1. Sweet Home Alabama

~ Audrey ~

A kiss was always Audrey’s kryptonite.

Like any other girl in the world, Audrey Huntington loved kissing her boyfriend’s soft lips in the warm New York 4 o’clock light. They were sitting on a bench at Washington Square Park, which was only a stone’s throw away from their college campus.

It was a bright warm day in late May, and it would have been a romantic afternoon except Audrey’s phone alarm kept ringing incessantly in her hand. She peered at it lazily tapped the snooze button again.

“Ash, you know I have to go," she sighed.

“Just one more kiss,” Ashton was more persistent than her alarm clock. He closed the distance again and murmured to her lips.

“You said that three kisses ago,” Audrey laughed and tried to pull away.

“Mm-hmm,” Ashton held her tight, refusing to let her go. He kissed her again, savoring her plump pink lips, and running his hand on her long brown hair.

Audrey summoned her strength and broke the kiss. Her bright hazel eyes gazed up at her boyfriend longingly and said, “Ashton, I wish I could stay, but I really have to go,”

“You promised an entire day with me. We’re supposed to go to Jackson’s party together,” Ashton was pulling out all the stops, giving her his best smoldering look.

Audrey took note of her boyfriend’s gorgeous features. His dark curly hair was trimmed on the sides, his eyes were sharp light brown, his jawline could cut like a knife, and his perfect tan skin glimmered under the sun. Audrey couldn’t help herself and ran her fingers across his chest, noting his rock-hard muscles and abs over his clothes. Ashton was sporting a purple NYU sweatshirt and basketball shorts. He was one of NYU’s top basketball players, he led the school’s team to the finals last year.

Today was the last day of school for the semester and Ashton’s teammate, Jackson, was throwing a huge blowout at his frat house. Audrey wasn’t much of the party type, but since she started dating Ashton a couple of months ago, she felt the need to compromise.

Ashton was an absolute social butterfly. Everyone on campus knew him or knew of him, and they all adored him. She was shocked when a guy of his caliber ever noticed her.

As the sole heir of the real estate tycoon, Maxwell Huntington, Audrey grew up privileged and sheltered. She was always surrounded by bodyguards and rules. Her dad was the strictest man she knew. He taught her that feelings are unnecessary in life, and he programmed her to be headstrong and cunning, the way a billionaire tycoon would run a company.

She grew up in a private all girls catholic school and she attended more private tutoring afterward. She was never allowed to date, let alone kiss a boy. Audrey had always been obedient to her father. That was the only way she knew how to live. But everything changed once college came around.

Her very first rebellious act was in the form of choosing to go to NYU to study creative writing. Her father had wanted her to go to Columbia for business. She struggled with the idea during her whole senior year of high school, before choosing to take this route at the last minute. She had been attending NYU for the past three years now and she regretted nothing.

Her second and probably last rebellious act was in the form of dating Ashton Whitaker. Sure, he was a basketball star on campus, but he wasn’t up to snuff according to Maxwell’s standards. Maxwell had very specific plans for his one and only heir, he wanted her to marry well. To Maxwell, Ashton was just some punk who came from a small town in Georgia and attended NYU on an athletic scholarship.

“Do you really have to go?” Ashton whined again as Audrey broke the kiss for the twentieth time that afternoon.

“I’m sorry, but it's my dad. You know what he’s like. Suddenly he wants to have dinner with me, saying that he wants to discuss something super important,” she rolled her eyes dramatically.

Ashton had never met Maxwell Huntington in person, Audrey was too afraid to introduce him to her dad. She said it was for his own good.

“Can you swing by after dinner?” he asked as he cupped her little face in his hand.

When he looked at her like that, it was impossible to say no to him. Audrey smiled and said, “Hmm, I can try,”

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Audrey stepped out of the big black car as her bodyguard pulled the door open for her. A doorman greeted her with a tip of his hat and he pushed the small gate open for her. Audrey stood for a moment in front of her dad’s palatial townhouse in the heart of the Upper East Side. She was thinking of her last visit there, and it was during Christmas, six months ago.

After choosing to attend NYU, Audrey moved out of her dad’s townhouse and lived in a one-bedroom apartment near campus. Her dad was always busy and out of town anyway, it didn’t make sense to keep living alone in that huge place. It only made her feel lonelier than ever.

Stepping into the marble foyer, she was greeted by several housemaids and she was led to her dad’s office. “He’s been expecting you,” one of the girls said.

Whenever her dad was ‘expecting’ her, usually he had big news to tell or he was about to scold her on something. Audrey was afraid of the latter.

The maids opened the double doors to her dad’s office and Audrey saw her father leaning back against a chair and a man in a doctor’s uniform attending to him. Her dad looked pale and sickly. He was only in his late fifties, but now he looked way older.

“Dad? Oh my god, what happened?” Audrey gaped and stepped closer.

“It’s just a small heart attack, not a big deal, don’t worry about it,” her dad waved his hand carelessly and turned to the doctor, saying “Leave us for a moment, will you?”

The doctor nodded quickly and collected his equipment, saying, “I will be right back,”

Audrey was in complete shock. She never knew that her dad was having health problems. Behind her dad stood Sebastian, her dad’s most trusted advisor. Audrey greeted him with a confused look and he replied with a shrug as if to say he didn’t know anything either.

