007: A Marriage for Two (IV)

The next day…

The clock had struck twelve and the sun was shining in the sky with all its might. It's bright rays striking against the glass panes, trying their best to seep into the room. 

Inside the spacious room, a demineering figure could be seen sitting at the head chair of the table. His cold gaze was sending shivers down the spines of others. 

"I don't know how you guys managed to mess this up even after my clear instructions." He was holding everyone responsible for the slightest drop in the value of the company's shares. 

"Boss, it's not our fault that news about grandfather's deteriorating health got out." One of the men sitting around the table spoke up on behalf of everyone in the room. He failed to understand why they were getting scolded for something they had no hand in.

"Do you think I don't know about that?" He scoffed, glaring down at the man. "That is exactly why I had given you all clear instructions not to let it out. All it takes is one set of loose lips to destroy our esteemed repute." 

"The PR department will take care of it, Sir. There's no need for you to worry about it." The head of the PR department decided to intervene. Despite his efforts, the news had leaked out. "Now that the damage is already done, we can only take care of it." 

"Of course, you will, Mr. Jacques. But I assure you that you wouldn't be sitting here in the next meeting if our stocks are not back to how they were by the end of this week." He threatened the man without being inconspicuous about his words. He could not care any less about what others might think about him.

"I assure you, Sir, the damage will be in control before that." Jacques replied to him. He had been working in the company for as long as he could remember, and was too used to his boss's threats. Though he knew better than to take them as nothing but empty threats, it wasn't hard for him to tell that he had nothing to be afraid of as long as he did his job right.

"Good." The man gave him a small smile, one that could only make the other person sweat. It was nowhere near cheerful. "The meeting is adjourned then." He ended up dismissing everyone for the time.

Once he was all by himself in the room, he chose to focus on the other matter at hand—a far more important one. 

"Ethan?" He called out to his assistant who had been standing behind him all this time. 

"Yes, Boss?" Ethan took a step forward and replied. 

"What do we do about the other thing?" He mumbled before turning his chair around to face the man who was already staring back at him.

"With all due respect, Boss, I don't think you should be asking me about it." Ethan shook his head. 

"The old man is too stubborn to back out of this. Every time I tried to make him understand my point, he ended up talking about how soon he will be leaving this world." He sighed.

Ethan could see his boss struggling with himself, but there was nothing he could do to help him. It was not only his personal matter, but rather something that involved his grandfather, Thomas Atkinson. 

Thomas Atkinson was someone who would always get things done his way no matter how much the other person would resist. Even his own grandson, the cold and domineering Claude Atkinson, couldn't do anything about it. 

"Well, he is indeed sick." Ethan could only agree with him. 

"Even when the old bastard is dying, he could not let me live in peace." No matter how much Claude liked his old man, he hated how much hold his grandfather had over him. "I have no choice but to say yes." He scoffed as he recalled their morning encounter. Things were so much better for him when the old man was living on that island of his, away from his life. 

"He did send you an email." Ethan decided to bring it up. "It's a photo. Her photo." 

His words sent Claude into thinking. He didn't have an issue with the arrangement over all, but there was something that had been bugging him since the day it was brought up. 

Did she want this to happen as well? Or was she being forced?

No matter how hard it was for him to say yes, he wouldn't mind it. It was barely going to affect his life. But the same couldn't be said for her. He knew his family too well. It didn't matter to what his grandfather promised hers, her life would no longer be the same. His mother would never give up on making the perfect housewife out of her. She would do everything in her power to make it happen.

"Show me the email…" Claude didn't know what urged him to want to see her, but he wanted to have a look at it. 

"Sure, Boss." Ethan pulled out a tablet and passed it to Claude. "The name's Ayla Lawrence. Your grandfather even asked me to tell you that she had already said yes." 

Claude didn't bother replying to him. He chose to focus on the photo which was occupying the screen before him. 

"Ayla, huh? That's a unique name." He couldn't help but remark on it. "Anything else I should know about her?" 

"She is becoming a doctor. Good grades. Star student of her class. Doesn't like to mingle with others too much. I couldn't find out much about her friends either. It seems like she barely interacts with others." Ethan went on rambling about whatever he knew about Ayla. 

"Oh there's one more thing: she hates roses. In case you were thinking about sending her some." He added before going silent. 

"Nah! Roses are overrated." A small smile slowly crept on Claude's lips. "I was rather thinking of giving her a visit." He looked up at Ethan, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Where did you say she studies again?"