CHAPTER 4

OWEN'S POV

“Tell me, what did you think of?” He asked me and I signaled for him to come closer. “You have to keep it a secret though. You can't tell anyone about it.” I said to him firmly and he nodded, moving closer to me.

“So, Dad wants me to get married right? Then I'll find a girl, get married to her and after I turn forty, he'll give me my inheritance and then we'll get divorced. It's going to be like a contract marriage. Do you understand?” I was bouncing in my seat, happy with the plan I just made.

Caleb looked at me for a while, his expression unreadable and it seemed like he had zoned out. When he stayed silent, I waved my hand in front of him and he jolted.

“Are you alright?” I asked, and he ran a hand through his face. He stood up and walked around for a while, probably thinking of what I said.

“I'm alright.” He replied after a while and came to sit back down in front of me. “It's an excellent plan, but don't you think it's a little risky? Marrying someone you don't know at all with a contract… What if she demands something huge in return? What will you do then?”

I smiled mischievously and he suddenly burst into laughter. “You have a plan in mind, don't you? Alright, I'm all ears.”

“I want you to help me find a decent girl. You're a great judge of character and you're more social than I am. So I need your help in finding a wife. Can you help me?” He looked at me in confusion and I nodded to show him how serious I was.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he leaned back on his chair. “I'll try my best. I'm not promising you anything, but I'll always have your back. I promise.” He ruffled my hair like I was a little child and I quickly swatted his hand away.

“Just because I'm drunk doesn't mean you should treat me like a child. I'm older than you, don't forget that.” I smoothened my coat and got up, as I examined the damage I made in the meeting room. I searched my pockets for my phone when I remembered I had flung it across the room earlier.

Caleb snorted and I walked out of the room feeling angry at myself for my lack of control. I made my way to my office and my manager was already there waiting for me with a new phone.

“Thank you, Ethan, you always know what I need before I ask. As for the projector-”

“We'll be getting a new one tomorrow, boss. You don't have to worry yourself. By the way, Mr Walker is still in the reception” He said, with his head slightly bowed and I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“Father is still here? Why though?” Ethan shrugged and I sighed, staring at the pile of papers waiting for me to cross check and sign.

I walked out of my office and went to the reception, already feeling uneasy because I hadn't worked all day. I saw him speaking to the secretary and I rolled my eyes as I walked up to him with my arms crossed.

“May I know why you're still here? Shouldn't you be in the loving arms of your wife or shouldn't you be enjoying yourself somewhere else?” I said with a tone of mockery and skepticism and he eyed me for a while.

Suddenly he smiled and rubbed his mustache lightly and I knew he was up to something. “Owen, come home with me, I have some paperwork that I need you to check for me.” When he noticed that I didn't budge, he sighed and started to lament endlessly.

“My eyes are going dim and I don't know what those papers contain. What if it's something that involves giving out all my properties? If I sign on it then it's all gone.” He looked at me knowingly and I gave up trying to reason with him. He always knew how to threaten me to do whatever he wanted.

I rubbed my face in frustration as he walked outside into his car and I followed him, wanting to do nothing but kick his old butt. Once I'm forty, he won't be able to control me anymore. That thought put a smile on my face as I got into my car and the driver drove me home.

The moment I got out of the car, I knew I was there for another reason which was definitely not signing paperwork. I raised my brows at my father and he just shrugged and walked inside. I took a deep breath and followed him inside and when I opened the door, what I saw stopped me in my tracks immediately.

There were lots of girls in the large sitting room, all lined up and laughing amongst themselves. “What is going on here!?” I shouted and my father slapped the back of my head and pulled me inside.

“Girls,” He started, as he made me stand in front of them and gestured at me. “This is my son Owen, the one you all are here for. He'll choose out of all of you, a wife for himself, so do well to introduce yourself and strike the best poses!” I glared at him and he clapped, signaling for the first girl to come forward.

“Hi, my name is-” She was about to start talking when I raised my hand to shush her. My anger was threatening to explode like a volcano and I turned to look at my father.

“This is the paperwork I came home to sign? You asked me to find myself a wife before I turned forty and I said I will! What's all this rubbish!? Arranging girls for me to pick from? Why won't you ever let me be Dad!?” I yelled in anger, earning gasps from the girls and hushed whispers which I didn't give a shit about.

My father got angry as well and was about to talk but I didn't give him a chance. I had to get this anger out of my chest so I stormed out of the sitting room and went to my study.

I tried to take deep breaths and when that didn't help, I took a vase on my desk and flung it across the room, wincing when it crashed against the wall and shattered. Someone knocked on the door and just as I was about to yell ‘Go away', the door opened and the chief maid of the house walked in.

She offered me an apologetic smile and went to clean the mess I created. I sighed and rubbed my hands together, feeling bad about giving her more work to do.

“Beatrice, I'm so sorry about this. I just couldn't control my anger and-” She interrupted me and smiled lovingly at me, and my heart felt warm. “I understand how you feel sir Owen. I wouldn't be happy if something like this was done to me either. I can only advise you to take it easy and gentle on your father. He only wants what's best for you.”

She patted my shoulder and left the room and I collapsed on the couch, feeling exhausted and mentally drained. My father walked in a few minutes later but I didn't acknowledge his presence.

“Owen… You know I only want the best for you.” He said and I got up, feeling my anger rise again. “If you want the best for me, then you'll let me make my own decisions. If that's all I came here for, then I'll be taking my leave, Mr Walker.”

I left the study and walked out, glaring at the girls my father arranged for me, and walked into my car. I didn't wait for my driver as I needed to let off some steam so I drove back to the office on my own.

“How could he arrange girls for me? What happened to finding a wife for myself before I turned forty? Tch. He just wants grandchildren for himself, he doesn't care if I want to find love or not. What an amazing father he is-”

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice a girl crossing the road and I tried to honk to get her out of the way, but she probably didn't hear. I stepped on the brakes hard but I was too late and she was hit.

I placed my hands on my head in shock as I thought I had just killed someone. I jumped out of the car and rushed to her and when I checked her pulse, it indicated she was still alive. She was also still breathing so I immediately carried her into the car and drove to the nearest hospital. This is all father's fault!

I called Caleb immediately and asked him to help me run the office while I was gone. He sounded so worried so I promised to explain everything to him when I got back. First, I had to save this dying girl.

Arriving at the hospital, I picked her up and ran inside, calling on all the doctors and nurses. A stretcher was brought and I laid her on it as the nurses quickly wheeled her away. My hands were shaking as the thought of going to prison scared me to the core.

About an hour later, a doctor came out with a weary look on his face and I froze, not wanting to hear the bad news he was bringing.

“Doctor… How is she?”