CHAPTER 3: MARRY ME!

The next day had come as quickly as could not be imagined by Tracy. The level of anxiety over her had risen to a level where she too was very concerned about it. The group was under serious strain and could end up pulling apart , eventually. From the previous day till this very moment, her phone had not rested at all . Though she had set up a meeting with the board, there was a great doubt if she would be able to uphold that meeting. Just the previous day, she was at the hospital with her father and heard to her surprise that the Holy Empire was a resurrected Knox incorporation. 

Knox incorporations? 

The name Gregory Knox was one she would never forget in a jiffy . Greg was his classmate back then in school . He was the notorious one in the class. Everyone in the school knew him to be the casanova . However, it was more terrible to even conceive in his heart that he could add Tracy to one of his lists if conquests. Well, unfortunately for him, Tracy was not any of the casual ladies he could just go through and go. All his attempts to have had Tracy right by his side as his own were without any fruits . And to crown it all, every attempt of his was netted with a shocking rebuff that he was made fun of in school . But at the same time, he never stopped scaring Tracy. Greg Knox was a bully . That’s the main problem. 

But there was something strange that happened back then. Gregory Knox disappeared all of a sudden without trace after the collapse of his father’s company , Knox incorporations. Ever since that moment, no one had  heard any news about him . In fact, Tracy was happy to know that a mega  rich person was taking over the company and even changing its name . Now, she seems to have conflicting ideas on what she should believe. If Holt Empire was the same incorporation she knew had fallen all of a sudden a couple of years back, then it only meant that her path would be crossing with that if Greg one more time. Anyways, there was no reason for her to be sad or joyful about it. After all, Greg was an old time school classmate. But for a reason she was yet to understand, she felt uneasy about this move. 

What contract could her father have signed with the young man ? A contract that was now tearing their own group apart . And has equally pushed her to schedule a meeting with someone who she had bowed seriously to never have anything to do with. 

” Open the gate!” She fired as she stormed out of the house and marched to her car. 

Today, she’s dressed in her normal corporate attire but with a suit this time around. Her phone began to ring. 

” Hello, mom. ” She said, pushing the phone to her ear . 

” Tracy,  we need to talk. ” Kathryn’s voice saud over the phone. 

” Hmm.” Tracy exhaled tiredly. ” Mom, this is not the right time for this. I am already heading out . Today will be a busy day for me . ” 

” I am aware of that , Tracy. But we still need to talk . ” 

She settled into the car and slammed the door, pushing her hair off her shoulder. 

” Right now, I’m heading out. I will talk with you later on when I am in a better position to do so. ” 

” If you say so,I don’t think I can stop you right now. ” 

” How is dad?” 

”  Your father is doing well. ” 

” Please, do what you have to to make sure the media is kept away from him.  ” 

The little call came to an end in a very quick fashion.  Tracy had business to do. And when it came to that , there was every damn reason to stick to it , especially now that the group.was already shaking. 

After a couple of moments of an active drive, she was speeding into the premises of the Holt Empire. No doubt, the premises had the strange aura that no other enterprise in the city could ever boast of having. In fact, it seemed to be a sort of small city. Buildings towered on both sides of the long driveway, giving it a look like whoever was driving through was being guarded on both sides . Tracy too would not dare deny the fact that she was trapped in the magnificence of the whole place. But then, she was not there to do a sort of appraisal for the structures her eyes were seeing. After making a round bend, she drove into the parking lot and killed the engines. Grabbing her phone, she dialed Fiona and stepped out of the car , slamming the door taking elegant strides . 

One ring… two rings..  three rings…

” Hello . ” Fiona’s voice crept into her ears. ” Good morning, ma’am. ” 

” Good morning, Fiona. How is the office?” 

” Rowdy . Not relaxed. There is a little bit of tension among the network of the staff. ” 

” Hmm.” Tracy exhaled and sighed. ” What time have you fixed for the board meeting?” 

” This morning, ma’am. I fixed it by ten . ” 

Tracy stopped short and eyed her wristwatch. The time was already a couple of minutes past nine. 

” Fiona.” 

” Yes, ma’am. ” 

” Cancel the meeting. ” 

” What?” Fiona asked , surprised in her tone. ” You mean I should cancel the meeting. I should abort it completely.”

” No, Fiona. Shift it to tomorrow. I must attend to something now. ” 

Without uttering any other word, she put an end to the call and took quick strides towards the main entrance of the building. 

After a couple of moments, she found herself stepping out of an elevator that led straight to the eighty-first floor . The floor ,as beautiful as it seemed to be, had very few  people. In fact, there was just a notable office there. And it belonged to no other person than the owner of the enterprise. On arrival, she walked straight to the table of the secretary. 

” Excuse me. ” She said in a polite tone . 

” Good morning, ma’am.” The lady said as she rose to her feet. 

”  I am Miss Tracy Hall. And I am—” 

The lady cut her completely off. 

” You can go in. He’s waiting. ” The secretary said , a grin on her face. 

He’s waiting? What’s that supposed to mean? 

” What do you mean to say?”  Tracy asked, trying to get a hold of the situation. 

” We got a notification that someone from the Hall group will be coming here. Never knew it would be you. ” The lady grinned. ” I’m a fan of yours. ” 

Tracy smiled vaguely. She would have been happy about the compliment. But right now, it meant not much to her. 

She heaved a deep breath before walking to the door a few feet away from her. It’s a high-tech electronic door . On getting to the door, it slid open on its own. With every step, Tracy could feel her breath leaving her. She got in. Standing right by the window was a man whose perfume could make its way to her nose . Her heart beat faster. Behind her , the door clicked. It felt like she had entered a lion’s den. Oh yes. Greg was a lion. 

” Welcome to my Empire. ” Greg said creepily but softly , turning at the same time. 

His curly hair, deep eyes and an intimidating height that marched with his bodybuild gave him the air no one would resist. But no! Tracy was not one to be intimidated. She braced her shoulders. 

” Good morning, Greg Knox. ” She greeted him , maintaining her pose. 

Greg grinned vaguely. ” My name is Trevor Holt. And I am the emperor of this empire.” 

Tracy was shaken. Was she mistaking him for someone else? 

He walked to his  swivel chair and sat down. 

” You are here to save your group. ” He giggled. 

” What contract has my father signed with you?” Tracy asked, her tone depicting seriousness. 

” You should have asked your father that. ” He grinned. ” There’s only one way out ,miss Tracy. ”  

” Spill it and let’s bring this to an end. ” 

Greg giggled and rose to his feet , turning to her with a condescending gaze. 

” Marry me. ” 

The words hit Tracy off her stance . What the hell was this? Looking deep into those deep eyes of Greg, she could see the bully from years ago staring back at her. 

Damn it! One thing was certain…… she really walked into a lion’s den!