Mark

The morning at the Miller sisters' house began in a ringing silence. Alice (22), Diana (21), and Kira (20) sat at a long table. They were united by one thing: their unwillingness to submit to the will of their father, who had gone bankrupt a week earlier and, at the cost of saving the family, had made his daughters part of a deal with old friends.

"I won't marry Mark," Alice muttered, nervously twirling her teaspoon. "He's an arrogant, unbearable guy."

"At least you got silent Mark," Diana sighed. "My Arthur... So reserved, as if he were regulating his emotions by the hour. This cold politeness only makes it worse."

"Girls, stop it," Kira said quietly. "We're all in the same boat."

Mark, Artur, and Vlad had been friends since school and had worked on projects together, but they disliked the sisters. None of them wanted a marriage of convenience, but family duty bound them together.

That evening, they had dinner together at a country restaurant. When the sisters entered the VIP lounge, the boys were already seated at the table. The laughter immediately died down, and their faces grew cold.

Arthur lifted the corners of his lips ever so slightly—more formality than a smile. He silently pulled out a chair for Diana, his movements utterly polished and polite. Diana looked at him as if he'd invited her to sit on a hedgehog.

Mark nodded to Alice, indicating the seat next to him. Alice pointedly moved away. Kira and Vlad exchanged heavy sighs and sat down opposite each other.

The dinner proceeded in a frosty atmosphere. Arthur answered evenly, without intonation, as if discussing business terms.

Finally Vlad broke the silence:

"Since the fathers have decided to have three weddings to save their assets, let's set some rules. We don't interfere in each other's lives. We live under the same roof for the press, but we remain strangers."

"An excellent proposal," Alice replied coldly. "We'll only agree to this farce for Father's sake."

"Well, that's a deal," Mark grinned, raising his glass. "To a forced alliance and absolute indifference."

They clinked glasses. The sisters looked at the men with disdain, the men at the sisters with boredom. None of the six knew that from hatred to love was only one step.