“Desmond wants you and Beatrix to plan your wedding, Alex. How long are you planning to wait? Isn’t four years enough?” asked his mom at the dinner table. When his mom invited him and Beatrix over for dinner, he immediately understood his parents’ intentions. He wanted to avoid it but his dad ruled the option out by arriving at his place with Beatrix to get him. So here he was sitting, sandwiched between Beatrix and her dad, with his parents facing him. It was the worst situation ever!
“I’m willing to marry him right away, aunt Jodie.” Alexander glared at Beatrix wanting to remind her she had to leave her ways if she genuinely wanted to marry him but with her father sitting right next to him, he couldn’t utter a single word,
“I’ve asked you something, Alexander. When do we fix your wedding date?” prodded his mom.
“I’m not ready to get married, mom.”
“Scratch that. I think he isn’t ready to marry me,” pouted an upset Beatrix.
“No one will be ready to marry you, Trixie, if you don’t change your lifestyle,” said her dad with a sigh. He already had undergone a mild heart attack, yet his daughter wasn’t interested in the business. He had no other option than to trap Alexander for his daughter. Who else would take care of her and the business after him?
“That’s pretty harsh, Desmond. Give her time and I’m sure she’ll settle down after marriage. All girls do,” said his mom, unaware of Beatrix’s indulgences.
“Hope so,” said her dad, while Beatrix scowled at her dad.
“No one understands me, aunt Jodie. I love my lifestyle, my friends. Why would I want to change it?”
“If you don’t change it, Alexander will never marry you. Therefore, he would never own the business he loves so much,” said Desmond Rotterdam, looking quite disappointed. It was like he was trying to remind Alexander of what was at stake for ignoring his daughter.
“Oh, I’m sure he will marry me eventually for the business.” Beatrix laughed while Alexander ate, with a permanent scowl on his face. If his dad’s health wasn’t deteriorating, he could have moved on ahead. He glanced at his dad, who looked exceptionally quiet.
“You should never take things for granted, my dear. You should listen to your dad,” said his mom. Beatrix shrugged and left the table in haste when her phone buzzed with an incoming call from a friend.
“Dad, I need to leave,” she came over to announce after five minutes.
“Where are you off to?” asked her dad while Alexander watched her phone from over her shoulders. A number kept flashing on the screen with an incoming call. He noted the name, Sean flashing on her screen and wondered who it could be!
“To a friend’s house, dad. It’s urgent,” she said, dashing off after thanking his parents. Her father sighed after she left and turned to look at him with a pleading look in his eyes.
“Don’t mind her, Alexander! She’s immature. Can you put some sense in her head? We can announce the date of your wedding and then start the preparations. Once the wedding is over, we can sign the agreement and make you the owner of Rotterdams, but only as long as you’re married to Beatrix. If you separate and divorce one another, everything will go to Beatrix and you won’t get a penny. I’m sorry, but I need to look out for my daughter,” said Desmond Rotterdam while his dad smiled to extend his blind support to his best friend.
“We know, Desmond. Don’t worry at all. Alexander will keep her happy,” said his mom on his behalf.
“Will a month’s time be enough for you Alexander?” asked his dad hopefully. Alexander shook his head, deep in thought. He had to bring her true colors out before that.
“I have an upcoming trip to Sydney next week and then to Singapore. I’ll update you once I return,” said Alexander. After an hour, he drove home, but his mind was restless. He couldn’t marry Beatrix. His life would be ruined. Stefan’s suggestion kept on playing on his mind like a broken record. He reached his building, and parking the car, he took out his mobile phone and called his PI. However, when he didn’t respond even after three calls, he went up the elevator, but his feet took him to Alyssa’s apartment instead. Would Eva be there? No, of course not. It was pretty late and she would be in her own place.
Thoughts of Eva filled his head, and his heart sank with dismay. He hadn’t expected such a life at all when he had returned from Switzerland. He had been excited to see Eva again, hoping his parents had forgotten whatever grudge they had against her, but he was wrong. Nothing had changed at home! He was doomed to marry the hateful Beatrix. Sometimes he felt like escaping from it all to some deserted place where he could spend some time with the person he wanted to! Maybe it was a distant dream!
“Bro, I’ve been calling you for so long!” said Alyssa, as she stood at the open door of her apartment. She watched her brother take baby steps towards her as if in a state of a daze.
Alexander focused on her, pulling himself out of his thoughts. “What?” he asked impatiently.
“We’re planning to celebrate Sienna’s birthday this Friday at the Phoenix. Will you call them to make the arrangements? We’ve pooled in money for her,” said Alyssa, going inside with Alexander following her.
“I’ll be accompanying you.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh, accepting it already.
“How many of you will go there?” asked Alexander, fishing for information. He wanted to ask her if Eva had agreed to accompany them, knowing that he would be there.
“All four of us and Sienna.” Alexander’s body came alive instantly at the thought of being able to spend a little time with Eva. The brief chance encounters weren’t enough for him at all! They left him craving for more!
“I’ll call them right away,” he said, taking out his phone. For the next few minutes, he called Phoenix and informed them about the birthday bash. Disconnecting the call, he looked at Alyssa’s outstretched hand, offering him money for the event.
“You can return the money to your friends. This celebration is a treat from me.” He walked out of her apartment, but this time, there was a spring in his step, a song in his heart and excitement coursing through his body. With only two days left, he just couldn’t wait for Friday to arrive. He would cancel all his previous plans of going on the trip. He could go a few days later, but he couldn’t miss this opportunity!
He lay on his bed a few minutes later to sleep, but the excitement was too much to bear. For the last four years, he had worked like an automaton, wasting his efforts, his energy, his everything after a useless project, only to please his parents. Desmond’s announcement earlier hurt him a lot. Despite everything he did for Rotterdams, how could he get nothing if his marriage to Beatrix didn’t work out? He had looked up to him as his father figure, his mentor, but it seemed as if he was a selfish man. However, more than his selfish announcement, it was his dad’s behavior that devastated him. Knowing Beatrix wasn’t good enough, how could he support his friend blindly?
For the next two days, Alexander was too restless to get any work done. It showed in everything he did, and Desmond Rotterdam was annoyed with him. He even ignored Beatrix and his parents, refusing to commit to the weekend party at their club.
It was Friday morning, and he sat in his office, working at his laptop, when the door clicked open and an annoyed Beatrix stormed in. “I’ve been calling you for the last two days, Alex. Why are you ignoring me?” she yelled furiously. Alexander took a deep breath to remain calm, although his head reeled from her high-pitched voice.
“Watch you tone, Beatrix. That’s not the way you’ll talk to me,” gritted out Alexander, his eyes flashing at her furiously although he could just barely control his temper.
“To hell with you. I’ll talk in whatever way I choose to.”
“Then get out. Come back when you’re in a better frame of mind,” he said, dismissing her and continuing with his work.
“How dare you throw me out of my dad’s company? You’re nothing but a puppet in his hands, remember that. If I complain against you, he’ll throw you out of his empire like trash. So you better not ignore me.”
Alexander banged his fist furiously on the table and stood up, his face red with fury. “I’ve contributed a lot to the growth of this empire. If I leave, you two will be on the streets, at the mercy of paid employees who would rob you of every penny. Don’t you forget that!” he said, picking up his laptop and bag and storming out, leaving Beatrix gaping after him. She had always threatened him, but this was the first time he had retaliated, and it scared Beatrix. She knew his threat couldn’t be ignored. With her father’s failing health and her disinterest in the business, Alexander was their only hope.
She went to her father’s house to fix a date for their wedding. She needed to have total control over Alexander in any way she could! He shouldn’t escape!