3- Family's Norms

He was suffocated by his situation. For weeks, he had been walking into the office he despise and looking at his father. Everything from his swagger to the fake smile on his face pissed him off. He hates the way he treats his employees and his flirting with Lorelei in the office. He didn't even care that he did it in front of his son.

Storm followed his dad into his office, closed the door, and took the seat opposite him. He stared out the floor-to-ceiling and at the windows and glass walls, dreaming of the life he had been planning before everything fell apart. He wants a house in a secluded place that he can fix the way he wants with his own hands. He knows about woodwork a lot. He wanted to make a furniture shop made of wood.

He wanted to celebrate the holidays with his future wife instead of stepping into his parents' house. Their elaborate holiday parties are enough to take his breath away. But the idea of ​​staying away from them and living the way he always wanted is now a distant dream.

"Storm, are you still paying attention?" his father snapped.

He slowly turned to look at him, with a mask on his face, hiding his true emotions. Disgust, embarrassment, hatred. He would die in the office day after day, every hour more painful than the last. He sighed. 

"We need to set a date for the wedding."

When it comes to weddings, he can already feel his eyes go into a daze. He would be forced to stand there in an uncomfortable suit surrounded by men he hated, and it was all a marital farce that made him miserable. "I need more time," he said, his voice almost hoarse.

For the first time, he saw a look of sympathy on his father's face. He ran his fingers over the top of his hair, then leaned back in his seat and stared at him. "What if I make a deal with you?"

He shifted in his seat, ready for whatever he threw at him."For example?"

"We need this deal now. No time to waste. But I don't think you want a big wedding."

"I don't want a wedding at all," he retorted. 

"Noted," he nodded. "But it has to occur. So what if we have all the proper paperwork ready? You don't even have to attend the ceremony."

He looked at his dad suspiciously. "How is that possible?" 

"We are Gomez," he laughed. "We can do anything." 

"What the hell does this get me? Attending the wedding or not, I'll still get married, and it's painful and sad."

"I'll give you three months," he returned immediately. "Sign the document that you'll be back and make the proper wedding possible, to make it legal. Then you will be free for three months. During this time, you will not hear from me and will not have to attend any meetings. You do whatever you need to do to get ready to take over as CEO. In the meantime, I'll handle everything, including the board."

"How does that look like?" he asked. "My wife and I are going to get married one day, and that's not going to work for social pages."

Azrel Gomez shrugged slightly. "A whirlwind of romance-" he gestured. "Can't help falling in love and wanting to elope without the world watching. You guys want to be alone together. We can turn it into a fairytale romance. Before taking over the company, you had a long honeymoon period to have some time with yourself."

It sounds too good to be true. Considering that he gave up his life for this company, three months really isn't much. On the other hand, for three months, he can be himself and find some peace and acceptance of his current situation. "And I don't have to see that Mendez brat in 3 months?"

"No." 

His dad leaned back in his chair and stared at him, making sure he had not missed something. 

"What exactly is the contract of this marriage?" 

"This is your typical contract. As long as the marriage remains intact, the shares in the company will be divided equally."

"If one of us wants to go out?"

"Then the spouse filing for divorce will have to sell shares as compensation." 

"How long?" he asked, squinting at him. He stared at him, not wanting to tell him. But he had to. He knew he would never enter into a contract like this without knowing it. 

"3 years."

He burst out laughing. "Really?"

"And a son. 3 years of marriage and a son!" his dad added.

"Wow, you guys didn't ask a lot, did you? But by the way, how to make a son, maybe you have some tips?"

Impossible.

"The company needs to be passed on to someone in the family. That's the norm."

"Yeah, I know a lot of forced marriage contracts."

"What the hell do you think you're going to do? You can marry that girl but live elsewhere. Live a completely independent life."

He hopes so at least, but it's clear that he seriously underestimated his dad and Gael Mendez. 

"What if I don't have kids? Especially a son you were asking?" 

"Surely, you can't live with one woman for enough time to have heirs." 

I'm not like you. He thought.

"A lot of people can't have kids. Others have many children but their children are girls. Why does it have to be a son you're looking for? Female or male, they're the same, a child."

"A son to continue our race. Bloodline. Surname."

"Tsss, I see. So the "son" was not Gael's idea after all. It was yours."

"I'm doing this for our family. Do you want me to add more clauses to the contract?" he smirked. "Perhaps a fertility test before you get married?"

With a sigh, he can see that he has no way out of this. Marrying that stranger is inevitable, but giving himself three months will be a small part of happiness for what's to come. Because he knows they won't be divorced in 3 years.