Chapter 01
Gabriella lied there awake—both of her eyes wide open. How can she possibly sleep when her whole world was turned upside down in less than three days?
There are many words to describe Gabriella. Most people she met in America would say she's funny, kind, and extremely talented and passionate about art. Most people here at home, Canovia, would say she's the daughter of the famous Montezes who owned the largest chain of organic foods store in Canovia.
The Kingdom of Canovia is an island in the Atlantic. Canovia was an island in the Atlantic Ocean in between North America and Europe. Originally an English territory, the United States bought it from England in the 1880s in search for oil. Canovia was a United States territory for a few decades until breaking away to keep its own monarchy. Ever since the 1950s, Canovia has been a constitutional monarchy where the royal family acts as the head of state, however the parliament is the head of the government—similar to the way the United Kingdom works.
Canovia was small with an area of around fifty thousand and had a population of around ten million people. The people of Canovia adored their royal family and happily paid taxes each year to support their lavish lifestyles as long as they provide them with motivation and entertainment. Although the royal family of Canovia is nowhere near as well-known as the royal family of the United Kingdom internationally, it is followed by royal enthusiasts all over the world. The royal family also attracts the majority of the tourism of Canovia. Canovia is a wealthy country that relies on tourism, commerce, and oil. This small but wealthy country has made its mark on the world as one of the richest countries and one of the happiest places in the world.
But right now in Canovia, in Gabriella Montez's bedroom, lies the unhappiest and most distressed twenty four year old young woman in the world. Her eyes were not the only thing wide open but so were her ears. She could hear through the flawlessly painted walls of her room of her parents arguing.
"We can't do that to Gabriella, she's our daughter. She's still trying to do more freelance work and build her portfolio." Gabriella's mother, Maria, looked at her husband intently. "This is going to change her entire future. Don't you think it's a little selfish to ask our daughter to do something like this? It's basically trading the future of our company for hers."
"Maria, where do you think she gets money to live in New York City for the past four years? From us. We give her money to fund her dreams but right now the money is going to be gone if we don't figure out how to save our company. We are losing too much; people are losing faith in our stocks." Jorge shook his head and sighed in frustration. "I know it seems like we're selfish but maybe by marrying into the royal family, Gabriella can have it easier for the rest of her life instead of having to deal with the monetary issues we might have from our company."
Gabriella wanted to just close her eyes and forget about all this chaos. Why can't she be back in New York, making art, drinking and smoking with her friends while laughing through their jokes. Even with her eyes closed, her ears could still hear through these walls. Was this the end of Gabriella Montez? She grew up with luxury all her life, she had never once had to think about money but now money was all her parents talked about. Her parent's grocery store chain had been around since her grandparents were alive. It was an inherited business from her dad's father. It was the source of the Montez wealth and the source of her lifestyle. To have someone tell you that it will all be taken away almost overnight is the same as just being murdered. Gabriella Montez is not Gabriella Montez without all the things she was used to.
Four Days Ago…
Gabriella's phone rang as she got out of the cab, paying the cab driver a fifty and then thanking him before she answered the phone. "Hey, mama."
"Hi sweetie, how was the gallery? Did people like the two pieces you displayed?"
"Yes, mom! They loved it. I'm so glad you helped me talk to the owner of the gallery; he loves my work and introduced me to some interior designers who are looking for works of modern art for their client's homes. It's an awesome opportunity." Her grin was wide and cheeky, her excitement written on her face. "How are you and daddy?"
"I'm glad to hear that, baby and we're doing alright. Listen, there's something Daddy and I need to talk to you about. It's not bad but I need you to be calm about it."
"That's silly mom. Of course I'd be calm. What is it?" Gabriella was a little concerned that it may be about her dad's health but from the sound of her mother's voice it didn't seem like something that was saddening her but more like giving her stress. Maria's tone was calm but full of precision as if she had rehearsed this line over and over in her head already.
"We need you to come home tomorrow. We already bought a plane ticket for you. You need to come back to Canovia. Our company needs you, sweetheart. And so do the citizens of Canovia… "
"What do you mean, mom?" Her voice was now full of concern as she stopped walking down the street, she paused and moved to a corner to speak more privately about the topic. "Why does Montez Organic Foods need me to help and why are the citizens of Canovia waiting for my help…"
"How do you feel about marrying the prince?" Maria sighed, there it goes, she had dropped bomb.
