To Be King

Alissa Moore's Point of View:

I brushed the tears from my eyes as I sat down on the old bench in the deserted park. This is one of my safe places. I always come around here when I have a lot on my mind and today my problems have piled up on me. Hearing this, all of you might think that I'm a poor little girl with no money and no home, but I'm quite the opposite.

My name is Alissa Moore and I am the daughter of the famous billionaire Brian Moore and fashion designer Amy Moore. I have two siblings: my older brother Dominic Moore and my younger sister Brianna Moore. People always think that because we are the children of billionaires, we are stuck up and mean. They never try to get to know us first because of how much money we have, but we are all humble and very kind.

My sister and I work with our father in his telecommunications company; it’s a very challenging and demanding job. Dad always expects the best from me. I've always been able to meet my father's demands, but what he wants from me now is outrageous. I was so absorbed in my self pity that I didn't even realize that I wasn't alone anymore until I heard someone speak.

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?"

I jumped off of the bench at lightning speed and turned around to find a very handsome man standing before me. He was strikingly handsome with his dark hair and beautiful eyes. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I had seen him before. Silently debating whether or not I should answer him, I finally decided to do so since it wouldn't hurt to be polite. I'd feel bad about not answering him anyway.

"T-thank you," I stuttered, a blush instantly coating my cheeks when I remembered the fact that he had called me beautiful.

I slowly sat back down and gazed out at my surroundings. I've always been able to calm myself down by gazing into a calm surrounding. The peacefulness of the area and also the fact that this park is always deserted makes it calm and quiet. I was so distracted that I completely forgot about the stranger that was standing beside me, that is until he spoke again.

"So...do you mind telling me your name?"

I once again looked up at his handsome face. Should I tell him who I am? Or am I too trusting?

I continued to look at him and decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell him my name. I wouldn't give him my full name, but he could know the first one.

"My name is Alissa... What's yours?"

He smiled a breathtaking smile and sat beside me but not too close as if allowing me to keep my personal space. Even though I respected that, I felt a pang of sadness that he didn't sit closer to me, but I quickly ignored the feeling and focused on what he was saying.

"My name is Rafael."

I almost melted into a little puddle. The way he said his name with his accent made his name sound incredibly sexy. It was just then that I realized that he had an accent. It sounded almost Italian, but I wouldn't know for sure unless I asked. I turned my body on the bench so that I could face him properly. He was looking at me with a small smile on his face.

"I couldn't help but notice you have an accent...is it Italian?"

The small smile that he had on his face instantly fell to form a shocked expression. He looked as if the carpet had been pulled right from under his feet. Well, maybe people could easily figure out what accent he has and I was the dumbo who couldn't figure it out. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he stuttered out:

"Y-you don't know who I am?"

I paused, looking at him again, this time trying to see if I knew him from somewhere. I've met a lot of people while working for my dad, so I might have seen him before somewhere. I couldn't pick up where I had seen him before, but he did look familiar.

"I'm sorry," I said as I looked at him. "You look familiar, but I can't seem to remember where I saw you before."

He seemed awfully surprised and somewhat relieved. This must be a first for him to react this way to someone not knowing who he was. With a face like that, I bet he was used to having a person recognize him from miles away. I was surprised when he scooted closer to me and pulled me close to him. I shivered in his arms; I would expect to feel disgusted with him touching me, but strangely I felt safe in his arms. I felt as if every single one of my problems vanished into thin air.

"I want to see you again," he whispered softly into my ear. "Come to the last dance of the year in France and give them your name."

He pulled away from me only to wipe away the tears from my cheeks. I surprised myself; I didn't realize that I was crying. He leaned in close and gave me a lingering kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling. When I opened my eyes again, he was gone. I looked around to see if I could find him, but he was nowhere to be found. He disappeared just as quickly as he came.

It was actually quite impressive how stealthy he could be. I smiled to myself and once again gazed out at my surroundings. I wasn't worried about him being gone because I knew that I would see him again at the last dance. I just had to gather the courage to actually go there. This week should be fun.

Alissa Moore's Point of View:

"What's got you so happy, sis?"

