002: DRUGGED

~~Rain~~

My head pounds like a live band is hosting a concert in there, courtesy of the numerous glasses I had last night. Tony’s restless pacing doesn’t make it any better. My personal assistant has been worked up since news of the scandal broke out this morning.

“The PR team has been working for hours,” he grumbles. “They have taken down all the articles, but new ones keep springing up. This seems like a set up. I’m afraid someone is pulling strings behind the scenes to damage your reputation.”

A groan rips past my throat as I reach for the cup of black coffee on the desk. Tony stops his pacing, watching me raise the cup to my lips.

“What really happened, Mr Manchester?” he asks. “I have never known you to be careless.”

I take a long drag of the drink. He’s right. I have never been careless. Situations like this are to be expected in the corporate world, but it’s never been this serious before. Last night was supposed to be a routine visit to the bar, just a few drinks before going home. I didn’t expect to wake up in a hotel suite this morning, with videos of me with a woman I don’t even know plastered all over the internet. 

I massage my temples. “Who is the woman in the video?”

“She’s a Vaughn. We don't know who it is among the four granddaughters yet. They haven’t released any statements.” He leans down towards the desk. “You don’t remember what happened?”

“Not a damn thing.”

I was drugged. That is certain. Who is responsible? The Vaughns? They have no reason to set me up like this. The Manchesters and the Vaughns have maintained a healthy rivalry over the years. They have nothing to gain by doing this.

“And my father?” I look up at Tony. I can imagine Roman Manchester’s face right now, red with fury. The Manchester group is signing a very beneficial merger in a few weeks, and Roman has been extremely careful to prevent any hitches. This scandal will ruin things if not suppressed quickly. “Is there any message from him?”

As if on cue, the door of the office opens. Hargrove Baker, my father’s secretary, walks in. 

“Mr Manchester,” he calls. “Your father instructed me to inform you personally. To contain the scandal and ensure the smooth execution of the merger to be signed next month, you’re to get married to the youngest granddaughter of the Vaughn family in two weeks.”

Hargrove delivers the message as casually as he would tell the weather forecast, leaving no room for questions or protest. 

“The Vaughns have agreed to the union,” he concludes. “You should get ready for the wedding.” With that, he turns to leave.

“Marriage?” Tony exclaims as soon as we’re alone again. “Isn’t that too extreme?”

A string of curses leave my lips as rage surges through me. I am not surprised about Roman’s decision. That man is the most unpredictable human I know, but it does nothing to quell my anger. 

A marriage to a stranger is the last thing I need right now. It goes against the plan I have carefully laid out over the past six months. For as long as I can remember, I have been reminded of why I do not belong in the family. Roman Manchester didn’t need to say the words out loud. The servants understood it. The media understood it. Even the board members knew my place. My brother got all the respect while I got the ridicule.  If I closed a deal, David could have done it better. If I exceeded targets, David could eventually surpass it. If I raked in millions, David could do billions.

It didn’t matter how incompetent he was. He was legitimate, and that was all that mattered.

I didn’t let it get to me in the past. I was content with being in his shadows. Roman made me believe that was how things were meant to be anyway. 

Then Ava happened. 

In a fit of rage, I sweep my hand through the table, sending everything on it crumbling to the floor. Hot coffee scalds my skin, but I ignore the searing pain.

David had taken Ava from me. I didn’t think I'd lose her just because I am illegitimate, but I should have known better. The memory of her breaking the news to me in that restaurant six months ago is still green. I remember how much she cried, how she had trembled so badly.

“It was my father’s dying wish,” she had said, pulling her hand from mine.. “I’m sorry, Rain. You and I won't work.”

She got engaged to David a month later. That was my breaking point.

I have worked hard since then to be acknowledged by my father. Everything has been going according to plan. All I need is a little more time…

But that Vaughn granddaughter has ruined it. 

A bitter laugh leaves my throat as I realise my dilemma. If I do not marry just as my father wants me to, he’ll have me disowned. If I do, my chances of getting Ava back will be slimmer.

“Tony.” My voice is way too calm for how I feel inside. “What do you know about this Vaughn woman?”

My ever -attentive personal assistant has pulled up her file. He clears his throat. “Her name is Selene Vaughn. She manages a small subsidiary of the Vaughn enterprises. She has no social media presence and doesn’t appear in any family photos online.” 

He pauses and exhales. “Rumours have it that she’s an outcast in her family. Her father is deceased, mother is admitted in a mental hospital. She’s pretty much a ghost.”

A scoff rips past my throat. The unfavoured member of a family got involved in a scandal with Manchester. How convenient! Did she plan this to climb up the social ladder? I was curious about why the Manchesters chose to set me up. Apparently, the estranged granddaughter is behind all this.

I have to give her her flowers. She is smart. She made this happen at a time Roman couldn’t tolerate mistakes. 

If only she knows what she has gotten herself into. If she wants a marriage, I'll give her just that. We’ll smile for the cameras and make sure my father secures the damn merger. But the moment it’s over, she will be discarded. 

And then I'll finish what I started. Destroy David’s claim to the Manchester empire, take over from him and take back the only person who ever really mattered.

Ava.