She had been joking with Emily about finding a rich husband to save her family.
She never thought her stupid joke would come true.
The moment she walked through the front door, her parents dropped the bomb.
Marriage.
She hadn't even had her first kiss yet.
Kids her age were just starting to date. She was being thrown straight into a wedding.
"I haven't even had a real boyfriend," she mumbled.
"That's exactly why you're perfect," Victoria said, her voice dripping with false cheer. "You're young, pretty, and smart. The Sterlings will love you."
The Sterlings.
Everyone knew who they were.
"The richest family in the city," Victoria continued. "Other girls would kill for this chance."
"But I don't know him," Evelyn protested. "He's a complete stranger to me."
"You'll get to know him after you're married," Victoria rolled her eyes. "You'll have the rest of your life for that."
Evelyn turned to her mother, hoping for support.
Amelia Vance sighed. "Sweetheart, we've never asked you for anything. But your father's company is in trouble. Real trouble."
She paused, letting the words sink in.
"If we don't get the money soon, your father will go to prison. Do you want that? Do you want to see him locked up in his old age?"
Three against one.
Evelyn felt the walls closing in.
Her brain worked slowly, always a step behind everyone else. But even she could see there was no way out.
"Isn't there another option?" she asked weakly.
Her mother's face hardened. "If there was, do you think we'd be selling you off?"
"Can I at least meet him first?" Evelyn's voice cracked. "Just to see what he's like?"
Her father perked up. "I can arrange that."
"And then I'll decide?" she pressed.
Her father nodded slowly. "I'll ask."
That night, Evelyn lay in her childhood bed, staring at the ceiling.
This was really happening.
If she said yes, she'd be married.
Her family was practically pushing her out the door.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he'd be kind. Maybe he'd even be handsome.
But what if he was old? And ugly? And mean?
What if he had no teeth and a bad temper?
She shuddered.
Why would a family like the Sterlings want to marry into her family anyway?
They were rich beyond imagination. Her family was broke.
It didn't make sense.
Unless he was desperate.
Or deformed.
Or dying.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
She was going to marry a toothless old man.