"You are late." This wasn't the greeting I expected at our first meeting. Is she going to sue me for being 5 minutes late? "Only 5 minutes." I couldn't help but grumble. "Darling, every minute is precious to me." Well, no kidding in that statement, because she is damn busy. My dad forgot to mention that she manages the whole hotel chain business of her dad, and also, she is running a textile firm. She is always travelling from one place to another. Scheduling this meeting took three days because of her travelling and other appointments. "Please take your seat, Rowan." She gestured to me politely, and I didn't know I was still standing in a daze.
The waiter took our order, and she was doing something on her tablet, which gave me time to study her. She is too beautiful with her curvy, perfect structure, wearing a perfect blue dress matching her physique. She is almost my height, with a white skin tone and light brown eyes. She is perfect from every angle, and I think she is quite uptight. Just a guess from her posture. Killing body for sure. I have googled about her, too successful at such a young age, demanding attention with her presence and having a commanding attitude. I couldn't find much information about her past dating history, just gossip with no solid backing for it.
She cleared her throat to get my attention, and I am not even sorry for studying her openly. This meeting's main purpose was to fulfil my dad's wish, get to know her a little and conclude whether there is any future for us. I could have met Shreya directly at my birthday event, but my dad kept pressing the matter, and I couldn't ignore it. It was inevitable, and I wanted to know about her a little before my birthday. "Do you want more time?" The smirk layered her face. "I don't mind you staring, but I bet there is a more pressing matter on our hands." I nodded at that. "You are not too bad for anyone's eyes, and that is the very reason I am quite drawn to you." I almost coughed at that, but held back. She is blunt, too. "You are beautiful." The words left my mouth easily. I should match her bluntness; nothing wrong with that. "I know." I didn't expect that reply. Our order arrived. She started sipping her drink more elegantly, and I didn't dare to mimic her.
We stayed silent for a while; at last, she closed her tablet and focused her attention on me, observing. "Rowan, we should start dating, get engaged by the end of this year and get married by next year." She hummed, nodding to herself, and almost decided everything without my input. I almost choked on my drinks. Is she crazy? Half-heartedly, I give in for my dad's sake; it is just a damn meeting, and she is deciding our future. She almost laughed at watching my face. I knew I was showing too many emotions. Can you blame me?
"You need someone like me, Rowan, for surviving like a backbone." She said those words straight into my face, with an innocent look on her face. My hold on the glass went tighter at her words. With a calmer tone, I spoke. "What's that supposed to mean?" She chuckled at that. "My presence in your life in the coming days settles everything for you." With that statement, she wounded my ego, and she is egoistic. "You can take complete control over your company in no time, Rowan; I am going to make sure of it." Her eyes were not wavering from me, scrutinising and observing me. "With me as your backbone and with my power, no one can dare to go against you." She is calm as hell, oozing her power through words. "I can take care of everything." The words left to cover my self-respect, but there was no strength in my sentence. I have only googled her, but she has done in-depth research about me and knows everything that's going on with me. She didn't hold back but laughed at my face. "Come on, we both know how far it's true." She continued her laugh. "I am not even sorry for laughing in your face, darling." I felt shame at that blunt statement. "You know, dear, power follows only a strong person; the person should nurture and cultivate, now and then, by feeding something in return. So, it stays with them till their last breath." That was a long monologue. I'm not getting why she was preaching to me. I knitted my eyebrows. "Do you want to meet to finish the sentence, baby?" The way she smiled was pure evil and sarcastic. "You are not that person." I didn't get at first what I am not. I rewound her previous statement, and the truth punched me in my gut, hard. "Truth is a bitch, baby." She feigned being sad, but that sly smile was not leaving her face. "Agree or not, honey, you need me, not beside you or behind you, but ahead of you." Her whole posture turned rigid, stern like a warning. She slapped me without making a sound; the message was clear. "Marry me, darling, rest assured." I couldn't hear my voice, and my throat was clogged by watching her. A chill passed through me when I rewound every sentence of hers; this bitch is not only uptight but also a dictator as hell. She will turn my life into a living hell in no time. "Why me?" I am really curious; she is too much in everything, and we are really not a damn match in any way. She pouted at that. "Baby, I like ruling and being ahead, and you are perfect in every way." This bitch is not healthy for anyone. I don't want a mini version of Hitler in my life. Before she becomes a headache, I need to pluck this one out at the earliest.
I was boiling in rage, directed toward my dad and that bastard on the deathbed. He is netting a web around me, and if I ignore it, it's going to swallow me whole. I can't let that happen; I am not surprised anymore that he selected this one for me. Just like him, but my grandfather is cunning like hell, and she is blunt, but she also knows which button to press to get the result. They both are disasters in anyone's life; no wonder my dad always kept his distance from his dad all the time. Before, it was my dad; now, he was targeting me.
"Darling, this thing should be cut short; I need to attend an important meeting," I exhaled. I didn't know I held my breath as I was preoccupied with my own thoughts. "I am going to attend your silver jubilee with my dad. You will love him." Well, he'd better be ahead of his daughter, than only I can pour my love into him. She squealed in delight, and I didn't give her any reason to. She is deciding everything for both of us and making sure to act out my part, too. She will turn me into her puppet in no time. Act soon, Rowan. "Baby, make sure to be on time next time. I hate the person who doesn't value time, and it's an order, not a request." By saying that, she pecked me on my chin and started walking, followed by her guards.
Immediately, I wiped my chin in disgust. Run from her. Rowan, everything in me shouted in unison. I don't know how to explain this whole thing to my dad and my family members. I have to accept the fact that I am a little bit terrified of her overbearing attitude, her bluntness and her confidence. She knows what she is doing, which makes this whole ordeal more frightening. I gulped once again. I stood up from the chair and dashed out straight to meet my dad.
