The Bar Owner.

Casey’s POV.

“Would you like a refill ma’am?”

I nodded my head once to the bartender. I wasn’t even the least drunk as I wanted but I wasn’t in the mood for Heathingways whiskey, I needed something stronger especially after my conversation with my father.

Just the remembrance of his words made me almost gag all the alcohol I had consumed.

“What- What do you mean by marriage?” I asked, my heart was beginning to thump so fast in my chest and I was beginning to feel drowsy. I hoped and prayed to any god that cared to listen that it wasn’t what I was thinking.

My father relaxed into the chair, his fingers interlocked together and he stared at me.

“You are to get married by the full moon.” He said.

“M-Me?” I stuttered, my eyes widened.

“Yes Casey. You. Or is there someone else here?” He bit back.

I swallowed, anger already replacing the blood in my veins.

“What do you mean by that father. I don’t even have anyone willing to marry me.” I chuckled dryly hoping that he would tell me it was all a joke even though that sounded impossible. My father never joked, more or less with me.

“That will no longer be a problem. I have a found a suitable candidate for you—”

“What?” I shrieked.

“Do not interrupt me Cassandra.” He growled and I curtseyed in apology.

“As I was saying. I have prepared a suitable candidate for you. One that fits you and would really help our business and the clan at large. It is pertinent that you marry him.”

I stood up briskly from my seat. I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t boiling all over, that I wasn’t itching to yell at my father and call him names, to ask him why he hated me so much that he was willing to give me to anyone but all I did was pace around as I tried to control my breathing.

I turned to my father, he looked relaxed, unbothered and at ease. It scared me sometimes to see him like this. He was never bothered by anything and me hoping that he would be at least sad to give me this news was a hopeless one.

“Father. You can’t possibly expect me to get married to someone I have never met, especially in the next few months.” I said, my voice gentle as opposed to the way I was feeling inside.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t expect it. You are the only heir to the Heathingways business. The only heir to my throne Casey. You don’t think you have the luxury of getting married to who you want now do you?” He scoffed before standing up and adjusting his suit jacket. “Get ready. We will be having dinner with his family tomorrow. Come prepared.”

And that was it.

It was just as he said. I was the heir to all he owned and especially the throne. I had given up on love and fun time ever since I became of age to run his businesses. I had always known that if I ever married that it will not be for love but I was hoping to cancel out marriage entirely.

But as usual I never get what I wanted.

I downed another glass of vodka, the burn hitting my throat and giving the burn I so desperately need.

I tapped the bartender again and he refilled my cup. I could see in his eyes how skeptical he was to be refilling my cup for the tenth time but if I could I would get the whole bottle and some to take with me.

This bar was not known to any of the socialite of the clan, it was downtown and in the middle of no where which was why I liked coming here. I didn’t have to pretend to have my shit together when in fact I was crumbling. I didn’t have to pretend that the heavy insults and ridicules of my clan people weren’t affecting me and that if I had my way, I wouldn’t bit them with my wolf for even speaking about me like that.

I wasn’t at peace here but I didn’t have to pretend I was either.

I perceived a strong scent beside me it made my wolf growl but I was too drunk to turn, just concluding it as the alcohol finally kicking in.

I tapped the counter causing the bartender to turn to stare at me.

“The whole bottle. Can I have it?”

He stared wide eyed at me, he glanced beside him to his colleagues who also looked confused.

“Give her the bottle mate.” they both turned to look at the man beside me and their eyes widened inconspicuously before curtseying.

They quickly scurried to get the bottle and if I wasn’t already getting clouded, I would have asked who the man beside me was to make them so quick on their feet.

The bottle was soon placed before me and I dived head straight for it immediately.

“Tough night?” The man beside me asked.

I threw a casual glance his way, still not seeing his face before going back to my business.

“If you need more I could ask them to offer you one, on the house.” He said.

That seemed to spark my interest and I turned to face him.

“And what right do you have to offer me that?” I asked, surprisingly my words were not sloppy.

“Well, you can say I am very acquainted with the owner.” He shrugged, a dainty smile on his beautiful face. I squinted my eyes to him, his face taking me by surprise at how smooth and alluring it was.

I quickly snapped my eyes back to my drink. I was drunk and it would be a terrible combination to mix that with a fine ass man sitting beside me, especially as I was to meet my betrothed tomorrow.

“I’ll have to pass on your offer. Right now I do not know if you will be the one most pleased out of it, or if I will be.” I replied to his earlier words.

