The Merger

Elle It has been a good morning up until my father ordered me into his study. My father’s study was a room we all loved and feared at the same time. Dark wood paneling, heavy leather furniture and antique Persian rugs, bookcases filled with leather-bound volumes, paintings and photographs in gold frames and a dark wood desk with a high leather chair. This was where my father spent most of his day and this is where we would go as little kids to spend time with him. I remember sitting on one of the rugs, legs crossed, a book in front of me. Or lying on one of the leather sofas, my father in a chair across, reading stories of distant worlds. Nowadays, since my siblings and I were adults, we were mostly cited into the study to receive orders. Like today. Our butler told me that my father expected to see me right after breakfast and I knew right away something was going on. I went to his study and found him bent over a book, studying something intently. I cleared my throat and he looked up.  “Eloise. Glad you made it. Take a seat.” Uh oh. Eloise. My father only used my full name in serious conversations.This and the fact that he had not once smiled so far did not bode well for this talk. I hated to be called Eloise and really nobody ever called me that, except my father. Not because he wanted to annoy me but rather because he was the only one who really loved this name. It has been his sister’s, my aunt’s and he had named me after her.  I took my seat on one of the leather chairs across his desk. He looked at me for a while without saying anything. Then he sighed.  “I know that you won’t like what I have to tell you now but know upfront that this is not up for discussion.” I looked at him quizzically. My father was always a stern man, used to giving us orders. But something in his face made me wonder what this was all about.  “The company is planning on merging with Lowe Enterprises at the end of the month”, he said. I nodded. Yes, of course, the merger of our family business with Lowe Enterprises has been in the making for some month now and it was something my dad has been pushing for quite some time. This merger would make the new merged entity one of the most powerful providers of defense technology in the world.  My dad let out a breath and continued, “Richard Lowe and I have decided that the best way to seal the merger and strengthen the bond between our families you are to wed Richard’s oldest son.” I gasped. Surely my father could not be serious!  “Is this some sort of sick joke?” I managed to get out. My father shook his head. “Listen Eloise, I understand that this may not seem fair to you. But Richard’s son is a decent man and I agree with Richard that we need a bond between our families that extends beyond legal documents. Our families need to grow together. We have discussed this in depth and we believe this is the best solution.” “This is not fair! Why am I being treated like some sort of business casualty?” I cried. “Mom would have never let you do this to me!” My father’s face hardened. “Your mother is not here anymore. I do not need to remind you why, do I?” He took another deep breath. “Eloise…” He stood up and went around the table to lay a hand on my shoulder. “I only want the best for you. I want to keep you safe. As hard as it is for you to understand that right now, making this deal is me doing exactly that. The Lowe’s will be here for dinner and I expect you to be at you4 best behavior.” My eyes started to fill with tears and all I wanted to do was run. I stood up abruptly and backed away from my father’s desk.  “I can’t do it!” Bam. The door slammed loudly and I stormed out of my father’s office and quickly walked through the large hallway and out the front door. I couldn’t believe the talk we just had! My father was a reasonable man, most of the time at least, but now he obviously had gone crazy. I huffed and sank on a bench near the lake. In my back was our family home, a brick mansion overlooking the lake. I needed to sort my thoughts… it was not like I could not see myself marrying, in fact, I would have rather liked that. It was just that I never thought I would be part of an arranged marriage, a piece in a deal. I was always content as a single woman, I had made it to 32 with only a few heartbreaks and no significant relationship to count. At first I had imagined that the right guy would come along and I would fall in love at first sight. A man who would cherish my independence and my strong will, a partner at eye level. A man who would love me for who I was, faults and all. But as I passed 25 I started to understand that even in the 21st century a lot of men wanted a wife who never dared to outshine them and who was content with following. While my father ruled with an iron fist he also always encouraged his children to lead. This was why I had become a lawyer and soon one of the youngest female partners in the litigation department, leading the white collar crime team. My colleagues and my opponents in court respected me. Romantically though, my job and my ability to hold myself in court has not helped at all. I knew for a fact that some of my male colleagues called me a ball buster. And then there was the situation with my looks… I considered myself attractive - most of the time at least. Hey, that’s what all women go through, some days you feel it, some days you don’t. I have been told that I had nice eyes and I really liked my face as well as my dark shiny hair.  