All the way, I was preoccupied with my thoughts. I totally forgot what I was expecting before meeting her. I made up my mind only because of my dad, partially hoping something would click or some positive vibe, but I never expected this. What the hell was that, anyway? Geez, frightening a man for no reason. I held some power; my dad did too, not matching hers, but still, we have built some reputation. Her smile and chuckle were only mirroring the irony of the situation, which I didn't like a bit.
I burst into my dad's cabin, where he was working on his laptop. "Dad, she is an uptight freak and has lots of traits of being a dictator." I vented in one go. I stopped to find some more, but my dad's reaction made me stop. He was confused, so he arched an eyebrow at me. "Shreya," I yelled the name like a curse. He chuckled in return. "Calm down. I met her twice; she is calm and sweet, a lovely girl." My dad's words jabbed me more in my guts. "She is everything but that. Lovely, you've got to be kidding me," I once again shouted. I don't know how to vent my frustration other than by shouting. "You met her only once; don't judge her too soon." Is he kidding me? "Trust me, she showed me hell in only one meeting.""You are exaggerating." Oh god, someone please make him understand. "I am not, and I am done with her." He leaned on the chair; his eyes went cold at that statement. "Don't be stupid or harder to deal with. She is running a damn hotel chain and textiles; what do you expect? A prep girl, saying yes to everything and trying to please you in every way." Did he just say that? What the hell is that supposed to mean? "I don't want suffocation and a dictator in my life. I am so done with her." He glared at me, harsher than necessary. What's wrong with him? "Rowan." I hate that tone; I loathe it. That tone makes things unbearable and makes me blind. "Mendath is a good alliance, trust me. You are in good hands, and your future, too. You may feel suffocated, but their intention is genuine. They are ready to go to any level for us, Rowan, and she may be a dictator, but that's how she grew up. She is young, and she will learn." She would never do that, for anyone's sake. I know that; that type would never change for anyone's sake, but it makes the opposite person miserable if they don't agree or fit in. Oh god, she would literally. I am now getting where she got that confidence from; talking with me without using filters, she was blunt, and she wasn't remorseful for her actions. She has wrapped my dad.
I stormed out of his cabin, fuming. I headed to my grandfather's sanctuary for the second time. I wish next time that my visit would be for his funeral. He is the master brain for this whole ordeal, clearly brainwashing my dad with his useless, sympathetic words. Using his old age, lying on a deathbed, to his advantage. I don't know how to deal with the old man; I don't know how his brain works. It's cunning, but I don't know how far he can go to get his way. The way things are going around, I have a feeling, and trust me, things are not promising. He is a messed-up guy from childhood, brilliant at handling things around the company. My dad couldn't cope with his traits; no amount of live sessions worked on him, and my grandfather gave up. Now, I know he didn't give up completely, playing his game behind our backs and saving our asses, but also making sure to preserve the reputation of his company. He is doing everything, turning every stone in his way, and his ultimate goal is to achieve it through me. I didn't like the idea; a shudder passed through me just thinking about what awaits me in the coming days.
I got out of the car, and the whole way, I calmed myself. I took a large breath and exhaled in the process. Lashing out at the old man doesn't give me any positive results, and I don't know how to deal with him other than choking him to death. I entered the room, which had the same medicine smell that I wanted to gag on, but I maintained a stern posture. The nurse gave us privacy without my voice. As the door closed, I spoke. "Why can't you just die?" I couldn't help myself, with so much going on with his health; how is he still alive? Why is he still struggling rather than giving up for good? My grandfather chuckled, way too calm. "How can I? When neither of you is capable of handling things in my absence." I groaned at that. He was smiling, but I'm not getting how anyone could, under these shitty conditions. "I tried my best, but your dad didn't turn out as I wanted; I had little hope for you, tiny hope, but I proved wrong at an early stage. So yeah, holding my breath, and I am not giving up before making sure of everything." Every word came slowly with weight and steadiness.
"You are messing with my future. She is an uptight freak and dictator." I shouted at his face, heaving heavily. "She is not marriage material and looks like she wants to manage through dictating throughout my life." He chuckled at that. "I always wanted someone strong enough to hold the leash, and she is perfect." He was smiling sincerely and with a victorious smile. "She is perfect, strong, and confident, and a very important trait is that she holds immense power. She covers everything you and your dad lack." His eyes were shining in victory. He is also already celebrating in the same way as her. They are an identical and pathetic combination. "Rowan, you need her and power; she is perfect, trust me, and you can't escape this." His words were once again in a calm tone, like sealing my faith. "I am not playing this shitty game with you, and I am not prolonging anything with her." He laughed at my words, brushing off my threats just like that. "Oh, dear. Rowan future is hard, and you are too soft to deal with anything. I am making sure my surname resurfaces in the future at any cost." "Are you threatening me? I am not marrying that uptight shit." I shouted at him. "You can't fucking make me, nor your son." He was inhaling oxygen, and his eyes knitted on me. There was no reaction; my words didn't affect him in any way. Slowly, he removed the oxygen mask, a sly smile on his face. "Oh boy, leave it to me; I will make sure of everything." I glared at him, but he brushed it off. "I was too soft on your dad, didn't retaliate, and I am not going to repeat my mistake." That took me off guard, and the worry started to crawl its way in.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Everything in me strangely went calm in dread. "Don't underestimate me; I am holding my breath to seal what I am aiming for. I am going to make sure of it at your watch." I gulped at the threat. This is my life, isn't it? Being on his deathbed, how can he speak so confidently? He is insane, including that freak.