She was an heiress to one of the most prestigious luxury shipping lines in the world, a bi-product of nobility, by birthright, Aurora was meant to oversee multibillion properties and be in charge of the Cunard brand that was well-regarded in the world. But she chose to be an ordinary yet independent woman and pursued a life of service as a cardiothoracic surgeon. To safeguard her family's assets, her parents had to make a deal with someone capable of overseeing something as big and broad as Cunard Shipping while ensuring corporate ownership retains in their bloodline. There was only one way that it can be done. Aurora needed to marry. Not just anyone. She needed to marry someone capable, with a proven track record on managing multi-million properties across all continents, someone their family trusted, and powerful enough to wield authority in handling an inevitable merger. His name was Jared Rickford. Known in the business scene as a ruthless strategist, CEO, President of Rickford Hotels International. Also playboy, ex-military, and a womanizer of the first degree. He was the most unsuitable man Aurora could ever think to be her husband. But she had no choice. She could not play surgeon in the Board Room. She needed the man's expertise to ensure that her family's corporate assets are secured, and she would do anything in her power to safeguard her dying father's legacy. Including agreeing to be married to the devil.
View MoreLooking down below from his eighty-six storey building provided him a bird’s eye view of downtown Boston. Skyscrapers stood side by side triumphantly creating vast scenery that can provoke insatiable eyes to experience a bit of envy to the man who was part of such a milieu. He continued to stare, as if examining every part of the city center and drawing them to him, possessing them, leaving a mark of his brilliance for having been able to come out victorious in an industry his father once dominated. A knock was heard and even though he heard it, he did not turn to acknowledge the person who was to enter. After all, there was only one person who was allowed to directly knock and enter his office without further ado.
“Leave them at the table, Renata,” he said.
He had a profound voice, which was unmistakably cultured and aristocratic. With his back on her, the woman whom he acknowledged as Renata gently placed the fastened folder of documents to the rose wood table. She was a plump woman of nearly fifty years and she had a kind, almost pretty face. As Renata took a step backwards to excuse herself, it was hard not to notice her beloved employer’s magnificent bearing. He was a tall man of thirty-eight years, with dark brown hair that was cleanly cut to the point of respectability and assurance that radiated his superiority among other men in the corporate world. He had strong, broad shoulders which generated his dominance over people who are known to be his employees. As Renata reviewed these features without seeing her employer’s face, somehow it gave her a feeling of melancholy and pride for she was one of the few people who have had the privilege of truly knowing the illustrious Jared Addison Rickford – President / CEO and only child of the founder and Chairman of the well-renowned Rickford Hotels International.
“Do you have anything more to say Renata?” he asked without looking at her.
She was trained to deliver news as frankly as possible without hesitating whether it was either good or bad. But this morning, she did not feel at ease at the knowledge of what she was to tell him. Composing herself, she decided to continue.
“Ms. Weinberg just called.” Renata could already sense her employer’s irritation in the way he stiffened and placed his hands inside his pockets. Pretending she did not spot this, she carried on. “She wanted me to remind you about your lunch meeting at the Ambrosia on Huntington. Twelve o’clock sharp.” For a while Renata thought he would not say anything. Not until he pulled both his hands from his pockets did she realize that he was going to issue some orders, but she did not anticipate his next remark.
“The last time I checked you were still on my payroll.” This time he turned his head just enough to take a glimpse of her and then returned to his former position even before Renata could glance at him. “My apologies Mr. Rickford. I was just relaying message”, she immediately said without hesitation. Her apology was met without any rancor.
His tone of voice was moderate but there was no mistaking for the annoyance it bore. It was what she expected.
“Do tell Ms. Weinberg that I am canceling our appointment”.
It was an order and Renata saw it coming. This was not the first time it happened. No man or woman in their right minds would want to dictate things to a man like Jared Rickford.
Men and women who has had the privilege of working for him knew he was a man of utmost control. Wall Street respects him that way, some of them are frightened of his cold demeanor and ruthlessness and they all know when they have stepped over the line. Renata was absolutely sure that the woman named Ms. Weinberg didn’t know this. How can she? She was merely the man’s source of pastime and of course…amusement. Not anymore, Renata thought glumly. Women come and go in her employer’s life. Eleven years of service, still she had not seen him involved with just even one ‘respectable’ woman. Eleven years of service, and still she can only count the times she had seen him smile or laugh. The man’s only emotion ever so seen was stoicism, self-control, and a cold hard stare when angered. As of now, the woman who can crumble this man’s defenses has not yet been born, or he perhaps he hasn’t encountered her yet.
“Yes, Mr. Rickford”, she said.
As she turned on her heel to walk towards the door, she cannot help but pity him. He maybe wealthy like King Midas himself but she was also certain, he had never felt the happiness and contentment a man like him was worthy of.
