CHAPTER 2

Charles Alejandro is at his hotel when he receives the report that his chosen bride has arrived home.

He is eager to see Nancy, as his parents constantly urge him to settle down—he is their only son and the likely future president. He has many enemies, including inherited ones.

Earlier that morning, Charles is at his company before deciding to visit his hotel in the afternoon and spend time with an attractive woman in the evening.

It is no secret that he loves women; as a powerful man in AJ City, most young ladies know this and want to get intimate with him.

Charles is a 30-year-old Black man—very attractive, tall, masculine, with short black hair.

His mother won't let him rest; she keeps pressuring him about marriage and even shows him photos of ladies she has selected. But Charles isn't interested in any of them, preferring his promiscuous lifestyle, which his parents oppose.

"Charles! You need to stop hosting different ladies and bringing shame to our family. You're the president's son, and you need to act respectably for once. How does it feel knowing almost half the city's ladies have seen you naked?" his father asks him in the second-floor sitting room, where he sits on a black couch.

Charles smiles and replies, "Not half, Father. How could I possibly sleep with almost half the pretty ladies here? There are too many for me alone, and you know it."

Seeing that his father isn't smiling, Charles turns serious.

His father replies, "Then you need to marry, Charles. Otherwise, I'll seize your rights and find someone competent to take over my wealth."

"Hmm..." Charles frowns as his father warns him with blazing eyes and exits the sitting room to meet his guests.

His mother steps out of the elevator and enters the sitting room.

She asks, "Charles... I don't understand why you're afraid of marriage."

"Hmm, I'm not afraid of marriage, Mom," Charles replies as he takes a cigarette from his trouser pocket, lights it, and begins smoking.

The truth is, he hasn't seen any woman he truly loves.

To him, most young ladies are cheats and gold-diggers; he has encountered plenty who want to get intimate with him despite having boyfriends or fiancés.

Charles doesn't want a cheap woman as his wife, and finding the right one who matches his ideal has been difficult.

"Then what's the problem, Charles? You haven't accepted any invitations your father or I have offered. Do you want us to choose a bride for you, marry her, and bring her here?" his mother asks.

"No, Mother. I'm not interested in an arranged bride. Most young ladies are cheats and pretentious. Once they see it's me proposing, they'll pretend to be nice and jump at the chance. So no..."

Charles shakes his head, takes a drag from his cigarette, and puffs the smoke into the air.

His mother frowns and replies, "No, Charles. That's what happens when you leave a responsible young lady for a prostitute like yourself..."

"Mom..." Charles stares at her in shock, shaking his head as he meets her smiling gaze.

She is a 65-year-old Black woman, standing before him in a long blue native gown—she is traditional, too.

First Lady Kira approaches Charles, who sits on the black couch, and says, "Here, Charles... I have photos of three cute women for you to see. Choose from them—their families are well-respected and aligned with your father's political party."

"Mom..." Charles can't believe she is already holding three photos to her chest, ready to show them.

She approaches again and hands him the photos. "Here, Charles, take a look."

"Hmm..." Charles accepts them.

He holds his smoking cigarette to his lips, dressed in a black top, black leather trousers, and black boots—he loves all-black outfits.

Charles examines the first photo on top: a cute Black-skinned lady with a round face, flat nose, but her big brown eyes shine seductively in the outdoor shot, where she wears a simple pink crop-top and blue jeans.

Charles frowns, keeps the cigarette in his mouth, and slides to the next photo. His eyes fall on a pair of blue ones.

She is cute, with a round face, pointed nose, blue eyes, and rosy dimples on her chubby cheeks.

Her plump lips entice him, and her long, sparkling golden hair glitters, making his jaw drop in admiration.

She wears a white singlet top in the outdoor selfie.

Staring at her bare, slender neck and the top of her slightly exposed bosom, Charles gulps and feels his muscles tense, yearning to kiss and lick every inch of her beautiful yellow skin.

He doesn't realize how long he has been staring until his mother asks, "Charles... Do you like her?"

"Mom..." Charles snaps out of his trance.

He meets her smiling gaze.

Charles holds back his response, slides to the last photo, and examines it.

She is beautiful—a fair-skinned young woman, but chubbier than the second one. She doesn't capture his attention or make his heart race like the second photo did.

Charles returns to the second photo and hands the other two back to his mother. "Who's she, Mom?"

First Lady Kira smiles and replies, "She's Nancy Marlon, Senator Logan Marlon's only child."

"Hmm..." Charles hums and finishes his cigarette.

His mother says, "I see you like her, Charles. Don't worry—I'll have my assistant send the marriage proposal to her family right away and let them know you've chosen their daughter."

"Okay, Mom, but is she around? I'd like to see her in person. Does she really look like this? You know most young ladies edit their photos to seem cuter and more attractive," Charles asks, still staring at Nancy's photo.

His mother smiles and replies, "I don't know, Charles, but I'll call her family to check if she's around. Once she is, we'll proceed with the wedding."

"Okay, Mom," Charles says with a smile, no longer rejecting the idea of marriage.

He wants Nancy—every fiber of his body craves her.

He wants to kiss her lips but suppresses the urge, letting his mother leave first.

Charles stands from the couch and heads upstairs to his third-floor bedroom, taking Nancy's photo with him.

One month later,

Charles visits his luxury hotel over the weekend, hoping to find an attractive lady to distract him from obsessing over Nancy while awaiting her return to the city.

But none of the pretty, hot ladies he encounters moves his heart or makes him want her like he wants only one woman: Nancy Marlon.

"Boss, our security men embedded in Nancy's father's team just called. Your chosen bride has returned to the city and is at her family home now," his personal assistant, Dennis Richard, informs him over the phone from the presidential suite of the luxurious hotel.

Charles replies, "Prepare the car. We're leaving now for her father's mansion."

"Okay, boss," Dennis answers.

Charles immediately dismisses the pretty lady pleasuring him—he feels irritated and desires only to meet his chosen bride, the one his heart wants and needs.

Charles exits the top floor of his luxurious hotel, wearing a black suit with a red inner shirt, and approaches his car.

His security men open and close the door for him as soon as he gets in, and the three cars drive out to Senator Logan Marlon's residence.