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?”CHARLOTTE'S POVI opened my eyes slowly as I tried to process my surroundings. Am I in heaven already? I looked around and realized that I was in a hospital, with an IV drip connected to my veins.So… I didn't die? I tried to sit up but the pain in my chest prevented me from moving so I laid back down. Why am I in a hospital? I thought I ascended…I kicked my feet in frustration, wincing at the pain it brought me when the door was pushed open. A man walked in and he looked surprised to see me awake.“You're awake? How do you feel?” He asked as he sat next to me, with guilt and worry written all over his face. I suppose he was the one who hit me with his car.“It was you who hit me right?” I asked slowly, my brain still feeling foggy. Probably the effect of the drip.He nodded slowly and opened his mouth to speak but I beat him to it. “Then why didn't you leave me to die? You should have driven away and left me behind. Why did you save me!?” I yelled at him as I sat up, ignoring the p
OWEN'S POVToday has been a very strenuous day. I collapsed on my office chair as I thought about all that had happened today. My father's crazy insistence on me getting married, arranging girls for me to pick a wife from, and then I hit someone who yelled at me for saving her. Should I have just left her there to die? Doesn't that mean I'll go to prison?I rubbed my face, fatigue and stress beginning to get the better part of me. I still have a lot of work to do and I suddenly don't know where to start. Caleb walked in and my eyes immediately lit up at the sight of a bottle in his hand.“What happened? Why did you sound so scared and frantic on the phone earlier?” He placed the bottle in front of me and sat down, worry etched into his features.I sighed and grabbed a glass under my table as I explained all that happened to him. He stared at me in disbelief, with his mouth wide open. I laughed and poured myself a glass of whiskey, gulping it down in an instant and relishing the sat
CHARLOTTE'S POVI stared at the man who walked in in shock. How did he find me? And why was he here? Mr Sam is going to hurt him!He looked at me with a shocked expression and I shook my head at him as I tried to tell him to leave. Mr Sam got up and walked to him and I panicked. I can't endanger a stranger that saved my life.I got up and held Mr Sam's hand, stopping him from moving forward. “He doesn't know anything about this. Please let him go. He has nothing to do with me at all. He's probably in the wrong house. You can do whatever you want to me just- just let him leave first. Please.”I pleaded with him and a smirk formed on his face as he yanked my hands away from his and pulled my hair tightly.“Let her go! Why are you doing this? What has she done to you?” The stranger asked and tried to come closer and I knew I had to do something.“NO! Go away! Just leave and never come back! You were never welcome here anyway. This is all your fault! If you had left me to die yesterday,
OWEN'S POV“I have a condition.” She looked at me with hope in her eyes and I thought about this again. Would this be a good idea?"How much is the money?" I enquired, wanting to know what I was getting myself into. She looked at her fingers as she played with them, she's probably nervous."A hundred thousand dollars." She whispered and I stared at her in shock. That's what she was getting abused for?"Just that?" I asked to be sure and she nodded slowly. That's a small amount compared to the trauma she's going through.I could help her with her loans, I'm rich enough to pay off the loans in the United States. She'll have to be my wife.Marrying her will benefit me a lot, I just need to pay off her debt, and then she gets married to me for three months and the inheritance is mine. She won't have any additional deal or request to make so this will all fall in my favor.“I'll pay off all of your debts if you decide to marry me.” She gaped at me in disbelief and I felt offended. I'm a to
CHARLOTTE'S POV I stared out the window, taking a deep breath in as I braced myself for the impending outburst and I flinched when I heard her yell.“WHAT!?” Roselia yelled, her hands on her waist as she paced around the room, trying to comprehend all I had just told her. “What do you mean you're getting married? And it's a contract marriage at that? What were you thinking!?” I sighed and tried to calm her down but she wasn't having any of it. My chest began to hurt and as I grimaced in pain, she finally noticed and calmed down as she helped me lay down.“You should let me explain myself, Rosie.” I held her hand and she looked at me with worry and concern. “Yesterday, I wanted to end my life, but it seemed like this man was sent by the heavens to save my life.”“Micheal betrayed me, Rose. He cheated on me. He said she was better than me in every way. My life fell apart and when I thought it was over, this man appeared like an angel sent from God. He hit me by accident and brought me
OWEN'S POVShe looked worried, but I didn't know if she was worried about me or worried about the fact that I might cancel the contract. That's never gonna happen. I slipped my hand inside my pocket and brought out a ring case and her eyes lit up.“There was something about her that didn't sit well with me.” She looked confused and I almost laughed. “The question you asked me, why I proposed the contract to you when I already had someone.” Her mouth formed into an ‘O’ and she nodded like she understood me. I knew she didn't because she was still playing with her fingers nervously. “So…” She started with a small voice. “Is there something about me that sits well with you?” Her question caught me off guard and I found myself thinking about it as well. What made me propose the contract to her anyway? “I don't know… I guess it was because you needed my help? And you don't look like a gold digger so… that's probably why.” She nodded again, this time it looked like she finally understo
CHARLOTTE'S POV Days had passed since Owen placed a ring on my finger and I hadn't seen him since then, which is understandable because he's a workaholic. I watched as Rose helped me pack my things and I glanced around the hospital room. I had actually gotten used to these white walls and I knew I was gonna miss the outside view from here.I sighed as I thought about the past events that led me here. And I still found it hard to believe that I was indeed free and married to a freaking billionaire. I thought of Micheal and though my heart clenched in pain from how much he hurt me, I felt grateful that he did. If he hadn't, I don't think I'd have met Owen. I looked at my phone and it was already past 12. Owen said he'd be here early this morning but he still wasn't here yet. I wondered if he was working and had forgotten about me. I scoffed at the thought and was just about to start complaining when the door opened and he walked in.“Took you long enough.” I murmured loud enough for h
OWEN'S POVI stared at Catherine in shock as my grip on Charlotte's hand tightened and I could feel her burning eyes on me. Why was she here?“Mother? Why is she-” I was interrupted by my father's loud squeal as he rushed to the doorstep, pushing past Mom and Catherine. Are men allowed to make such noises? I was still confused about what was happening but at the same time relieved that my father stepped in.“You must be Charlotte, you're so beautiful.” He said as he held her other hand in his since I refused to let go of her hand. He was beaming with joy and I felt bad for not doing this earlier. He smiled at me and it made me happy to see him smile because of something I did after a very long time. “Come on in! We've been waiting and preparing for your arrival. Come. Beatrice! Get the table ready!” He extended his arm to her and even though she looked overwhelmed, she locked arms with my father and walked inside with him, as Rose followed her in.“Mom? What just happened? How could