The elegant penthouse office on the top floor of Reed Enterprises was shrouded in silence as Alexander Reed, the enigmatic CEO, leaned back in his leather chair. His piercing blue eyes surveyed the vast cityscape outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, his mind consumed by the impending crisis that threatened to dismantle his empire. His father, the late Charles Reed, had always been a man of mystery. Even in death, he managed to leave behind a legacy of secrets. Alexander's hands clenched into fists as he replayed the lawyer's words in his mind. According to his father's will, his inheritance and control over Reed Enterprises were contingent upon one condition-a contract marriage within a month. Alexander scoffed at the absurdity of it all. How could his father bind his entire life's work to such a stipulation? But as he pondered his options, one person came to mind-Emma Davis, his loyal and unassuming secretary. Emma, with her soft-spoken nature and unwavering dedication, had always been a constant presence in his life. She was the one person who had managed to see glimpses of the man behind the carefully constructed facade. Alexander knew that convincing her to enter into a contract marriage would be no easy task, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Chapter 1 The will
ALEXANDER'S POV
I stood a couple of paces away from the bed. The bed my father laid on, was wired to machines that I couldn't tell what they did except to keep him alive, till this moment. The doctor called me saying he doesn't have much time left and that my father wanted to see me immediately. I grabbed my keys, left the company, and rushed over to the hospital to see this almost-dead man smiling up at me.
"You're about to die, what's funny?" I asked in a strained voice.
"Oh it's nothing, I'm just thinking about the life I lived. Your mother, God bless her soul, and then there's you." He says and I shove my hands in my pocket.
"You shouldn't think father, you should concentrate on breathing, " I say to him nervous at moving closer. I had this nightmare last week that I tangled up the wires connected to his machine and he died because of that. The remembrance of that dream made me step a few paces back, I definitely cannot be the cause of his death. "No it's okay, I had a dream last night.
I saw the pearly old gates gleaming so brightly " he said dreamily and I scoffed. "You sure you're going to heaven old mad?" I asked and he laughed. He laughed so hard that he started to cough and for a few seconds, it scared the shit out of me. I moved to call the doctor but he grabs my wrist, "No need, I'm fine" he says.
"Did you call me here to tell me about the pearly old gates?" I asked him anxious to leave this place. I hated hospitals, they gave me the creeps. Mom was here for about six months after she had a ghastly accident, gracias lord, she's fine now. Now my father was here about to take his last breath. Don't blame me if I was ready to burst out of here.
"I left you a gift, in the will," he says so animatedly and I smile. "So there's a will?" I ask and he laughs again but he doesn't cough this time. "Yes you silly boy, there's a will. It's something your mother and I discussed last night." He says and I raise an eyebrow. "So you edited the will this morning?" I asked and he shakes his head. "Last night when I woke up, I sent for the lawyer" he whispers like it's some sort of secret.
"That shouldn't be possible, you're not sane enough to do that," I say and he sighed. "Imagine my son calling me crazy" he mumbles before turning to me. "I remember every one of the passcodes to the will, every security question and answer so I'm quite sure of how sane I am," he says and we both laugh.
"Will you tell me what it is?'' I ask him and he shakes his head. "No, no, then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, would it ?" He asked me with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "Well ever it is, I hope it's good," I say and he smiles. "Your mother insisted, so you know it's good," he says. "I want to be buried with your mother's photo. You know the one I'm talking about, the one on my desk." He says and I sigh. "The one you both took when you got married?" I asked and he hums, yes that one.
He coughs again and this time and he doesn't stop. I see the pain in his eyes as the machines start beeping. I rush out to call the doctor but before I could make it to the door, I hear that final beep. The one we hear in movies, the one that tells us the person connected to the machine is gone from this world.
I stood from a distance as I watched my mother and younger sister Olivia say their final goodbyes to our father with teary eyes and heavy hearts. The doctors and nurses came and gave their condolences which held no meaning to us at that moment, but only made things worse because it was already a routine for them.
The burial was a quick one. My father hated large gatherings because they only brought drama, so only a few relatives were invited. We all watched as he was lowered 6 feet under, it was a sight for sore eyes. I moved closer and placed a picture of my mother beside him just as he wanted and said a final goodbye.
It's 6 am the next morning and the will was to be read to us all by 7 am at the family house. I hurriedly got out of bed, did my morning routine, and took a quick shower and by 6:40 I was out of the house and on my way to the family house. I walked into the room and everyone was sitting already, including the lawyer. After he shared his condolences, he began reading the will.
My father left half of his entire worth to the absolute love of his life, my mother. He left his charity organization and his mansion in Seychelles to my sister Olivia, she must be thrilled, I mean she always wanted those.
"To Alexander, I leave my 6 figure automobile company and two third of my net worth to you only on the condition that you get married within a month or your share of inheritance will be given out to the poor and used for community work" the will read.
At that moment my heart palpitated, my fingers went cold and time stopped. This has to be a joke of some sort. I do agree my father and I never had that mushy father-son relationship, but regardless! how could he be so cruel even in death, binding my whole life course and achievement to a contract marriage? Someone had better wake me up from this nightmare of a dream!
I stormed out of the room into the hallway with red-shot eyes fuming with so much anger as I walked out to the parking lot where my car was parked. Took a glance at my watch and it was already half past 8. Damn, I'm late for work but oh well, who has the guts to question the CEO. I zoomed off in so much annoyance because my entire life was about to take a drastic turn.
Chapter 1 The will
06/06/2023
Chapter 2 The Offer
06/06/2023
Chapter 3 Reluctant Acceptance
06/06/2023
Chapter 4 Contract Signing
06/06/2023
Chapter 5 Unexpected Attraction
06/06/2023
Chapter 6 Secret Unveiled
06/06/2023
Chapter 7 Victoria's Vengeful Plan
06/06/2023
Chapter 8 Avoiding the public
06/06/2023
Chapter 9 Growing Closer
06/06/2023
Chapter 10 The Rivals
06/06/2023
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