Ch-1. Blind Date
1528 Words
“Grandpa! You know I’m capable of handling the company myself, I’ve put Woodwick Enterprises on the global map…”
Bella’s confident voice floated above the soft classical tunes playing in the café, only to be overtaken by her grandfather’s deep and commanding tone echoing from the phone speakers.
"Bella, dear! This isn't a job interview. I am well aware of your skills, but you know the laws of our family.”
Bella groaned, knowing where this conversation was headed.
“Even if someone has all the qualifications to be the heir of the Bradshaw family, he or she is only eligible to inherit the family business after marriage! Your 25th birthday is coming up this month, and you need to make a choice quickly.”
Bella took the hem of her white dress in her palm before scrunching it in her fist, trying to relieve her frustration.
“Grandpa, I simply don't understand why we are still following these outdated laws. This is the 21st century, why do I need a husband to prove my worth–”
“Enough about this, Bella. It's high time you realize that the matter of your wedding doesn’t concern only you, but our family's reputation too.”
His tone was clipped, and Bella felt her grandfather's anger even through the phone.
“But I’m not ready—”
“And how long is that going to take? I've been hearing this same line for the last three years. God forbid that I have to die before you ever feel ready, all my assets will go to either one of your drunkard uncles, or your selfish aunt!”
The mention of his death stopped Bella cold in her tracks, her arguments freezing in her throat before they could reach her tongue.
“Grandpa, at least don’t say that.”
“Why shouldn't I? This is the only way to make you understand! You have always taken advantage of my fondness for you, but I'm not going to live forever. If you don’t marry soon, one of my useless children will inherit this empire, and they won’t take more than five years to run everything into the ground. The whole industry will be shaken by our falling share prices, and our family name, our legacy… all of it will be gone within a snap.”
Bella remained silent, her jaw clenched. She didn't need her grandfather to tell her how incompetent her relatives were– she had seen it with her own eyes.
“This is my last warning to you, Bella! If you don't choose someone, then I'll be forced to arrange your marriage to the heir of another family– more powerful and wealthy than ours– with or without your wishes. You only have ten days to decide: do you want to compromise with our family's laws and rule the empire, or do you want to serve someone else's family and live by their laws?”
*
Felix paused before he pushed open the door to the Amber Roux Bistro. He took a moment to fix his hair with one hand, smoothing it back with a nervous breath.
Blind dates weren’t his usual thing, but Nara, his childhood best friend who was more like a sibling at this point, had refused to stop bothering him until he agreed.
Ever since he had taken an early retirement from the military and started working as a gynecology nurse… let's just say that he wasn't having much luck with relationships.
He stepped inside and turned his head slightly to the right, searching through the tables, trying to match the description he had been given over the phone.
That's when his gaze landed on her, and just… stopped.
Sitting by the window was a woman around his age, dressed in white– just like he had been told. But she was far more breathtaking than he had anticipated.
Her long, chestnut brown hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and something about her aura was so magnetic that he felt instantly drawn to her. The only thing that proved she was human, and not a delicate marble statue carved by a Renaissance artist, was the delicate frown on her otherwise perfect face.
She was on the phone, her expression tight. Felix’s heart stuttered, assuming that she must be upset because he was late.
He checked his watch— he was five minutes past the meeting time. Feeling a pang of guilt, he quickly approached her.
“Hey, I’m really sorry I made you wait,” he said with a nervous smile.
Bella was in the middle of listening to her grandfather's lecture when she sensed someone close by, speaking to her.
At first, the words didn’t register in her mind; the new person's voice just blended in with her thoughts.
She had specifically told the waiters not to disturb her until she asked for the bill. She raised her head, ready to snap at whoever it was who had interrupted her.
But it wasn't a waiter.
Standing in front of her was a young man, not much older than her, smiling at her like he knew her. His bright eyes were expectant, as if waiting for her to respond.
Felix, sensing the awkward silence, shifted slightly. Assuming that his date must be embarrassed that he had caught her in the middle of a phone call, he smiled wider, trying to ease the tension.
“May I sit?”
Bella blinked, momentarily thrown off by his forwardness. She was still trying to process his appearance, and found herself nodding slightly without even realizing it.
At first, she was thoroughly irritated by the man who had taken the liberty to barge in on her conversation. But something about him made her pause, he wasn't like the kind of men she was used to rejecting: rude, arrogant and brash.
Instead, he was quite polite so far, and hadn't tried to hit on her– yet.
Otherwise, the usual guys would already have asked for her number, tried to show off their wealth in some gaudy way, or dropped a lame pick-up line.
Felix, figuring that she was probably just as shy and nervous as him, decided to break the silence.
“Oh, pardon my manners, I didn’t even introduce myself yet. I’m Felix Renado, an ex-serviceman.”
Bella lowered the phone from her ear, intrigued by the man's sincerity and his candid way of speaking.
“I’m 28, I actually took voluntary retirement from the military almost a year ago, due to my mom’s deteriorating health. By God’s grace, she is doing fine now. I'm working as a gynecology nurse at the City Hospital.”
Speaking objectively, he wasn't bad-looking, she noted to herself. She noticed the way he had neatly folded the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, revealing well-built forearms. The shirt was neatly ironed, but left untucked– neither too uptight and formal, nor too casual and sloppy.
His jet-black hair was fluffy but styled carefully, and he was clean-shaven; no overwhelming cologne, either.
Felix continued, oblivious to her thoughts.
“Although I'm sure Nara must have told you about me...”
Bella raised her eyebrows, her confusion growing. Nara? Who on earth was Nara?
Felix finished speaking and asked, trying to keep the conversation going,
“If you don’t mind me asking, what field do you work in?”
Bella tilted her head slightly, deciding to humor him.
“I’m Arabella Bradshaw, and I handle the operations of my family’s company, Woodwick Enterprises.”
Felix, who had been casually reaching for a napkin, froze. Did she just say Arabella Bradshaw? As in the Bradshaw family—the richest family in the entire country? What was Nara thinking, setting him up with someone like that?!
His eyes widened as he looked at her, completely at a loss.
“I’m sorry! How… how does Nara even know you?”
Bella’s expression remained calm as she replied bluntly,
“I don’t think she does, because I surely don't know anyone named Nara. I believe you have mistaken me for someone else, I wasn’t supposed to meet anyone here.”
Right in front of Bella's eyes, Felix’s face turned crimson with embarrassment. He quickly shot up from his seat, bowing slightly in a desperate attempt to fix the mess he had made.
“I’m really sorry for disturbing you, Miss Bradshaw. Please trust me, I had no idea. I’m… I’m really sorry once again.”
Without waiting for her to respond, Felix spun around and walked away. Bella sat at the table, her eyes narrowed as she watched him leave.
*
On the other side of the call, Remus Bradshaw had listened to the entire conversation. A slow smile spread across his face as he hung up and handed the phone to his assistant.
“Remiro, I believe we’ll hear wedding bells soon enough!”
“Did Miss agree to marry someone already, sir?”
Remus shook his head.
“No, but I think my hotheaded granddaughter has found someone who can bring out a side of her we’ve rarely seen: patience.”
- Writer
