Chapter 1 (Mother’s Matchmaking)

“Welcome again, Mr. Raymond.” My mother welcomed the guest.

The same burly man was in my living room again. He filled up the velvet armchair with his terse behind. The seat on which only my father sat. Mother was perched at the edge of her chair, wiggling her buttocks on the corner like a dog scratched on its neck. How could she let this man defy my father? Dad was never around when this big and intimidating man visited.

The first time I saw Don Raymond, I understood why people feared him.

He stood at the far end of the grand hall, dressed in a dark suit so perfectly tailored it looked like a second skin. Everything about him was polished—his sooth hair slicked back without a strand out of place, his sharp jaw set in stone. His presence filled the room without effort.

When he turned to me, I felt it. His gaze on me was cold, unreadable. I caught my mother’s eye when the man made me turn around for his inspection. Then without another word, he nodded to her and made his way into the fancy car he came in.

“There you are, Cassie darling.” Mother’s voice found me in my hiding place above the stairs, where I watched. My breath hitched. “Come out and say hi to your future husband. Mr. Raymond has finally made up his mind about you. Isn’t this exciting?”

Only for you, mother, I wanted to say but I bit my lip hard and sucked in the words that tasted like blood. 

“All the other mothers fling their daughters at him, but this man knows true value because he has finally come to see that you are the most beautiful young lady in the city.”

You mean, agreeable and nonthreatening. This man wanted an arm candy, a trophy wife, someone for the mere pleasure and status of it. 

I was the perfect fit for a man like him because I had no ambition. It meant one less trouble for the plutocrat. I could sit at home and attend to his special needs in contentment. If I pleased my husband well then he would increase my weekly allowance or change my wardrobe. He wanted a doll. I could tell when he asked me to show him my palms.

From the time I was born, I had never held a broom, or a pan or even a duster. So the inside of my hands were as soft as the skin of a newly born kitten. 

My father was a TV personality and my mum, a bubbly socialite. It allowed me to live a life of privilege until I turned 22. Then everything went down the drain. My father made some bad investments and now, his wife has taken matters into her own hands to marry me off to a scary billionaire.

Does she even care for my well being or was it all about keeping her fancy jewelries and Birkin bags?

“The wedding will take place in a week’s time,” The billionaire announced.

“A week?” Mother echoed. “That is not enough time to prepare.”

“It is when you can pay people to speed up the process for you. Tell me what you want and I will find the best people in the country to get it done.” His voice bounced off the walls and vibrated my eardrums. A week. My life was being snatched from my fingers like a sharp object in the prying fingers of a kid. And I had no choice, no say in the matter. 

“Where is dad?” I asked.

My mum’s eyes fluttered in my direction, obviously annoyed about the question. Mr. Raymond also seemed to stop and look around the room as if he was only now noticing that the man of the house was not there with us. 

“My husband is a very busy man,” mother quipped. “He will be home shortly, but I do not expect you to wait for him. You are quite the active man yourself.”

“I am,” the billionaire said, as if he could not tell that my mother was hiding something. It irritated me the most. Was he so bent on getting what he wanted without following the due procedures? My dad was very much alive and should be in the room with us.

“As I was saying, let the lady choose whatever she wants in her wedding and it will be done. A six feet cake, ice sculpture, chocolate fountain, anything. I will see to it to give her-”

“I’d rather have a small wedding.”

Mother yelped like a small animal and rushed to place her hand on my shoulders, pushing me in front of her. It was a subtle way to shut me up. Not in front of the guests, I could almost hear her say. The billionaire raised an eyebrow but the tall, blond man that stood behind him had not moved an inch throughout the entire time he was there.

“Honey, a small wedding is not what we need right now,” mother scolded. “Do you think I worked this hard to get us where we are only for you to selfishly deprive me of the victory I need?” 

The billionaire had brought out his phone and was now scowling at the screen. He was distracted so my mother continued to press her palms into my clavicles. “We will have the biggest, grandest wedding to shame all those naysayers who thought our days in the limelight are over.”

Her fingers tensed when I shivered. “Don’t you want this, Cassie darling? You will be saving your father a lot of shame.”

I nodded, understanding my duty.

“Is there a problem?” Mr. Raymond asked, raising his head.

“Of course not.” Mother patted the sleeve of my dress down and dusted nothing off my shoulders. Turning to the man again, she smiled with her teeth. “Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink while you’re still here?”

“That won’t be necessary, in fact, I just got a message now. I am needed at one of my offices for an interview.” He flashed a smile in my direction. “Important duty calls.”

I scoffed but only low enough so that no one could hear me. My mother was already ordering our maids to package the finest bottles of wine for the billionaire as he left. His bodyguard, or whoever that was, received the gift and carried it and the last gush of tensed air with them. Phew.

“We need to host your bridal shower in two days. I will send the invites.” My mother was already scurrying with a maid hot on her trail. ‘Lilies or Orchids, darling?”

“Anyone you want.”

“I think tulips are the best for a bridal shower. We will leave the orchids for the wedding. What about the hall? We can host the bridal shower here but we must book the most exotic ballroom for the wedding. Any ideas, Cassie?”

“Uhm, actually mum, you can go ahead with all the preparations for the bridal party. Just make sure Nina is there. She and Diane will be my bridesmaids.

At least, if i was not going to get the wedding i actually wanted, at least, i could pick my best friend, Nina, who was studying in France, and my influencer sister, Diane as my bridesmaids. They will be the only semblance to normality on my special day.

“Okay, just make sure you are dressed by 4 pm today, the billionaire wants to take you to see his father.”

I froze. Nothing scared me more than seeing the man who birthed the big and intimidating man. Could anybody be any bigger or trepidation?

I was completely blown away when I met his father. The old man was a frail monument of flesh and bones, and from observation, he was deaf in one ear. Don stepped closer to whee his father sat and whispered something in his ear.

The old man's eyes widened, allowing me to see cloudy cataracts growing in them. “My daughter, you are welcome.” He stretched his arm out to me so I lowered myself into his embrace.

The old man did not smell like any elderly person I had met. His perfume was strong and stifling but not strong enough to douse the potent smell of antiseptic.

“Nice to meet you, President Raymond,” I croak.

“Nonsense, I left that office ages ago. Your husband to be in the new president of the Raymond Empire. Please, call me Arthur.”

“You have a nice place, Arthur.” I say, circling the room with my eyes. 

“I like to keep my place vintage and warm, unlike the soulless homes my sons build. If I lived in a place like that, I would be dead in days.”

I did not know whether to laugh at his morbid jokes but the servants and nurses around the table seemed to be used to his humour.

“Dad, you always exaggerate, as if you haven’t visited for a few days.”

“That’s why I had to escape as soon as I could.”

I took a seat on Don's left side. He sat opposite his father at the tail end on the table. I learned that the right hand side was for Don’s brother, Jay, who did not attend the dinner. Now would he come for the wedding?

At the close of the day, Don kissed his father’s cheek and Arthur pulled me for one last hug. I tried to fit in by taking Don’s hand on our way out of the building but he promptly flicked my arm away and left it hanging. 

What did I do wrong? Isn’t this what couples do? Hold hands?

Don’s Bodyguard, whose name was Theo, drove us home. Me first and then him. He did not even say good night or walk me to my front door. Theo just reversed the car and sped out of our driveway. 

This billionaire was so rude, I wondered how I would ever live my entire life with him. But the scowl on my face quickly faded when I opened the door and gave me the best surprise in a while.