Mark

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—an unwillingness to submit to the will of their father, who had gone bankrupt a week ago and, to save the family, had made his daughters part of a deal with old friends.

"I'm not marrying Mark," Alice spat, nervously twirling a teaspoon. "He's an arrogant, unbearable type."

"At least you got the silent Mark," Diana sighed. "My Arthur... He's so restrained, it's as if he doles out his emotions by the clock. That cold politeness only makes it worse."

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

Mark, Arthur, and Vlad had been friends since school and ran joint projects, but they viewed the sisters with antipathy. None of them wanted a marriage of convenience, but family duty bound them.

In the evening, a joint dinner was held at a countryside restaurant. When the sisters entered the VIP room, the guys were already seated at the table. The laughter died down instantly; faces turned cold.

Arthur barely lifted the corners of his lips—more of a formality than a smile. He silently pulled out a chair for Diana; his movements were nothing but polished courtesy. Diana looked at him as if he had offered her a seat on a hedgehog.

Mark nodded to Alice, pointing to the seat beside him. Alice demonstratively shifted away. Kira and Vlad exchanged heavy sighs and sat opposite each other.

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

Finally, Vlad broke the silence:

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

"Excellent proposal," Alice replied coldly. "We agree to this farce only for our father's sake."

"Well then, it's a deal," Mark smirked, raising his glass. "To a forced union and absolute indifference."

They clinked glasses. The sisters looked at the men with contempt; the men looked at the sisters with boredom. None of the six knew that there is only one step from hatred to love.