It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
CHAPTER 1
Two young men stood on a small hill, as they beheld the magnificent structure that rested upon the hill opposite them. One of them, a tall, raven-haired man, turned to his friend.
"It's a fine house, Jason."
The blonde man adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, his electric blue eyes never straying from the house.
"You think so?"
"I do… the location is… subpar, it's a shame it has to be in such close proximity to the surrounding suburbs, but the view is impressive."
Jason scoffed at his friend's words. "I personally do not mind the house's location. Not everyone can get as pristine a location as you have at your estate, nor is the house nearly as grand. But I like it, nonetheless. I like it a lot."
His friend smiled, as he brushed his windswept hair out his eyes. "Do you intend to buy it?"
Jason shrugged, "Do you think I should?"
"If you like it as much, I think so, as long as you're okay with being forced to mingle with the local suburbanites."
"Very well then, I shall buy it."
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Annabeth stared down at her apple watch as she approached her final destination. 5 miles she thought to herself, not bad, but could be better. She slowed from a jog to a brisk walk as she neared her apartment high rise and used her time in the elevator to stretch out her muscles, hoping to prevent any more cramps from happening. The elevator dinged as she reached her floor, and the tall blonde made her way down the hall, stopping in front of her door as she slipped the key in the lock and squirmed with the door handle. Despite the apartments being fairly new and of high quality, they all seemed to have a problem with stubborn door locks. Annabeth finally overcame the rival lock, and swung the door open to her humble residence.
She could hear her roommate, Piper, who was also, oddly enough, her stepsister, rummaging about in the kitchen. Their family was an oddity of sorts; Annabeth's father, Frederick Chase, had originally married Annabeth's mother, who then died in a car accident a few years after Annabeth was born. Her father, not wanting Annabeth to grow up without a motherly figure in her life, remarried a few years later. Aphrodite was also a recent widow, but she had managed to produce four children with her first husband before he had passed away. Piper was her eldest, only a year younger than Annabeth herself, and she was something else.
Piper was gorgeous to put it simply; her skin was a dark, coffee color, which she owed to her deceased father's Cherokee heritage, and her hair was straight, brown, and choppy. As if that wasn't enough, her eyes were said to be her best feature, as they never stayed the same color and were always changing. She was never lacking for male attention, and despite the wishes of her mother, Piper had yet to find a man she had found worthy of her affections. A shame really, as Piper was an incredibly sweet girl, and hated having to let down boy after boy. She was smart too though, and she knew better than to compromise her single status for anything other than love.
Annabeth admired Piper greatly, and when the two families merged, the two girls embraced their new-found status as stepsisters. After they had both graduated college, the two girls found an apartment together in New York, with Annabeth starting a new job at a small architecture firm, and Piper working as a fashion magazine writer.
Piper's phone rang just as Annabeth walked into the kitchen.
"Hey mom…" Piper grinned at Annabeth as the steely-eyed blonde made her way over to fridge, "Woah calm down mom, there's no need to shout." Piper grimaced at Annabeth, and the older girl bit back a chuckle. "Yes, mom, she's here too."
Annabeth raised her eyebrows at this.
"Okay, yes give me a second." Piper placed the phone on the kitchen counter and hit the speaker button. Loud gibberish came pouring through the phone, as Annabeth could barely distinguish the voices of her stepmother, Aphrodite Chase, and two of her other stepsisters.
"OH! Annabeth are you there, darling?"
"Yes, I'm here."
A pair of fanatical screams could be heard in the background.
"Lacy! Drew! Would you two please quiet down?!"
Piper and Annabeth made eye contact, as they simultaneously rolled their eyes.
"Okay girls listen up! I have some very, very important news. You both know of the Alambria Estate correct?"
"The big, fancy house not to far from the suburb?" Piper asked, "The one that's been vacant all this time?"
"YES! That's the one! Well guess what my girls?"
There was a long pause, like Aphrodite really expected an answer from the two girls. Piper looked at Annabeth, who just shrugged. Aphrodite finally rewarded their silent reveries.
