CHAPTER 2: THE WILL

KEVIN'S POV

"What a will! Am on my way there right now" I said with confusion in my voice as I hung up.

I was the only living child of my father. My mother and sister had died in a tragic car accident years ago, so it had been just the two of us for a long time. Now that my father is gone, I have to face the future without him. Aunty Jane, my father's sister was like a mother to me, and she still lived in our family home.

The last time I visited Beyer's Law Firm was when Mom and Amelia came to surprise my Dad on his birthday and it was all fun and celebration. Not knowing that was the last time, we would celebrate as a family. Now, approaching the Law firm, with all kinds of emotions rushing in my mind and my heart beating faster by the minute because I know that My old Man can be mischievous sometimes.

“Good day Mr. Thompson”, I greeted our family lawyer. “Kev, how have you been ?” , “It's been a long time since I last saw you, " he said with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, that's true"; I replied.

Taking his seat and watching as he flipped through papers, I had this feeling that what he was about to spill was not good for me at all. “ So yea, Kev, we are both aware of how your Dad wanted the best for you and how he also lived every day hoping you would one day come home with the woman you wished to spend the rest of your life with,” He said to me with a smirk on his face.

“So, Late Mr. Beyer took it upon himself to get you married,” He said, watching as my expression grew from the ‘ I don't care’ look to ‘ what the hell are you talking about’ look.

“What are you talking about Mr. Thompson”, I replied with a commanding tone.

“Your late father stated that no property of his should be given to you, that is, both his company, his houses, and his money and you will no longer have the right to bear his name anymore,” said Mr. Thompson.

A lot of things were going through my mind at this point because I did not understand why My Father would want to play this type of Game with me or was Mr. Thompson trying to play a dirty game.

Just as I was about to call his shots, He then said something rather more provoking; “ Unless you get married"

"What!" I exclaimed in disbelief.

I'd avoided meaningful connections and instead focused on fleeting, casual encounters. I felt like I couldn't risk putting my heart on the line again. I still carried the weight of my actions from the past, and the thought of repeating them terrified me.

As Mr Thompson's words sank in, I began to reflect on my own life. I realized that, despite not having a girlfriend, I still wasn't ready for the commitment of marriage.

I had become jaded about romance and relationships, and the idea of caging myself in marriage seemed suffocating. While I might have been a playboy, I didn't want to ruin someone else's life by getting involved in a relationship I wasn't prepared for.

It was a difficult realization, but one that I knew I needed to face.

I left Mr. Thompson's office in a fit of anger, ignoring his calls to come back. I was too overwhelmed by my emotions to care about the greetings of the other workers, even though I normally would have responded to them. I was consumed by my feelings of anger and frustration, and I just wanted to get out of there.

Driving towards Colton's House was the only thing my brain could make up at that time. Colton has been my best friend since childhood, he stayed by my side when I lost my mom and my younger sister and he was the only friend at that time who was able to tolerate my shit.

"Don't you dare break my door, or else imma kick your ass out of my house", said Colton with a smug face.

I didn't care about him right now, so I simply went to his bar and opened a bottle of Four Cousins without using a glass.

''Bro, you don't take alcohol directly from the bottle unless you are stressed, so what's up?'’ He said while looking at me with a knowing smile.

I knew I had no way to hide things from Colton because he just knew me too much.

"My Dad has dug a pit for me", I said. "He wants me to get married within a Month or else I will lose all my inheritance and that also includes his name," I said, annoyingly.

“Wow, but you got this man, just find any of the side bitches and offer them money in exchange for their hand in marriage and after a year, you can get divorced”; Colton said, acting as though he has solved the whole puzzle because he knows I don't do love anymore after my experience with Lisa in college, a painful, regretful experience that left me with a scar, I'd been hesitant to get involved in a serious relationship.

"The situation is more complicated than you know," I explained. "My father doesn't want me to marry for love. He wants me to marry someone who is already part of his inner circle. He didn't specify who, but the implication was clear: I'm not allowed to bring in someone from outside the family's circle of friends."

The weight of this realization hung heavy in the air, and I struggled to find the right words to express my feelings.

"Take it easy man," Colton said as he took the bottle of drink from my hand and placed it back in the cabin, he agreed to help me dig out more information about most of our close family friends, while I plan and strategize how to meet my soon-to-be wife and capture her into my dark world without letting her have a glimpse of it at the beginning, until she is all in.

"Wait, Mr. Gerber!" I shouted as if my father's ghost gave me a clue.

Mr. Gerber has been my Dad's Favorite Business Partner for the longest time and according to Dad; “The Man has a lot of hidden abilities”. I have met him several times at our Annual End of the Year Party organized by the Company and I think he also has a daughter.

Colton replied, Are you talking of the late Mr Lucas Gerber? Mr. Gerber, who I know of, died last month and rumors have it that he owes millions of dollars to some firm, and his family is currently in deep shit, about to lose their only mansion.

I added with a more serious face as I got a hold of myself, "Is he late? I never heard of that".

Colton caught me shut with a shout,

"Yes, perfect that's where you come in the picture, You help them clear the debt!

Ask for the daughter's hand in marriage in return!

Get what you want!