"WHAT?" can't believe Shan Shai said. Her whole family was having dinner. She stands up,

"Sit down!" Order of her father.

Shan Shai remained standing and reluctantly 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. Because tomorrow, they'll come here so you can meet your future husband!"

Shan Shai frowned at what her father had said. She has reached the age of twenty -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. She didn't want her father to give the man what he just got somewhere.

"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!"

Shan Shai was 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 Shan Shai ran out of the kitchen.

"Shan Shai!" Zairu Chiu shouted to stop his daughter from leaving.

Zairu touches his forehead. He just followed the look of his daughter stepping up the stairs.

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

Shin-Ma was Zairu good wife.

"Dad, don't force Shan Shai to do what you want, my sister's marriage to your friend's son is not the answer to our company's losses," Shekaina replied. The eldest daughter of the Chiu couple.

"That's the only way I can see us 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." Zairu explained with an angry voice. He stood up violently.

"Where are you going? You haven't finished eating yet." Shin-Ma 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 Shan Shai, because the father of the home was the one who always followed even sometimes his plans for their family were against their will.

SHAN SHAI 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 he just ran away? Shan Shai asked herself incredulously. The girl 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!

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

The girl didn't think anymore, she quickly took her backpack and put on some pairs of clothes and her undies. Shan Shai picked up her cellphone that sat on the side table, quickly searched her contact list for the friend's number.

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

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

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

"I need your help!" This was Shan Shai's immediate answer.

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

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

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

"Can you pick me up, please?" She said quickly.

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

"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!"

Shan Shai was happy to hear what her friend said, she knew Liza 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.

"Don't be 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 message when I'm close."

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

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

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

Shan Shai 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 open, 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.

Shan Shai stepped out the window. Chasing her breath, because of the extreme 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!" Shan Shai 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, thinking the cat was straying because she had just seen it. Because of the cat's running, a noise was heard on the roof.

Zairu 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?" Shin-Ma asked her husband. Shin-Ma came from the living room to check if the maid had closed the windows in the living room.

"I'll just have a peek," Zairu replied he hurried out of the kitchen.

Shin-Ma just followed her husband's gaze as he walked out of their house.

Shan Shai eyes widened when she saw the small light coming from the flashlight. The girl hurried back into the window for fear that her father might see her on the roof.

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

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

Shan Shai heard the sound of her cellphone, she quickly snatched it from the pocket of her denim pants. Liza was the caller so she answered it immediately.

"Ling-Wa and I are close to your house," Liza pointed out to their family driver.

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

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

"You'll find out later, just wait for me don't park in front of the gate because 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.

"Shan--" Liza 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, Liza put the device she was holding back inside her bag.

"Iza, where else can I park?" Ling-Wa asked the girl.

Iza is what their family driver Ling- Wa short for Liza calls her.

Their parents have not yet given birth to them, Ling-Wa is the family driver of their parents. They treat him like a real family.

"It's up to you Ling-Wa, just don't get too close to the gate," Liza replied.

Ling-Wa complied. He stopped the car not far from the house owned by the Chiu family. It was there that Liza waited for her friend Shan Shai.

Shan Shai 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 Shekaina 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," Shan Shai 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.