Love in white and black

Chapter 4

Marcus POV

I felt my blood boil as I stood in my father's office, his words echoing in my mind like a death sentence “Get married and produce an heir, or else…”

The ultimatum hung in the air like a guillotine, ready to drop and sever my fate.

How could he do this to me? I've given my life to this company, poured my heart and soul into building it from the ground up.

And now, he's threatening to take it all away unless I conform to his archaic expectations.

“Father, you can't be serious”, I protested, trying to keep my anger in check.

“I’ve dedicated my life to this company.I've made sacrifices, worked tirelessly and this is what you want from me? A marriage of convenience? An heir to carry on your legacy?”

My father's expression remained unyielding, his eyes cold and calculating.

“You're not getting any younger Marcus and you're my only child. I need to ensure the future of this company, and that future requires a suitable successor. You have a month to comply, otherwise..”.

The unspoken threat hung in the air, a constant reminder of the fate that awaited me if I failed to obey.

I felt trapped, suffocated by the weight of my father's expectations.

My mind raced with rebellion, with the urge to break free from this prison of duty and forge my own path.

I slammed the door behind me, my head seething with anger and frustration and thoughts of finding a wife within a month.

How could he do this to me? My own father, threatening to cut me out of the family business unless I get married and produce a heir for him. It was archaic, mediaval and downright cruel.

I paced down the driveway, my feet carrying me further away from the mansion and it's suffocating expectations. I couldn't believe he would resort to such tactics.

I stopped at the gate, taking a deep breath as I gazed out of the city beyond.

“I needed to get out of here and clear my head” I said to myself.

I headed to a club, the music pulsed through my veins like a lifeline drowning out the anger and frustration that had driven me to this place.

As I sipped my drink, I lost myself in the rhythm, letting go of all my inhibitions.

That's when I saw her- a girl with a piercing green eyes and long, curly hair that seemed to shimmer in the dim light.

Our gazes met, and there was this connection, it was like a jolt of electricity ran through me.

We danced together, our bodies moving in perfect sync like we'd been choreographed to perform together.

The connection was palpable like we'd known each other for years, not just minutes.

We laughed, spun and twirled. Our smiles mirroring each other's.

As the night wore on, we stumbled to the bar, giggling and leaning on each other. We shared stories, secrets and dreams, our words flowing like we'd unlocked a deep well of understanding.

It was surreal, like we'd trapped into a hidden frequency that only we could hear.

In that moment, nothing else mattered, not my father's ultimatum, not the family business, not the weight of expectation.

All that mattered was this girl, this connection and the freedom we'd found in each other's eyes.

In the midst of our passion, I realized I didn't know her name. But somehow it didn't matter. Our lips locked in a passionate kiss and the night was a kaleidoscope of sensations, our love making a symphony of gasps, sighs and sweet surrender.

The next morning, I woke up feeling exhausted and my head was banging due to the drinks I had.

My mind raced as I tried to recall the events of the previous night. Fragments of my memories flashed through my brain.

The bar, the dancing, the laughter and the passionate kiss.

But nothing prepared me for the sight of this woman beside me, her hair tangled, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling with each gentle breath.

Panic set in as I scrambled to remember her name, our conversation, and how we ended up in this hotel room together.

But my memories were hazy and my head was pounding like a drum.

I groggily reached for my phone to check the time and saw a string of texts and calls from my father and my secretary each one more urgent than the last.

I jolted upright, my heart racing. How could I have been so reckless? I didn't even know the woman's name, let alone her intentions.

I threw off the covers and stumbled out of the bed and I received a call from my secretary Alex.

“Good morning sir, I've been trying to reach you since morning. We have an urgent business crisis that needs your presence”.

I rushed out of the hotel room, still trying to shake off the haze of the previous night.

The bright sunlight and cool morning air did little to clear by head as I made my way to the office.

As I arrived, Alex greeted me with a worried look. “Sir, we have a situation. Our biggest investor is pulling out and we need you to convince them to stay on board”.

I took a deep breath, pushing aside my personal struggles for the moment.

“Get me the details”, I said stroding into my office.

The next few hours were a blur of meetings and negotiations.

Finally when it was all over, my mind was reeling with thoughts of the mysterious woman, with the implications of my actions.

I felt like I'd escaped a trap,but my conscience was already gnawing at me.

When I was done in the office, I went back to the hotel room. I walked into the empty hotel room but the space was spotless, no trace of her presence remaining.

I couldn't help but wonder if I had imagined the whole encounter.

I shook my head, chiding myself for getting too caught up in the drama.

I had more important things to focus on, like salvaging my business and finding a wife in a month.

I grabbed my bag and headed out leaving the hotel and the memories behind.

Days had passed since the incident, I walked into my office, the silence a stark contrast to the usual bustle of activity.

I had been looking forward to getting a document and getting out but now it seemed like I would have to spend more time waiting and my secretary, Alex was nowhere to be found.

I approached my secretary's desk, hoping to find a note or some indication of when he would return.

“Oh my God! How lazy and incompetent can Alex be? What is taking him so long? I said angrily.

I didn't have time to waste or spare, so I decided to go get it myself at the conference room.

While I approached the conference room, my eyes widened in surprise as I took in the familiar figure leaning against the wall, her eyes and ears fixed intently on a conversation happening in the adjacent room.

“Who are you?” I asked in a loud voice as I approached the lady.

She turned, her feet tangling in a faint swoon, about to fall then I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her to my chest.

I felt a jolt of recognition run through me, her eyes, her facial structure, her curves, It all seemed so familiar.

And then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit me. I had seen her before. She was the woman from the bar, the one who shared my bed.

My eyes locked onto hers, “Who are you” I demanded again, my voice low and urgent.

“I…I'm Olivia” she stammered. “And I'm not eavesdropping, I was told to wait outside” she said.

I briefly stared at her, my thoughts swirled in a whirlpool of confusion and curiosity.

What is she doing here? Had she been searching for me? Does she remember me from that night?

I slammed the door and entered the conference room.

Axel and Ethan turned in shock to see me. “Good morning sir” they both greeted.

“Sir, the meeting just ended. I thought you said you won't be coming to work this morning” Axel said.

“Yeah.. I did not come here for that, I came to get the document regarding the transactions of last month. Get it ready and send it to my office” I said.

“Okay sir” Axel responded.

I tried to compose myself and my mind was still reeling from the encounter with the lady outside.

“Axel, who is the lady outside” I asked curiously.

“Oh.. she is the CEO of Nova tech, a rising tech industry. We just had a business meeting with her and we told her to wait outside while we sort things out” he said.

“Any problem, sir?” Axel asked

“No..not at all” I said. “A CEO? So she is not here to see me but to partner with us?I said to myself.

“But honestly sir, she doesn't meet our criteria we set for potential partners” Axel said in a firm voice.

I looked at Axel, “Send her to my office now” I instructed Axel, my tone firm as I left the room.