"What?!"
And that was how Gabriella found out she had to marry the Prince of Canovia, Troy Bolton III, to save her family's multimillion dollar company. Her parents explained that by marrying the prince, the royal family promised to keep the Montez business going no matter the cost to keep a good image in the Montez family.
"But why me?" Gabriella asked after her mother explained the situation and reason behind marrying the prince. "And what makes you think the prince wants to marry me?"
"Sweetie… it's an arrangement from your grandparents. They were friends with the Troy Bolton II which was the prince's grandfather. When he was King, they made a promise that if the child of their child agreed mutually, that an arranged marriage would happen. If you guys both agree to it, this marriage would happen. But it's not really an arranged marriage because without you two agreeing to it, it won't be happening. That's why I'm asking you. It can save our company and help promote your art."
"Mother… that's insane. I can't believe you're trying to sell me into this marriage. You're trying to save your company by trading your daughter? I mean I know we're friends with the royal family but I didn't know there was an arrangement made! And I've never even spoken more than two words to the prince. The last time I saw him was at some banquet grandpa took me to when I was eight. This is fucking insane, Mom." Two days ago, she was thinking about how to build her portfolio and have more of her Art in more galleries and conventions. She even extended her lease on her apartment in Manhattan but now everything was flipped upside down. It was up to her to save her parent's company and by doing that she would have to commit the rest of her life to someone she had mostly only seen in magazines.
And a few days later, here lies Gabriella, in her bed and wanting to shut off the increasing volume of her parents arguing in the room next to hers.
There was no winning in this situation. If she agreed to marry the prince, she wouldn't be able to pursue Art in NYC. If she didn't agree to marry the prince, she still wouldn't be able to pursue Art and probably won't be able to live the life she was so used to anymore. So that leaves her with one choice… she could lose her career but keep her parent's company instead of losing both.
"Here you are your royal highness." The chef placed the shiny plate of smoked salmon, some caviar, and a side of sautéed vegetables down. "Please dine well."
Troy Bolton III thanked the chef before trying the perfectly placed salmon. He savored the taste in his mouth and took a breath in. "Wonderful." He nodded. Troy continued to eat the salmon piece by piece until one of his servants poured more wine into his glass. He sipped the wine with his eyes closed, enjoying the taste of the sour and tingly liquid before he set it back down on the table. "Where's Chad?" He asked the servant that just refilled his drink.
"He's coming back right now, your highness. He just went to grab a few files from your desk you might want to overlook."
"Alright." He nodded and continued to enjoy his food.
"Your royal highness, here are the pictures and documents the queen wanted you to take a look at." Chad placed the folder next to Troy's food.
"Thank you, Chad." He opened the folder and looked inside to find a picture of a dark haired woman. Her smile in the picture was so perfect, it was that of true happiness. "Is this the girl the queen was talking about?"
"Yes, sir. She's Gabriella Montez. The daughter of Jorge Montez, CEO of Montez Organic Foods. Your grandfather, King Troy II, had some arrangements with her grandfather on a marriage between the two of you. But only if you two agree to it mutually." Chad explained carefully.
Troy already knew this information from the talk he had with his mother today. The King and Queen of Canovia are trying to have Troy get married as soon as possible. Troy's image in Canovia was not a pleasant one. He was known as a wild prince who was irresponsible and reckless. Although not nearly as reckless when you get to know him, he did need an image change. When he was in college four years ago, he had been caught in a scandal involving a drunken driving incident. This incident changed his image drastically and all the things he has done recently hasn't helped either. The people of Canovia had high hopes for their prince—the future King. They wanted someone they could look up to and be proud of. The King and Queen discussed that marriage would save him from an even worse turn in his image. Maybe by settling down not only would his image change, but his maturity level would rise when he had a wife to care about.
Troy didn't object to this idea because he knew that he needed to redeem himself one way or another. If not marriage then his parents wanted to send him back to university overseas. And he knew he didn't want to go study again.
He looked again at the picture of the woman that was chosen for him—Gabriella Montez. He chuckled a little and stuffed the photo into his pockets. Maybe it is about time Troy should settle down and took on a new challenge in his life—a wife.
Thanks for reading chapter one! Review and tell me your thoughts?
