"WHAT?" Veronica was shocked. Her whole family was having dinner. She stands up.

"Sit down!" Order of her father.

She remained standing and looked at her father's face.

"I won't let you do what you want, Dad!" confidently she says. "How can I marry a man I've never met or even seen."

"That's why we're going to talk today about it. Tomorrow they'll come here so you can meet your future husband!"

She frowned at what her father had said.

She has reached the age of tweenty-three and never had a boyfriend because their parents are so strict, and now they want her to get married right away. She really can't agree! She wants to experience true love with the man she will love, she wants to experience the true romance of love.

"But Dad, what do I know about marriage? Can't I experience having a real boyfriend first? You're not the one in charge of my love life!" Her voice was a little louder as she spoke because her father violently slammed his fist on the table.

Her mother and sister were shocked because of what her father did. They just kept quiet while she and her father quarreled.

"Do you want a boyfriend? The man you will marry, he will be your boyfriend and the man you will be with for life!"

Veronica slapped on the table.

"Dad, how can the man you have chosen be my boyfriend that I have never seen before, besides I will only marry the man I love and not anyone else!" That was all and she ran out of the kitchen.

"Veronica!" Arnold shouted to stop his daughter from leaving.

Arnold touches his forehead.

"I'll talk to her later," Valerie said softly. She continued eating dinner even though the dining table was full of tension.

Valerie was Arnold good wife.

"Dad, don't force my sister to do what you want. Fixed marriage is not the answer to our company's losses," Rissa said. The eldest daughter of the Buenavesta couple.

"That's the only way I can see for recovering from the loss of our business. If we don't force your sister to get married, we have no choice but to close the company. And what will happen to us? People will laugh at us, especially of those we know." Arnold explained with an angry voice. He stood up violently.

"Where are you going? You haven't finished eating yet." Valerie calls her husband's attention.

"I've lost my appetite!" He replied and managed to get out of the kitchen.

The mother and daughter were left in the kitchen, exchanging glances. They both felt sorry for Veronica, because the father of the home was the one who always followed even sometimes his plans for their family were against their will.

Veronica went to her room. She lay down on the bed, covered her face with a soft pillow, and cried to pour out her resentment on her parents.

Throughout her life, she was obedient to their father. She did everything to be a good daughter to them. She studied hard and graduated from college with a degree in Business Management.

That was also because of her father's preference even though her preferred course was Hotel Restaurant Management or HRM.

After all, even her love life will be interfered with by her father, what if she marries a bad man? Hurtful man! It will also not be good for them to be together with her future husband if they get married, because there is no love between the two of them.

She removed the pillow that was on her face, she glanced at her closet.

What if she just ran away? Veronica asked herself incredulously. She sighed and sat on the bed.

Right! if she runs away, her father's planned wedding will not gonna happen. But where is she going? Haist!

Her face suddenly lit up when she remembered her friend Brianna. She would go there first while she was looking for a place to stay.

Veronica didn't think anymore, she quickly took her backpack and put on some pairs of clothes and her undies.

She picked up her cellphone that sat on the side table, quickly searched her contact list for her friend number.

Kring ...! Kring ...! Kring ...! Her friend's cellphone rang but no one answer.

"Oh please, pick up your phone, Brianna," She prayed.

"Hello," replied the other line. "It's late, why did you call?"

"I need your help!" This was her immediate answer.

"What?" her friend's voice sounded shocked. "Where are you, what happened?" Brianna asked.

"Ssssshhhh, I'm in the house!" She replied in a whisper. She heard her friend's gasp.

"Hey, Veronica, you scared me. I thought something bad happened to you, then your voice sounds like a whisper."

"Can you pick me up, please?" She begs.

"What's the problem? I know there's a reason why you're sending me there." Said Brianna.

"I'll tell you later, just pick me up." Before her friend answer 'yes,' she simply opened the window of her room.

"Wow ha, if you can command!" Complaint of her friend. "Okay, I'll be there in a minute!"

