Chapter 1

1293 Words
“I love you, my child. I only want what’s best for you,” Cliff Chapman says as he looks into his only daughter’s eyes in her dresser mirror. Tears roll down Laura’s face as she hears the pain in her father’s voice. It’s the eve of her wedding to her long-time acquaintance, Charles Chapman, an orphan boy that Cliff has taken into his care at the tender age of thirteen. “Charles is like a son to me. I have trained him since he arrived at this house. There is no one to inherit my empire, other than you. But I know… you are not interested in running the business.  I know how much you love writing. I want you to focus on that,” Cliff says, putting his hands over Laura's shoulders, giving it a gentle squeeze. “But I am getting old and our business is going through a lot of pressure from the shareholders right now. Showing them that I have no successor is showing a sign of weakness. I can’t let this company fall into the wrong hands. This was my grandfather’s legacy, after all.” “And you are sure that naming Charles as your successor will be the right thing to do?” Laura asks her father. “Charles can’t let go of his love for gambling and women. He’s let you down before.” “He was young then, Laura. He’s a different man now. He’s got people skills, and he’s very smart.” “He’s vicious!” Laura mutters under her breath. “Look, sweetheart. I know you don’t love him. But for the sake of our name and our family business, please… I beg you to give him a chance. He’s… the only hope I have.” “That’s not true, Dad. He’s not the only one. I’m here. I will have children someday, and you can teach them to handle the family business,” “I can’t take that chance. Chapman Corporation is going through a lot of crisis now. I can’t handle it all alone. Naming Charles as my successor will help pacify the situation. But I will only name him my successor if he is legally related to me. I let him use my surname, but I never formally adopted him. So, in paper, he is still an outsider. He’s still not legally qualified to be my heir.” “And to make him legally a member of this family, I have to sacrifice my future? My heart?” Laura asks, a bitter taste spreads all over her lips. “You know I’m not in love with him. I’m in love with someone else.” Cliff’s face suddenly turns sober as he removes his hands from his daughter’s shoulders. He steps away from her and gives her a hard look through the dresser mirror. “I know,” he says in a low voice. “Just because I never said anything, doesn’t mean I approve of your relationship with Lance. I thought it was just puppy love. You were young when he was assigned to your security team. I get it. He was only a few years your senior and obviously a good-looking guy. I thought it was just a crush that you will soon get over with!” Laura shakes her head and looks at her father defiantly. “It wasn’t just a crush.” Anger flares in Cliff’s eyes, and Laura is afraid that she has pushed him too far this time. “The scandal our family will go through when I allow your relationship with your bodyguard to continue will be unfathomable! Lance will never be qualified to handle boardroom matters. He’s been a servant of this family since he was a teenager. All he knows how to do is provide us with security and protection. We will be the laughing stock of the town if you marry him instead!” “How can you talk about him like that?” Laura asks, raising her voice. “Lance has saved you and me a countless number of times! He sacrificed himself when Mother was ambushed by the kidnappers. Have you forgotten all about that?” Cliff narrows his eyes at his daughter. A look of sadness and anger covers his usually serene expression. “How could I forget? He was your mother’s security detail that night. Yes, he tried to save her. And yes, he took a bullet for her. But in the end, none of it matters! Your mother died, and Lance lived. I will never forget that until the day I die!”. “But Dad… I love him!” Laura turns around to face her father. “I can’t marry Charles! It will break my heart! It will kill me!” Cliff gives her a hard look. He takes a deep breath and then shakes his head. “No, Laura,” he says with a firm tone. “I would rather die than allow Lance to become my family. I would rather take my chances with Charles!” “But, Dad…” Cliff holds a hand up in front of his daughter, signaling her to keep quiet. “I will hear no more of this Laura Mae!” he says in a low, grave voice. “You will break up with Lance. Tonight. See him if you want. Only one last time. I will allow that much. But tomorrow, I expect you to be in your wedding gown and meet Charles at the altar!” Cliff gives her one warning look, and then he starts to walk out of her bedchamber. Just as he is about to exit, he turns to her and says, “If you continue to defy me, I will send your bodyguard to a remote village and make sure he doesn’t find another decent employment." Laura's eyes widen in shock at her father's threat. "You wouldn't dare..." "Watch me," Charles says, looking at her sternly. "And you don’t need to worry. No one really dies of a broken heart.” Then he closes the door behind him with a slam. Endless tears roll down Laura’s cheeks, and she lets out a whimper as she falls to the floor, leaning against her dresser. “If my mother had been alive, things would be so much different!” Laura’s mother died a few years ago when she was kidnapped by a local gang to extort millions from the Chapman family. Lance headed the security team, who planned her retrieval. They succeeded in saving her, but unfortunately, the kidnappers caught up with them. Lance and his team exchanged fires with the kidnappers. He shielded Laura’s mother’s body with his, taking a bullet in the back. Unfortunately, there were kidnappers at the rear side and fired at her mother, hitting her fatally. Lance survived, but her mother did not. Lance told her that before her mother drew her last breath, she spoke about her. She asked him to protect her with his life. Lance had vowed that he would take care of Laura until his very last breath. And from the moment he recovered, he had asked to be assigned as Laura’s bodyguard. And that’s how they fell in love.
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