A Shrew's Revenge

Chapter 2

Brian Carlton sat back lazily in the giant chair of his office, staring up at the ceiling and taking deep breathes.

Most of the office staff had left for the day and now all he could hear was the off tune hums of the janitor. He sighed, thinking about what his father and he had talked about over breakfast. It was a conversation that had happened many times over the last year. A merger with Lida Enterprises? It would make them a completely unstoppable force. The idea was brilliant- it was exactly the type of press they needed for the new product launch next year but the question was how?

You'd think the fact that Lida's founder and Volstack's chairman were old friends would be enough but things were always more complicated. Friends always wanted more from each other than traditional business associates.

When his father had mentioned marriage, he'd pretty much thought he had gone insane. He couldn't just marry someone so their companies could come together- this wasn't the 1950s. Yet both friends seemed intent on making the companies merger something much more personal than just a business alliance.

What was more annoying was that it was Mr. Lida himself who was insisting on the marriage or there would be no merger. Of course he would- no one else was lining up to marry his daughter, no matter how rich they were. Brian cringed at the thought of marrying that shrew. It wasn't so much her looks that made her undesirable, although she could put some more effort into it, but her demeanor, crudeness and reputation for being an all around b***h.

Then there was Terecom- their competitor. Lida Enterprises had hinted that they were also in the market for the merger. As far as stock went, Terecom was definitely a better choice, but Volstack was a household name. Mr. Lida had made his not so subtle hints- he would be willing to commit to Volstack if there was wedding bells ringing in the near future.

Brian looked at the papers on his desk and carefully ordered them from least to most urgent, noting the 2 weeks notice his assistant had left him. Another complete annoyance. Brian carefully chose everyone on his staff- including his personal assistant. He liked to be surrounded by fun, beautiful women and now he was going to have to search for a replacement.

It was always the same story with those women- they were almost immediately smitten by him, worked their hardest to seduce him and when they found he wasn't interested for the long run, they left as soon as they could. He made a note on a post it, attaching it to the letter and stood. It was getting late and his father would be waiting for him downstairs.

Brian grabbed his jacket and locked his office door behind him, leaving the note on the secretary's desk so she would know to begin working on this first thing in the morning. As he moved towards the elevator, he caught up with his father, a man who looked nothing like him. Brian had taken after his mother, dark hair and lightly tanned skin- the only clue that these two were father and son was the stormy blue eyes that women seemed to get lost in.

As they rode in the elevator in silence, Brian considered letting Terecom win the merger, remembering then how that could destroy the company his grandfather had worked so hard to build.

"Made up your mind then?" His father said, as Brian adjusted his collar and tie in the elevator mirrors.

"I have." he said, slipping on his jacket. "I need a new assistant- I'm having Ellen work on that first thing tomorrow."

"Another one?" His father said, shaking his head.

"Yes." Brian said, "And yes."

George Carlton stared at his son, for a second unbelieving and then he proceeded to fix his own tie.

"Very good then."

-----

Nora looked at herself in the mirror- she was trying on the same dress for the hundredth time. She'd bought it on a whim, when she first began to loose weight, thinking maybe one day it would suit her, but with her hair a giant frizz ball and her over sized glasses, you really couldn't see anything but a mess.

It was a simple dress, wrap around with a v neck in deep blue and even though Nora had pretty much shed all the extra fat she'd stored over the years, she still couldn't bring herself to wear it. With a cry of frustration she quickly ran back into her closet, tossing the dress aside and putting on the usual: thick tights, knee length khaki skirt, over sized button up shirt and a colorful sweater vest. The garments were like a shield, hiding any hint of a curve that Nora might have.

Nora pulled her frizzy hair into an over tightened bun and placed a large headband on her head in an effort to control the frizz. As she looked in the mirror, she realized she had gotten it all wrong, as usual, but she couldn't bring herself to change it. She had always been afraid that if people saw her, they would reject her.

With a sigh, Nora hurried downstairs, making sure everything was in place. She saw her father, walking into the hall, putting his cell phone in his pocket.

They must be here. Her father was in fact quiet handsome, just as her Mother had been- so then what had been the issue with Nora? It seemed that she lacked any and all grace that should have been hers.

Nora crept up next to her father as he opened the door and let in the visitors.

"George!" he said as the man walked in.

"Nick." the man said, hugging her father with a pat on the back.

Nora stood awkwardly, watching the scene.

"You must be Nora... how you've grown." George Carlton said, looking her over. Nora was used to this, people who didn't expect that a wealthy heiress could be so... ugly. She smiled politely, turning to the man who was greeting her father at this time.

Wow- he's tall.

"Nora, you remember Brian, don't you?" Her father asked. Brian looked at Nora- a pathetic looking little creature who he felt sorry for. She had no idea she was being traded off as part of a deal. He smiled at her, trying to ease her obvious discomfort.