Born from a distinguished Boston family, Jared Addison Rickford has everything. Because of the fact that he was the only child and heir to his father’s wealth, he was trained to be the best in whatever he did. After his mother’s death when he was just eight years old, his father took over the role of a mother and a father. He was educated in the best schools, he was taught how to breed horses, and above all else…his father taught him how to manage. He was sent to Eton College in Britain by his 13th year, and was admitted to Harvard at 18, and went to enlist in the army at 22 after graduating with flying colors. By the time he was twenty-seven, right after his 4-year active service in Afghanistan and South Korea, his father ushered him directly to office as his junior vice-president. When he reached twenty-nine, he was elected as the new president of Rickford Hotels International giving him all access to the business his father once controlled and was now expecting him to control as well. He was a young man with a brain of a sixty-five-year-old business mogul, and he never had a life.
Nine years after his installation, looking through his rosewood desk, moving his eyes around the elegant sophistication of his enormous office, Jared was oblivious about everything else. He spent thirty-seven years of his life in a routine, of cascading to the reputation of being a Rickford, and making it more sparkling than ever while he – the man who was the primary source of its success for the last ten years was starting to get bored with all of it. He may be complaining but what he could not grasp was why he cannot bring himself to a decision about his god-awful life. Despite these reflections, he would not substitute this for the world. And he knew the reason of his uncertainty. He worked hard for this. He earned each and every corner of the office he was presently occupying, not to mention his father’s respect. There was no doubt the old man was hard as granite. And when his mother died, he was left to succumb to the dictatorial manner he ran his estate. Damn the man for being so difficult and domineering. But he could not help damning himself more for putting through the old man’s control over him. He is not angry. He cannot deny the fact that the old man molded him to be the best he can be. No one can argue about that. It was obvious. His father expected the best from him, and he got every bit of it. But sometimes, especially now that he is approaching his thirty-eighth year, his old man again started demanding things from him. Things Jared never has thought of. Things, he never even envisioned himself having. And what was worse was that he was absolutely certain that the old man will never stop demanding these things until he gets it.
He glanced at the grandfather clock he once purchased in an antique shop in downtown Boston with his first salary. Fifteen past nine. He needed to get going if he did not want to be late for his meeting with his old man. His father never valued tardiness as a word found in any vocabulary. In the industry they were in, to be late is a crime worthy of immeasurable consequences. He never valued this, but always finds himself practicing it. He picked up his iPhone from the rack, and strode out of the office. He was unmindful of the glances his employees were giving him as he made his way towards the elevators. He was indeed a magnificent man. His strides were of great bearing; his whole physique seemed to belong to military royalty. Their glances were merely out of curiosity. Although majority of them see him everyday, they could still not explain the way their hearts flutter whenever they lay eyes on him. He was a man of few words and he intrigued people. He was mysterious. And very few people have had the chance to talk to him face to face. He was distant, aloof, and incomprehensible but he exuded a different kind of confidence, which penetrates every single soul who sees him making their heads turn to satisfy the curiosity he unconsciously roused in them.
The moment he entered the elevator and inclined his head to glance at the cubicles, all he saw was that his employees were busy working.
Beaminster, England. It was nearly three in the afternoon when she arrived, a cross transit between Boston and London and a long drive from London to Beaminster where one of her estates was located. It was one of the six estates she inherited from her grandmother. This old rectory was built in the end of the 17hcentury, and belonged to the former Earl of Pembroke, subsequently one of their ancestors if one could be so vigilant in tracing roots of one’s lineage. She was not sure why she went here, but this was one of the oldest, most regarded and if privacy was priority, the estate tops the charts. It was secluded enough andMrs. Potts, her estates’ care-taker and her husband Fred were given advise by Penworth to ready the estate for her use for at least two weeks. She was not sure what she needed two weeks for, but two weeks it was. She was now in the kitchen, checking what Mrs Potts was preparing for supper. She already took a short nap immediately after she a
Jared had Renata flown in from Boston to assist him with his presentation and she arrived two hours before the scheduled briefing. He was glad that his hands were not making him disable though they were still wrapped in bandages. He and Renata went ahead at the Cunard offices while Aurora followed an half an hour later. The members of the Board were beginning to fill up the room as Renata helped Cunard’s Executive Secretary Nellia with preparing Jared’s requirements. Jared was talking to some of the members of the Board when Aurora arrived wearing a sleeveless white blazer dress looking like she owned the place, and she did own it. Jared looked up and paused his thoughts as he stared at her walking, talking to some of her father’s employees, taking her time to shake their hands, asking how they are doing, all with a gentle smile on her face, and a humility that Jared observed she consistently exuded. That was it. Her character. She was humility personified, he realized and that’s wh
