my eyes as I was fighting the urge to roll my eyes at him right now. I opened my eyes to see that he was staring down at me.

"Well, what do you mean?" I asked as I was knotting my eyebrows together. I was serious to know what he will tell me.

"Well, if you say that you don't want the marriage and I back you up, we both will be getting out of this mess," he said as he was whispering to me. His voice was huskier than before and I think my stomach did a flip at his voice. I blinked a few times at him before I stared at him.

"Just hear me out, okay? I have a case that maybe will be threatening to my life and I don't want you to be a widow too early in our marriage. hence, I suggest that you will find your true love and I will be just on our merry way. How's that sound?" He said to me as he was looking at me.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I blurted out before I closed my eyes. Curse me with my blunt mouth. I opened to see that he was staring at my wide eyes.

"No, if that's what you're thinking. no, I don't have any relationship," he said as his face was blushing to a bright shade of pink. Even his ear tips were red.

I chuckled before we went inside the room and I took at the seat on the right side as my parents were there. Adam took his seat on his parent's side as we were facing each other. Our legs touched for a moment as I looked at him and he looked at me. My father cleared his throat as we both went to look at him.

"Well, since you have been in the States for not too long, I hope you don't mind all-American diner, Leonor, Amanda? Or do you prefer Portuguese food?" My dad made a joke that I just rolled my eyes at his lame joke. Adam was looking at me and my mother was scowling at me before I cleared my throat and my parents were joining hands.

"Okay, hands everyone," my mother said as she took my father's and Aunt Amanda. She took her husband's hand and then, Leonor connected it to Adam. Then, Adam looked at me as he was offering his hand. I looked at it before everyone else was looking at us.

"Go on, it's alright. He will not touch anything other than your hand, honey," his mum said as she was smiling at me. I smiled back and took his hand. He was warm and big compared to mine. His tanned skin told me he must be out in the sun a lot compared to my porcelain one.

"Dear Lord, we gathered here to thank for this meal. And for the joining of our families with our son and our daughter. I hoped that they will prosper as the food on the table and the roof on our head. Please let them find their happiness and hope it will stay, Amen," my father prayed.

"Amen," we all chimed in as I immediately released my hand from Adam as I was putting a napkin on my lap. I looked at my hand as it still lingers his touch and warmth in it.

we were laughing and talking but mostly my parents and Adam's parents. I just knew that they were business partners in our tech company and Leonor Florenz was my father's best friend.

"Ah, finally, our family will be together after all those years of talking about them," Mr. Florenz said as we were drinking our tea and coffee. I was sipping on my Earl Grey with lemon as I listen to their conversations. Adam was nowhere to be found after he took off to get a phone call.

"So, Fauna, what do you do?" Aunt Amanda asked me as I was sipping on my tea, lost to my thoughts.

"Sorry?"

"Your job. What do you do for a living?" She asked me as my mother scowled in my face. I smiled at her before I put down my tea.

"Oh, I'm a translator at the WWF, Wildlife World Foundation," I said as I was proud of my job. My mother never approved that as she saw Flora's job at the company as an IT engineer as a good job.

"Oh, and what do you do?" She asked me.

"Yes, what do you do, honey? I never understand your job entitle as well," my mother said as she put down her tea. She was trying to make me embarrassed myself but I smiled at them and explained what my job was.

"Well, I took the latest issue about the scientific discoveries around the world and translated it into any language. I was specialized in Romance language, which was Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese. I was not that good in Romanian but I can get by. so, what I would do is that I would translate English into those languages and I sent it out to the WWF branch in those speaking countries and they will print it out," I said as I was smiling at them before I took another sip of my coffee. I don't hear their comments but one particular comment caught my ears.

"So, you basically can speak multiple languages?" Adam asked me as he walked into the room. I turned to look at him as he was smirking at me. I rolled my eyes at him before his eyebrows were up.

"Oh, Adam, where have you been? You were missing out to hear about Fauna's great job," his mother said as she dragged him and plopped him next to me. I stiffed for a while before he chuckled at his mother.

"Mum, I have a business to tend to. You know, crime never stops," he said in Portuguese as I can feel that his eyes were on me. I did not make any comment as I don't want to be in his particular conversation with his mother.

"English, Adam, don't be rude. Scott and Stacy did not know any Portuguese even though Fauna understands us," his mum said as she turned to look at my mum and apologized for his son's insensitivity.

"Well, it looks like we can talk in secret language together then," he whispered to me as I can see my mum was eyeing me as Adam was moving to my ear. My face was burning up, not from blush but anger as he dared to invade my personal space.

"I'm sorry, I need to get to bed early as I have an early start tomorrow, good night," I said as I stood abruptly, knocking Adam out with my shoulder before I dipped my head and took my leave. I cannot bear another second to be with his cocky, arrogant self.

"Fauna, wait," he called after me as I was closing my eyes. Control, Fauna. He did not know that you were such a mulish girl. control, girl! I turned around as I looked at him. He was handsome, nonetheless, but he was promised to my sister and I was just her replacement. I have to remember that.

"Look, about that wedding—" I held up my hand as I was cutting him off.

"Do not worry, I will tell my parents that you do not wish to stay betrothed to me so I will explain to them and said that I was not interested in you. Have a good day, Mr. Florenz," I said as I was about to go upstairs before he caught my wrist and fire was burning throughout my body.

"No, no, no. I think I would love to get married to you," he said as he looked at me. I narrowed my eyes at him before shrugging his hands off. I lost the contact and immediately cold was coming through my body.

"What do you mean, Florenz?" I asked him as I was looking at him sternly. I kept my face stoic as I was trying to control my anger.

"Just hear me out. I need your expertise in this language thing. I wanted you to hear some of the recordings that I will bring to you and help me translate it. I was nowhere good with Italian so I hope you might help me," he said as he was looking at me. I arched my eyebrow at him.

"And that comment about getting married, are you serious?" I asked him before my heartbeat was faster. He smiled cockily.

"No, it was just a comment to stop you from going upstairs," he said before I scoffed at him and went upstairs.

"Can I talk to you tomorrow?" He asked before I went into my room and slammed the door.