Before either of them could speak further, the sound of a door knock brought an eerie silence in the study.
Anastasia wanted to strangle the person on the other side of the door for their untimely interruption.
Already, she was feeling apprehensive and hopeful all at the same time, but her ingrained manners didn't allow her to prompt Brian Donovan to speak.
She watched as the old man once again donned his mask of ice - the one she had been confronted with when she had entered the study and command, "Enter."
The door creaked open with a long, agonising sound and a figure entered the study.
The shadows had lengthened as the evening had progressed while she had been talking to the Donovan patriarch and he hadn't bothered to ask someone to switch on the lights except a table lamp at his side and she herself hadn't been inclined to appear boorish for commenting about the lack of overhead light.
Now it seemed as if this had been a deliberate set up on the old man's part but to what end, she wondered.
The shadowy figure gave off a feeling of calm confidence and she felt irritated at the assurance that was radiating off the person - as if they were assured about the very place they held in the larger world and nothing could harm them on a visceral level.
She neutralized her expression so as not to give away her inner thoughts and watched as the person - male from the looks of it, swiftly entered the room and stood just a few feet away from her.
--------Line Break--------
The man found the ridiculous play his grandfather always purported in almost every occasion to be tiring and an unnecessary waste of time.
He saw a girl sitting at one of the chairs in the study and had an errant thought about the identity of a girl who was allowed to sit and talk with the Donovan patriarch as an equal.
He himself had never been allowed even this courtesy in a place that was his 'home'.
He wasn't in the mood to play mind games with his grandfather tonight, so he simple spoke, "Good evening, Grandfather."
With a dismissive glance at the girl, he continued in a bored drawl, "I see you have gathered an audience for the talk."
His words might have been rude to the lady but his intentions were to ask the patriarch to either finish his talks with the outsider first or to lay down whatever command he had for him.
"Won't you take a seat, dear child?" The other person spoke in a whisper.
More than the voice, the content of the words shocked him more. He had never been allowed to take a seat in the study whenever he was called for an audience.
Why would he be?
After all, the study was the territory of the patriarch and the old man hadn't ever placed him in his eyes.
Allowed to take a seat?
What had the world come to?
It didn't look like the old man had turned soft in his old age.
Had he contracted some incurable disease and was hence trying to mend his broken bridges?
That seemed even more implausible.
Had the old man been about to kick the bucket so to speak, other people in the family would have crowded around him in a show of filial piety and he himself wouldn't have been allowed to even get near the patriarch.
Feeling perplexed and jittery at the reason for such unusual actions, he stood at his spot for a few seconds.
When Brian saw no movement from his grandson, he felt irritated at his order not being followed swiftly.
Looking at the furrowed brows of his grandfather, the younger man knew that the other person was nearing his limited well of patience and that it would behove him to not cross him.
"Might as well," he spoke and took the proffered seat.
--------Line Break--------
Anastasia watched as the stranger took his seat and raised his head and she saw the face of the said person clearly for the first time.
The face was what was expected of a young master of a first-tier family.
He had high cheekbones, slightly hollowed cheeks that hinted at a strict diet regime and his eyes...they were dark black in colour and piercing in their quality, while his strands of hair feel in natural waves and a single strand had escaped from the casual arrangement and was lying inconsequentially on his forehead.
She had read and even heard about girls talking in her school and now in college about the charismatic or cold eyes and how they were attracted to young men with such eyes.
Anastasia always wondered about the lack of IQ for such frivolous talks.
Those girls in their dreamland never understood that those cold, dark eyes weren't a representation of a passionate man.
No.
Those dark eyes with a bleak look in them were the signs that a person had seen the ugly, harsh realities of the world and had started in the face of negative emotions that plagued the human heart and found others lacking.
Most of the people of the upper echelons of high society - especially the heirs who had to fight and contend against others for their positions had such deep looks.
She wondered how those flighty girls mistook those weary to the bone eyes for a sign of whatever euphuism they used for sexual attraction.
--------Line Break--------
Brian Donovan began once again, "Ah, I wanted to speak to the two of you about a matter that concerns you both, but that can wait for a moment as first I should make the introductions."
Turning towards the girl, he spoke proudly, "Miss Rayburn, this is my grandson Alexander Donovan."
Anastasia rolled her eyes inwardly at the pompousness but still bowed her head and gave a slight smile to the stranger - ah, no, not a stranger any more...Alexander Donovan.
This could be constituted as a greeting, though it was just skirting the line of impropriety.
Nonetheless, she didn't want to prolong her stay at this place and wanted the introductions to be as brief as possible.
However, she knew who Alexander Donovan was. Everyone in the capital knew this name.
He was the CEO of one of the most profitable businesses the Donovan family had under their name - The Donovan Refineries. The company was a subsidiary of Donovan Corporation and he had been listed in the 'Top 30 under 30' list by the leading business magazines for two consecutive years.
Well, she wished him all the luck internally because he could only feature on that list for two more gears since he was twenty-eight years old as of now.
Next, the old man presented the girl to his grandson.
"Alexander, may I present the lovely Miss Anastasia Rayburn to you. She is the heir to The Rayburn Industries and will take her rightful place in a few years."
Alexander listened to his grandfather's words and gave the girl a shallow nod of his head.
Since the other person hadn't bothered to talk to him, he didn't find the need to speak to her. Though his eyes frowned slightly when he saw her fingers splayed so uneasily across her lap.
What was going on here?
Why were they being introduced in such a blatant manner?
Hopefully, the old man wasn't planning on setting them up on a blind date while he himself would act as a chaperone or a live spectator.
Now, that wasn't Alexander being sarcastic. With the patriarch's unconventional ideas, it wouldn't surprise him if the old man actually did that kind of thing.
Naturally, he knew her name and had recognised her with a single look.
The papers and lifestyle magazines had been screaming or in this case, printing about her and The Rayburn Conglomerate for the past few months.
He had a vague thought about what she thought about her life being splashed across the glossy pages of various magazines and the future of her business being discussed by irrelevant people who would never be able to reach her position all their lives.
--------Line Break--------
Turning towards the girl, the Donovan patriarch continued, "Yes, as I was saying before we were inadvertently interrupted, Miss Rayburn. I cannot give you leave to pay me the money after you take your official position at your company. The matters of this world always take strange turns and who is to say that nobody would cause you fatal harm before that, though I hope that doesn't happen. Therefore, I have decided upon a course of action that will benefit both of us."
With rising trepidation, she inquired, "Mr Donovan, you are saying that you will cut a retreat route for me. May I know what does that require of me?"
Anastasia was aware enough to know that there were no free lunches in this world and that the other person wouldn't say nonsensical things when she had come with clear intentions of negotiations to this table.
Therefore, it could only mean one thing.
He would help her out of her predicament but she would be effectively under his thumb if she agreed to his proposal.
Her instinctive reaction was to say no to any such proposition because she didn't know what it would entail.
However, she still wanted to at least hear it. She didn't want to regret not opting for a way out later on. She also understood the necessity of bowing or raising her head according to the circumstances.
It wouldn't help to be obstinate at this point - everyone was eyeing her and she didn't want to become a liability to her company.
"Marriage!" Brain exclaimed. "You see you are old enough to be married and if you marry into the Donovan family, not only will it solve my problem of how to get back all the money. It would also be an additional deterrent to anybody having any malevolent thoughts regarding you."
With a smile he continued, "After all, if you are a family member, I will just think of that money as a failed investment if the research doesn't turn to be profitable or marketable."