She was jogging her fourth cycle in the park when her smart watch started beeping indicating a call. She picked it up and found Louise on the line. She was asking her to drop by the latter’s apartment for a little chat about the other night’s gala which Louise wasn’t able to attend due to her stomach flu. Giving her a valid reason to avoid Jared’s distracting presence, and also check up on her, she accepted and decided to proceed there immediately after her routine exercise. She used to have frequent stay-overs at her friend’s place so she knew she can change and shower there. After her last round of jogging, she proceeded to Louise’ apartment which was only a few blocks away from the park.That was approximately two hours since she left their apartment and Jared started checking on the time and asked both Penworth and Sasha where she is at. “You said she went to the park for her routine run? Does that normally take two or more hours? How many rounds does she jog?” He was looking at S
Aurora woke up earlier than usual the following morning. She was not able to sleep soundly, as her mind was constantly thinking about her husband, and their scam marriage. Really, she could not allow her mental health to be so affected by his sudden decision to not have a real marriage with her. She realized that it was her ego that was mostly injured and decided she would not let it affect her deeply. She can definitely control her reactions and her emotions, and it was up to her to make herself comfortable with the arrangement she is with now. Rising from her bed, she brushed her long hair and tied it in a clean pony tail, dressed in a green pullovers and white shorts. After brushing her teeth she went to the kitchen to prepare coffee and breakfast. She was checking the cupboards for the ingredients she was needing, when Penworth greeted her a good morning. “Good morning, my lady,” Penworth quipped. He was wearing his butler uniform and looked like he did not even sleep with how cle
She was getting ready for the gala when she got a call from Louise that she can’t make it due to stomach flu. Aurora knew that her stomach flu was a severe case and is medically diagnosed as GERD which makes her friend uncomfortable for hours in a day. It was not like Louise to cancel the last minute without real reason so Aurora definitely understood that there was real cause for it. She told Louise it was definitely alright and that she can go by herself at the gala. It was not something she was expecting being alone in a gala wherein she was to make her very first speech on behalf of Cunard. But there really was no choice. She had to muster her courage and pray that she would be able to pull it off tonight. She looked at her self in the mirror, her make-up smooth and classic with her dark red lips highlighting her fair skin and gold hair. She knew how to do her own make-up and hair and was satisfied with her job seeing herself in the mirror. Now she needed to dress. Her gown was
The sudden turn of events had her reeling, she had to hug herself in utter confusion. One moment he was being agreeable, affectionate even, flirting with her, asking her for a kiss then after a few minutes, he turned a 180 degree. She felt terrible. What was running on his mind, she did not know. Frankly, he was quite clear what made him change his mind. Being affectionate, teasing, flirting was not part of their arrangement. He realized that asking her to have sex with him was a breach of their marriage of convenience. He was here for a merger, not a marriage. And he was right, it will only complicate things between them. She knew he was not capable of giving her the love she wanted. He was also clear about that. Now that it was fully clear to her that he did not plan or intend to take things further with her, that he really did plan to divorce her after everything was settled in both companies, she needed to do her part as a wife while maintaining a healthy distance. That was what
Preparing for bed, she donned a black cotton tank top and cotton pajamas. She wasn’t wearing any bra so she wrapped herself with her bed robe before she opened her door and went in search for Jared and found him flipping through channels while seated in one of the comfortable couches in the living room, his face brooding as if deep in thoughts with worry and a mix of emotions which she cannot fully identify. As she sat beside him informally, sliding her left leg underneath her as she sat, Jared spoke with just a glance at her direction. “Am I allowed to take a shower?” looking at his bandaged hands. “Yes but you need to wrap your bandaged hands with plastic bag, and patches on the rest of the stitches in your shoulder blades and chest. They can’t get wet in the next 48 hours.” “Fucking unbelievable,” he complained. “I can’t even hold a glass to drink properly.” “It’s just for now,” she appeased. “At least the next 48 to 72 hours while the bandage supp
He arrived in New York earlier than she expected. She was in the kitchen when she heard the apartment door open and his six foot four frame walked in looking crisp and polished. The only deviation are the markings of tattoos in his upper arms that are now visible due to the folded sleeves of his white button down. He looked delicious and when she shifted her gaze to his dark grey eyes, she could not help but swallow a huge lump in her throat. He looked at her with so much intensity, she almost caught her breath. Those eyes were full of desire and she noticed that the man was walking purposefully towards her. She could not take her eyes off of him. She was brought back to her reality when she heard the pasta sauce boil and had to remove her gaze from her husband and focus on the task in front of her. “Flight okay?” she managed to croak. But before she could receive an answer, she felt his arm circle her waist and was pulled against him for a warm embrace. She decided to accep
She woke up with the continuous vibration of her iPhone which she left on the bedside table. They went home later than planned as Jared got waylaid by acquaintances. By the time they were on their way home, Aurora was feeling the signs of migraine and went directly to bed. She was now sitting up in the bed when she heard a knock on her door. “It’s open,” she called out while ensuring that she was covered by the blanket. She only wore her satin night gown and her breasts were evident in them. Jared came in looking fresh out of the shower, wearing a navy button down cleanly tucked under dark pants, and his casual Tod’s loafers. He looked good enough to eat, she realized. How can one man look so ruggedly good-looking, yet polished at the same time? Where is the justice in that? “Good morning,” she said in greeting thankful her voice was steady and firm despite feeling the opposite. He gave her a warm smile “Good morning. Rested well?” he said walking towards the settee located on the l
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