Vincenzo's POV
None of the women in the room interested me.
"Why are you hiding out here?" Granny said, and I groaned.
"When I told you to find a suitable baby-making factory, you didn't tell me that you were going to be involving me." I snapped.
I just returned from a trip. Imagine my shock when I found a crowd of people in my house.
"I'm not cut out for this." I added.
"Don't use that tone with me, boy." She lifted her walking stick in warning.
"All I ask of you is that you please be polite." My grandmother said
"This is the only way we can get this done."
"They are fake," I said. Their fakeness radiated all over them.
"How do you know that when you have not gotten to know them?"
"I'm not saying pick right now. I mean, we have other days to search for the chosen bride." She said.
"Baby maker." I corrected.
"That is such a derogatory word to use for a woman." She chided.
"Well, I honestly do not care." I told her.
She doesn't understand how annoying it was to find your face plastered on the newspapers just because you're in a search for an heir.
"This is for your own good." She snapped. None of us are backing down. Both of us have always been stubborn.
When she sniffled, I rolled my eyes. The waterworks are in process.
"I just want what's best for you. I can tell them to cancel it." She said it, and I rolled my eyes.
And risk me being a bad person? No, granny, you've started it, and you will finish it.
"Fine, I'll mingle with them." I saw the glee in her eyes.
"Only talk to them; don't expect me to do more than that." I warned her.
"Okay, my love." She agreed, and she kissed my cheeks like she had always done.
I wondered how her husband coped with his wife's scheming nature. He was very aware of it. But he left her to do whatever she pleased.
"You have to learn to allow your grandma to have her way. It has helped me stay out of trouble." He patted my back.
Well, granddad. I am cut out of her stubborn cloth. Let's see how this pans out.
"Right, sir." I replied and went downstairs.
"Please make me welcome, my son." She introduced me with pride on her face.
Grandma, mingle; we agreed, and that is what I will do. I communicated silently with her, and she nodded in response.
I whistled when I got to a group of ladies who were elegantly dressed.
I also wore a mask. But they still recognized me.
When the first woman turned, I thought she would pass out from shock. The rest of the ladies turned and also stared at me in shock.
Were we going to be staring at each other tonight?
"Great outfits you have on." I complimented them.
"Yeah, yeah. It's great." She was wearing a burgundy dress when she snapped out of shock.
This is ridiculous. I don't want a dummy for the mother of my child. I heard that children inherited intelligence from their mothers.
"I hope you're having a great time tonight."
"Yeah, we are." One of them replied to me in the fakest voice I had ever heard. It was nasal and screeching to the ears.
"Alright, I'll leave you ladies to enjoy your night." I said that and tipped my hat to them.
"Thank you." They chorused. Fake bunch of women.
Is this what Grandma wants me to settle with? No way.
"Good evening, Mr. Winston." A woman intercepted me.
"Good evening?" I asked.
"My name is Carla." She stretched her hands.
This one sounds sensible, at last.
"I would like to speak to you about climate change." She said.
"Okay?" I replied.
"It deals with the weather shift over a long period of time, and..." She started, and I tuned her out. She must really think I'm interested in that boring topic.
"That's a very interesting topic." I told her and watched her blush. She opened her mouth to probably say something else, but I beat her to it.
"However, I would like to meet other people." I said it politely and walked away. That was a lie. All I wanted was for this sham to be over, have a long shower, and hit the sack.
The last few weeks had been hectic, and long talks were going to make me snap faster than I should.
I wasn't watching where I was going when a lady bumped into me, dumping the contents of her glass on me. This was my favorite suit.
The glass cup dropped, and the room went silent. The disc jockey also stopped the music. People waited to see what would happen. Fuck! Are you blind? I cussed inwardly, knowing that all eyes were on me.
"Hey, are you alright?" I muttered instead.
Then I saw the most beautiful cocoa eyes I had ever seen. It sent me down memory lane to the only girl who gave me shivers. Shit! Focus on the present.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She said this and attempted to clean the stain on my suit with a paper towel.
"I didn't mean to." She apologized.
I stood still, enjoying her ministrations. Her touch was heavenly. She was so engrossed in that.
"Hey, it's alright," I said. A a cleaner would fix it.
"Are you okay?" A voice cut in, breaking the spell between us.
" Yes." I turned to shun the culprit.
When I turned back, I saw her retreating figure; her hair was wavy, and she was wearing a burgundy dress. Her eyes were to die for. Man, those eyes could cripple even the strongest of guys.
"Are you okay?" A security guard ran up to me.
"No, I want to see that lady again." I wanted to retort, but I bit it back. I have to explore this connection I felt towards this stranger.