I had him chuckle and for some reason, it made goosebumps arise on my body. I turned to look at him, his dimple pocking out as he took a sip of his drink.

“Touche’. And here I was celebrating my win, taking a beautiful girl like yourself home.” He drawled. I didn’t know what it was about him that was making an excited squirm in my belly, or maybe it was the alcohol.

I had been called beautiful before but never like this. He had a slur to his words but I looked at his drink and he wasn’t taking alcohol so it told me it was his normal way of speaking. He spoke as if he had all the time in the world.

“If you think calling me beautiful earns you a point, then you’ve lost your game.” I mused.

He didn’t answer. I turned to see him staring at me, a cheeky smile on his face and his green eyes eyeing me down, from my eyes to my lips and back.

I didn’t break down from his stare, no matter how unlike me it made me.

“But you are indeed beautiful. It wasn’t a compliment.” He stated quietly.

“That I’m fully aware of mr—”

“Bar owner. Let’s go by that for now” he teased and I rolled my eyes at him.

“Whatever you say Mr bar owner.” I replied before hiccuping.

I took another sip of my drink and I could feel him watching me.

“Don’t you think that is enough?”

“And don’t you think you should mind your business?” I fired back.

He spread his hands out in a form of surrender before turning to his own drink.

“For someone who owns a bar, it’s awfully alarming why you would be drinking apple juice in a place filled with alcohol.” I pointed out.

He turned to me, a smirk on his face.

“That’s to let you know I am not easily influenced.” He replied.

I scoffed. “Or you are too weak to actually take matured drink.”

He laughed again and it made me wonder who he was. I hardly met men that laughed in my presence, all they did was stutter and tremble, repeat their words and peed their pants. But not him, if anything it was me on the receiving end this time, not the peeing of pants part but the trembling part. He looked as if he was having fun in my presence.

Casey you are getting drunk, maybe that’s why you are seeing things that aren’t there.

“You seem to have me all figured out eh?” He asked, his ringed fingers circling the mouth of his cup and drawing my attention to it.

I simply shrugged. “You aren’t difficult to read as you think.”

“And so are you.” He said.

I snapped my eyes to stare at him.

“From the look of things, you don’t belong here.” He began, his eyes staring me down. “You have luxury dress on and expensive accessories. You are trying so hard to hide but at the same time, you desire to fit in. You look like a powerful woman, a woman of caliber, one that shakes any room she walks in and you know it. It is why you are up there, not willing to come back down. It is why you don’t see the looks people are throwing at you in this room.”

I turned immediately to the room and indeed people were staring at me. My eyes met a few and they removed their eyes immediately.

“Who- Who are you?” I asked, my heart thumping in my chest.

He shrugged before facing the bar and taking a sip of my vodka.

“I’m the bar owner darling. And bar owners have the luxury of choosing apple juice over vodka any day. Why? Because we own the bar.”

I stared at him, not dumbly and not flushed either. I’d rather die than show this man he was affecting me. A man I had just met. I wasn’t brought up like that. If anything, he should be the one to tremble before me.

However, no one had ever read me as accurately as that. I know I wasn’t easily recognized in this bar but it was true that I didn’t belong here, anyone could see that. It was why the stares were coming, but I hadn’t even noticed it until today. Until he pointed it out.

“I can see those wheels turning.”

“You can see nothing.!” I hissed but he didn’t even look the slightest bit surprised which infuriated me further. “And don’t for a second think that all you said was true. I don’t know who you think you are but you met the wrong person tonight. I hope for your sake that we don’t meet again because you wouldn’t like who you’d see. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

I dropped a few dollar bills before I was bouncing out of the bar, ignoring the heavy look that accompanied me as I walked.

Once I was out, I quickly rushed to my car before hoping inside. Now in its confinement, I could crumble if I wanted to. I yelled so loudly, my hands banged the steering wheel so much that I knew I drew blood out of my hands but I didn’t care.

Tonight was the most adventurous night of my life. First it was my father coming to tell me about a marriage I knew nothing about, something I had not even sat down to think about and then I am meeting a tall beautiful jerk who thinks he knew it all and he knew me.

I knew I shouldn’t have flared up like that but I was too flustered, and when I’m flustered, I retreat, I never back down from a fight and I always had the last word. It is why no matter how accurate Mr bar owner was, I couldn’t let him have the last word.

That was my thing and my thing only. No matter how beautiful he looked and how flushed he made me.