As soon as the doctor left the room, Audrey turned to face her dad again and asked, “A small heart attack? Dad, you never told me you’re sick, I would’ve come earlier if I knew!”

“I’m not sick, I’m just expiring,” her father said as he adjusted his shirt back.

“Dad,” she warned.

“How are you, Audrey? Have a seat. How’s school?” he changed the topic, motioning for her to sit across the table from him.

Audrey sighed and took a seat.

“I’m doing great. I just finished finals week, so I’m gonna be a senior next semester,” Audrey paused for a moment before continuing, “But I know you didn’t call me here to talk about school. You get all that information from my dean anyway,”

“Right. You got a B+ on creative non-fiction. You’re slipping,” he said as he grabbed a fresh cigar from his cigar box. Sebastian was quick to offer him a light. Audrey thought for a moment if a person with a heart condition should be smoking cigars in the daytime.

“I’m gonna do extra credit for that class,” she muttered under her breath. “Dad, why are we talking about my grades anyway? You don’t care about how I do at NYU. You said it yourself, creative writing is not a real degree,” she mimicked his words bitterly.

“I was trying to make small talk, you know, like other normal people?” he huffed.

“But you don’t make small talk,”

“Ha, you know me so well. You must be my daughter,”

Audrey took note of his dad’s attempt at a joke. She knew very well that her father wasn’t the kind of man who would make jokes. She narrowed her eyes and said, “Dad, what is it with you? You’re acting kind of… strange,”

“Time does a lot to a man, Audrey. Time can do the same for a woman,” he replied even more suspiciously.

Audrey stayed quiet, waiting for her dad to continue.

“Speaking of time, you’re turning twenty one next week. You’ll officially be an adult,”

“Just on paper,” she shrugged. “On the inside, I’m still twelve,”

Her dad ignored the comment and continued, “With you becoming an adult and me turning into fertilizer with each passing day, I think it’s time we talk about your future,”

Her dad turned to his advisor and said, “Sebastian, the papers,”

Sebastian nodded quickly and pulled a stack of papers from his briefcase. He walked around the table and placed them in front of Audrey’s confused eyes.

“What is this?” she asked, her fingers rifling through the pages. The very first page was a letter with her dad’s official letterhead, some sort of invitation for a dinner.

“It’s an invitation to a birthday dinner. Your birthday dinner,” her dad answered.

“It’s dated tonight? But my birthday’s still next week,”

“As you can see, Audrey, time is of the essence for me,”

She didn’t understand what he meant by that, so she kept flipping the pages, looking for more information. On the next page was something labeled ‘The Guest List’. Audrey scanned the list quickly and recognized all the famous last names.

“Here’s the deal, we are throwing you a special birthday celebration tonight. Sebastian and I will make sure to keep the guest list very well vetted. There will be plenty of suitable matches for you at the party. Go make some friends, get connected, get to know some of them. I have a feeling that your future might be in attendance,”

“My future? Wait—what does that mean?” her eyes shot up from the paper back to her dad.

“You only have a few hours before the party. Go get dressed, wear something nice. Have Linda help you,” he waved his hand dismissively and stood up as if he was about to leave.

“Dad, wait a second, don’t shoo me off right now, I’m not done!” she called out after him, “What is this?”

Her dad turned around and shot her a serious look, saying, “To put it simply, it’s your twenty first birthday party, and I want you to find someone to marry from the list of options I’m giving you,”

“Marry?!” she almost choked on the word.

“I’m not going to live forever, child. Time is running out,”

“But, I’m only turning twenty one!”

“But you’re also a Huntington. The sole heir of my company. You need to be in the right position to assume control after me, do you understand?”

“I am in the right position, dad. I’m smart and hardworking, I can do anything for the company,” she argued.

“Choosing NYU and that basketball kid is not the right position, Audrey. Not even close!” her dad’s voice boomed around the room, “A marriage is perhaps the biggest decision a woman can make and I will not stand by and watch you throw your life away. You’ll marry someone of my standards and the two of you will continue my legacy,”

Audrey’s eyes were wide open and her jaw had fallen to the floor. Shakily, she asked him, “Dad, you’re not serious, are you?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?!” he yelled again, and this time he felt a small pang in his chest. His hand went to his chest to apply pressure as he calmed his breathing.

Sebastian saw that his boss needed help convincing Audrey, so he quickly stepped in, saying, “Miss Audrey, Mr. Huntington had specified in his will that unless you are married to someone from the list or higher, you will not be able to inherit the company and all its assets after your father’s passing,”

Audrey whipped her head instinctively to face Sebastian as if to say ‘what?’

“It’s all in the documents,” Sebastian pointed to the stack of papers.

Audrey was totally lost. She thought to herself, this must be a joke. But no one in that room was smiling. She looked at her dad again, somewhat wishing he would suddenly break into laughter and say, ‘ha, gotcha, it was just a prank!’

But of course, that wasn’t her dad. Maxwell Huntington didn’t make jokes.

He took one look at his daughter before turning away, saying, “You will attend the party and you will meet your suitors. I’m expecting a marriage by next year at the latest,”

“But dad—”

“And that’s final!”

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- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -