Chapter Eight

Jeff Brody sat in the driver's seat of Damian's car and asked him, "Where to, Boss?"

Damian pulled out a cigarette as he sat in the rear. He watched the hospital car park, then fastened his seatbelt and told Jeff, "To my father's house. Let me find out why he was calling me last night."

A deep frown etched on Damian's face as he took a drag from his cigarette. His anger boiled as he knew that Alicia didn't want to see him.

"Okay, boss," Jeff ignited the car engine. The car roared to life as he drove off to Mr. Mark's manor.

The beautiful residential estate was owned by Damian's father, and Jeff drove the black Maybach into the estate grounds and parked.

There were other men in black guarding the residence while Damian got out of his car. He extinguished his cigarette, tossed it on the ground, and stepped on it as he made his way to his father's house.

Mr. Mark was enraged as he had phoned Damian to pay him a visit the previous day, which was Sunday. But Damian didn't take his invitation seriously, which annoyed him.

Mr. Mark felt that ever since he handed over his business to Damian, his son had become increasingly strange to the point that he felt he had lost control of him.

As he sat in his living room waiting for Damian's arrival, he had two guests with him, who was from a rival gang, and they wanted to form a marriage alliance to gain more access to other territories and towns.

Mr. Mark Tucker hosted Mr. Troy Milian in his living room. Both men were sworn enemies, but for the sake of peace and to maintain stability in the developed towns, Mr. Mark offered a marriage proposal for Mr. Troy's daughter. He invited both the father and daughter and promised that Damian would visit for the marriage alliance, so they awaited Damian's arrival in the exquisite living room of the villa.

A few minutes later, Damian Tucker walked into the living room. His aura was cold, and he looked at the faces of the men in the living room, as well as the ladies present.

His mother, father, and younger sister were also present in the living room.

Annabelle Tucker was a 25-year-old young lady. She wore a silver dress that accentuated her figure and paired it with black shoes. She was Damian's only sister and smiled as she watched her older brother arrive.

Her mother, Lady Mallory Tucker, wore a black dress and sat elegantly on the couch. She was a 50-year-old woman with rich brown skin. She grinned and spoke, "Welcome, Son."

"Good afternoon, Mom. Dad," Damian greeted his parents with a strict look, wondering what was going on in the living room. His father had already told him to come home for urgent matters, but it seemed more like they were celebrating, as they all looked happy.

Lady Mallory was Damian's stepmother, but she treated Damian like her own son.

However, she had her own son, who was five years younger than Damian, Damon Tucker. He's a 28-year-old guy who was based abroad in the city.

"Welcome home, Damian. Come have a seat. We have been expecting your arrival," Mr. Mark said, smiling as he gestured for Damian to sit in the vast living room.

Across from Mr. Mark sat Mr. Troy Milian and his daughter, Maria Milian—a 25-year-old plastic surgeon with beautiful fair skin and long blonde hair.

Maria wore a black dress with a V-neck that revealed her ample cleavage. She smiled at Damian as their gazes met.

Damian briefly looked at Maria before shifting his focus to her father and greeting the elderly man, "Good afternoon, Mr. Milian."

"Damian, it's an honor to meet you today. Shall we proceed to the point of our meeting?" Mr. Troy spoke, and Damian's brows furrowed as he looked from his father to Mr. Troy.

"Alright," Damian replied calmly before going to sit on one of the black couches in the living room.

Mr. Mark smiled and asked Damian, "Do you care for a drink?"

"No, Father. I have other work to attend to, and I do not want to spend much time here," Damian replied before he stole a glance at his wristwatch, observing it was 2 p.m.

"Alright, Damian," Mr. Mark cleared his throat and began. "I want you to meet Mr. Troy's daughter, Maria Milian. She is a beautiful young lady with great ambition, as she is a medical practitioner."

"Alright. I can have her work in the town's hospital. Is that why you invited me here?" Damian asked with a smirk, noticing his father's frown.

"No. We want to make peace with the M-groups. So you will have to marry Maria Milian to unite us as one," Mr. Mark said, and Damian burst out laughing, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces in the living room.

His stepmother smiled, as did his half-sister and father. Looking at Maria's face, Damian saw that she was also interested in him.

"I don't want this union," Damian bluntly replied in a cold voice, silencing everyone. Their frowns deepened while his father snapped, "You don't have a choice, Damian. This is to unite the two factions that have been dividing this town and to also become stronger against the other territories."

Damian smirked, meeting his father's gaze, and remarked, "We don't mix business with pleasure. I cannot agree to marry Maria because I do not know her, and I cannot marry her."

"Damian, you don't have to know Maria to get married to her. You just have to accept her as your wife. That way, our group and the M-groups will unite as brothers after the marriage alliance is formed," Mr. Mark tried to explain, and Damian frowned.

"Damian..." Mr. Troy interjected and said, "It's for the best. My daughter is very disciplined and will make a good wife for you. You shouldn't worry about anything, nor would she betray your trust. She will take an oath to stand by you and to ensure our family's business remains hidden and thriving."

Damian smirked. How easy was it to deceive him? He languidly looked at Maria, who blushed and blinked her long eyelashes.

Standing up, Damian coldly replied, "My answer remains no, Father. I cannot accept this marriage. I will have to take my leave now."

"Damian!" Mr. Mark's anger flared. "Don't make me do this the hard way with you. Do you derive joy in killing? For the sake of business and partnership, you have to marry Maria Milian, whether you like her or not. When I married your mother, it was based on love. But what did she do to betray me? She leaked our family's business to the cops to have me arrested, and I had to take drastic measures to silence her."

"Hmm..." Damian's brows furrowed as he glared at his father. Meeting his father's black eyes, Damian was aware that he had inherited most of his handsome looks from his late mother.

"Are you done speaking, Father? I am not interested in this marriage; then you can go ahead and do your worst," Damian remarked as he turned to leave the living room, and Mr. Mark called after him, "Damian! I give you until this Saturday to register your marriage with Maria Milian at the Bureau of Marriage Affairs. Failure to do so leaves me no choice but to take the company and other businesses from you and hand them over to your younger brother. Damon will be at home this Friday, so the decision is yours."

Damian briefly paused at the living room exit door. He looked back at his father and his stepmother, knowing that there was more hidden up their sleeves.

He met his father's stoic demeanor and remarked, "Do your worst, Father. You cannot threaten me, and you know it."

With that, Damian left the mansion, not bothering to listen to his father or wait another minute there. He had his gun with him, and no one dared to stand in his way or stop him from leaving.

Mr. Mark gritted his teeth and looked back at Mr. Troy, who appeared disappointed by Damian's disrespect and lack of interest in his daughter.

"Don't worry, Mr. Milian. Damian will marry Maria whether he likes her or not, or my other son, Damon, will be here to take over, and he can accept the marriage as he is more obedient than Damian," Mr. Mark said.

"That's alright. I will be taking my leave now, and I hope that Damian gives us his response before Saturday arrives. Come, Maria, let's go home," Mr. Troy said in a cold voice, as he wanted Damian to be his son-in-law for another reason—not Damon.

"Okay, Father. Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Tucker," Maria greeted them before she exited the mansion with her father.