——-

I woke up with a banging headache as expected but it didn’t stop from annoying me.

I shouldn’t have drank too much especially when I had a family dinner to attend.

I groaned before quickly dressing up to go to work.

“Hi Ms Casey.”

“Hi Rhoda. What do I have lined up for today?”

Work was done and now I had the dinner with my soon to be in-laws to go for. I wished I could defile my father. I wished I could just disappear and never come back but that wasn’t it. I just couldn’t, I didn’t have such luxury.

I quickly changed into a different gown that I had kept for whatever occasion in my office, discarding my office one. I took few sips of whiskey, not necessarily getting drunk but refusing to stay sober in the dinner. I didn’t think I could do it.

I styled my hair in a tight ponytail, my father liked when I styled it that way, no matter how much I hated it. He said he didn’t like when I left my hair falling, it made me look scattered and he wasn’t scattered. It was bullshit but I had never argued.

I didn’t want to drive myself because it was yet another thing my father kicked against, driving myself. I usually did, but not when I was going for family dinner.

My driver Frank was already waiting for me and immediately I came down from the office building, he pried the door opened for me and we were on our way.

I could already hear laughter coming from my father’s mansion and I was already tired.

I didn’t bother knocking just walking in and the sound of my name from my step mother’s lips amongst made me want to run and never come back here but I dared not disrespect her, not when my father was close by.

“Casey. You made it.” She sang out before coming to hug me.

I hugged her back, my eyes rolling at the back of her neck.

“You look beautiful as ever.” She commented.

I simply gave her a lipped smile before by passing her and hanging my coat by the door.

“Where is dad?” I asked her.

She quickly replaced the frown on her face with a smile before turning to face me.

“He’s in his study. He’s on call”

I nodded before going to wash my hands in the kitchen sink.

The house was busy as servant after servants were doing one thing or the other. I wondered who this family was, my father didn’t give me a name to work with and there was no one I could ask.

My step mother came into the kitchen with me when I was clearly trying to avoid her and I almost groaned audibly.

“Did you have a good day at work?” She asked in her faux caring voice.

“Anyone who works for Kingsley Heathingways doesn’t know what a good day looks like.” I replied.

She hummed before passing a towel to me but I ignored her and took another towel from the stand.

I didn’t care about her neither did I bother to see the sad frown on her face. I simply walked out into the sitting room and continued replying the emails I had left.

I heard my fathers come down without having to look up.

“Oh Casey. You are here.” He called out and I stood up immediately.

“Good day dad.” I greeted.

“It’s good afternoon dad Cassandra. Stop speaking like you don’t have training.” He corrected.

I hadn’t even spent few minutes and I was already being reprimanded. No one would ever believe I was a thirty year old woman.

“I’m sorry dad. Good afternoon. Are you well?” I asked.

He simply ignored me instead, he hugged and kissed my step mother and no matter how used to it I should have gotten by now, it still didn’t hurt any less.

“Everyone gather around. Our guest will soon arrive.” My father announced and I commended him for having a stronger scent to know who was coming even from miles away.

It was few minutes later before we had the sound of the door bell and the door was opened by Lara, our maid.

In came a older man and woman. Both of them looked to be around the age of my parents and I wondered who I was getting married to.

My father quickly rushed to greet them, my step mother skipping behind. I stood where I was, still shaken up and nervous about the dinner.

“Come here Casey.” My father called and I walked over to meet them.

“This is Cassandra, my daughter.” He turned to me. “This is Alpha and Luna Hudson.”

I moved to bow my head but the woman pulled me and embraced me.

“You are such a gorgeous girl.” She said, a warm smile on her face.

“Thank you Luna Hudson. It’s nice to meet you.” I replied.

She hugged me one more time. “Call me Florence beautiful girl.”

They exchanged greetings one more time before we all moved to the table. I looked back to see if anyone else was coming but nothing.

“Kai will be here soon. He had to stop by some—”

The door bell ringing interrupted Florence words.

“Oh he should be the one.” She excitedly announced.

The door flung open but I wasn’t even concentrating on it. I just wanted to get this day done with.

“There’s my son.” Alpha Hudson announced and I lifted my eyes to see who he was.

My eyes widened, my body froze in my seat, a chill ran down my spine and it was as if I would throw all the food I had eaten with the noise my belly made.

Because standing before me, as the Alpha’s son, the one I was supposed to marry was none other than Mr bar owner.