Reece's POV
"Daddy!" My face breaks into a smile as Axel runs to me with her little arms spread wide. I laughed and picked her up.
"My little dove." She giggled cutely as I kissed her forehead, lightly tickling her body as she was in my arms.
"She's been waiting for you." Taylor says with a smile from besides me, ruffling Axel hair a little.
"Thank you Taylor." She gives me a curt nod before walking past us to the elevator, which I just came out from. Taylor is Axel's caregiver. She has been with us since Axel was born.
"My baby is growing up so fast." Axel laughs adorably, touching my face with her palm. "They are itchy Daddy." I laughed at her complaint. I haven't had time to shave off my beards and Axel clearly has a problem with it.
She always does.
"Oh are they?" She nods her head, pursing her lips. I began making my way to her room with her still scrutinizing my face.
She looks away from my face when we got into her room and I turned on the light. "I don't wanna sleep now." She fumbles in my arms.
"You have to sweetie. It's already late." She occasionally does this thing where she would refuse to sleep, especially when I travel for three days or more.
It was already some minutes past ten in the evening and she still looked as energized as ever. "I don't wanna go to bed." She pouts and I laughed.
"But you're already in bed dove." She didn't let go of me, so I laid besides her on her bed that was expectingly too small for me.
"Read me a story Daddy." She gives me puppy eyes which was almost unrealistic. Her big brown eyes made her look way too cute and I wasn't planning to turn down her request.
"Of course baby. Which one?" Her face lights up. She hurries down from the bed and her little form goes to grab a bedtime story, while I just looked at her and laughed.
Axel is my everything.
She is my greatest achievement and the only source of light and joy I've had in my life for the past five years.
I found it way amusing and laughed instead of helping her, as she struggles to climb on top the bed again because of her little legs.
"Daddy help me," She cries. I bobbed her nose with my fore finger before picking her up to lay besides me on the bed again.
I began reading the story she eagerly suggested but it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.
I placed a kiss on her forehead before carefully getting up and left the room.
___________________________________
I dried my hair with a towel and another wrapped securely around my waist. I just took a quick shower after tucking Axel in.
A text came from my phone just as I unwrapped my towel, walking to my walk-in-closest butt ass naked.
The benefits of being alone.
I checked the text and saw it was from Aaron. I threw my phone somewhere on the massive bed before putting on my black sweatpants.
All my excuses and distractions were no longer an obstacle to the running thoughts of what my Father insanely ordered me to do.
I just got back from connecticut tonight, which was a torturous flight back home. My racing thoughts could not stop and worse of it all........it was just me on my private jet.
The elevator dinged and opened just as I got to the living room. Aaron strolls in, flashing me a smile before walking to my mini bar.
"When are you gonna stop barging into my properties like it's your own?" My question went passed Aaron's ears because I never got a response.
"How'd it go?" He took a red wine bottle with a glass- clearly just for him. "It's my house and am not even gonna get a drink?" I took a bar stool, leaning my elbows on the counter.
Aaron rolls his eyes but pours me a glass as well. "What did papa bear want this time?" I chuckled at what he chose to call my Dad.
"I don't want a gala for my thirtieth. I just wanna stay home or do something else." I ignored his question and successfully it worked.
"No you're not." He states like he's the one turning thirty. I am just a year older than Aaron, although most times, it doesn't really matter.
"Tru and Micheal are gonna kill you," Aaron takes another bar stool besides me. "So what?" I scoffed.
"Tru basically wants the party for his own benefit and Micheal may not even show up." I shrugged.
My brother and best friends all brought up the idea of throwing a gala for my thirtieth birthday. I didn't want to but Tru and Micheal made it public without my awareness, so I would agree to it no matter what.
"It's in a week Reece and it's already announced everywhere. People are already looking forward to it." Aaron points out.
"Everyone except the celebrant." I mumble, drinking my wine. Aaron sighs from besides me, he knows I didn't want this at all.
"You don't have to do anything. You just have to show up. I'll organize everything, Okay?" Aaron says with a smile, which caused me to laugh.
"Sure." Let the day just come and pass, that's all.
Aaron taps his glass with his fingers, pursing his lips. "Now back to papa bear," I shut my eyes in defeat, he didn't forget.
"What's the psycho request this time?" A chuckle left his lips, assisting his question. If anyone knows my Father like I do, it's Aaron.
I ditched the non-alcoholic wine, going behind the mini bar to get a bottle of scotch.
A stupid grin drags at the side of Aaron's lips, "Oh no. Shit must be serious." He laughs.
"Do you remember that girl you were telling me about? The one with the scandal?" He nods before cutting in.
