Chapter:8 You Have To Get A Wife
655 Words
Adrians Pov
The house was too quiet.
Adrian noticed that first, as he always did.
Quiet meant control. Control meant expectation.
And expectation usually meant his grandfather.
He closed the file in front of him and leaned back in his chair, already sensing what kind of conversation this visit would be.
The sound of a cane striking marble echoed through the hallway.
Slow.
Measured.
Deliberate.
A moment later, the door opened.
“Still buried in work, I see.”
Adrian didn’t stand immediately.
He only lifted his gaze.
“Grandfather.”
The older man stepped inside, his presence filling the room without effort. Even time seemed to slow around him.
Behind him, a family assistant closed the door quietly.
Silence returned.
But it was no longer comfortable.
“You work too much,” his grandfather said, moving further into the room. “And yet, you avoid the one responsibility that matters.”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“If this is about the board meeting—”
“It’s not.”
A pause.
Then the old man turned, studying him carefully.
“It’s about your future.”
Adrian exhaled lightly.
“I already have one.”
“Business is not a future,” his grandfather said sharply. “It is a duty. A portion of it. Not all of it.”
Adrian said nothing.
That silence alone was enough for the older man to continue.
“You are the last Voss heir they respect without question,” he said. “And respect means continuation.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened slightly.
He already knew where this was going.
Still, he waited.
---
“You need a wife.”
The words landed cleanly.
No hesitation.
No softness.
Just fact, in his grandfather’s tone.
Adrian’s gaze lifted slightly.
“I don’t need one.”
His grandfather’s cane tapped once against the floor.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
A pause.
Then softer, but more dangerous:
“You are not a man who can afford isolation, Adrian. The world is watching you too closely for that.”
Adrian leaned forward slightly.
“I’m not interested in political marriages.”
“That’s not what I said,” the old man replied.
Silence again.
He studied Adrian for a moment longer.
Then continued:
“I’m saying you need stability. A name beside yours. A woman who can stand in your world without collapsing under it.”
Adrian’s eyes darkened slightly.
“I don’t see the necessity.”
“You will,” his grandfather said simply. “When the board begins asking questions. When your competitors stop fearing your name and start questioning your discipline.”
A pause.
Then the final push:
“Or when I choose one for you.”
---
That got his attention.
Adrian stood slowly now.
Not rushed.
Not defensive.
Controlled.
“I don’t take orders in my personal life.”
His grandfather looked up at him calmly.
“No,” he agreed. “You don’t.”
A beat.
Then:
“But even you understand consequences.”
Silence stretched between them.
Heavy.
Unbroken.
---
Finally, the old man turned toward the door.
“I am not asking you to fall in love,” he said before leaving. “I am asking you to secure your position.”
He paused.
Then added, almost as an afterthought:
As for Rachel, our family doesn't accept such girl so don't even think about it.
“Find someone suitable. Before I do.”
The door closed.
---
Adrian stood alone in the room again.
But the silence was no longer the same.
This time, it carried pressure.
Not from business.
Not from enemies.
From home.
He looked down at the file on his desk, but his focus had already shifted elsewhere.
A wife.
The idea didn’t interest him if it wasn't going to be the woman he loved .
But the problem it created… did.
And Adrian Voss never ignored problems for long.
- Writer
