The city never slept, but Ryan Jaime did or at least, he tried to. His penthouse apartment was a holy sanctuary, it's gives anyone the idea of how wealthy he is, the style, the chandeliers, the masterpiece around the building was screaming luxury, this penthouse is a place where he could escape the cutthroat world of high finance and the constant scrutiny of the public eye, it was his comfort zone, But even in the stillness of the night, his mind refused to quiet down.
He lay on his bed, staring at the floor-to-ceiling windows that seemed to stretch up to the stars. The glittering lights on the streets of Emperor City cast a golden glow on the dark waters of the bay, a sight that was both breathtaking and hauntingly familiar. Ryan's thoughts drifted to the meeting he had scheduled for the next morning, the one that could make or break his latest business venture. The Business was going to take to another greater level of wealth, Breaking through the market of foreign countries was the dream of every business men.
As he tossed and turned, his mind replayed the familiar arguments he always had with his mother, Laura, about his future. She wanted him to settle down, to find a nice girl and start a family. It was not a bad idea, he also liked the idea of having someone to care for but he has a lot of enemies around and he couldn't trust anyone just yet, love was something he didn't want to venture into right now, he was scared, he didn't want to go down that lane especially since that night with that woman he has not been able to find his spark, he couldn't forget her but he didn't know what she looks like, he was drugged and was found in a compromising situation but when he woke the girl was gone, so he was very skeptical not when there were so many sharks circling in the waters of Emperor City's business world looking for a means to bring him down.
Just as he was starting to drift off to sleep, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. Ryan groaned and reached for it, hoping it wasn't another crisis at the office. But when he saw his mother's name on the screen, he answered immediately, Wondering why his mother was not asleep and calling him by this time of the night.
"Hey, Mom," he said, trying to sound more alert than he felt.
"Ryan, darling, I was just thinking about you," Laura Jaime said, her voice warm and soothing. "I know you're probably working by this time but I wanted to talk to you about something important."
Ryan sat up in bed, his instincts on high alert. When his mother used that tone, it usually meant she was plotting something. "What is it, Mom?" he asked warily.
"I was thinking about your future, Ryan. You're getting older, and it's time you started thinking about settling down. It's high time you move on with your life and give love a chance. I've been thinking about setting up a little...get-together, you know, to introduce you to some nice young women."
Ryan's was hesitant, he wanted to tell his mother that when he was ready to date again he would find someone. But something about her tone held his response. Maybe it was the hint of worry beneath her words, or maybe it was the knowledge that he'd been putting off this conversation for far too long.
"Mom, I don't know..." he began, but Laura cut him off.
"Just hear me out, Ryan. I'm not talking about some arranged marriage or anything like that. I just think it would be nice for you to meet new people, have a little fun. You never know what might happen."
Ryan sighed, feeling the familiar tug of war between his desire for independence and his love for his mother. "Okay, Mom," he said finally. "I'll think about it."
As he hung up the phone, Ryan couldn't shake the feeling that his mother was up to something. He knew her well enough to recognize the determination in her voice, the kind that usually preceded a full-scale assault on his defenses.
Little did he know, his life was about to get a
whole lot more complicated.