An Heir?

Title: An Heir?

Hayes' POV

I paced across my office after getting to work shortly, my phone pressed against my ear as my father's voice boomed from the other end of the line. My father, Charles Caldwell was never one for pleasantries or idle conversation. When he called, it was strictly about business, or in this case, damage control.

“Explain this mess to me, Hayes,” he demanded. “You are all over the news and I don't see it related to business. What is going on?”

I clenched my jaw tightly, searching for what to say. My father's irritation didn't fail to reach me and it wasn't like I didn't know what to say immediately, but it wouldn't make the situation any better than it already was. The photo, the media storm– it was a PR nightmare and I knew it wouldn't take long before they caught wind of it.

“I'm handling it.” I replied calmly.

“Handling it?” his tone sharpened. “By what? announcing you two are actually engaged without telling us about this first? You think that would solve this and put us at rest? This woman– Bianca, is it? Who the hell is she? You can't just go around with some woman we know nothing of.”

I had been expecting this from my parents. They never failed to voice out their concerns when it comes to my personal life, that was why I tried my best to keep it out of their faces and now one was all over the news.

“She's not a stranger,” I lied, gripping the edge of my desk. “I’ve been seeing Bianca for over three years now and I don't think it's called being a stranger because it's the first time you and mother are hearing about her. The photo was taken out of context and we decided to get ahead of the media by announcing our engagement.”

“Go ahead of it?” he scoffed. “It looks like you've lost control, Hayes. Your mother and I want to meet her. Today!”

My heart thumped in my chest at his words. I knew this was coming but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. It wasn't that I was worried about facing them– I could handle them– but bringing Bianca to them was a different story. Bianca wasn't prepared to meet my parents, we didn't plan for it at all. But there was no backing out now. The only way we can smoothly get out of this was doing as they say to completely cover up our made up love story.

“I'll bring her by this afternoon,” I said calmly. “But don't get any ideas. I am handling this.”

He didn't say a word but I knew he wasn't the one to be assured so easily. I knew better than to push now that he and mother had their eyes all over this Bianca girl.

“Fine,” he finally said. “But you'd better hope she is not another one of those–”

“Enough.” I snapped, cutting him off. Dang it! He always tries to push me into irritation whenever we are having a conversation. “I’ll see you later.”

Without waiting for a response, I ended the call, tossing the phone on the desk with a frustrated sigh. This was the last thing I needed right now after dealing with all this drama.

__________

“Your parents?” Bianca asked, pausing the arrangements of her clothes. Her eyes widened as she dropped the bunch in her hands and started to pace back and forth in the room, like she was trying to process what I had just told her.

I leaned against the doorway and stared at her. She wore a pretty floral dress with tiny roses and daisies on it, and a light-colored jacket that made her face stand out. Her dark hair fell down her back in loose waves, framing her face and highlighting her bright green eyes, which sparkled with anger.

Even when she was mad, she looked beautiful. Her lips were pressed together, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her skin looked really smooth. I shook the thought of her pretty face off my thoughts. Her looks didn’t really matter. Liking any lady was the last thing on my mind, but she had a way of quietly slipping past my guard.

Our passionate night together still lingered in my thoughts, its impact stubbornly refusing to fade. I couldn't explain why, but being around her felt different - like a spark had been lit, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to fan the flames.

Ahem! I cleared my throat to distract myself and come back to our conversation.

“They want to meet you,” I said calmly, crossing my arms over my chest. “It was inevitable since we're on the internet.”

“I can't do this,” Bianca said, shaking her head in protest. “Your parents will immediately know something is wrong. And I mean I'm not… I'm not like you.”

I raised a brow at her words. What did she mean by that? “Not like me? What's that supposed to mean?”

“I mean,” Bianca said, gesturing helplessly. “I'm not rich. You and I are from two completely different worlds. I didn't grow up in this world of suits and billion-dollar companies. They would see right through me.”

Her voice trembled slightly and with a sigh, I walked up to her, placing my hands on her shoulders to shake her slightly. “I'm the scariest person to make a deal with and you did. You'll be fine. Just follow my lead, smile, be polite and I'll handle the questions if they get too much.”

