WHITLOCK FAMILY MANSION
The silence in the mansion was very high , the head of the house had his head buried in hands , the woman of the house sat with a look of disbelief , other members were also seated , some were standing . No words , just silence .
"So the only choice now is a Marriage Alliance,huh?", a middle aged woman asked.
"Yes, but who?",The Head asked and the silence grew much more thicker.
"I will",a sharp and firm tone said and they all turned to the direction.
"Iris? , no not you , one of your cousins can do that not you",he replied.
"Father , they are all still young , I'm still the oldest out of all the females here, the family is ruthless and if there's anyone to handle them , it's me",she said and sat down.
"But...No buts father , are we doing this or not ? , it's all for the company",she interrupted .
She stood up and turned towards her room ,she turned her face a little.
"Proceed with the Marriage Ceremony",she said and walked to her room , her maid following behind.
IRIS ROOM
She sat in front of a painting . She was creating a landscape masterpiece .
"My Lady , is it necessary for you to marry into the family ?,there are several others though?",Her maid asked worriedly .
"Grace, it's okay , the others are still too young and I fear that they might not last in that family , it's best if I go on their behalf",she explained not taking her eyes away from the painting .
"Is there something else you want to achieve that you're not telling us?",Grace asked and earned a glare from Iris.
"I'm sorry , my lady",she bowed her head immediately.
"It's fine , you're just worried about me",She said ignoring what just happened.
"It's for our business , if care is not taken , it might go under which isn't good and the only way to stay out of this mess is marriage and you know me , I hate poverty",she explained and stood up .
"I finally understand,I'm sorry about earlier",Grace apologized.
"If you are sorry , get me a cup of coffee",she ordered.
"Right away ma'am",Grace left immediately.
Iris sighed and rubbed her temples.
"It's going to be a fun life , I guess",she said to herself .
The Blackwood Family House
Just the name , Blackwood , is enough to make every living souls tremble .
It's not just an ordinary name , it's a legacy that has been built for years which is passed from generations to generations .
It consist of the head of the house , Mateo Blackwood , the self centered father of the family , he doesn't care about anyone but himself and his second wife children . He married two wives , the First Wife , Eleanor Whites , the daughter of a minister , she birthed just two kids for him , a male , Lucien Blackwood and a Female Allyssa Blackwood , but at what cost?. After trying to conceive for years but all to no avail , he decided to take in a second wife , Luciana Greene , who birthed him a child immediately , the First Son of the Family , Roman Blackwood . After Two Years , she got pregnant with the Second Son again , Kyle Blackwood and lastly a female , Minnie Ivy Blackwood . After she birthed her first two sons , that was when Eleanor got Pregnant and gave birth to Lucien , then she gave him a sister , Allyssa Blackwood .
This family also has both uncles , aunts , cousins , living together also .
The family is now separated into two , The First Wife and her children , then the rest of the family .
There has never been peace for once in that house .
The Hot Afternoon
The family all sat round the dining table , they were all eating and chatting with the First Wife and her children being silent as usual . An almost old aged man came in , he was dressed formally and one could tell he was the butler , Mr Kang.
"Sorry to disturb you all but a letter came from the Whitlock's family",he said .
"You may read it",Mateo continued eating.
"Dear Blackwood Family , it is with great admiration and respect that , we the Whitlock's family has decided to accept your marriage proposal",he read and most of the family looked up .
"That's great then , did they insert any other thing there or is that all?",He asked .
"Yes Sir. Our daughter , Iris Whitlock has decided to accept the marriage proposal to be the wife of Lucien Blackwood,that's all",He read and head back.
"Interesting, Iris Whitlock? , Very Interesting ",he said and ate away .
Allyssa held her brother's hand underneath the table , giving it light squeezes.
"It's fine",she whispered.
The Butler came back , receiving a look from Mateo.
"Sir , Miss Iris Whitlock and her father are both here",He announced and Mateo nodded.
"Let them in"
Few Minutes Later .
They were both in the house. Iris eyes stayed glued on one place , "nowhere" , it looked like she zoned out but she didn't.
"Let's go",the butler gestured to them .
He led them to the dining table.
Iris trailed behind her Dad .
Immediately they got there , all eyes turned on them .
"Good Afternoon Mr Mateo ",Her dad greeted .
"I've told you to call me Mateo , what's with the Mr?",he asked.
"Sorry , Mateo ",he said.
Iris came forward and greeted with grace and elegance.
"I greet you all",she said and raised her head.
At her beauty, some of them gasped immediately.
Lucien wasn't an exception , his plan was to pretend he didn't see them but hearing her voice made him look at the beauty with the sweet voice.
Roman who was on his seat wasn't also an exception and he smirked .
"Perfect"
"Wow , what a beautiful young lady , I guess you're Iris right?",he asked.
"Yes sir , Iris , Iris Ivy Whitlock",she replied and he nodded.
"Have your seat",he said and instructed the chief maids to serve them .
The food was placed in front of them and she looked at the serving , it was quite much for her , for a normal lady , it's quite okay but for her it's way too much .
She took the spoon and just ate five spoons and dropped it .
Some of the members glanced at her .
"Is there anything wrong with the food or....?",the Head of Maids asked her , which drew the attention of others.
"Sorry , I don't eat that much , that's just enough for me , thanks for the food , I really appreciate it",she said politely .
"Or it isn't too your liking?",the maid asked and her dad chipped in.
"That's how she is , she doesn't eat much at all , she prefers fruits and veggies to food",he said and the maid nodded.
Few Minutes Later .
In the garden , Iris sat there looking at the view , she took out her little sketch book and sketched the scenery .
"I see you are an artist",a feminine voice said and she turned back slowly.
"I'm Allyssa by the way , Lucien's Sister",she extended her hand .
"Nice to meet you , I'm Iris",she shook the hand.
"If i were to advice you , I'll tell you to cancel the marriage proposal , don't dip your leg into a pit",Allyssa said .
"It's fine , as long as no one's in my way after marriage then it's all fine",she replied.
"You really think so? , the Blackwood are so frustrating to deal with, you might never survive it",Allyssa replied.
Iris nodded and continued her sketching .
"Can i have your number instead?",She asked and Iris input her number on the phone before diverting back.
Allyssa patted her hair and left.
"It's going to be so much fun",she sighed and continued .
Back in the Study.
Gray, Iris Father sat on the chair facing Mateo.
"Never knew your daughter was that pretty , she's a jewel",Mateo said .
"She gets her look from her mother",Gray replied.
"Where are the Marriage papers , it's time to sign it . There's no time to waste time",he asked .
"Here",Gray placed them on the table.
Mateo opened it and read it , then closed it back.
"That's good"
He phoned his P.A ,who came in immediately.
"Hand it to Lucien ,he should get her to sign it",Mateo said .
"Yes Sir",he said and left.
Back in the Garden.
Iris sat there looking at the fountain when she heard footsteps from the back . She ignored it and continued admiring the view.
He came to her view , Looking Cold and Ruthless but also Hot at the same time. Lucien Blackwood.
"Here are the marriage papers , Sign it",he ordered and she collected it.
She scanned through it and signed it immediately.
She handed it back to him and continued observing the environment.
He also signed it and stood up , and turned to leave but he saw his mom .
He sat back down and stared at the garden .
"I'm Lucien",he introduced and she nodded in return .
"See , I don't know why you're marrying me but let me tell you , it's better to run for your life cause it's bad , really bad here , I'm not saying this to let me go but you have to be wise",he stood up and walked away.