"It was really stupid that you didn't know about that, given the fact that you control a media company." He was right. But lately I've been more invested in my family's airlines, that everything else is either irrelevant or unknown to me.
"Sure I do remember. What about her?" Aaron questions, filling his glass with more wine.
"I have to marry her." Aaron's movement stopped instantly. He slowly brings up his head to me.
"What did you say?" He whispers with a shocked look. Making me say it again doesn't make it more real.
"I need to marry her. Autumn Snow." I chugged down my glass of scotch whisky.
It wasn't helping.
Aaron asked me to explain further. By the time I was done, he was dumbfounded.
"Does she know too?" He asked.
"How would I know? I've never met or seen her in my life?"
"Have you tried looking her up?" He wiggles his phone in my face, making his point. I obviously didn't think of that.
"Holy shit. You're really gonna marry The Autumn Snow." He says like he couldn't believe it. Even I, still can't believe it.
I walked back to my stool and sat down. Aaron searches up her name and immediately, different pictures, articles and information pops up.
I took the phone from his hand. I tapped her pictures, letting out a "Hmm" involuntarily.
"She's gorgeous right?" Aaron says from besides me annoyingly, as I scrolled through her pictures.
She's pretty. I give her that.
Her in her fashion shows, red carpets, cover girl shoots etc. I even came across her designs which were really good.
Isadore also informed me that she designed dresses for my Mom and her a few years ago.
"Look at you being all stalk-ish to your future wife." Aaron laughs at me. I honestly forgot he was there.
I gave him the finger without looking at him but he only laughs harder. "Don't worry, take your time. She's gonna be yours anyway." He adds.
I gave him his phone, exhaling deeply. "When are you guys gonna meet?" I took out my phone, going through the emails that just came in.
"I don't know." I felt his eyes at the side of my face.
"Stop staring at me. It's fucking creepy." Aaron laughs briefly. "If you say so." He stands up from his stool.
"No wonder the house is so quiet. Where is the little tornado?" I've told him to stop calling my daughter that.
"Axel is anything but a tornado. She's as calm and soft as a dove." That's why I call her that.
"She couldn't even stay up to see her godfather." He complains ignorantly. "When did you become her godfather? Micheal says he's the one, so as Tru." I arched a brow at him.
"Then she has three godfathers. The triple, the better." He smiles proudly and I just shook my head with a chuckle.
He stayed for an hour before leaving. The whole time, he spent bugging me about the marriage thing.
He said it could be a good thing and I should try to be positive about it.
I don't know how to be positive about something like that.
____________________________
"I'm almost there Baby, I'm almost there." I could almost hear Claire's painfully groans. I can never imagine what she's going through.
No man can.
"You psycho!" Cab drivers screamed at me, honking and throwing curses my way but the sounds were almost faded to my ears.
"I'm coming Claire."
My eyes snapped open, my breathing rigged, perspiration laid on my forehead and my bare chest. Even the air conditioner didn't help me.
Another nightmare.
With a sigh, I raised myself up from the bed....I still felt heavy. I opened my nightstand cabinet, took out the pills bottle and the bottle water that stood at the top of the nightstand.
I emptied the bottle of water after taking the pills. I knew I wouldn't get any more sleep, so I stood up, made my way to the bathroom and washed my face.
My legs lead me to my office and I willfully followed. Might as well get some work done. I checked on Axel on my way.
A sting of smile touched my lips as I stared at her, sleeping peacefully. I gently closed her door before going to my office.
I picked out some documents that I hadn't gotten the chance to read through. I read through them, made some corrections and adjustments.
The board members can never do anything right. I have to do everything my fucking self.
After going through the documents, I got my laptop to respond to my emails. That was my plan but instead...I found myself doing something unrelated.
I typed her name on the search icon, tapping my fingers on the wooden desk as her photos showed up once again. I used the opportunity to read the articles about her.
"Shit." The silent curse left my lips as I saw more headlines about the blonde girl.
I recalled my Dad saying, all allegations but one is false. He didn't tell me which one, but seeing all of the accusations, they are all really bad.
I don't know who this girl is but she sounds like trouble.
I unintentionally started reading her biography- the public one.
She's twenty-four. She looked a little more mature than her age.
My curiosity got the best of me, encouraging me to stalk her more.
Hold up...
It's not stalking, am just trying to know about the person I am forcefully getting married to. It's not a crime.
Meeting her in person will probably be the best.
"Yeah am definitely stalking her and it's getting weird....even for me." I say to myself, shutting down my laptop.
I can't sleep. Work is stupid and unhelpful.
What do I do?
a/n:
Thanks for reading!