"Yes. Hi." She said at length, shaking his hand.

Nora couldn't believe how different Brian was. His hair had grown darker over the years, and he now wore a five o clock shadow that made him look mischievous. She gulped, trying to look away as he flashed her a toothy grin. Brian was gorgeous- just like everyone said, handsome to the very last hair on his head. He'd grown taller, if you could believe it, making her feel quiet small and his shoulders were certainly more broad. His suit fit him to perfection and there was a very casual elegance about him she couldn't describe.

But nothing could compare to those eyes- a deep blue which seemed to have been set with dirty smudges so as to hide all types of dark deeds. Now Nora's heart flipped in her chest as she watched him, seeming much to large for the room.

As the evening progressed, Nora did notice that Brian spoke to her frequently, trying to keep her in the conversation and tried to make her a part of the evening but she felt much too shy. She was afraid to say something stupid or ignorant.

Brian did his best to speak to Nora, but she sat with her nose turned up rudely all night. It was positively boring. How was he expected to be married to this girl? at all? Seriously?

When his father finally rose to leave, Brian stood eagerly, unable to sit through the situation any longer.

"Nick, before we go, may we have a word with you in private?" George said.

"Thank you for coming. Good Night." Nora said simply, walking out of the sitting room and closing the doors behind her.

"So, George, what's on your mind?" Nick asked as he heard Nora's foot steps fade in the distance.

"I wanted to speak to you about Nora." Brian said, trying to sound calm.

"ah yes." Nick said, knowing where the conversation was heading.

"I'd like your permission to marry her." Brian said simply. Nick nodded and waited a minute as if choosing his words.

"Nora is a special girl- would you believe you have the patience to deal with her?" Nick asked. Brian was quiet.

"I would be a good husband to her." He said after a few minutes. George was quiet, his eyes twinkling.

"Good. Then I am happy- But I think I should speak to her first, and then we can arrange a formal time for you to come." Nick said. Brian shrugged. It was all just a business arrangement anyways.

"Okay. We can come by on Friday for dinner?" George said. Brian clenched his fists, trying to remain calm despite what was happening.

"Yes. that sounds good." Nick said.

"Well, then we will see each other then." George said.

--------

Nora sat in front of the mirror in her room, wondering why God had not graced her with good looks. Brian was very nice to her, but she knew he would never look her way. She wondered how many people as kind and sincere as Brian there was in the world, wondering if she would ever meet one.

As Nora, in a very unlike Nora fashion, sat sitting pondering these silly romantic notions, there came a soft tap at the door.

"Come in." She said, turning to find her father had come to see her.

"Hi Daddy." She said as he approached her.

"Hey Pumpkin. I wanted to thank you for behaving so well tonight." He said as Nora stood to kiss him goodnight.

"Please don't make me do that again." She said, slightly annoyed. Nora hated having her personality curbed.

"Listen- Brian was very interested in seeing you again." He said, making Nora turn to him.

"What?" She said.

"I said, Brian was talking about how much he wanted to see you again. He said he enjoyed himself tremendously." Nick said. He knew selling the engagement would be a difficult thing.

"He did?" Nora asked in a puzzled manner.

"Yes, Nora, may I be frank with you?" Nick asked. Nora nodded, sitting back down.

"always." She said.

"As you know, I have been looking at merger offers from several companies, among which Volstack is included." He said. Nora nodded.

"At this time, I have made up my mind to accept Volstack's offer." He said.

"Good. They seemed to be the best to offer anyways- The market would be ours completely under such an agreement." Nora said. Nora had a very deep understanding of the business. She had, after all, been sent to the very best schools and had graduated with honors.

"I'm glad you feel that way. Pumpkin, George and Brian are just as happy about the merger, and Brian in particular because he has expressed special interest in you." Nick said, wondering if the words got across.

Nora shot up from her seat, suddenly understanding.

"NO?!" she said, unbelieving of what he was suggesting.

"Listen, it's a great arrangement. We unite the business and our families." Nick said.

"You do mean an arranged marriage, don't you?" Nora said, laughing with an ugly snort. "What year do you think this is? That I'll just agree to this? I'm nearly 25! You can't make me!" she shrieked.

"No, I can't. And I absolutely won't force you to do this if you do not want to. But, I want you to know that Brian was the one that suggested the arrangement." Nick felt guilty lying to his only daughter but he felt she would not accept otherwise.

"He did?" She asked, suddenly becoming more calm.

"Yes. The merger will happen, either way, but Brian wants to offer for you. He says he truly enjoyed spending time with you tonight." Nick said.

"Well, then why doesn't he get to know me better first?" Nora asked, still in shock.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe someone may actually have fallen in love with you at first sight? Isn't that how love works?" Nick said.

"love? LOVE? Did Brian say that?" Nora asked.

"In not so many words." Nick responded- another lie.

"Love?" Nora said softly. "With someone like me?"