CHAPTER NINE

Estafania's POV

"That old man!!!!" Kina screamed

"Shiiiiii...shush!! keep your voice down'' I said with my hands on her mouth "keep it down, we are still at the office" I repeated and moved her to the far corner of the break room while looking around to see if anybody heard her

"You mean your uncle wants you to marry that old man, that has to be a joke" Kina who managed to free herself from my hands on her mouth said in disbelief

"I was as surprised as you currently are but then again I shouldn't be. I knew the vibe I was getting from that man Gustavo was not of good when he said that he will reach an agreement with my uncle

I just wish all this was just a terrible dream. He is very well into his fifties with his bald head and protruding belly which does not help his short stature in any way. No way will I ever agree to that joke of a marriage."

" Yes, do not under any circumstances agree to that ridiculous request, I mean sure he is the one that is currently in charge of your father's company and yes under the current circumstances he has some substantial power as the CEO but he can't rid you of your right as a shareholder" I looked at her without saying anything

"Wait don't tell me........he is threatening you with your shares, God that man is wicked. But is he the one in charge of your shares" she asked keenly

" You know very well how my father trusted him with everything, I don't know if it was of his own volition or if my uncle coerced him but for me to access my shares in the company,

I have to be married to a man approved by my father and in the absence of my father, my uncle becomes the next person"

" You have got to be kidding me" she said in disbelief

" Nope I am not"

"Why the hell will your father set such a ridiculous rule around your inheritance, it seems a bit unfair to you"

" To protect me......or so he thought. My father refused to believe that I have grown even though he basically built me up to who I am today. He became more paranoid after my last relationship"

" What relationship" she asked

" Hmmm.......a senior I dated in my first year in college, apparently he was only dating me because of my status. He planned with his friends to dupe my father through me,

As stupid as I was I believed everything he said to me. It felt like a dream when the most sought after boy in the school took interest in me in my first year. He graduated in my second year and tried to dupe my father through me.

I was hurt and most importantly ashamed of myself for dating such a mistake of a man, my father on the other hand didn't want to take any other chances and future boyfriends had to be properly investigated by him.

And I think that was when he put the measures in place in case I decide to rebel one day" I finished as I allowed myself to remember my shameful past.

"But why your uncle of all people, why not just state that proper investigations should be carried out before you marry or put in a clause that will not allow the man access to it or a simple prenup"

" He trusted his brother with his own life, he never believed that his brother could do any wrong, I still have this feeling that it was him that suggested these measures"

" So what now? How do we combat this step he has taken against you" kina asked looking at me worried

" I really don't know, I could not sleep all through yesterday night thinking about what to do"

" We can just hire someone to stand in as your husband until you get the shares" Kina suggested

" Are you forgetting the part about my uncle approving of him" I reminded her

" Well you certainly cannot marry that man, cause once you do even those shares of yours will either become his or your uncle's or they share it together." She said

"That in itself is quite obvious that even a blind man can see it coming. The only other way is to marry a man much more powerful than Gustavo and my Uncle combined together" I replied

"A man much more powerful than your uncle and Gustavo together, heaven seems to be on our side Fanny" Kina said, gesturing for me to turn with her head

I didn't need to see to know it was him, the way the air in the room changed and the way he carried himself. Even without seeing his face I knew it was him.

This time he was putting on a navy blue suit paired with a shirt of the same colour, a slight difference from his usual all black attire. I don't know if it was the absence of a tie or the change in colour or the three buttons opened at the chest that captivated me most

"He's hot" I heard one of my colleagues say as she giggled with her friends, my thoughts exactly, my thoughts exactly.

"I wonder what he is doing here" I asked no one in particular

"......this is the second time I am seeing him here, maybe he is interested in doing business with us" Kina looked at me like she wanted to flog me

"Can't you see that the angels just sent you your said powerful man" she said exasperated

" What! you mean Mr McQueen, Seth McQueen!!. No no no......you must be kidding"

" Think about it, who else in this city do you think will be able to handle Gustavo and your uncle together. Come on babe you need someone who can protect you, same time help you get your inheritance"

" You are right Kina but this is a crazy idea" I tried to dissuade her

" It may be but it is exactly what we need, trust me"

" Oh Kina, the more I trust you the more I realize how crazy you can be, but even if I decide to do it, how on earth am I suppose to go about it,

Seth McQueen is not exactly an easy man to approach, haven't you heard the rumors about him and how he treats girls that try to approach him"

"You leave all your worries to me, all you need to do is follow my lead" she sounded confident, does she really know what she is saying.

Kina and I spent the next one week planning for how to get Seth McQueen's attention. Kina was basically a spy because tell me how she was able to get his schedule

Whenever I asked how she did, she always says she has her sources as one of the most informed lady of our times

I should probably be scared of that but somehow I feel like it would be a good idea to have someone like her on my side and I genuinely think she is a good person.

We planned to have accidental run in with him in different places, common places where he would not suspect that we were looking for him

His favourite coffee shop where he had his business meetings at times, dinner at a restaurant that I could barely afford, a birthday party for one of his friends......

And we pulled it off effortlessly, making sure he notices before disappearing once he gets interested. Although it still pains me that I didn't get to finish the food we ordered at the restaurant

At the party, kina suggested I make him jealous but tell me how to make a man that is not interested in me jealous

"See... First off, someone here is going to introduce us to his circle of friends" she started like someone about to deliver a PowerPoint presentation

"Then you leave as if you are not interested in them after a while, allow a few guys to flirt with you,

flirt back a little to annoy him when you are sure he is looking, nothing gets a man like stepping on his ego then leave the room with one of them"

" What!"

" Calm down........the guy is my cousin he knows what to do".

" What did you tell him for him to agree?"

" That you had a fight with your boyfriend and now you're trying to make him jealous" I looked at her in disbelief

".....ok fine I promised him something he has always wanted"

" How are you sure this will work"

" I know you don't believe it but let me tell you that guy is interested in you, like babe you need to see the way he looks at you,

tell me you didn't notice how confused he was at the restaurant when he couldn't find you or when you were twisting and turning your waist to Shakira on the dance floor"

" You were looking at him?" I asked surprised at how much details she paid attention to

"Baby I'm a lioness, I don't loose track of my prey, just trust me and go with it"

Just as she instructed I followed every single step, sat for a while went to the bar took a few shots that were not really shots as Kina knew about my low tolerance for alcohol

Entertained a few guys before her said cousin came to me, we talked for a while and then he led me away from the party through a dark hallway, I was a little scared at this point but I trusted Kina,

I looked back to be sure he was following us and sure enough he was, I made sure he saw me get inside his car and leave

"See I told you" she popped out from the back seat startling me

"Oh my gosh!!!" I screamed

"Rela...x, now all we need is the ball to lock it all in before you attack"

" And my prize?" asked her cousin

" Until the deal is done".

LATER THAT WEEKEND

"Are you sure he's going to be here... I heard he rarely attends social events like this" I asked kina as we made our way into the venue

"Of course" she replied and made to leave

" Wait where are you going" I asked panicked

" well I have to meet the person that gave me your invitation to show a bit of gratitude, you... however have a mission to accomplish so move along now and I will see you later"

" You are just going to leave me alone" I whined but she didn't answer, just waved and disappeared into the crowd

"Great just great"