I looked up from the magazine that I was reading to face my younger sister Brianna. I wasn't surprised to see her since I asked her to follow me to our parents’ house. I'm really hoping that my brother and sister can help make my father see sense and not force me to do something that I don't want to do. I'm not a five-year-old anymore, yet he insists on treating me like a child and it's really frustrating.

I didn't bother to answer her; instead I offered her a big smile and turned back to the article that I was currently reading. I hadn't told her about Rafael yet because I wanted to discuss the whole parental drama thing first. I dropped the magazine from my hands when I heard her let out a deafening scream.

I jumped from my seat and went over to where she was standing with her eyes wide open in shock. There didn't seem to be anything at all wrong with her.

"It's a guy, isn't it?" she screeched, jumping up and down excitedly. You'd think she was 12 and not 22 years old from the way she always acted like a child.

I couldn't keep the blush from my face when I remembered her words, and it was mostly because I know she's right. Ever since I met Rafael a week ago, I've been on cloud nine. It’s only been a week, but I miss him already, and I just can't wait until I see him again. He's so handsome and sexy and so sweet. Oh gosh, I feel like a teenager in love.

"Hello...Earth to Alissa"

Snapping out of my daze, I turned to face my sister, who was looking at me anxiously. With a deep sigh, I grabbed her hand and pulled her behind me and to the living room. I gestured to her to sit down on one of the chairs, and I sat beside her.

"Well..." I started off. "His name is Rafael and I met him a week ago, and I'm going to see him again in France..."

I was about to continue when I was interrupted by someone knocking on my apartment door. I've always lived with my parents and siblings in the Moore mansion, but ever since my dad brought up this ridiculous deal, I moved out of the mansion and refused to speak to them until now. I pulled open the front door to reveal my brother looking back at me. I quickly pulled him into a hug, being so happy seeing him after a total of seven days.

We've always been very close, even though we would pick on each other at times just like other siblings. We're very protective of each other, especially our little sister Brianna.

I pulled away from him and grabbed his hand, just like I did Brianna, and pulled him to the living room and pushed him into a chair.

"Hey, Dom," Brianna squealed, hugging our brother.

"Hey, lil sis," he replied, not at all bothered by the hug. Like I said before, we're very close and love each other endlessly.

"So," Dom said slowly. "Why'd you move out?"

Dom's always been like this, straightforward and to the point about whatever it is he wants to know. It's one of the things I love about him. He didn't beat around the bush and was totally unbiased. I slowly sat down on my couch, taking a deep breath, I spoke.

"The reason I moved out is because..."

"Yes?" they asked anxiously.

I took a deep breath. "Dad wanted to put me in an arranged marriage."

"What the hell!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

I slapped my hands over my ears as both my brother and sister shouted at the same time, jumping off from their chairs. They started pacing the room so distracted that they knocked heads with each other. I couldn't control my laughter; they're so stupid.

I could swear I'm adopted.

Suddenly Dom stopped pacing and flopped down on the couch beside me. He pulled me into his arms. The mere fact that I was being comforted made me start to cry. I felt the couch dip on the other side of me and arms wrapped around my waist. I immediately knew that it was Bri. I thank my lucky stars that I have them.

"What am I going to do?" I cried. "I don't want to marry a stranger"

"You won't have to," Dom replied calmly. "I'll take care of it."

"I have an idea," Bri squealed, walking over to her purse and taking out her phone.

I pulled away from Dom and turned to face Bri, bracing myself for the crazy idea I'm sure she has. I wiped a hand on my face, clearing the tears, and gestured for her to continue.

"I'm going to arrange for the both of us to go to France while Dom stays here and deals with our dear father."

"Why France?" I asked, a little excited.

She glared at me, looking extremely irritated with my question. I simply shrugged at her and gave her an innocent smile. It was fun to mess with her.

"I guess you just forgot all about Rafael then...oh, well, let someone else have him. Let's go somewhere else."

"No," I shouted, falling for her bait.

"France it is then." She smirked triumphantly.

I groaned out loud while my sister explained everything to my clueless brother. I covered my head with two of the cushions off of the couch, trying to ignore their laughter. I eventually gave up and ran to my room. Dom and Bri spent the day with me, and we played games and watched a movie just like old times. Dom left before Bri to pick up some chocolates for us, and Bri decided it would be the perfect time for me to start packing.

That’s my family for you… I love them so much.