Chapter 5 If this is about tradition
~The Brown Family~
George's deep voice broke the silence of the lavish living room. "Risa, as the eldest daughter of the Brown family, you will marry Davis Allen of the Allen family."
Risa froze mid-step, her breath hitched and her hands clenched as she slowly turned to face her father with her eyes wide with disbelief. "Dad, is this a joke", she asked tentatively.
George's expression remained firm, his tone unrelenting "I signed a business deal with them and that is one of the requirements needed to facilitate it."
"An alliance?" Risa's voice rose sharply. "With a cripple? Davis Allen is finished, Dad. His family doesn't even want him anymore. How does this benefit us?"
George sighed, " They may not want him but then he is still an Allen and The Allens are still powerful, Risa. Their name alone carries weight, even if Davis is no longer at his peak. This marriage—"
"This marriage will be my destruction, dad!" Risa cut him off, her heels clicking furiously as she paced. "Have ever paused to think of what people will tell me and what they will think of me?"
"You'll learn to adapt," George interrupted, his voice firm. "The marriage isn't about personal feelings. It's about the bigger picture."
"The bigger picture indeed?" Risa scoffed, turning to face him. Her eyes blazed with anger. "When you're asking me to throw my future away for someone who can't even stand on his own two feet. What about my dreams, Dad? My ambitions? My goals dad?"
Clara, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, finally spoke, her tone calm. "Risa, sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. You're part of this family, and your role is to ensure its success."
Risa whirled toward her mother, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, of course, but family success shouldn't be achieved by shackling your daughter to a ruined man."