CHAPTER 2

Robert Muller was in his study handling some paperwork when he heard the commotion coming from outside his house. Annoyed by the distraction it was causing, he decided to check it out. On getting to the scene, he saw Liam barking orders at a security guard to deal with a disheveled looking man and on a closer look, he saw that it was Adrian, his bastard son. Deep frown lines marred his features as feelings of anger and resentment towards Adrian festered within his mind.

Getting more and more irritated with the commotion, he masked the feelings of resentment with a stoic look and decided to put a stop to it, “Let go of him now!” He boomed in an authoritative voice.

Jared immediately let go of Adrian at the sound of Robert’s voice. Adrian heaved a sigh of relief as he glanced at his father’s imposing figure standing in the doorway, his voice cracking with emotion. “Please Father…I-I need your help. My m-mom is-”

“Quiet!” Liam didn’t let Adrian finish his sentence, the veins in his forehead bulging as he whipped around to look at Robert. “Father, why did you stop the guard from kicking this bastard out? He’s not welcome here!”

“That’s enough!” Robert raised his hand to silence Liam. “I want to hear him out.” He finished before his gaze landed back on Adrian. “Why are you here?” He asked in a cold, calculating voice.

Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat as he began to explain himself, “My M-mother has cancer and her chemotherapy treatments aren’t working anymore. S-she needs an urgent surgery to remove the lump in order to stay alive. The surgery costs $100,000… we don’t have that kind of money…that’s why I came to you for help. P-please, help save my mother’s life.” Adrian’s voice cracked as he held his hands together in a pleading manner, his eyes glistening with tears.

Robert remained expressionless for a minute before he finally spoke. “Are you willing to do anything I tell you to do in exchange for that money?”

“Yes sir. I would do anything…anything at all if it means saving my mother’s life.” Adrian replied eagerly as a string of hope rose within him.

“Father! Are you really going to help him? Why are you listening to him?” Liam yelled in increased exasperation.

“Follow me.” Robert said curtly to Adrian, completely ignoring Liam’s outbursts as he turned and walked back into the house.

Adrian moved to go after Robert but Liam blocked his path, his eyes blazing hot with anger as he sneered, “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Liam, behave yourself!” Robert scolded and Liam reluctantly moved out of the way, allowing Adrian to follow Robert.

Inside the study, Robert gestured for Adrian to sit down on one of the leather seats. “I’ll get straight to the point.” He deadpanned as he reached into his drawer to retrieve a piece of paper. “This is a marriage contract with Anita Davies of the prestigious Davies family. He explained flatly. “Sign it immediately and you’ll receive the money for your mother’s surgery.” He placed the paper on the table along with a pen and pushed it towards Adrian.

Adrian stared dumbfounded at the paper for some seconds before his brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of the situation. “M-marriage? W-why me and not Liam? I don’t understand.”

A flicker of irritation flashed across Robert’s face at Adrian’s hesitation before he masked it with a stoic expression. “What’s there not to understand? I reckon you said you’ll do anything to save your mother’s life. Sign the contract or leave from here. That’s my condition.”

A mix of uncertainty and skepticism swirled within Adrian as he contemplated Robert’s words. How could he marry someone he'd never met? Why did Robert chose him over Liam, his legitimate heir? He stole a glance at the document, the weight of the decision resting heavily on his shoulders.

“Are you going to sign the contract or not?” Robert asked impatiently. He needed to form an alliance with the prestigious Davies family as soon as possible to save his company from bankruptcy and the only way that could be accomplished was through the marriage of their children. Liam had rejected the marriage idea because he was repulsed by Anita Davies’ unattractive features and Robert had almost given up on the idea of the partnership when he saw Adrian, so he decided to use him to achieve his goal.

“I will explain to Liam later. He would understand that it’s just for the good of our company.” Robert thought to himself as he inwardly hoped that Adrian would give in.

“I’ll sign it.” Adrian sighed in resignation as he picked up the pen and signed the contract, finally realizing that meeting this condition was the only option he had to save his mother.

“Good choice.” Robert muttered as his shoulders slumped in relief. “You are now married to Anita Davies. You’ll be meeting with her tomorrow. I expect you to be a good husband and an even better son-in-law to the Davies. Don’t disappoint me.” He warned sternly before putting $100,000 cash into an envelope.

“Here.” He handed it to Adrian. “ This is the money for your mother’s surgery.”

Adrian took the envelope from Robert. “Thank you sir. I appreciate it. I won’t disappoint you.” He added gratefully before standing up to leave. The storm that was brewing in his mind had now settled into a calm even though he was yet to understand the reason for Robert’s unusual condition.

“One more thing.” Robert said, stopping Adrian in his tracks. “This contract is binding for 2 years. Make sure you don’t breach any of the terms in the contract, no matter what… or the consequences would be dire.”