She shot me a doubtful look and I just wanted to toss her aside but I couldn't. “Fine. I'll go.”

___________

We swept through the gates of the Caldwell estate, the car gliding to a stop before my family's grand mansion. As I prepared to step out, I turned to her, my eyes locking onto hers. “Ready for this?” I asked gently.

“Nooo.” Bianca muttered slowly but forced a smile anyway. She had no choice but to do this. We both had no choice if we wanted to come out of this facade with a good reputation.

The moment we stepped out of the car, even I could feel the tension in the air. My father was standing near the entrance, tall and imposing, with silver hair and no nonsense expression which I could see made Bianca nervous as she squeezed my hand tightly. Next to him was my mother, Margaret who didn't fail to hide the suspicion in her eyes as she looked down at Bianca.

“Hayes,” my father said, his gaze swiftly landing on Bianca after the short exchange of pleasantries. “And this must be Bianca.”

“Yes,” I said, placing my hand on her waist reassuringly. “Bianca, these are my parents, Charles and Margaret Caldwell.”

Bianca bowed, trying her best to appear confident. “It's nice to finally meet you, father, mother,” She said softly.

My mother dispensed with small talk, her eyes narrowing as she launched into a barrage of questions. 'Hayes has never breathed a word about you,' she stated, her voice icy and accusatory. 'This engagement comes as quite a shock. Rather... abrupt, don't you think?'

I anticipated my parents' candor, knowing they'd scrutinize anyone they suspected of pursuing me for my wealth. Our family's legacy was their paramount concern; they wouldn't compromise the esteemed name for anything. My personal fortune was of little consequence to them, but I was duty-bound to uphold the family's honor and prestige.

Bianca's grip on my hands tightened as she spoke. "Life's full of surprises, and ours is one of them. Hayes and I wanted to keep our relationship private, so we didn't tell anyone. It just... happened effortlessly. We connected, and everything clicked."

My mother's skepticism was palpable, her raised eyebrow was a clear sign of that. " 'Fell into place' is quite vague, don't you think?"

Bianca's smile remained brightly on her face and I could only but imagine how much of a tight corner she was seated right now. "What I mean ma’am, is that our relationship developed organically. When you meet the right person, everything aligns perfectly. It's like the pieces of a puzzle coming together seamlessly. No forcing, no struggling. Just a natural fit."

My mother's gaze lingered, her expression unyielding. "And you expect us to accept this... sudden connection without question?"

Bianca's voice took on a gentle, reassuring tone. "I understand your concerns, but sometimes love doesn't follow a timeline or a plan. It just is. And for Hayes and me, it feels right."

For a second, everything was quiet. I didn't say a word due to my father's gaze glued on me like he would slit my throat if I said anything. “Let's go in.” My mother said and we all headed into the house.

I patted her hand gently to reassure her. They weren't going to bite. Lucy was served and we started eating quietly with just dagger stares making Bianca very uncomfortable.

After a while of silence, father finally spoke up. “You expect us to believe you are ‘the right person’ for our son? We don't know anything about you. And for all we know, you could be after his money.”

“I don't need Hayes' money for anything. I have my own goals and money, if I was after his, we wouldn't last this long.” She said and a smile appeared on my lips at her words.

My parents glanced between each other before my mother spoke up. “Very well, if that's what Hayes wants. As long as it doesn't affect the family's reputation…

But, one more thing.”

I didn't like the sound of that at all but before I could say a word, my mother shot me a death glare. But I just ignored her. “What do you mean by that?”

My mother's expression changed, her eyes shining with a sharp intensity. Her voice was sweet but also cold as she fixed her gaze on Bianca.

"If you're serious about marrying Hayes, Bianca, we need one thing from you."

Bianca's brow furrowed, worry creeping into her voice. "What do you mean?"

My mother's smile grew. "An heir!” She dropped like a bombshell and my eyes widened.

“Yes, we want an heir, Bianca. We require a guarantee of continuity. A child, preferably within the next eighteen months. Failure to deliver will... complicate things."

“And wha… what happens if we don’t meet up?” Bianca asked in a shaky tone.

“I hope we never know”