Chapter 4

                     CHRISTINE’s POV

I get to my office and I dial my moms number.“Hey mom , did you know of this new clause of me getting married before I can become CEO and should happen before my next birthday”. Silence. “So you knew”? She tries to speak but I end the call I can not deal with any of this right now. This feels so much for me and I feel really betrayed. I know Angela Is probably worrying about what I am doing because she was at the meeting too and I specifically asked to not be disturbed or asked for no one to come in.

I decide to go see dad and wonder where all this is coming and probably get a proper explanation for all this. I get to his office he is talking with HIM and they seem to be in a very serious conversation but as he sees me he dismisses him and beckon to me and again for the second time today he passed me and he is quiet without uttering a word it is starting to feel all weird.

I walk up to Dad and I begin pouring my questions. “Why dad? How did this happen? How come you and mom knew but I was not informed” oh you called mom ? Dad that is not the main issue I just want to understand what is going on . Were you forced? Is there anything going wrong.

He takes a deep breathe and then tells me to calm down a bit. He responds saying he is sorry and he did not want it to be like but he had to take the decision and I should understand. He is still not clear to me but he then goes ahead to say “ You could just get back with Brian after he was a nice boy” I wonder why you guys ended things and you have since refused to say anything about it so I think something is still possible.

Then i ask him if Brian talked him into this and this was a ploy for me to get married to him? And he says no that Brian had no idea of this decision and I believe because if he knew I am not sure he would have ended things because my being too busy was that l prioritized the company over our relationship that I was basically married to the company and all my time and dedication was to it instead of our relationship. But now after all my hard work and loosing my relationship it has come to me being so close to loosing it all because of this ridiculous Clause right now.

And now while talking about it and hearing my dad I just realized that i probably did not see myself marrying Brian because I am hurt about the relationship but same way I am relieved it is over because towards the end things felt really different like our goals did not align together anymore and also that his things had become different because we were just ignoring each other basically and walking on egg shells around each other till finally the break up came . I can not say I saw it coming but I did see it coming though thst very soon one of us will snap and itwill lead to where we already are now. So with this I just came to the conclusion that it was better it was over.

But right now I am so utterly confused because after all my hard work. Did they not see that ? Did they not see my dedication? Did they not see me putting my all into my job daily ? But yet again they want to make me miserable by bringing up a clause such as this in other to hinder me again and they know very well that right now I can not magically present a man to get married to. This is all so frustrating I feel myself tearing up again but I just have to rein it in and do not resolve to tears.

I turn to face my dad and ask him if there is anyway out of this of there , because there is no way I am marrying Brian at all and he had seen this through my response now I ask him is there anyway for the time to be extended as he knows very well that I am not able fufil the Clause before my next marriage and he knows my dream of marrying someone who is in love with me and getting a happy marriage out of it like theirs. He takes a deep breath and looks at me with sadness in his eyes and this way I know he did not intentionally want to hurt me by adding this clause but just to secure and not to let people have things to say. He apologizes and say that the clause he did not bring it up since as he fully believed that I was going to get married to Brian so he decided not to make mention of it. As the clause stated for me to get married before I am twenty five which is my next birthday and eveh my grandfather had agreed to it too.

While deliberating on the next words from his mouth leaves me in utter and complete shock for the second time today and this one is more worse than the first shock. Dad goes ahead to say “Why can you not marry Adrian”

I stare at him. “ WHAT? I CAN NOT MARRY HIM I HATE HIM!! Is that why he was here ? Oh my God does he have a role in this? No wonder he was in the meeting. I knew there was something fishy about him being here and being quiet all along too without any snide remarks. Dad goes ahead to say that he wonders what my hate towards him is that he is a good boy and he knows of my crush towards him while I was little and that we will make a very good couple honestly.

I tell him I will never and absolutely never get married to Adrian and I get up and leave his office boiling in anger and betrayal.