The Deal.

ALEX.

Morning sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my bedroom, painting the white walls gold. Normally, I would’ve found the quiet comforting another day beginning, another set of responsibilities waiting at the office but today it felt oppressive. Heavy.

I had barely slept. Too many thoughts had churned in my head all night, circling like vultures. The dinner from last evening played again and again in my mind, my father’s voice echoing: “It’s time, Alexander. Time to do your duty for the family.”

I sat up in bed, raking a hand through my hair. At twenty-seven, I thought I’d carved out some independence for myself. I ran divisions of the company, made my own decisions, earned respect on my own merit. But apparently none of that mattered when the family’s legacy was on the line.

There was a knock on the door. My mother’s voice followed, soft but firm. “Alexander? May we come in?” I closed my eyes briefly. Here it comes.

“Yeah,” I called, my voice rough from lack of sleep.

The double doors opened, and my parents stepped inside. My father looked as composed as ever, dressed already for the day in a charcoal suit, his tie knotted perfectly. My mother was in pale silk, her hair pulled back elegantly, but I could see the tension in her eyes.

“Good morning,” my father said, as though this were any other day.

I didn’t bother to reply. Instead, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “So,” I said flatly, “when are you going to tell me who she is?”

My father’s lips twitched, almost into a smile, but not quite. “Straight to the point. That’s what I like about you.”

I glared. “Don’t flatter me. Just answer the question.”

He exchanged a glance with my mother, then clasped his hands behind his back. “You’ll meet her soon. Today, in fact.”

I froze. “Today?”

“Yes.” My mother’s voice was gentler, but it didn’t soften the blow. “Arrangements have been made. She’ll come home for dinner.”

My pulse kicked hard in my chest. “You’re telling me I’m supposed to meet the woman I’m going to marry today? Without so much as a name before now?”

“This is business, Alexander,” my father said. His voice carried the weight of finality, the kind of tone that tolerated no argument. “It isn’t about courtship or romance. It’s about securing an alliance that will save the company’s future.”

I let out a sharp laugh, though nothing about this was funny. “And my future? Does that matter at all?”

His jaw tightened. “Your future is tied to the company’s. As it always has been. You know that.”

I stood, pacing across the room, my bare feet silent against the polished wood. The anger that had been simmering all night bubbled higher. “So what, you’re just going to hand me off to some girl like I’m part of the deal? Like I’m another piece of stock to trade?”

“You’re not being handed off,” my mother said quietly. “You’re being trusted. With the responsibility to keep everything we’ve built from collapsing.”

I turned sharply. “Trusted? You mean trapped.”

Her eyes flickered, pain showing for just a moment before she smoothed it away. “Alexander…”

I shook my head, trying to push down the frustration threatening to choke me. “You don’t even care if I know her. If I like her. Hell, if I can stand to be in the same room as her.”

“It isn’t about liking her,” my father snapped. “It’s about the family name. You think this is about you? This is bigger than you.”

That silenced me, though not because I agreed. No, I was silent because I knew he was right about one thing. It was bigger than me. The company was more than numbers on a page; it was hundreds of livelihoods, generations of reputation, the foundation of everything I’d been born into. If it fell, it wouldn’t just be my family that suffered. Still, resentment burned hot in my veins.

My father straightened his tie, his tone final. “You’ll meet her this evening. Dinner has been arranged. I expect you to behave like a man of this family. Show respect and strength. No complaints.”

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. “And if I refuse?”

His eyes hardened. “You won’t.” It wasn’t a threat. It was a fact, carved into stone. I looked away, jaw tight.

My mother stepped closer, her hand brushing my arm lightly. “Alexander, please. I know this isn’t what you wanted. But sometimes life doesn’t give us what we want. Sometimes we have to accept what’s necessary.”

Necessary. That word felt like a shackle. I said nothing. After a moment, they left, the doors clicking shut behind them. I stood there in the silence, staring at the city skyline through the window.

Somewhere out there was the woman they’d chosen. A stranger who would soon be bound to me by contract, by duty, by legacy. And tonight, I would meet her. Gosh! For the first time in my life, I wished I could disappear.