CHAPTER TWO- The Price of a Gael

Louise’s POV

Fontvieille to Monte Carlo wasn’t much of a distance, and in no time, I was home already.

“Daddy, I’m home,” I said as I walked in.

“Good day, Ms. Gael,” Agatha, our housekeeper, greeted me.

“Good day to you, too, Ms. Agatha,” I responded. “Where is Papa?” I asked.

“Up in his study,” she replied. I thanked her and went upstairs to see my dad.

I knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he said in a tone that sounded unusually tense.

I opened the door, and I walked in. My father got up from his chair, walking toward me with his arms wide open for a hug. I smiled and gave him a big hug.

“Fontvieille to Monte Carlo is not far, Dad. I don’t know why you never visit me.”

“You know I don’t like the idea of you being in a relationship with a woman. You’re my only child, and I need an heir.”

There he goes again, reminding me of my duty as the heiress of the Gael legacy, to bring forth an heir.

“But Dad”, I started to speak, but he cut me off, handing me a file.

“What are these, Papa?” I asked, looking at him with surprise.

“Go through them, and then let’s have a conversation.”

I opened the file, and in that moment, my brain stopped working. I was in shock.

“BANKRUPTCY?!”, I shouted. “How, Papa?”

“That’s what I don’t understand. I have a team already investigating the company. They came with a merger offer, which looked good for us, so we signed a five-year contract. I even sold 10% of the company’s shares to the CEO,” he said, tears welling in his eyes.

“My blood, my sweat… your mother’s tears, our hard work…”

Then he looked at me with a heavy sigh.

“Well, there is a solution… and it’s all in your hands,” he said.

“In my hands? What do you mean by that?” I asked, confused.

“Mr. Raphael Pierre has offered to help us, but he has one condition,” my father said, looking at me pitifully from where he sat.

“What condition, Papa? And why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, already dreading the answer.

“You have to marry his second son, Tristan Pierre,” he said quietly.

“What?! I have to do what?! Marry someone I don’t know, let alone a man?!”

“You have to do it. It’s your duty as the heiress. The fate of our company, our legacy, rests in your hands. And you don’t have a choice.”

“I’m a lesbian, for crying out loud, Dad! I have a girlfriend. I have a business,” I cried.

“And that too, you have to sell your company. You will become a full-time housewife.”

In that moment, my heart shattered. My life… my journey… my relationship, I had to give it all away because I owed my father my life.

I had never been with a man, never even imagined myself marrying one. My business, my brand, I couldn’t believe I had to give it all away. At that point, I regretted being an only child.

“Please… can I go to my room to think?” I asked, almost in a whisper.

“Sure, you can. But my decision is final. End that silly thing you have with that girl, come back home, and be a woman. Fulfil your duty.”

I left for my room with tears gushing out of my eyes.

How do I tell Elsa that I’m not only leaving our company… but I’m breaking up with her?

Everything we’ve built...The life we’ve built...

As tears rolled down my cheeks, my phone beeped. It was Elsa, she was calling.

What do I say? Where do I begin?

I wiped my tears, cleared my voice, and answered the call.

“Hey, mama, how are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m good, baby. Why do you sound like you’ve been crying? What happened? Is your dad okay? Is everything alright?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m good, baby. I’ll be home in ten. See you soon. I love you,” I said.

“Okay, baby, I love you, too. See you soon. I miss you already.”

As I heard her say those words, more tears rolled down my cheeks, and I ended the call.

“Is this it?” I asked myself.

I got up angrily and walked into my dad’s office.

“How long do we have until this marriage?” I asked.

“Two weeks. So, make sure you’ve ended everything by then. I need you back here in two weeks because we have a meeting with the Pierres,” he answered.

“Okay, I’m going back home. I’ll talk to you later,” I said with teary eyes, turning my back to head out.

“Wait,” my dad said.

“I’m sorry everything happened this way. I love you, and I want what’s best for you. Bankruptcy or not, I was never going to allow you to get married to a woman either way. See you in two weeks.”

I dashed out of his office and got into my car. Inside, I cried heavily because I was going back home to pretend for a week that I never had this conversation with my dad, and to spend one good week with Elsa before telling her the truth.

I wiped my tears, opened my bag, dabbed on a little powder and gloss, then went to the flower shop to get Elsa her favorite flowers, purple tulips.

Then I went home.

Tristan’s POV

It had been a long, demanding day. I was finally catching my breath in my office when there was a knock on the door.

Knock, knock!

“Come in,” I said calmly.

My assistant, Charlotte Gustavo, walked in holding a folder.

“Good day, sir. These are the documents from A&M Investment Company,” she said, placing them on my desk.

Charlotte always had a striking sense of style. Her dark brown hair grazed her shoulders, framing a pair of bright green eyes that rarely missed a detail. Today, she wore a soft pink V-neck blouse tucked into a fitted blue skirt that stopped just above her knees. Her heels clicked gently against the floor, and a simple silver necklace with a sparkling pendant rested just above her collarbone. Her red lips curled slightly as she caught my gaze lingering a little too long.

“I saw that,” she said with a knowing smile.

“Did you?” I replied, raising a brow.

She leaned on my desk, just close enough to blur the line between professionalism and something far more personal.

“Do you want something, Tristan?” she asked, her voice laced with daring confidence.

Her boldness caught me off guard, but I didn’t show it. Charlotte had always been sharp, efficient, and yes, attractive. But this moment felt like a quiet detour from the path we’d been walking all along.

“And if I did?” I asked.

She met my gaze. “Maybe I’d give it to you.”

There was a charged silence between us, a moment suspended in tension and curiosity. She was playing with fire, and so was I. But business was business… wasn’t it?

“You’ve always been good at closing deals,” I said, giving her a slight, unreadable smile.