But being a bit more on the plus-size scale apparently was a sin for a woman. I scoffed just at the thought of it. The last guy I went out with had told me straight to my face that I would be so pretty if I would just lose a couple pounds. The guy I dated before had told me on the third date that he would prefer just being friends because he could not see me in his fitness-crazed friends group, but if I’d be up to it, we could still add benefits to friends. Needless to say this was the last time we had seen each other. Oh and how could I forget the former colleague who had pursued me for weeks before I had agreed to go on a date with him just to overhear him in the coffee kitchen the next day telling one of the interns that ‘the fat b***h did not put out’ even though he apparently was entitled to my affections because he had sprung for a lobster dinner.  Actually, now that I thought of it, this whole arranged marriage thing probably was not for the worst. At least in this case it was apparent that it was only a business deal, nothing more to expect. As much as I rejected it, having a husband could certainly help my career as well as single women were still considered freaks once they passed a certain age. Was I crazy? I stood up from the bench and paced a few steps up and down the pier that led into the lake. Maybe this was me losing my mind but suddenly the whole thing being a business deal appealed to me. My matchmaking friends who have been responsible for some of the worst dates over the last two years would finally be off my back. I could still do me, pursue my career while fulfilling society’s expectations to some extent. My arranged husband certainly had other plans for his life as well and would not mind my long hours at the office or that I spend almost all of my free time at our family’s mansion, bundled up in the library. He would be out and about doing God knows what and I couldn't care less because he was a stranger. I was a lawyer for God’s sake, I could see the pros of the deal. Maybe, just maybe, I was losing my mind but yes, if my father would leverage me in this merger it certainly had significance for the family. He would not put me on the line like that just for fun. So agreeing to this madness would help my family and if I played my cards right, even me. I smiled triumphantly before suddenly stopping in my tracks. There was just one thing that I had not thought about… who was my groom?  James I stared at my parents in disbelief.  “What did you just say?” I must have misheard, I was sure. The General - that’s what we called dad - and my mum exchanged a look.  “Honey”, my mum started, “we know that this sounds a little unusual… but those are the terms.”  The General cleared his throat.  “Son, William Hawthorne was very clear in this. The merger will only go ahead if you marry his daughter, Eloise. I thought he was crazy at first too but we have talked it through and I kind of understand his reasoning.”  I was confused.  “What reason could he have, dad? It’s the 21st century and he is bartering his daughter in a business transaction. That is batshit crazy!”  My parents exchanged another look.  “Son, I will not divulge Hawthorne’s reasons. He shared them with me in confidence and I agreed we will keep it that way. In any case, it is done. We have agreed and the merger is going ahead. Together Hawthorne Industries and Lowe Enterprises will form a new entity set on becoming a world leader in defense technology. With our family’s long standing military history and William Hawthorne’s tech genius we will make sure to leave competition behind.”  He smiled warily.  “I am not doing this for me, James. Since you have retired from service you have shown yourself to be a great businessman. This merger will be the foundation of your professional future.”  “Still dad, this is crazy. You are founding an empire based on an arranged marriage? Mum, come on you have to see how absurd this whole idea is!” “Oh believe me James, the first time I heard it I reacted the same way you’re doing right now. But I agree with your father, this weirdly makes sense.” Great, my mother was on board with this madness. My parents were usually very levelheaded people, my father was a retired four-star army general, my mother had worked in an undisclosed position witn the pentagon for quite some years before retiring early to run the family. If they had agreed to this absolute bonkers deal, there must be something behind it. But what? Again I came up blank… I just saw no reason any sane man would subject his daughter to an arranged marriage as part of a legal transaction.  “I don’t even know that person”, I said to my parents.  “She seems to be a very nice girl according to her father. She’s a lawyer in some litigation boutique firm and apparently very focussed on her career so you share that”, answered my mother.  “Well that sounds very generic, doesn’t it?”, I snapped.  