Chapter 7 : The Proposal he never Choose
1272 Words
The mansion sat quietly at the edge of the city, surrounded by tall wrought-iron fences, acres of gardens trimmed with surgical precision, and the kind of silence only wealth could afford. To outsiders, the house was more than a home, it was a monument. A reminder of the Donalds name. A fortress that spoke of legacy, power, and a dynasty carved into glass and steel.
Inside, tall windows stretched up to ceilings kissed with gold, reflecting the late afternoon sun in fractured brilliance. The marble floors shone as though scrubbed by invisible hands. The air smelled faintly of lemon polish and imported roses arranged in vases the size of bathtubs. Every piece of art on the walls was expensive enough to fund a university scholarship. Every portrait screamed of bloodlines and tradition.
For Kamari-Ethan Donalds within these walls.. it was suffocating.
He stepped in through the front door with a quiet sigh, tossing his car keys into the ceramic bowl by the door. The clink echoed down the empty hall.
“Back to the lion’s den,” he muttered.
From upstairs, he heard the sound of heels clicking against marble,sharp, practiced, deliberate. Sarah.
His elder sister descended the winding staircase like a queen making her entrance. Her silk robe flowed behind her like smoke, her long curls bouncing with each step. Sarah was everything a billionaire’s daughter was expected to be: elegant, intimidating, and armed with a tongue sharp enough to cut diamonds.
“Well, well,” she said, her red lips curving into a smirk. “If it isn’t our mystery man. You haven’t been home in two weeks.”
“I’ve been busy,” he replied flatly.
Her eyes glinted. “With a girl?”
He didn’t answer.
Sarah smirked knowingly and leaned against the stair rail. “It’s written all over you. The little grin you’re trying so hard to hide, the glow in your eyes. Spill. Who is she?”
“Just someone,” he muttered.
“Someone who made you miss the family meeting?”
That caught him. His jaw tightened.
Sarah’s smirk softened into something closer to worry. “Dad’s furious. And he’s waiting for you in the study.”
Of course he was.
As if on cue, the door to the study creaked open, and a commanding voice cut through the air.
“Ethan.”
That name. His real name. Ethan Donalds. The one tied to contracts, to Forbes articles, to private schools and exclusive boarding academies where his last name carried more weight than his first. The one his father used like a leash.
His father never called him son. Only Ethan. Like a boss summoning his subordinate.
He adjusted his shirt collar and walked toward the study.
The room smelled of mahogany and old money. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves towered behind a massive oak desk, their spines untouched, more for display than reading. At the far end stood Richard Donalds himself Mr. Donalds to the world. His presence filled the room even before he turned. He was dressed in a custom Italian suit, hands clasped behind his back, posture sharp enough to slice through steel.
“You’re late.”
Kamari said nothing.
“You knew what this weekend was about. You knew we were expecting Jenny.”
There it was. The dreaded name.
Jenny Benson. Daughter of Mr. Benson, Domino Core’s oldest business partner. She was polished, wealthy, the very image of a perfect merger. Beautiful, yes. But lifeless. Talking to her felt like talking to expensive furniture, sleek, decorative, and empty.
“She came,” his father continued, moving to pour himself a glass of scotch. “Your mother hosted her. Sarah spent hours helping her pick out gowns. We sat for dinner. And guess who never showed?”
“I told Sarah I wasn’t coming.”
“That wasn’t a request,” Mr. Donalds said, swirling his glass. “That was an arrangement. One you agreed to... ”
“No,” Kamari cut in, his voice steady but edged with fire. “One you agreed to. I never did.”
Silence filled the study like gunpowder waiting for a spark.
His father raised a brow, sipping calmly. “You think this is about romance? About emotions? This is legacy. Two empires combining. Do you understand what Domino Core is? What it took to build?”
Kamari clenched his fists. “I’m not a deal to be signed off, Dad. And I’m not marrying Jenny.”
“You’re the heir,” his father snapped. “You don’t get to be selfish.”
“I’m also a human being.”
“And I am your father,” Mr. Donalds growled, his voice like steel. “Do you think I built this empire for you to throw it away chasing some...” He stopped, sneering. “ nobody?”
The word struck like a blade.
Kamari’s jaw tightened. “You don’t even know her.”
“I don’t need to. If she mattered, I’d know her.”
The dismissal cut deeper than he expected. His father had never cared for his passions basketball, music, the nights he’d sneak out just to breathe air not suffocated by money. Now, even the one thing that felt real was reduced to nothing.
From the doorway, Sarah’s voice broke the tension.
“He’s in love,” she said softly.
Kamari turned, startled.
Sarah stepped in, arms folded, her expression unreadable. “Or close to it. The girl’s different. I can tell. He talks like someone finally breathing for the first time.”
Mr. Donalds scoffed. “That’s dangerous talk.”
“So is forcing your son into a loveless business marriage,” Sarah shot back.
His father’s eyes darkened. “I did this for you two. To secure your futures. One day, you’ll thank me.”
Kamari’s throat burned with words he’d held back for years. “Not today.”
The silence that followed was heavier than any argument. He turned, brushing past Sarah, his father’s glare burning into his back.
In the foyer, Sarah caught up with him.
“You know you just declared war, right?” she whispered.
He shrugged. “Then let him come.”
A faint smile tugged her lips. She handed him a small velvet box.
“What’s this?”
“Jenny left it. Said to give it to you.”
He opened it to find a diamond chain with his initials. Perfect. Predictable. Empty. He shut the box with a snap.
“She doesn’t even know me.”
Sarah’s gaze softened. “But someone else is starting to.”
He looked at her, cautious.
“I want to meet her,” she added.
“You will,” he said quietly. “When the time is right.”
Sarah nodded, though her expression carried a warning. “Just don’t wait too long. You know how this family works.”
That night, as he drove away, the mansion faded in the rearview mirror, its tall windows gleaming like cold eyes watching him leave. But in his mind, another image flickered alive, her.
Zora.
Her shy smile. Her laugh when cotton candy stuck to her lips. The way her eyes widened at simple surprises, as if no one had ever taken the time to notice her before.
For once, he didn’t feel like the heir of Domino Core, burdened by chains of legacy and expectation. He just felt… human. Alive.
He didn’t know where this path would lead. But one thing was certain: it wasn’t with Jenny.
And whatever this fragile, blossoming thing with Zora was... he wasn’t ready to let go of it.
Not now.
Not ever.
- Writer
