Hunted Passion

Chapter 4: The condition

Alexandro's pov

I continued tapping my fingers on the desk as Brimley gave me a report of what had happened between him and my supposed fiancee.

"Sir, that cannot be the person you are going to marry. She is very rude, does not behave well and she even dresses skimpy. I will advise you to go with her." Brimley advised me.

"But the last time I checked, you were the one who recommended her." I reminded him.

"Yes I did but I thought she was well-behaved because that's what her parents told me and besides, her parents were kind and accommodating so I expected her to be the same." Brimley tried explaining.

"I believe I have always told you Brimley that assumption is the lowest form of knowledge! You did not make your findings well and now you are advising me?" I asked him angrily.

"I'm sorry about that sir, I will look for another person." He volunteered to try to make amends for his mistakes.

Everyone knew that I have a penchant for perfection and I don't tolerate mistakes but Brimley knew that I would always have a tiny bit of soft spot for him since I grew up with him looking after my needs.

"I'm truly sorry sir, but I will not advise you to marry her." He repeated his advice.

"Okay, but you are not the one to give me advice. So yes, schedule a meeting again with her. I want to see her myself this time and teach her a lesson." I instructed Brimley.

Brimley scheduled another meeting with the lady the next day and I was prepared for it.

I had never met her or even known her name. I had told Brimley that I needed a bride for an arranged marriage and he had done everything.

I was not ready to get married. If I left to my will, I would never get married. But my grandfather had made it compulsory that I must get married if not, I would not inherit the company completely.

Now, I was the CEO, but the company was not yet mine, legally. And the only condition there was to get married.

My grandfather knew my stance on marriage, which was why he did that. Because he wanted a great-grandchild.

I opened the file of my soon-to-be bride that Brimley had given to me. A picture was not in it, but everything I needed to know about her was there.

There was also a piece of additional information that Brimley had recently added. I saw in it that her parents just died. They had died in a plane crash.

This brought back memories of my parents to me. They had also died in a car crash when they went on a couple's vacation.

It was their first vacation since I was born, and it became their last. I closed the file and rested my head on the desk.

I moved in with my grandfather when my parents died, and he has been the one taking care of me ever since then.

I lost a part of myself when my parents died. I became cold, distant, arrogant.

Well, I'm still a bit arrogant, but not as arrogant as then. And I also became a bully.

There was a lady I bullied all through high school. Sometimes, I do wonder what had become of her.

I left my study and went to my room to sleep so I could get enough rest for my meeting with my supposed bride tomorrow.

***

Early the next morning I took extra care to make myself up. I made sure I put on my best clothes because I wanted to make a good first impression.

I had always been told that I looked good and it was a fact that I know.

Many ladies would die to be in my bed but I had always turned them down because of one dark fear that had gripped me since my parents died.

I would never be able to tell anybody about it, not even my grandfather or the therapist who my grandfather took me to see after the death of my parents.

I went to my study to do some business transactions before my guest would arrive.

I told Brimley to tell her that noon was ok At exactly noon, Brimley came to knock on my study door.

"Yes?" I asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"She is here." He said to me,

"Alright, tell her to wait. I'll be coming out soon." I instructed him.

I waited deliberately for 30 minutes before going to see her. When I saw her, I was shocked.

She was the girl I bullied all through high school!

She turned to look at me and her eyes widened in shock.

"You? You are the Alessandro? Oh my God, I should have known!" She exclaimed.

"Wait, Dotty, Lisa, I can explain." I tried to call her.

"My name is Lizzy!" She corrected me angrily.

"How can you bully me for years and you couldn't even get my name right? I will not have anything to do with you!" she said and stood up to walk out when I held her hands and dragged her back.

"See, that was in the past. I'm no longer the bully you used to know."

"That doesn't still change the fact that you were my worst nightmare in high school! Look, the reason I came here was to tell you that this arrangement is not going to work. And thank God, I've seen a valid reason for it." She said

"I'm sorry, but that arrangement cannot be cut off," I told her.

"Why?" She demanded angrily.

"Because it was made by your parents!" I reminded her.

"And so what? They are dead, so now it doesn't stand."

"It stands because there's an agreement between your parents and me."

"What kind of agreement?" she asked me.

"Well, their business was in crisis, and they were about to lose their cafe to a big debt. I paid off the debt and bought the café for them to allow me to get married to you. That was our arrangement and if for any reason you refused, then you would pay back every single penny I spent double." I said to her.