My parents once again exchanged some looks. What did they know and would not share? A lawyer… I had no preferences for the job of my future wife to be honest. Heck for all I knew I never wanted to get married. Retiring from special forces and settling into civilian life had been challenging enough. I sometimes missed the structure and camaraderie the military has provided me with and yeah, I also missed the thrill of it. I had made the choice to retire because I knew that the general was ready to hand over Lowe Enterprises and he wished I would take over and run the family business. My mother had been happy that I was out of harm's way and safely behind office doors instead of galavanting across the danger zones of the world as she so eloquently put it every time the topic of my job came up. Honestly, I enjoyed running Lowe Enterprises and it was a challenge I was happy to take on. After all, now at 36 years old it maybe was time to settle down a little bit. Still, a wife has not been part of this plan. It was not that I didn’t like women, I just didn’t do romantic relationships. Growing up as a military brat, moving around quite a bit and joining the ranks myself I was never long enough in one place to really get into that sort of thing. All those romantic entanglements just brought expectations with them that I wasn’t ready to fulfill. Well, at least that could be considered a plus side of this stupid deal. It wasn’t romantic! I could go about with my life as I saw fit and my wife would do whatever she wanted to do. I sincerely hoped that she didn’t have any romantic notion either but as she was in fact also just a part in her father’s business deals I guess she wouldn’t. A lawyer and focussed on her career… could have been worse. She would work long hours and would not interfere in my life too much.  “Either way, we are invited at the Hawthorne’s for dinner tonight and you will meet the young lady. We will discuss next steps then”, said the general and ripped me out of my thoughts.  I nodded. That was it then. I was about to meet my bride in the strangest way possible and it seemed there was nothing I could do about it.  “Just one question though, general. What can you tell me about William Hawthorne?” My dad chuckled.  “I would have thought your future wife would interest you more than your father-in-law. But let me see… William Hawthorne… Well, he is a stern man, a man of principles and he built up Hawthorne industries from the ground. He comes from money, that much I know but it is said that he nevertheless got no funding to pursue his dreams and had to finance the start of his tech business with shifts in a diner or a bar, something like this. He is a family man and he takes pride in his kids”, the general started to describe my future father-in-law and mum added, “I think he cares a lot about them and wants what is best for them.” I just raised a brow. Yeah, using your daughter in a transaction certainly did scream family man. I wondered how I would feel about William Hawthorne, I mean I was joining his family! A stern man, my dad called it. Well, some people considered the general a stern man and I knew that he was still respected and maybe even feared among military men. But my dad was one of the most loving and giving people you could imagine. Maybe it was the same for William Hawthorne?  “He was very adamant about wishing the best for his daughter and believe me, he almost interrogated me about you before making this marriage part of the deal”, the general continued.  I really had to refrain from rolling my eyes. This whole thing about marrying his daughter off was strange anyways but what didn’t fit my fantasy about this heartless tyrant was the fact that he seemed to care who she was married off to. During my days in service I had developed a pretty good gut feeling and right now this gut feeling told me that something was off. Maybe there was more at play then it seemed at first sight. I shook my head. Obviously I was missing active service a bit too much and that was why I was ready to see a conspiracy or inconsistency in everything.  “Dad, what does this girl think about it?” My mother answered instead of the general.  “As far as we understood William, he is telling her about all of it right this second. I think she will be as surprised as you are. We don’t know if he is sharing his reasons with her and if so, I am sure he will share them with you as well. He was really on the fence about that and swore us to secrecy as well.” Again my gut feeling signaled me that there was something else going on, something bigger. I narrowed my eyes and dad stepped closer and put a hand on my shoulder.  “Son, the last thing we want is for you to be unhappy, you have to believe us. Believe me when I tell you that William Hawthorne has his reasons for wanting his daughter betrothed to you. As absurd as this seems, I tend to agree with him even though the way he is approaching all of this is unconventional to say the least.” He cleared his throat and after looking at my mother for a second he turned back to me.  “Let’s take it step by step. Tonight we are going to have dinner at the Hawthorne’s, you get to meet Eloise and we will take it from there, alright?” I nodded. Eloise… that was her name? Sounded a bit old-fashioned and I could not help seeing the image of a 60 year old in prairie skirts flashing before my eyes. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. Surely my wife-to-be was not 60, I was pretty certain my parents would have not agreed to that. That left the question: who really was Eloise?