Boardroom and bedroom

chapter four: The cold business (Amy's POV)

After witnessing Jack's venomous come across together with his grandmother, I was even more apprehensive about starting my new life as a Westbrook. Their disgraceful behavior and contempt for me stoked an angry fire of determination. I would not be bullied or looked down on, irrespective of how elite and wealthy they proclaimed themselves to be.

Squaring my shoulders, I ascended the grand staircase in search of Jack, my supposed husband. I needed to confront him about the ugliness I'd overheard and demand for some basic decency, if not affection. This night had been draining enough with out his family 's cruelty weighing on me further.

I wandered down the seemingly endless corridors of the east wing, fancy rooms blending together in a dizzying display of opulence. How do people even live in condition's like these? The bloodless formality and excess had been suffocating in comparison to my modest upbringing.

Finally, I came to a set of double mahogany doors left slightly ajar. Faint voices drifted out from inside, one surprisingly recognizable as Jack's. Pressing my ear closer, I could make out another male voice as well - in all likelihood some business associate based on their tones.

"...Need those quarterly projections ready to provide to the board first thing tomorrow morning," Jack said in a brisk, all-commercial enterprise manner. "We can not delay any longer while our biggest rivals try overtaking us in market shares".

"Understood, Mr. Westbrook," the opposite voice responded deferentially. "I'll have my crew working throughout the night to meet the deadline ".

There was a bit of silence before Jack continued"And Richards, let's move on dismissal procceding with the Wellington crew as well. Their lack of performance has become unacceptable."

"But sir, those are over 150 employees who will be terminated right before the holidays

"I don't want to hear objections," Jack cut him off sharply. "This company has no room for dead weight or emotional hand-wringing. Either they meet their numbers or they're expendable. End of discussion."

The man mumbled something too low for me to make out, however his tone indicated reluctant acceptance of the tough decree. There was a rustling of papers before Jack's voice rang out again in dismissal.

"That will be all. Get it done immediately."

I hesitated, unsure if I ought to interrupt now or wait till he was done coldly terminating over one hundred person's livelihoods. Before I could decide, the doors swung open and the man emerged looking shaken.

He started stligy while noticing me lingering in the hall. "Oh! Forgive me, Mrs. Westbrook. I didn't expect-"

"It's no probly," I said quickly, flashing him a polite smile to put him at ease. He returned it gratefully before hurrying off, leaving me by alone to face my husband for the first time since the disastrous wedding reception.

Taking a fortifying breath, I strode through the open doorways into an opulent study of dark woods and luxurious leather-based furniture. Jack stood with his back to me, hands braced on a huge mahogany table. The line of his tuxedo-clad again appeared even more rigid than ever.radiating tension like a coiled spring.

"So," I began carefully, "I take it thiy is the way you usually spend your wedding nights? Working instead of being with your new wife?"

He didn't turn around at first, shoulders rising barely with a deep inhale. "My responsibilitys to this company do not stop simply because we had a ceremony today, Amy."

My name sounded oddly impersonal coming from his lips, without any warmth or tenderness.

"Of course, I understand you have a large business to run," I replied, trying to hold my tone level as I approached. "But even just for tonight...Don't you think we should take some time to actually be with each other ? Get to know one another as husband and wife?"

He pivoted slowly to face me, his expression alarmingly neutral. Cold and indifferent. Up close, I could see how his chiseled features were usually hardened, nearly chiseled from unforgiving stone itself.

Up until till this point, he had remained largely silent around me outside of short verbal exchanges. Now his eyes swept dismissively over me from head to toe before he spoke in a clipped, succinct cadence.

"Let's set up a few ground rules and proper expectations right now. This might have been a ceremonial wedding because of our family's arrangement...However we are not a conventional couple, nor will I pretend as such."

His frank words slapped me with their bluntness, riding the air from my lungs.

"Our union is strictly a matter of business and mutual gain," he went on with out an oz. Of delicacy. "Nothing more. I do not have room in my life for frivolous romantic entanglements, nor any desire to pursue them."

My mouth hung open as he so callously laid all of it out. No pretense, no sugar-coating - in Jack Westbrook's thoughts, our marriage was merely a cold transaction devoid of any emotional substance or intimacy. His sole focus was on his corporate empire and bottom line, wholly shunting me aside as unimportant in the grand scheme.

"You...You can't be serious," I finally managed, combating a rising wave of dejection. "We're husband and wife now. Isn't there supposed to be at least some level of partnership? Some closeness between us?"

He arched an eyebrow at me, expression maddeningly emotionless. "We each have clearly defined roles to fulfill in this arrangement, nothing more. You come from your life situations and wishes...And I actually have pressing fiscal obligations and a duty to lead this company that takes priority above all else."

Jack reached for a thick stack of files, not even meeting my eyes as he gave a succinct parting statement.

"There is no need for any thing superfluous like intimacy or shows of affection on my part, Amy. Our marriage is set mutual self-interest and obligation to our respective responsibilities, period."

With that final dismissive declaration striking inside the irritating air, Jack turned and strode from the room with out so much as a backwards glance at his stunned new wife.

I stood rooted there long after he left, feeling fully numb from the callous rejection. All the romantic notions I'd been clinging to approximately constructing an actual marriage no matter our circumstances were cut down to sour shreds. Jack made it crystal clear our union was dead on arrival, devoid of any hope for meaningful connection, care, or love to take root between us.

Hollowly ringing in my mind have been his harsh words of relegating me as not anything more than a business transaction - an end for serving his all-consuming pursuit of wealth. I didn't even register as an emotional person to him, let alone his lawfully wedded companion.

This cruel inevitability washed over me like a crushing wave of cold, harsh reality. As silly tears stung my eyes, my dashed desires swirled bitterly alongside the trauma of the entire nightmarish day.

My worst fears had been showed beyond any doubt. In marrying Jack Westbrook, I had walked directly into an entirely loveless, depressing life sentence.