"Someone just bought it! And you won't believe who!" They could hear the sound of Aphrodite gleefully giggling along with Lacy and Drew. "It has been purchased by a young businessman, a man by the name of Jason Grace, who is rumored to be extremely wealthy, having inherited his father's airlines. He is also rumored to be oh-so-conveniently single, and he is going to be making an appearance at the fundraiser gala being hosted by Demi Gardiner this weekend, along with several of his friends."
"I bet they're all hot and rich!" Drew interjected, causing all three of the women on that end of the call to squeal.
"From what Mrs. Reynolds told me," Aphrodite continued, "Mr. Grace's party includes his two sisters, who are said to both be very elegant women, though one of them is already married. As for the rest of his party, there is a lot of speculation about the gentleman who will be accompanying him, but I think we can safely assume that if he is of close acquaintance with Mr. Grace, he is doing very well for himself."
The three of them began squealing again, for reasons neither Annabeth nor Piper could comprehend.
"And why, tell me, is this of any consequence to us?" Annabeth asked sharply.
"Oh, don't be silly Annabeth! Of course, we are invited to the gala, as Mrs. Gardiner is one of my dearest friends, and it is simply to good an opportunity for any of you girls to pass up!"
"Opportunity for what?"
"You know, for such a smart girl, you can be dense sometimes, Annabeth. So, let me spell it out for you. You girls are all single, and very much in need of an…. acceptable partner. And now, here comes one of the most desirable options ever to grace our little community, no pun intended."
"Mom," Piper's voice had an obvious tone of annoyance, something very rare for her, "You can't possibly think that someone who is capable of purchasing the Alambria estate is going to go for a girl like us?"
Piper had a point. Sure, their family was pretty well off, and they had their fair share of wealth. Mr. Chase was a lawyer, a pretty successful one, and their house was located in a semi-wealthy suburb just outside of New York City. But this wasn't even remotely enough to put their family in even the same arena as someone as wealthy as a Jason Grace, much less make any of the girls worthy marital prospects. At this level of society, the status of who you married was a big deal, whether financially or socially. You didn't just marry anyone, not for something as trivial as love anyways. This didn't faze Aphrodite though.
"Nonsense Piper! You girls have just as much too offer as any other girl that will be present at that gala."
Piper and Annabeth figured it was pointless to argue further. The phone call ended, and Annabeth went to take a shower, as Piper began preparing dinner.
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The two roommates sat at the dining table as they picked away at their spaghetti. They ate away in silence, as neither seemed to have anything to say, that is, until Piper looked up from her plate.
"Am I crazy Annabeth?"
"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked without even looking up from her plate.
"I mean am I crazy for wanting to be with someone, not because of their status, but because I genuinely love them? Or am I being naïve? Is it worth sending away another financially stable guy just because I have no affections for him?"
"Most people in our circles would definitely tell you so."
The brunette hung her head at her stepsister's words. Annabeth chided herself for being so hurtfully blunt. She wound some spaghetti onto her fork, only to let it slip back off onto the plate.
"If I was to love a man," Annabeth spoke softly, "I could care less if he only made enough to live in a rundown apartment in cheapside, so long as he loved me for me, in which case I could be a very happy woman."
"And who is to say you won't find such a man? Perhaps even one with a decent monetary status?"
"Oh, Piper… maybe I would have such hope if I could be half as gentle and sweet as you."
Annabeth genuinely felt that the words, though self-deprecating, were accurate, nonetheless. Piper was an angel, she simply radiated warmth and kindness, and people were drawn to her because of it.
"Don't put yourself down on my account, Annabeth," Piper reached out and gently squeezed her best friend's hand. "You're beautiful, and the smartest person I know, and anyone would be lucky to be the object of your love."
Annabeth smiled softly, "I better figure out what I'm wearing to the gala then."
Her stepsister grinned, as she stood and grabbed both of their plates, and headed towards the kitchen.
"Who knows, Annabeth? Maybe Jason Grace likes his women on the less elegant side."