Dangerous Obsession

Chapter three

Alicia panicked as she stared at the man, his piercing eyes bore into her soul as if searching for something. His face looked so smooth that she wanted to run her hand down his face to test if it was actually smooth.

“Alicia, how dare you be so rude to Mr Andrews, do you know who he is?” She heard her father scold her but she was too interested in admiring the man's face.

“Alicia I am talking to you and you look at me when I do so” Her father shouted causing her to flinch in fear.

Seeing Damien's eyes morph into that of concern, she turned to her father looking at him with tear filled eyes.

“I am sorry about that Father” she said with a shaky voice.

“Mr Tate please can you and Mr Grey wait outside for me, I want to have a word with Mr Johnson and his daughter” Damien said with his eyes fixed on Alicia.

“Sure thing sir” Mr Tate replied and walked out with Mr Grey following him.

“Sit down Mr Johnson” Damien said to Alicia's father with a tone of authority.

Alicia didn't wait to be told to sit before she sat down beside her father while Damien sat across them. The air was so thick with tension that Alicia felt like she could cut it neatly with a knife.

Damien loved the power he had over Mr Johnson and was ready to abuse it. Clearing his throat, he stared at Mr Johnson and then Alicia.

“I believe it is time for this meeting to start” Damien said with a cold voice.

“Ye-s uhmm yes, Alicia please start the presentation” Mr Johnson said.

Alicia looked at her father in shock wondering which presentation she was supposed to tender and why her father was stuttering earlier.

“What presentation are you talking about?” Alicia whispered harshly to her father.

Damien was looking between the father and daughter,” I see you have nothing to present to me.”

“Mr Andrews, i am sorry but your interest in my company was sudden so we were not prepared” Mr Johnson apologized to him.

Damien nodded, picking up his phone, he dialed a number waiting for tge person to pick up.

“Come in” Damien said the moment the person answered and ended the call.

The door opened as soon as he dropped his phone, making Alicia wonder just how much power Damien has.

“You asked for me?” Mr Tate said immediately he walked in.

“ Give him the file," Damien said in a monotonous tone.

Opening his briefcase,Mr Tate brought out a file giving it to Alicia's father.

Damien leaned forward in his seat looking at Alicia's father dead in his eyes,”that is my proposal since you have none to give me.”

Alicia watched her father read through the file seeing a lot of emotions go through his face. She could see happiness, relief and sadness?. She thought of what could be in the file for her father to look sad.

“Mr Andrews” her father started after reading the contents of the file “this is a very big proposal and i am very grateful for this opportunity to work with you” he said happily.

“Good I hope you know the condition attached with this proposal?” Damien asked him.

“Yes I do and I completely agree with it” he said excitedly.

Alicia sat there in confusion thinking of what was in the proposal that made her father very happy and what the condition is.

“Alright” Damien said standing up "I expect an answer as soon as possible.”

“Of course.”

“Have a very good day Ms. Alicia” Damien said when he was close to her.

“You too Mr Andrews” Alicia said calmly while her heart was beating erratically because he was so close to her she could perceive his cologne.

Releasing an air she didn't know she was holding when he walked out of the room leaving just the father and daughter in the room.

“Mr Andrews offered us an opportunity of a lifetime” her father started “he wants to invest in our company.”

“Really? That's very good.”

“Yes it is good but it comes with a condition.”

Hearing her father stop his speech gave Alicia a bad feeling about what he had to say next.

“He wants your hand in marriage in exchange for his investment,” her father said, dropping the bombshell on her.

Alicia's eyes widened as she heard what her father said.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Alicia stuttered

“ I meant exactly what you understood, you would be getting married to Mr Andrews. There is no negotiation to this, I have already decided.”

“N-no Father please you can not do this to me. I don't even know this man, not to mention loving him” Alicia said with a shaky voice.

“Alicia, you don't necessarily need to know or love a man before getting married to him.”

“Dad please i dont want to get married to this man” Alicia begged her father with tears in her eyes.

“Alicia don't be selfish, think about our company,our legacy. If Mr Andrews invests in it, we would be one of the biggest companies in California.”

“Father, is it only the company you think about?, what about my happiness?Doesn't that mean anything to you?” Alicia asked her father.

“Of course your happiness matters to me but what of this company?It is our legacy left behind by my father and I will not watch it fall, not when I can prevent it,” her father said with a firm tone.

“So your way of preventing the company from failing is by selling me off to a stranger?”

“He is not a stranger, we all have heard about him and his company.”

Alicia was shocked at what her father said, he was more concerned about his company than his daughter. She refuses to get married to a man she does not know, he can be a killer or an abuser for all she knows.

Alicia walked to the door about to walk out but stopped and turned looking at her father,"I will not get married to Mr Andrews” she said with a tone of finality.