Married to the Arrogant CEO

RICHARD VANCE

Richard! Richard!! Richard Vance!!!

Mrs Vance shouted his son's name, as she stormed Richard's house, her voice thundered throughout the house. Richard who was still asleep was awoken by her mum's scream of his name.

"Hey Mum, what's with the loud noise this early morning? Calling my name in full is rare, I guess I'm in trouble again”, his voice still groggy from sleep.

“What did you say to Anna? What happened when you met her?" Mrs. Vance asked as she walked restlessly in the sitting room, her eyes filled with anger.

"What do you mean by that Mum? We just had a conversation" Richard replied, reaching out for a glass of water.

"Then why did Anna call me this morning saying she is not interested in the deal?”

"And should that be my problem? if she no longer wants the deal, it's her headache, not mine", Richard replied sitting down on the sofa.

"I didn't raise you to be this rude Richard, you should have thought of the repercussions that might follow your actions", she said, anger lacing her tone.

"What Mum?! what have I done now? And what repercussions could follow? Is there no other woman out there I can get as a wife? After all, this is just a contractual marriage and not a real one, I don't know why you take it so seriously”, Richard replied, in a sarcastic voice.

Mrs. Vance gave a deep sigh, stood up, and moved over to where her son was sitting.

"Just listen to yourself son, am I not doing all this for you, Anna is a vibrant and diligent woman, and she's the only one I could see who fits in perfectly for this, you need to get married in a week to secure the investors' contract", she said with a stern and serious expression.

"I understand, I'm not a kid Mum, I'm quite old enough to get a woman of my choice, can you at least give me the chance to get who I prefer", Richard said scratching his eyebrows.

Mrs. Vance gave a haughty smile, "We both know you’re always busy with work and have no time for that”

Mrs. Vance smiled, "Anna is not like any other woman you've met son, and not every lady you meet out there is after your money ", she said.

Richards glared at her with an awkward expression, his eyebrows raised.

"I've known Anna for the past two years and she's diligent, brilliant, and hardworking, with her by your side, you'll take this company to a higher level", she added.

Richard cut in, "Well-well-well, I've heard you, I agree to your proposal”

“That’s my boy, I will discuss it with Anna and I’m sure she will be convinced to reconsider her decision”, his mother replied with a smile, patting his back as she took her leave.

As stubborn and arrogant as Richard tends to be, he tends to have a soft spot for his mother and always believes in any decision she makes for him.

*********

(At Anna’s Workplace)

Mark walked into Anna’s office to discuss with her some pressing issues in the studio, he had been in the office for about 3 minutes but Anna didn’t notice his presence.

Mark knocked on the table before her before she jolted out in shock as she was deep in thought, “I’ve been here for quite a while now and you didn’t notice me, are you sure you are okay? Your eyes seem swollen, haven’t you been sleeping well?”

Anna gave a deep sigh as she tried to gain her composure, “ Ever since I encountered Anthony a month ago, I have been having recurring nightmares about my past with him, and it's so scary and not giving me peace of mind”.

Mark sat down opposite her, filled with compassion, knowing about her past and everything she’s been through, he has been of help to her for the past two years, and they’ve built the dance studio together and become more or less family.

“It’s okay Anna, these past few weeks have been tough, why don’t you reconsider Mrs. Vance's proposal? getting married into that family will save you from Anthony’s threat and you can use their connection to find Alice and get justice.

Anna sighed as she felt reluctant to agree to the proposal, “I’m still trying to escape my former life with Anthony, and now this proposal doesn’t feel right at the moment, He even judged me right on our first meeting to a be a gold digger, I don’t think I can just hop in into this contract marriage just like that, I need to think it through”.

Mark's eyebrows were drawn together in a gentle frown, “You’ve faced challenges and abuses in the past, this should/t be something that weighs you down, just see the greater gain from this proposal, and it’s just for a year, not for a lifetime take your time, but make a decision fast”, Mark replied.

“Though it’s been over a month since you saw Anthony, he might just want to scare you then, and probably not show again, but you need to act fast, you never know what he is planning”

A little smile crept from Anna’s lips, his words tended to soften her heart and bring her comfort, “I hope he never shows his face again, but thanks Mark, I appreciate”

“It’s getting late, maybe you go home to rest, I will wrap up the lesson with our students and close for the day, and I will see you next week”. Mark said as he headed out of the office

“Thanks for that, I think I need that” Anna stood up to close for the day and head home.

As Anna approached her apartment, she felt a strange feeling within her, but she shrugged it off, maybe she just needed a good sleep, as she entered the house, she noticed the backdoor was unlocked, she was confused as to why it was unlocked.

“I might have forgotten to lock the door while going to work”, she said to herself as she headed to her room.

As she opened the door, the view that came to her face scared her, her feet were stuck, her eyes were wide open, and her heart was racing as she struggled to catch her breath, her handbag fell off as her hands trembled in fear.

“Hello Anna, we meet again, you can never hide from me, I told you we’re not done yet”