Marriage With The New CEO

Chapter two

“Andrew, darling! Is that you?” Mrs. Caldwell called out from the living room the moment the door shut.

Andrew blew air out through his lips, untucking his white dress shirt from his black trousers before entering the large formal entry hall of his family’s palatial residence. “Yes Mother, I am home. ”

He went to the living room where his parents were sitting on a cream-coloured soft sofa. His father Robert Caldwell was reading the newspaper and his mother Elizabeth looked pleased with him.

“Well, how was work today, son?” Robert questioned, not even bothering to lift his head from his newspaper.

“Business as usual,” Andrew said in a dull tone. "Busy. "

Elizabeth got up from the chair, adjusting her black designer dress. “Get up to wash up, sweetheart. We have a small surprise for you.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

His mother smiled and said, “You’ll see,” with a wink of her eye. “Well, carry on, don't make us wait for such a long time!”

Andrew became curious, so he decided to go upstairs to his room. He removed his formal attire and put on casual clothes as soon as possible. Lathering his face with soap and rinsing the suds with water he couldn’t help but think about how his parents were.

Fifteen minutes later Andrew returned to the living room. His parents were sitting next to each other, and they both looked as if they could hardly contain themselves.

“Okay, here I am,” Andrew sat down, facing them. "What's this surprise?"

Robert cleared his throat. “Son, I have a decision to make now. As much as I love this company, I will be resigning as the CEO of Quantum Tech. ”

Andrew's eyes widened. "What? But why?"

“It’s time, Andrew,” his father said. “I am not getting any younger, and the company needs new blood.” “That is where you come in.”

Elizabeth looked at him and clapped her hands together. “What a splendid idea! You will be the new CEO!”

This caused Andrew to sit back and contemplate the information. He had always been aware of the day that he would be out of work but he thought that it would take some time before it happened.

“But there is a small condition,” Robert said after a pause, his voice becoming more serious.

Andrew's eyes narrowed. "What condition?"

Elizabeth jumped in, her voice all honeyed. “Well, darling, the board has said that the new CEO should look a certain way, stable you know?”

Andrew, frowning with a feeling of dread, asked, “What are you getting at?”

Robert sighed. “Well, son, you have to get married,” he said bluntly “You have to get it done within a month!”

Andrew leaped up from the chair. “Married? Are you kidding me?’’

“Oh now now, dear,” Elizabeth said gently. “This is not as bad as all that, I have even gone ahead to source for the perfect girl for you. ”

Andrew's jaw dropped. He looked at his mother in utter surprise. "You what?"

“Oh my God, Andrew she is lovely,” exclaimed Elizabeth. “Beautiful, well-educated, from a good family. You’ll like her, I’m sure of it. ”

Andrew raked a hand through his hair, irritation forming a knot in his chest. “Mom, Dad, this is insane, you cannot just select a wife for me.”

“We’re not arranging anything,” Robert stated almost defensively. “We’re simply… pointing you in the right direction.”

“This isn’t the 1800s!” Andrew said. “You cannot just go and marry a woman just because it is good for business. ”

Elizabeth's face fell. “But Andrew, dear, don’t you want to be the CEO? This is your opportunity!”

Andrew walked to and fro, his thoughts in a whirl. He did want to be CEO. He had been preparing for this moment for the better part of the next few years. But marriage? And after what happened with Angela?

“I can’t do this,” he said finally. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. ”

Robert got up from the chair, his expression serious. Andrew, you have to hear me out, this is not just about you, this is about the future of Quantum Tech and thousands of people count on this company to feed their families, are you going to let them down because you are too scared to commit?

Andrew cringed at what his father said to him. “I'm not afraid,” he said, though the words seemed to stick in his throat.

Elizabeth walked up to him and touched his arm lightly. My dear, we understand that you might have been betrayed by your girlfriends but all women are not the same, sweetheart, you cannot lock your heart for the rest of your life.

Andrew moved himself out of the reach of his mother. It is at this point that his patient is at the most vulnerable. He said “You do not understand… I can’t go through that again… I won’t.”_

"Then don't," Robert said. “This doesn’t have to be love. It’s like a business. A deal. A partnership. ”

Andrew stopped for a moment to think about what his father had said to him. A business arrangement. That, he could handle. It wouldn’t be his heart, just his head that would be involved.

“I wanted to know how long I would have to stay married,” he said slowly.

Elizabeth looked at me with the hope in her eyes. The board didn’t indicate this. I guess 1 or 2 years would be enough to demonstrate stability.

Andrew agreed, his gears already turning in his head. Two years. He could do that. And then he’d be free, the CEO position locked down.

"Alright," he said finally. I will do it but on one condition.

Both of his parents sat forward with anticipation. "Anything, dear," Elizabeth said.

Andrew looked at his parents and declared: “I choose a wife myself.” “No Mom, not you, me.”

Robert looked at Elizabeth and they both understood. "Very well," Robert said. “But you remember that you have only one month. ”

Andrew nodded his head and immediately started to think of ways that he could help. He would look for a woman who would be willing to go for a contract marriage with him. A person who would not predict that the other will love or commit. Someone he could trust to walk away when the time came, and not beg for seconds, thirds, fourths, or more.

With that, Andrew walked out of the room, and left his parents; his thoughts were with the young lady he had met in the morning. Samantha. She required cash and he required a woman to be by his side.

It was perfect.

It is at this moment that Andrew could not have anticipated that this simple choice would alter his life in ways he could never dream of.