Veronica was happy to hear what her friend said. She knew Veronica couldn't stand her. From elementary, until they graduate from college, they will be best friends.

"I'll be waiting for you there around the corner!" She replied.

"Not there, maybe a bad person will pass by and do bad things to you. Just wait for me in front of the gate of your house, I'll send you a message when I'm close."

"Okay, okay, okay! See you then!" That's all and she turning off her cellphone.

Veronica peeked out the window, estimating how high she would fall if she jumped. Her room was only on the second floor and there was a roof which was the entrance of their house.

"Hmph! I can do it, I'm just going to fall low!" She whisper.

She went back to her bed and arranged the pillows, it looked like someone is sleeping. She covered it with a blanket so that the pillows were not visible on the bed. She also turned off the light and left the lampshade on, which was not very bright. She will no longer leave a farewell letter, she will call her sister when she's already far from their house.

Veronica stepped out the window. Chasing her breath, because of the nervousness she feels that one of her family might catch her. Biting her lip she stepped with her feet on the roof.

"Meowww!" angry cry of the cat.

"Oh my gosh!" She was startled by the cat's scream. She also quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Pst! You kitten, be quiet."

She accidentally steps on the tip of the cat's tail. It was a bit dark on the roof she was stepping on, so she couldn't see it.

The cat quickly ran away. She think the cat was straying because she had just seen it. Because of the cat's running, a noise was heard on the roof.

Arnold is currently smoking in front of their house. He heard a noise from the roof. He threw the cigarette butt on the cement and stepped on it. He went back to the kitchen to pick up the flashlight.

"What are you going to do, why are you carrying a flashlight?" Valerie asked her husband. She came from the living room to check if the maid had closed the windows in the living room.

"I heard a noise on the roof," Arnold replied, he hurried out of the kitchen.

Valerie just followed her husband's gaze as he walked out of their house.

Veronica eyes widened when she saw the small light coming from the flashligh. She hurried back into the window for fear that her father might see her on the roof.

In a hurry to get back into her room from the window, she accidentally bumped the back of her head.

"Ouch!" Veronica moaned as she rubbed the back of her head.

She heard the ringtone of her cellphone. She quickly snatched it from the pocket of her denim pants.

Brianna was the caller so she answered it immediately.

"Mang Carlos and I are close to your house," Brianna pointed out to their family driver.

"Okay! Just wait for me outside. I'm just taking the timing!" Veronica said while peeking out the window of her room.

"What kind of nonsense are you planning?" Brianna asked on the other line.

"You'll find out later, just wait for me. Don't park your car in front of the gate, my dad is outside." She couldn't wait for her friend to answer as she turned off her cellphone and put it back in the pocket of her pants.

"Veron--" Brianna didn't finish what she was going to say to her friend when she heard the sound 'tot! tot!' of the cellphone she was holding. "She's weird,"

Shaking her head, Brianna put the device back inside her bag.

"Innah, where else can I park?" Mang Carlos asked her.

Innah - is what their family driver Mang Carlos calls her. Short for Brianna.

Their parents have not yet given birth to them but Mang Carlos is the family driver of their parents. They treat him like a real family.

"It's up to you, Mang Carlos, just don't get too close to the gate," Brianna replied.

Mang Carlos complied. He stopped the car not far from the house owned by the Buenavesta family. It was there that Brianna waited for her friend.

VERONICA carefully stepped out of their gate while carrying her sandals in one hand. She carefully closed the gate so she could not create any noise.

But before she could walk away from the gate, she took a sad look at their house.

She will miss her parents, her sister, and her room. Of course, that's where she often mumbles when she's angry with their father.

But even though their father often scolded her, she still loved him dearly. She just can't believe that he can entrust her to another man to be her husband.

"I hope you will forgive me for doing this," she whispered in the air.

She didn't want to run away. But that was the only way she could think of, to escape the fate her father had made for her. To marry a man she doesn't love.

She would return, but she could not say when. She wanted to get away first.