Chapter 7.

Dominik POV.

Very attentive, I was going through some of the documents that were left for me this morning. They were not very important documents as work has been pretty quiet these past few weeks, however, I prefer to give them a look now that I have more time, because I don't want the work to pile up for me when it is already the deadline to send in the revisions.

As usual, I review the documents that talk about the sales of the new drugs that we bring to the public with the pharmaceutical area of the company, something that was beginning to be worrying, because it generated losses, at least in these first two months since its launch. In my company it is not very common to see losses, we have very competent professionals, so everything we bring to the market has a good use for us, making us one of the most prosperous companies in recent years. But I personally believe that the pharmaceutical division of the company is our weakest part, as it does not generate good sales, and does not have the public's sympathy.

I don't know where we are failing, but we have been selling drugs to the public for half a year now, but our sales have not improved or stabilized at a good sales number, which is worrisome. And whatever it is that we are failing at, it is in our best interest to fix it as soon as possible, so that this does not progress further than it should and become a disaster for our finances.

Amid all my concentration as I continue to read these documents, I am startled when my office phone rings, immediately catching my attention. Putting down the document I was reading at the time, I reach out my hand to the table in front of me, grabbing the phone that rings incessantly with short beeps.

"What's going on?" I ask speaking to my assistant, the only one who could call me at that number.

"Mr. Meyer, a young lady is asking for an urgent appointment with you at the front desk of the building" My assistant informs me.

Somewhat puzzled, I ask, "A young lady?"

"That's correct sir, she says her name is Victoria Miller..."

Miller... With a sigh I close my eyes when I hear that name said from my assistant's lips, I can't help but feel somewhat overwhelmed and worried. I didn't even remember my fiancée's name, but the last name Miller was impossible for me to mistake, so understanding immediately, I can only sigh with resignation, as for a moment I thought they would actually drop the contract and I wouldn't have to get married.

"Let her come to my office" I ask my assistant.

"Let her...come in your office? But she doesn't have an appointment" My assistant tells me confused.

"Never mind the appointment, just let her come up here."

As usual in the rest of the other companies and company buildings, the CEO's office is the one higher up in the tower, almost on the top floor of the place. And in the case of my office, it was no different, being practically on the top floor of the large office building under my command. So Victoria would have to go up in an elevator to get here, with express permission from the first floor, as the office elevators have these floors blocked for common employees, and you can only go up if the reception allows the elevator to reach this place.

"Okay Mr. Meyer, then I'll ask them to let her go up and I'll bring her to your office" It's the last thing my assistant tells me.

With a sigh, I hang up the phone and all is silent again. Looking at the time on one of the clocks on my office wall, I estimate that Victoria will be here in a few minutes, even less than 10 minutes if she walks fast, and that can't help but make me a little nervous.

I don't know what to expect from this girl, my perception of an 18-year-old woman is not the best, they strike me as loud and silly girls, vain people who still believe in fairy tales, will Victoria think this is all a fairy tale? Maybe she thinks I'm some kind of "prince charming" or some such nonsense, for her age, I wouldn't be surprised. But even if she dislikes me, is there anything I can do about it?

No, nothing at all.

That stupid contract stipulating our arranged marriage is perfect, flawless, there's no way to break it by some legal ruse or some such form, the only thing left is to accept that to escape the marriage you have to pay an incredible sum of money to the other family involved. And while I myself have enough money in my bank accounts, I'm not going to go financially bankrupt by refusing a marriage. So if she doesn't want to pay, and I don't want to pay either, I guess there's no alternative but to accept this silly marriage.

Standing up to try to de-stress, I walk to the glass window behind my desk, where the morning sun streams in, allowing me to see the city from above, watching as several feet away people walk and cars race down the road, thinking of all those lives down there, whose problems are a thousand times simpler than mine.

What was I expecting from Victoria Miller? Just that she's not an idiot, for her age, I don't have much hope, besides she didn't give me a good impression when she threw a tantrum to her parents yesterday in front of my family and in front of me. So I just hope that she behaves like a rational adult that I can talk to, that she doesn't throw a tantrum at me or start crying here as she wouldn't know how to handle such a situation, and that she understands that our relationship is just business.

And that our marriage is not a fairy tale where the poor girl marries a rich man. She must understand that I am not going to love her.

Distracting myself by looking outside at the streets outside my building, I come back to reality when behind me I hear my office door open, and my assistant's heels click across the floor, accompanied by someone else's footsteps.

Walking over to near my desk, my assistant says, "Mr. Meyer, Ms. Victoria Miller has come to speak with you."

Turning from the window to face my wife, I am slightly surprised to see her. She did not look like that tearful little girl I encountered the day before, who threw a tantrum over finding out she was getting married. I met a young and serene woman, who had long brown hair neatly combed, a calm but serious face, and dark-colored but quite elegant clothes. This girl looked nothing like the girl I met the day before and who gave me such a bad impression.

"Thank you, Lisa, you may go," I say to my assistant.

Giving me a flirtatious smile, those she always directed at me, Lisa finally turns and goes back the same way she came, leaving Victoria and me alone. Victoria also understands that this is something private, so before starting our conversation she waits for Lisa to close the door and leave my office for good.

Looking at her in front of me, observing how young she was, I consider that maybe I should be the one to initiate this conversation, the one to talk first about the whole marriage thing and everything that goes with it; after all, the only adult here is me.

But when I approach my desk, I am surprised, as Victoria takes the documents my lawyer left her the day before and practically throws them against my desk.

"I read them in their entirety," she tells me coolly.

So we start this way? She doesn't even say hello to me, and I notice that she just wants to get down to the matter at hand for both of us, something I'm slightly relieved about, as it makes this easier for me.

"So what did you think of it?" I ask her trying to sound friendly, sitting back in my chair to take the document she offers me.

"I'm willing to accept the proposal, but under some conditions."

Confused, I ask, "Conditions?"

"There won't be any kind of love relationship between us, neither will there be more than what the document obliges us to, after the marriage and the divorce we won't have any more contact, and as the papers say... I want to recover immediately the part of this company that belongs to my grandfather and my family" Victoria answers me seriously.

Now I am really surprised. I didn't expect a girl to be able to read or understand legal documents, even more, that she shares all my wishes regarding this marriage, and that she also understands that there will be no love between us.

I am beginning to like this girl.