“Just like that?” he remained suspicious.
I gave him an easygoing grin “Timothy you do this for me and not only will you get that two-week vacation, but I’ll throw in a $500 bonus for you too.”
He sighed. “Fine.”
He began to tap away at his blackberry. “She has a 3:30 pm class this afternoon” he muttered glancing at me warily “Lucky I bring my gym clothes with me,” he said wryly “It’s a beginner’s class as well, how lucky for me,” he said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
“That’s settled then,” I said triumphantly “You’ll go to the yoga class, converse with Miss Flair (I refused to think of her as Mrs Rourkes as she was getting divorced), and then come to my home and inform me of your thoughts about her.”
My tone was smooth. Timothy looked as though I had ordered him to kill someone.
“Shall I cancel your appointments then this evening?” he said a little moodily.
“What have I got?”
“An appointment with Mrs Hunter. I can reschedule that for tomorrow and it will leave your evening free”
“Do it. From what I recall, she merely wants confirmation that the will she’s drawn up is legal and valid. The woman is only thirty years old and isn’t dying” I said nonchalantly “It’s not urgent. If she is unhappy with the request then forward her to one of our employees.”
He nodded. Cleared his throat and eyed me carefully. “What is it, Timothy? Speak.”
“Sir, if I may, it’s just, what made you settle on this woman out of all the ones you could have chosen? Is it just because you want to mess with your half-sister or are you genuinely attracted to her?”
I gave a grim smile “Flair Summers has an innocence about her. She’s not tarnished with the greed and selfishness that being wealthy can bring. She’s wholesome, intelligent from what I can gather, and selflessly loyal, even to that bastard husband of hers. All fine qualities to have in a wife” I told him, watching my assistant nod in agreement.
“But what about…?” he began to ask.
“What about what?” I prodded.
“What about love sir? Don’t you want to marry someone for love?” he asked tersely.
I gave a bitter laugh “Love is merely a fairytale Timothy. Past experience has taught me that. I would rather have a contract with an amenable wife than pursue something that will forever allude me. As long as my wife is amenable to providing me with an heir and provides even the merest bit of affection, it shall have to be enough for me.”
Timothy was silent for a moment. “That seems rather lonely,” he said at last.
“No” my voice was harsh and angry “What’s lonely is having somebody leave you for somebody they believe is wealthier. Money is all it takes for somebody to show their true colors.”
Johnathon POV
“You didn’t really mean that you would have her fired if she didn’t hurry up and sign the divorce papers did you?” I asked Charlotte as we walked into her family home, Charlotte’s expression petulant.
“Of course I did,” she said icily, looking at me incredulously “You heard my grandfather. He wants us to announce our engagement as soon as possible. The longer she takes, the angrier he’s going to be with me. Besides, why do you care?” she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder and casting me a sidelong glance “don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts about this marriage Johnathon,” she said sharply as I sat down in the living room with her “I’ve already picked out the dress I want and started the guest list.”
Already? It felt like there was a noose around my neck choking me. I struggled to come up with an excuse, some reason for my hesitation but her mother Karen came walking in, her heels clacking loudly on the floor.
“Darling,” she said sweetly, kissing her daughter on both cheeks as Charlotte became distracted by her mother’s presence.
“Mother,” Charlotte said, relaxing as her mother joined her on the couch “How is grandfather today?” she said in a hushed whisper.
Karen rolled her eyes. “The old fart has been on a tangent today. He’s in a right mood” she said huffily “All because I accidentally broke a vase that was sentimental to him. It was ugly anyhow” she said raising a brow and sounding unapologetic “he should be thanking me for getting rid of that atrocity.”
“It was not an atrocity, it was one my wife made and it meant a lot to me” barked the grandfather, storming into the room and glowering at everyone.
Karen wisely zipped her mouth shut. The grandfather eyed her with contempt. I wished I could get up and leave, but the grandfather set his eyes on us next.
“So how did it go? Are the papers signed and filed?” he asked tersely, sitting down and staring at Charlotte with a fierce scowl on his face.
Oh boy. Charlotte shook her head, frowning “She refused to sign the papers without having a lawyer look at them first” she said angrily, waving her hands around dramatically.
Instead of looking angry, her grandfather smiled. “Good, she’s smart then, unlike you,” he said, looking at me disapprovingly “And you,” he said cuttingly to Charlotte “an intelligent woman who is using her brain and you wish to tear her down?” he shook his head “if only you had half the wits this woman is exhibiting.”
Charlotte pursed her lips. “You could act as though you care” she shot at the old man.
He guffawed “I’m not the one who had an affair and then got it plastered all over the newspapers. Don’t expect me to be sorry for you, simply because you are my granddaughter. You expect everything to come easily to you, or for others to do the work. This time you’re going to have to and it must pain you” he said shaking his head.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.