Jessica usually likes Friday mornings. It was the day of the week when she feels mostly relaxed, because for one there is the fact that the next day is the start of the weekend. And secondly, she did not have much activities to do during that day which gives her a chance to be more at ease.

But today was an exception.

She had just waken up at exactly six o'clock in the morning, when her phone had suddenly vibrated. She forced to open her sleepy eyes and glanced at the bright screen of her mobile phone where she could see a newly sent message pop up. Jessica slowly lifted herself up and laid her back against the headboard as she began to read the text message.

[Go home tonight. We need to talk. - Daddy]

Go home

Jessica had always liked the sound of home when she was little. It was a place where she could be with her family, with the most important people in her life. But when she turned fifteen, home was completely pushed out of her mind. It began when her mother had filed a divorce against her father and her parents separated. Jessica was so young and naive that she couldn't understand how to handle their situation. She was hurt, but it didn't matter to them.

So she left. 

She saved enough money to rent herself an apartment unit and began to live on her own. Running away also taught her a lot of good things, like being independent. Jessica can still clearly remember that when she and her younger sister were still kids they would always be pampered and they did not even have to lift a finger because they had their own servants to do things for them.

But Jessica had a change of mindset and she had learned to stand on her own feet.

But her father couldn't seem to understand it.

Jessica stared at the words imprinted on her phone's screen, trying to figure out the meaning behind them. It's been weeks since she last visited her home and it was only for the sole purpose of visiting Krystal since she was having a fever during that time. Jessica was never close with her father. When she was little she could barely see him because he was too busy with his meetings and his money. Her mother was only a housewife, which was the reason why Jessica was closer to her. In the past Jessica intended to patch up things with her dad but it didn't happen when her parents divorced.

The distance between her and her father only grew.

And now she was surprised to see that her father was actually inviting her over. She didn't know why but one thing's for sure.

There's something big that's going to happen. 

*

Jessica could feel a certain anxiety inside of her once she drove her car through the tall gates of the Jung residence. It felt a bit wonderful to catch a glimpse of their mansion once again, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a bit bitter towards it. It was the place where everything started out in her life, and also the place where she almost broke apart. 

Shaking her thoughts out of her head, Jessica parked her car right in front of their porch. A butler was there and he offered to park Jessica's car somewhere safe so she gave him her keys before walking up the steps towards the front door.

Jessica took a deep breath and braced herself for what was about to come. She closed her eyes for a second and silently wished that this visit wouldn't end up with her and her father arguing again. After a few more seconds of hesitating, Jessica rang the doorbell.

"Well hello sweetheart." Jessica was surprised to see her father opening the door and standing in front of her with a wide, happy smile on his face. He looked so glad as if he wasn't the frustrated man whom Jessica knew as her father. He leaned over her and wrapped his arms around her in a light embrace. "We've been waiting for you."

It took Jessica a long moment to process her father's sweet gestures. 

No. This isn't normal at all.

"Dad, what the heck is going on?" She asked with an eyebrow raised at him. And that's when she finally realized his former words. "Wait, did you just say 'we'?"

Her father only smiled at her as he reached out to grab her hand. He pulled her inside the house and shut the door behind them. Together they walked into the living room and they were met with a sight of two men sitting on the sofa together. Jessica became even more confused when those two men stood up to greet her with the exact same smiles that her dad was wearing on his face.

"Dad, seriously, what is goi-" Jessica was cut off when one the two men, the older one, grabbed her hands and shook them firmly. 

"Hello Jessica. You might not remember me but I'm an old friend of your father." He stated with a friendly smile. He was a tall man wearing a gray suit. He looked as if he was working in the same field as her father. "As you can see, you're father invited you over to meet us." He then motioned towards the other man, a much younger version of him. which seemed to be much closer to Jessica's age. "By the way, this is my son. His name is Lee Dongwook."

"Hi, you must be Jessica." Dongwook grabbed her hand and shook it gently. A sincere smile appeared on his handsome face but it did not faze Jessica at all. She only looked at him blankly for a second before smiling and nodding back.

After exchanging greetings, Jessica turned towards her father and gave him a questioning look. She still did not understand what was going on and why her father was still smiling. 

"Let's sit down." Mr. Jung announced and the four of them sat together.

For a while, they talked about Jessica. Apparently Mr. Jung had suddenly taken an interest on asking how his daughter was doing lately. He'd been so sweet and gentle towards her that it made Jessica even more believe that something was up. But she continued to entertain her father's inquiries, including the questions coming from Dongwook and his father. They drank wine while chatting together and for a while Jessica had forgotten her assumption that there was something going on.

Her thoughts were only proven true when they finished having dinner. It was when they were all hanging out in the balcony when Mr. Jung had let out the news.

"Jessica, what do you think about getting married?" 

Jessica looked at her father with a slightly taken aback expression. She raised an eyebrow at him before diverting her gaze towards the glass of red wine on her hand. "Marriage? At this age?"

"What's wrong with that?" Mr. Lee interefered with a smile. "It doesn't matter as long as you have the approval from the parents."

His words confused her even more. Why were they suddenly bringing up the topic about marriage?

Jessica looked back at his father. She tried to lock eyes with him, read his mind and figure out what he was thinking. But Jessica has to admit that her father was not an easy person to read. He might be smiling on the outside but nobody knows what he's feeling or thinking deep inside. 

"Dad, I need you to answer me now. What on earth is going on here? Why did you invite me over for dinner? Why are these two people here? But most all.." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him directly. "..why are you wearing that smile?"

Her father gently rubbed her back. "Calm down sweetie. Once daddy tells you the truth you must not react badly against it. I know it will be a bit shocking but you must first hear my explanation out." He glanced at the two men but his eyes lingered longer at Dongwook. "Mr. Lee's business is one of the most successful ones here in our country. They have big connections and they are globally known. As for our company, you know we've been having problems with our production lately. And we need to do something in order to prevent out sales from dropping."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. Her heart was pounding. She could sense that she wouldn't like to hear the next words that would come out of . 

"What are you trying to say?" She murmured.

"Mr. Lee's company might be able to help our company. It can save us and our money. And in order for that to happen, we have to merge our two companies together as one. Mr. Lee was kind enough to help me, but he asked me for one small favor in exchange." All the assumptions and accusations inside Jessica's mind were proven correct as she watched her father push Dongwook towards her. 

Dongwook smiled softly at her and grabbed her hands without hesitation.

"You'll have to marry me." He stated, kissing the back of Jessica's hand.

*

A/N: First part is done. This is just the beginning, that's why it's short. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce Jessica's forced marriage thing. Her seobang will appear in the next chapter. :) 

Thanks to those who subscribed and commented! Also to those who are reading this fic. :)