Keep her by your side for six months

THIRD PERSON’S POV

NEXT MORNING

FREDERICK’S ROOM

Frederick dialed a number with a sense of urgency, his impatience evident in the rapid succession of beeps.

“I asked you to gather information about a certain lady. Did you do that?” Frederick inquired as soon as the call connected.

“Yes sir, I did,” the voice from the other line promptly replied.

“So what did you find out?” Frederick queried.

After a few seconds of fumbling from the other side, he finally replied:

“Her name is Rosaline Robinson; she’s 23. She has jet black hair, an oval face, eyeballs are black, heart-shaped lips, and…”

“Isaac,” Frederick interjected, making him trail off.

“Ye-yes, sir,” he answered.

“I need important details.”

“Alright, sir_,” he said. A few seconds later, he began again:

“Her wedding was on the same day as yours and the same venue as well. She thought you were sent to represent her groom, so she married you, and now she’s your wife. Soon you’ll have children toge….”

“That’s enough, Isaac. Just email everything to me and inform the chauffeur to get the car ready. I’ll be leaving in 30 minutes,” Frederick said, then hung up and headed for the bathroom. Once he was done showering, he went over to his laptop to check his mail. After going through the mail, he realized that everything Rosaline had told him was true. He made up his mind to at least save her company before divorcing her.

With this thought in mind, he went over to his dressing room to get dressed. On emerging from there, he heard a knock on his door.

“Come in,” he said, eyes fixed on the door, waiting to identify the knocker. The door swung open, revealing his dad.

“Have a seat, Fred. We need to talk before you leave,” his dad said, motioning towards the bed.

“Talk about what?” He asked.

“Well, I know you’re probably thinking of divorcing your wife as soon as possible,” his dad began.

“Yes, that’s the right thing any reasonable human being would do.”

“That means you’ll have to be unreasonable.”

“What are you implying?” Frederick asked.

“Listen, Fred, whatever I’m about to say, you have to reason it from a businessman’s perspective,” he looked at Frederick to make sure he was listening, then continued:

“There are articles stating that your marriage was an accident, and such isn’t good for the company’s reputation. I want you to keep your wife by your side for at least six months to prove these reporters wrong. After that, we can find a good reason for you to divorce her.”

After a few seconds of silence, Frederick finally spoke up. “As a man, I don’t think I’ll be able to do that, Dad, but as you said, I can’t put my company’s reputation in jeopardy. I’ll only do it if you promise to get information about Zara’s whereabouts.”

“I’ll help you find her,” his dad replied, patting his back before leaving the room.

****

Rosaline sat on the couch in the living room, anxiously waiting for Frederick. She was already dressed for work and had been waiting for him for over an hour. The weight of concern for her mom’s company lingered on her mind, especially knowing the payment deadline had passed. The sound of footsteps descending the stairs drew her attention, and she felt relief seeing that it was Frederick. She immediately approached him.

“Good morning. Can we head to my company now, please?” she pleaded. She didn’t mind appearing desperate; her sole focus was reclaiming the company. The awareness that this guy was wealthy and could get back her company with just a snap of his fingers made her even more determined.

“We’ll be going there after breakfast,” he replied without sparing her a glance. He then walked over to the dining table, settled into a seat, and began scrolling through his phone. Rosaline, feeling compelled, had no choice but to follow him. Despite her lack of appetite, the unsettling thought that her creditor might be causing havoc at her company troubled her. Helpless, she had to wait for breakfast with an uneasy stomach. She cursed her stepbrother for putting her in such a predicament.

Soon, other members of the Mills family joined them at the dining table. An older man, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Frederick, introduced her to the family since her so-called husband hadn’t bothered to do so.

“I’m Bradley, Fred’s dad,” he pointed to an old lady, smiling sweetly at Rosaline, and said, “That’s my wife, Yvonne.”

“Welcome to the family, dear,” Yvonne greeted, making Rosaline smile, though she suspected the warmth might be faked.

“That’s Hailey, our only daughter,” Bradley continued, pointing at Hailey, who didn’t bother to acknowledge Rosaline. ‘It’s official, she’s a bitch,’ Rosaline thought.

Bradley smiled awkwardly and said, “Don’t mind Hailey; she has always been an oddball. Anyways, meet Ashton, the baby of the house,” gesturing to a young man who had been staring at Rosaline.

“Nice to meet you,” he said with a smile.

“You too,” she replied. Rosaline couldn’t help but feel self-conscious under Ashton’s penetrating gaze.

“Sir, won’t you introduce me too?” a voice asked, and Bradley smiled. Rosaline turned her gaze in the direction of the voice, finding a bulky man grinning like a child, surprising her.

“Go to your duty post, Isaac; I’ll introduce you later,” Fred’s dad said, and the bulky man left.

“Don’t mind Isaac; he’s always like that,” Bradley explained, and Rosaline smiled, bobbing her head.

The dining table fell silent after the introduction. Rosaline felt as though she were being tortured. Lacking any appetite, she mechanically pushed food around her plate. Adding to her discomfort, Ashton’s unwavering gaze remained fixed on her.

Finally, Frederick rose from the dining table, prompting a sigh of relief from Rosaline, who quickly left the table to catch up with him. She joined him in his car, and together, they drove to her company in silence. Upon arrival, Rosaline discovered her creditor seated on top of his car in the garage, engaged in conversation with the thugs surrounding him. She stepped out of the car, waiting for Frederick to join her. Together, they approached him.

“I brought your money,” Frederick declared with a cold tone, lifting a box.

The man looked at him and signaled his thugs to retrieve the box. “That’s 800 million dollars. Take it, and never show your face here again,” he instructed sternly.

The man opened the box, a sly smile playing on his lips. He was about to walk away with his thugs when Frederick called him back.

“The documents?” Frederick requested. After the man handed them over, Frederick promptly ripped them apart and strode toward his car.

“Thank you, but you shouldn’t have given him more than 600 million dollars,” Rosaline advised, but he ignored her, entering his car and driving off.

“Jerk. I’ll let you off the hook today,” Rosaline mumbled.

After instructing her employees to resume work the next day, she called her assistant and requested her presence in the office before immersing herself in the stack of files awaiting her review. About an hour later, someone knocked on her door.

“Come in,” she said, assuming it was her assistant.

The door opened, and Alex Wright walked in.