Married to Miss Grumpy

{Serena} My bodyguard opened the door of the car, revealing the magnificent mansion where the Grey family lived. It was overdue. I should've been here three years ago. But the business contracts and other deals took too much of my time. And now, time was kind enough to let me meet Mr. Marcus Grey. My father's best friend. We did meet each other during formal parties but never had a private conversation. He did offer but I refused. Just because my father knew him didn't mean that I had to get to know him. Though he was going to be my father-in-law. I walked up the stairs and noticed that an old woman was standing near the doors. She greeted me with a smile and I stayed quiet. "Welcome, Miss Ayers," she said. "Mr.Grey asked me to lead you inside. Please follow me." I nodded and looked at Ace, my bodyguard. "Stay here. I'll call you if I need something." "Yes, ma'am." I followed the woman inside the mansion and paused at a family photo. Marcus Grey had three sons; Stephen, Ewan, and Zavien. The middle child was the one I was supposed to marry. Let's get this over with. After climbing the stairs, I reached what seemed like a second living room. Marcus Grey noticed my presence and stood up, a big smile on his face. I gave him a brief nod and offered a handshake. He started at it for a moment before laughing softly. "There is no need for such formality between us, Serena," he said but took my hand nevertheless. "I've been waiting for some time to talk to you." "I suppose I have the say the same thing," I replied and settled on the couch. I kept my handbag aside and looked at the man before me. "Where is Ewan?" "You don't beat around the bush," he smiled. "Time is the most valuable thing to someone, Mr. Grey," I told him. "I want to finish my part of this contract as soon as I can." He looked stunned at my words. "I would very much prefer if you call me by my name. You are like a daughter to me, Serena. I promised your father that I would take care of you after he passed." I clenched my fist, biting up the words in my mind. I knew that he would speak emotional words but I didn't have time for that crap. This was an overdue mark and a stain on my status. Ayers always kept their word. "And this isn't contract," The man went on, ignoring my straightforward indifference. "Michael and I made a promise to have our children married. To finally create that one connection we lacked." Business associates always say that he and my father were the closest friends; almost like brothers. And to fulfil some silly fantasy of theirs, they decided to doom their children? I kept quiet on that matter before taking a deep breath. "Me marrying one of your sons was my father's last wish," I said quietly. He didn't even ask to take care of me. He stopped giving a damn after he remarried that foolish woman, Catherine. "Because I needed more time to manage and adjust to his company, I avoided that. People are bothering me and I suppose it's time for me to get married." At least to the outside world. "I understand," he gave me a nod. "Well...if Ewan comes home, we can set the date. In the meantime, would you like to see Stephen?" No. The word was right there, at the edge of my tongue, and I was about to say it before your doors opened. And in walked Stephen Grey, along with a small child in his arms. "You're here, Serena," he threw me a smile. "Is it alright if I intrude this meeting?" Since he was inside anyway, I suppose that was alright. The man walked towards his father and handed his baby to his father. It had been a year since he had a son, Charles Grey. I watched Marcus cuddle his little grandson. The baby turned to me before smiling and wagging his hand. "Punctuality is a rarity these days," Stephen looked at me and chuckled. "So, how are you?" "Fine. What about you?" I preferred when people talked about themselves more than me speaking. "Where's your wife?" "Camila is out for shopping," he replied, looking at his son. "His first birthday is coming up and she needed some things for that." I nodded and decided to ask a few questions about my future husband. I had to know if he had any habits...Drinking was fine but drugs and smoke were not. I didn't want to deal with scandals or other idiotic incidents. Stephen was the most level-headed brother out of the three. And the youngest one was...a disaster, with no better word for it. Scandals piled up like businessmen when it came to him. A party animal. "Is Ewan tolerable?" Both the man and the baby looked at me. "Oh, he is...tolerable indeed." Marcus smiled nervously. "He is smart and understanding. Sure, he has a temper but after having a meltdown, he calms down and thinks in the perspective of the other's." I raised an eyebrow at that. I could deal with that. Stephen cleared his throat before speaking. "He added pringles on his ice cream and called it tasty once. But I think it was because he was drunk. Other than that, he is alright." I nodded. "I want the marriage to be fixed in a month." No need to waste more than that for such an outdated event. Marcus looked at me wide-eyed while the baby made a noise. "Why so soon? Don't you want to get to know him before that?" "Yes," Stephen added. "He isn't the same boy from the past." I gave him a close look. "Nor am I." I grabbed my purse and stood up. Pulling the hem of my red blazer, I gave the stunned family a lost look. "But for your sake, I shall try with that date thing. Thank you for the hospitality." I was glad that they didn't stop me when I walked out of the room. My appointment with them was sudden and so was my departure but I didn't have the time to communicate with people. I simply didn't like it. While I walked down the stairs, I watched a man look up at me. Erwan Grey. He didn't look bad; dark hair and a sharp jawline. And he looked mature. "Erwan," I gave him a nod. He stared at me for some time before speaking. "Serena Ayers." "Yes, indeed," I looked at my watch. It took less time than expected. "I'll get your number and give you a call next Saturday. We need to get this over with." He frowned. "Get what over with?" "Our wedding?" I was losing patience. "You surely knew about that pact your father made with mine. You weren't expecting me to get the deal done?" He assessed me, which wasted seven seconds of my time. "I hoped you would never come back. Don't tell me you want a marriage." "I won't," I replied curtly. "But I'm doing this for my sake. I'm facing a few problems and acquiring a husband solves most of it." He shook his head. Before he could say anything, I beat him to it. "You don't have a choice so you better not mess it up. We are having dinner next Saturday and if I don't see you there," I tilted my head slowly. "You know what I do to people who piss me off." He looked away in frustration and I took the chance to walk away from him. I heard him shout out his reply while I was at the door. "The world doesn't revolve around you, Serena!" "That's a goal I want to prove wrong," I replied, not caring if he heard it or not. Ace looked up and walked towards me. "Do we need to make a stop at Mr. Dawson's?" My hand froze at the door handle before I gave it a thought. That bastard had dared to throw some dirty water at me, not realizing that I was water-proof. "A misogynistic bastard," I muttered and opened the door. "There is no need. Let him make more mistakes so they add up to his record." Once I was in the car, I took a deep breath before giving the mansion one last look. Now that one thing was over, I had to deal with two more. Destroying Dawson's Corporation and my date with Ewan Grey.